I am a big fan of Bushnell Elite, and Nikon Monarchs. For scopes, with $300 to $400
dollars in the pocket to spend, they are where I look first. Bushnell's Rainguard is
often the tie breaker.
Just yesterday, I placed an order with Jon, at the Optic Zone, for a 4-16x50 illuminated
dot Mueller scope. My rifle slush fund is very low, and a new T-3 needs good glass.
I have heard some pretty good reviews, on this brand, and for $180, shipped to my
door, I found it hard to pass up. It is an experiment, but I am hopeful it will turn out
to be a good choice for this rifle. The new T-3 Lite, is chambered in .223 Rem, and
I intend to use it with reduced loads, as a night/twilight varminter, around country
residences. The 50mm objective, and the illuminated dot reticle, should make this
combo strike fear in the hearts of flower munching rabbits, and ferel cats.
So to really make a recommendation, I would need to know your budget. There
are many choices, in good optics, at different price points. These would be mine
at the $400 price point, and I will soon know if the Mueller is worthy of my recommendation
at the $200 price point. Under $200 it is a crap shoot. There are good scopes out there,
for under $200, but I have found that quality can vary from scope to scope within
a same model from year to year. I have had some Tasco, and Simmons, scopes,
for under $100 that were solid. The clarity was fair, and they have held zero,
over my use of them. Adjustments were sticky, and often needed a shot, or two,
to get them to settle in to a new adjustment, but once there, stayed there.
But I have had some dogs, in scopes under $200. I have not had one problem
with Bushnell Elites, and Nikon Monarchs, regarding crisp repeatable adjustments,
and for that money, I expect that of scopes at this price point. And clear and
bright, also is part of my expectations. This leads me to my next point. Not to
"diss" Redhawk1's Leupold recommendation, but my Leupold VX-II 4-12x40,
is a disappointment clarity wise. I like the longer eye relief, for a heavy recoiling
rifle, but the price for that optics quality, is out of line, IMHO. Since I have not
had a scope problem, with scopes above $200, the stellar customer service reputation
of Leupold has not factored into my buying decision. When I do have a scope problem
I might change my mind, but up until now, this point is a non-starter for me.
Whatever your price point, you will want something in the 4-16x power range,
or even up to 6-24x. I really like my Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x40, on
my .22-250 Rem. But a scope of this power is limited for close shots. Also
mirage becomes an issue after about 16x, put that is not a scope related issue.
So, if you want long range small varminting, and target shooting, then I'd suggest
a variable that tops out around 20x to 24x. If you want something more for
close to long ranges, from woodchuck sized varmints, and up , and for target shooting,
I find a 4-16x a good compromise.
Squeeze
