Rifle Scopes What would you buy with $1,200 +/-?

Singleshot

Singleshot

Burstfireguns.com
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Minuteman
Sep 5, 2013
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burstfireguns.com
#1
- No Vortex or Leopold
- FFP, 20x+, Illum, Mil/Mil
- Best overall quality based on glass, turret, durability/reliability.
- Lets just say we don’t care about fancy tree reticles. That can open up a can of worms

More curiosity than an advice to purchase. Just feel like there’s not much worth buying in this range in terms of value. It’s either go mid range in the 500-800 or go $1800+. Personal opinion.

I am worried I may end up buying one of the recommendations at the end of this thread lol.

Let’s hear it! Thanks in advance fellas.
 
#4
Well both Leupold and Vortex offer some good options in that price bracket.

Otherwise Athlon, Burris, Sightron, Bushnell, Steiner, Sig, Nightforce and a few others too.

I think many would argue the options in the $1000-$1200 range are so good now its hard to justify paying 2.5-3x as much for a scope that offers diminishing returns on investment.
 
#5
honestly at that price point ($1200) i would either get a Ares ETR or Viper Gen 2 or XTR 2. i dont think theres really any other major contenders. leopold doesnt really have any good options for ~1200.
 
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#6
Burris xtr2 5-25x SCR-MIL is a solid option ... street price was around $1,000 when I got mine. The new xtr3 if you want to wait ... or the xtr2 now.

xkM0p8w.jpg


The glass has a bit of chromatic aberration, but that doesn't stop you from hitting steel targets, out to 1,400yds with ^^ .300WM(24) and 220gr SMK. The turrets track and the reticle tracks, so feature #1 in my book is nailed. :)


It is FFP, 25x, illum (and very useful illum for both hunting and target shooting. It is a "T" on the illum which is great for hunting on 5x and I can even see the hash marks with my olde eyes on 5x), Mil/Mil. And as I said before, it tracks.
I never had a problem with this scope. I had an issue with an AR 536 I got in trade. Sent it in and they sent me a new one. So no complaints about Burris support. Also, I've called them to clarify the zero stop setting process (which you didn't specify as a requirement, but the xtr scopes have it) and they answered my question quickly, without having to pass me to level 2. So support gets high ratings from me.

The reticle is very similar to the NF mil-c ... 0.2 mil subtensions on the windage ... 0.5 mil hash otherwise. Very good mil-hash reticle.
 
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#8
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#10
Funny you say there isn't much in this range. SWFA HD 5-20, Athlon Cronus BTR, and Delta Stryker are all in this approximate range, and it's my opinion that they're some of the best values in any price range. Really, really good glass, really good build quality, good reticles, etc.

Hard to find much of anything bad to say about any of those. The Cronus and Stryker are on the + side of 1200 and SWFA is below it if you're buying used, but they're all in the "over $1k but less than $1700" range.

I run an SWFA HD 5-20 currently. Have tried out some more expensive scopes, but can't justify the significant extra money for the limited extra performance.
 
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#18
The new Brownell's scopes look very interesting, but I haven't seen a street date yet.
Maybe as used Steiner T5Xi?

I'd go one of 2 ways - look on the classifieds here or reach out to some of the vendors that support the SH. You'll get good and practical advice and a good deal - demos can be found too.
 
#20
Thanks for the input ya’ll.

Considering switching out my old Leupold Mk 4 ER/T FFP 8.5-25 M1 Mil-dot. Trying to see what the experts on this forum would personally get in this range. Was considering T5Xi, but not sure about the 50 yd parallax.
 
#22
... not sure about the 50 yd parallax ...
Click to expand...

What are you going to DO at 50yds ??

quarter inch or half inch dots ?? if so, that's a different ball game. As even if a scope says it will parallax to 50yds that could be 68yds ... or 54yds ... or 72yds ... or 48 yds etc. If so are doing something serious at 50yds ... you need a scope that says it parallaxes down below 30yds ... I have two that do that ... NF 7-35x T3 and Athlon Argos 6-24x. but that chinese scope I only use on a Tikka T1x for 25yds and 50yds dots or vermin day shooting. So I don't dial with it except for zeroing and I use the critter as the reticle, so don't rely or turrets or reticle to track.
So I consider the 50yds or below parallaxing scopes to be special beasts ... and there aren't many of the "Big Bad" scopes that will do that.
A couple of S&Bs will ... and the NF will, but those are way outside your budget. If you want to get serious at 50yds .... you'll need to do more homework on what will parallax down below 30yds.
 
#23
Agree with Captain Teeto and wigwamitus. S&B 5-25x, 3-27x (my personal favorite), 3-20x, 5-45x and USs, NF 7-35 ATACR, March 3-24x, and Kahles 5-25 or 3-18, is about it that does <50yds and those likely ain't happening for $1,200 +/-. Thread from few months ago: 50 ft parallax scopes.

The only ones that seem to fit your criteria are used SWFA HD 5-20x that will do 35yds I think, and Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x @25yds. Sightron S-Tac 4-20x was mentioned, but don't know anything about Sightron.

Only other ones I know of <$1,200 to <50yds parallax are the SWFA SS and the Athlon Midas TAC. I'm given to understand that the Midas TAC uses the same erector assembly as the Ares ETR that is getting such good reviews. Clueless about SIG products, but that Tango6 looks like it might also fit the bill.
 
#30
DOA said:
I don't know why you are being shortsighted as far as Vortex is concerned, but if so, my choice would be Ares ETR.
Click to expand...
because the ARES ETR smoke the pst gen 2 (but a 3-18 razor is damn close to budget)

nothing wrong with getting an ares etr, or burris xtr3 etc suggested. not necessary to spend $3k on a scope like it might have been 5-10 years ago. plenty of options for $1k that kick ass
 
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#31
b6graham said:
because the ARES ETR smoke the pst gen 2 (but a 3-18 razor is damn close to budget)

nothing wrong with getting an ares etr, or burris xtr3 etc suggested. not necessary to spend $3k on a scope like it might have been 5-10 years ago. plenty of options for $1k that kick ass
Click to expand...
I would like to get my hands on an Ares ETR to try out.
 
#33
b6graham said:
because the ARES ETR smoke the pst gen 2 (but a 3-18 razor is damn close to budget)

nothing wrong with getting an ares etr, or burris xtr3 etc suggested. not necessary to spend $3k on a scope like it might have been 5-10 years ago. plenty of options for $1k that kick ass
Click to expand...

ugh i want an ares etr so bad but i cant justify buying one after just buying a PST gen 2 for $750 (not incl. tax). but i really want the brown color and elevation adj. range ugh. i can try and sell my pst gen 2 and dback tac tho i guess. to be honest tho, if i could get anything id get a shadow 2 or tangfolio.
 
#34
Captain Teeto said:
ugh i want an ares etr so bad but i cant justify buying one after just buying a PST gen 2 for $750 (not incl. tax). but i really want the brown color and elevation adj. range ugh. i can try and sell my pst gen 2 and dback tac tho i guess. to be honest tho, if i could get anything id get a shadow 2 or tangfolio.
Click to expand...
pretty sure you'll get your money back on the pst if you got it for 750...
 
#38
b6graham said:
because the ARES ETR smoke the pst gen 2 (but a 3-18 razor is damn close to budget)
Click to expand...

This is not me arguing, but adding more info.

I've not owned any Athlon products, but through reviews from reliable sources (Ilya etc) the consensus seems to be:
Ares ETR>PST G2>Ares BTR
The glass and turrets on the ETR are a big improvement over the BTR, whilst the BTR glass was noted to be good the turrets let the scope down.

I've just ordered a PST G2, I considered the two Athlons but I didn't want to go for the 56mm and 34mm objective and tube of the ETR, and the less than stellar reviews of the BTR turrets meant the PST G2 was a good compromise.
 
#39
beetroot said:
This is not me arguing, but adding more info.

I've not owned any Athlon products, but through reviews from reliable sources (Ilya etc) the consensus seems to be:
Ares ETR>PST G2>Ares BTR
The glass and turrets on the ETR are a big improvement over the BTR, whilst the BTR glass was noted to be good the turrets let the scope down.

I've just ordered a PST G2, I considered the two Athlons but I didn't want to go for the 56mm and 34mm objective and tube of the ETR, and the less than stellar reviews of the BTR turrets meant the PST G2 was a good compromise.
Click to expand...

what were the reasons why you didnt want a 56mm obj and 34mm tube?
 
#41
beetroot said:
This is not me arguing, but adding more info.

I've not owned any Athlon products, but through reviews from reliable sources (Ilya etc) the consensus seems to be:
Ares ETR>PST G2>Ares BTR
The glass and turrets on the ETR are a big improvement over the BTR, whilst the BTR glass was noted to be good the turrets let the scope down.

I've just ordered a PST G2, I considered the two Athlons but I didn't want to go for the 56mm and 34mm objective and tube of the ETR, and the less than stellar reviews of the BTR turrets meant the PST G2 was a good compromise.
Click to expand...
What is the big deal about turret feel? I dont understand. If they turn and the scope adjusts then job well done. I could care less about how a turret feels. In my opinion (of course) i think scope manufacturers are getting a little carried away on how “tactical” the turrets are becoming. I dont consider it very tactical when you can hear me dialing my scope in from 100 yards away.

Im not picking on you solely. I read this constantly. Im going to start a thread.
 
#42
tried to look through all the posts , but for $1050 or around that if you find it on sale you could get a mill mill or moa moa sightron s3 10x50x60 30mm and spend the extra on more ammo . I have it used on 22's and it has 3 options for cross hairs its not a snb but its nice clear and has decent glass have used it as close as 50m and up to 600 yards i don't have a longer range to try further yet . Can zoom in close enough to see my little 224 impacts on paper and i think that pretty good not so sure about the s5's by sightron $2000 dollars maybe less or more not sure, and the same glass as the s3's . Larger tube at 34mm , better turrets just dont think its worth the extra for the cost. Its another option for you.
 
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#46
The SWFA 5-20 is out of its depth at 1200 in todays market. Same with the HDMR. Not a chance would I drop 1200 on either. Not with the Tango6, DMRII, TX5i, Cronus, ETR, LRHS/LRTS all right there.
 
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#48
I’m just used to spending sub $800 or $2k+. I feel like with the options available over the last few years, sub $800 can get you a pretty decent scope new or in pic. And $2k+, well, you can get your hands on most of the tier 1 scopes. However, I simply wanted to get everyone’s opinion on what they would get. Or perhaps say not worth it, and move up, or down in price range based on value you’re getting at x range. Hope I’m making sense. A bit thinking out loud.

But hey, my leupold MK4 was once upon a time, $2k+ lol. Just thought it’s might be time to retire it (or maybe not).

To answer a few questions / comments.
- Reason I asked for sub 50 parallax is, if I ever wanted to, I can. Simple as that. But, at the same time it’s not a requirement.

- Not wanting vortex because I’ve never had good luck with them. Everyone one of them had taken a trip back to the factory for warranty issues. I do like Leulold. But, they’re not a great value. Mk5, 6, or 8 is out of the range. And at the range the are going for, there are better options.

- I set it at this price (1200 ish) not because I’m short on money. Just trying to see what’s worth buying in this range. As previously mentioned. I typically go sub $800 (for recreatuonsal toys), or $2k+ (on tools I depend on).

- Yes, will def reach out and check with Doug if I need to buy something new. As a matter of fact, I just bought a Ares BTR from him this week. Can’t wait to check it out when it arrives Monday!

Thanks again for all the inputs so far
 
#49
Singleshot said:
I’m just used to spending sub $800 or $2k+. I feel like with the options available over the last few years, sub $800 can get you a pretty decent scope new or in pic. And $2k+, well, you can get your hands on most of the tier 1 scopes. However, I simply wanted to get everyone’s opinion on what they would get. Or perhaps say not worth it, and move up, or down in price range based on value you’re getting at x range. Hope I’m making sense. A bit thinking out loud.

But hey, my leupold MK4 was once upon a time, $2k+ lol. Just thought it’s might be time to retire it (or maybe not).

To answer a few questions / comments.
- Reason I asked for sub 50 parallax is, if I ever wanted to, I can. Simple as that. But, at the same time it’s not a requirement.

- Not wanting vortex because I’ve never had good luck with them. Everyone one of them had taken a trip back to the factory for warranty issues. I do like Leulold. But, they’re not a great value. Mk5, 6, or 8 is out of the range. And at the range the are going for, there are better options.

- I set it at this price (1200 ish) not because I’m short on money. Just trying to see what’s worth buying in this range. As previously mentioned. I typically go sub $800 (for recreatuonsal toys), or $2k+ (on tools I depend on).

- Yes, will def reach out and check with Doug if I need to buy something new. As a matter of fact, I just bought a Ares BTR from him this week. Can’t wait to check it out when it arrives Monday!

Thanks again for all the inputs so far
Click to expand...
Hell I still use both my MK4s
 
#50
supercorndogs said:
The SWFA 5-20 is out of its depth at 1200 in todays market. Same with the HDMR. Not a chance would I drop 1200 on either. Not with the Tango6, DMRII, TX5i, Cronus, ETR, LRHS/LRTS all right there.
Click to expand...

oh yea same here. i wouldnt buy the SWFA 5-20, i only listed it because the original post said to avoid tree reticles. imo no tree reticle or illum at a $1200 is outdated in the current market.
 
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