What is your favorite brand of scopes and why?

[Zachary]

What is your favorite brand of scopes and why?  (Due to line limitations, if your favorite brand is not listed on the poll, then please post it.)

Zachary

[Zachary]

I personally voted for the Nightforce because it simply is my favorite scope.

Why?  It is built like a TANK, it has OUTSTANDING RESOLUTION, it has INCREDIBLE LIGHT TRANSMISSION, and it has the absolute FINEST ILLUMINATED RETICLE SYSTEM on the market.

The only things that I do not like about it is that it is heavy (at 32 oz.) big and long (it has 56mm objectives) and is pricey (over $1,300).

Still, it's an awesome scope and my favorite.

I must admit, however, that, for all practical reasons, the BUSHNELL ELITE 4200s are some of the finest scopes on the market, even regardless of price, and I absolutely love the RAINGUARD feature.  These are my second favorite scopes.

My third favorite scopes are the Nikon Monarchs (pretty much identical to the Elite 4200s except that they don't have rainguard), and the Leupold Vari-X IIIs.


Zachary

[TheOpticZone]

My vote is for Leupold.  I like the reliability and clarity.  But I would have to say that the new Weaver Grand Slams are very close second place.

[Flatlander.54]

I like Weaver and Bushnell scopes. They seem to have good clarity, built well, and dependable click adjustments.

[SoftPoint]

Sightron, based on price and quality

[bigdaddytacp]

What is your favorite brand of scopes and why?  (Due to line limitations, if your favorite brand is not listed on the poll, then please post it.)

Zachary

At last count I have had 26 Leupold scopes and optics...currently have 16.....oldest is 20yrs old and still going strong.....I have owned Zeiss,Unertl,Lyman, Old Weavers,Redfields,Tascos, and Nightforce and installed many Tascos, Simmons for friends and ran a local sporting goods-firearms store for a sideline job for a few years....and for size, weight, optic clarity, durrability and value for the dollar and GREAT PEOPLE-WARRANTY and built in AMERICA I haven't found a OVERALL better choice......some of the other scopes are also fantastic..but as a OVERALL package Leupold is very hard to beat and that is not a knock on some of the other great scopes and companies that also provide good products to the market.....Burris being one that comes to mind but Leupold has been so good to me I almost feel guilty when I look at another brand.......good luck and good shooting!!!!

[longwinters]

I have 2 Nikon Monarchs and really like both of them.  But am thinking about either a Bushnell 4200 or the Zeiss Conquest because of the shorter bells that they have . . . will be easier to mount on my 7mm.

[SeanD]

There are scopes that have as good or better optics, some have great warranties, some others may look as good or be as lightweight, some may be as durable, a few have simalar eye relief, but leupold has got it all.  I go into the shop and look at scopes, and the clerks always give me their opinion.  Nikon is clearer, elite is better for the money, etc.  Maybe they are right.  But if i spend a little more, i can get a scope that i know i will use forever, and it will always be the scope that all the others are compared to.  So ill spend a little more, get what i want and be done with it.

[Zachary]

I think that the Nikon Monarchs and Elite 4200s have very similar optical quality.  In fact, I think that the optics in these scopes are better than the Vari-X IIIs (but not the LPS).  The Elites are additionally great because I really like the rainguard.

My only complaint about the Elites is that they have very short eye relief.  I don't care much for FOV, I like eye relief.

Zachary

[Balto]

First, I don't have a lot of experience with a lot of scopes.  But I do have  a few rifles that are scoped.  All have leopold except a 22 rifle wearing a 30 year old Bushnell Banner 4X.
 
Two of my 30-06's wear Leopolds one is a 1-4 power Vari X-ll and another a 3-9x Compact.

My .458 Ruger Tropical wears a 1-4 Vari X-ll.  It has plenty of eye relief and FOV. Have never been scope bit.

My .338 Wears a 1.75-6 Vari X-lll.  It has the best resolution, great eye relief and best of all I can shoot it in any position  including prone and not get scope bit.  It is the rifle I use most. It has endured the most rugged use including dropped on rocks, nasty weather and ect.  One time I watched it fall on a flat rock and bounce about six times between the 26 inch barrel and the back of the scope.  Just put a nasty nick on the back of the scope everything else was fine.  

They all have withstood a lot of bad weather,  Offer plenty of eye relief and have withstood rugged use.

Also Leupold offered some assistance with who to go to  once when I wanted to have one of my 1-4X's given a matt finish.  I did'nt want the shiney finish but that is alll they offered in the  Vari-X ll line at the time.  The said they would even keep the lifetime garantee after I had the work done one my scope.

These scopes are pretty light for what you get.  My feelings are if it works why fix it?  I have to admit the Bushnell 4200 looks good except for the weight but I doubt if that I will be changing any time in the near future unless Leupold decides to go 180 degrees on me.

[Zachary]

Well, so far it looks like Leupold at almost 50% is leading the pack.

Zachary

[Advocate]

I like Leupold. Good quality, durability, and GOOD EYE RELIEF.  After being whacked in the forehead with a Redfield  fixed 6x  that came on a on a .375 H&H I swaped for years ago, the issue of eye relief quickly went to the top of the list for scope criteria for me.  (I was later advised that Redfield scopes had something called "critical eye relief".)    I will not use anything except a Leupold on anything that kicks harder than a .270.   My .338 Win Mag has a fixed Leupold 4x and it has always worked great.

My first pistol scope was another brand and after 50 rounds on a .357 magnum it came apart. I exchanged it for a Leupold EER 2x and have never looked back.  It's flawless after more than 5,000 rounds of .357.


    Although I use other scopes,  my favorite it Leupold.

[Zachary]

I agree about the importance of eye relief, and also that Leupold seems to always be the winner in this department.

For the life of me, I just can't understand why all of the other manufacturers do not increase the eye relief on their scopes.  Yes, I understand that there is a relationship between FOV and eye relief, but, at least to me, eye relief is more important.  Acutally, come to think of it, I'm gonna put this issue in a poll. :wink:

Zachary