Do you have a spending limit that you are willing to pay for a scope?

[carbineman]

For me so far it has been $200. I bought 2 new 20mm Leupolds for $200 each and a used one for that price also. With the new Redfield line from Leupold, the $129-$139 will get you a fairly decent scope. I like the smaller ocular bell for fitting on the handi rifle. Seems the new Redfield is the answer for a poor old two dollar dirt hauler like me!

[Empty Quiver]

Interesting question, I'm in the market for a scope right now. This is a moving target for me. I will not compromise on quality, that is, I won't go below a Luepold VXII level.

I am very willing to purchase used, matter of fact I don't own any "new" scopes. I don't have a set dollar amount, it's more of a value for my dollar, and funding available at the time. I've gone from $225 up to $525 for used scopes. I can tell you this though if you ever see a $1000 scope on one of my rifles call the police cause it's stolen.

[kctibs]

The most I have spent is around $800.00. That has been awhile. The last couple of scopes were in the $600.00 dollar range but as I buy more Encore barrels my limit has dropped to the $250.00 range I also like the new Redfeild line which will be my economical scope to use. The ecomony and available fund do have a lot to do with my choices.

[Bigeasy]

For me, its about $300.00.  That will buy you a clear and strong scope, such as a Leupold or Burris.  Big difference between a $100 and a $300 scope.  Not nearly so much between a $300 and a $600 scope.  Now, no doubt a $1500 Zeiss scope will be sharper, offer better color redention and may have more features then say a Leupold VX-11, but not THAT much more.  I don't think Durability would be too different.

Larry

[charles p]

A Leupold LPS back in 1988 was my most expensive to date.  Have lots of VXIIIs and VXIIs.  I bought a pair of Sworo binoculars on eBay for a steal.  They needed adjusting and they did it for free.  Nothing wrong with used optics if they can be repaired or upgraded for free.

[Dances with Geoducks]

I will not pay less than $300, Ive not seen a scope that compares with

http://www.supersniper.com/

I have two of these, and have sold a lot of folks on them.

I wanted rugged, clear glass. I got that and more

[Dave in WV]

$300 - $400. I've yet to pay $400.

[bikerbeans]

$209 for a new Leupold Rifleman is tops.  Just bought a couple of the new Redfields.  Can't justify a $500 scope when my eyes and trigger finger are in the $150 range. 

[cwlongshot]

$300 - $400. I've yet to pay $400.

Same here!!

Luckly we all have many places to look for used scopes. better quality used Leupolds carry a lifetime warenty, (not Rifleman) so buy with out worry!!!

CW

[drdougrx]

$500 for me....but....I haven't spent $500 on a new scope yet.  I have 3 or 4 Vari-X IIs 2x7s, sitting around that were replaced by "better" scopes.....stupid me....I'm now mounting them on rifles rifles as i acquire them.

[Mac11700]

I was ready to plop down some big bucks to get my Zeiss or a Khales..but luckily didn't have to..saved myself about $300 dollars going with the Zeiss I found on Amazon...so I didn't go over $430..this time..I don't plan on spending over $700 for one when I do purchase again..Lots of good deals to be found..

Mac

[Old Fart]

Not so much anymore for me as I don't do a lot of big game hunting anymore.
Mostly I just want to see the paper monster down range and be able to hit it once in a while.

[Huffmanite]

Retired guy here who enjoys tinkering with old rifles, reloading, and shooting paper at local range.  So, have a limited budget and have aquired 18 rifles (almost all centerfire) in last 5 or 6 years that needed to be scoped for me to enjoy shooting at targets, due to my eyesight.  So, I try to stay in the $70 to $130 range for rifle scopes.  Surprisingly enough, I've had almost no problems with the scopes I purchased in this price range.  Only one of these scopes has failed and it was replaced by the seller.  They've served me well.   

[JimFromTN]

The most I have spent is $600.  I don't think I would buy less than $300 class scope unless it was for a rimfire and I probably would not buy more than a $600 class scope.  I think it depends on what you are using it for.  If its just to plink on nice sunny days then go cheap.  If you just hunt deer a few times a year, go $200.  If you seriously hunt deer locally, go $300.  If you spend allot of money on hunts, then buy the best you can afford.  It would really suck to pay thousands of dollars for an elk hunt and miss a trophy because you don't belive in spending more than $150 on a scope.  I live in TN and I have traveled to Texas and Alaska and have hopes of going out west some day as well so I'm buying the best I can afford.

[anweis]

$500 for me....but....I haven't spent $500 on a new scope yet.  

About same here. But, i only keep 4 rifles. So, i don't need that many scopes. My scopes cost $250-500.

I did go berserk on binoculars, spotting scopes, and range finders, tough.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive bought acogs and accupoints and i guess the 1200 bucks for an acog is about as much as id spend on optics for a gun. I do have a limit though. I wont buy a scope UNDER 200 bucks anymore. I dont collect a ton of rifles that collect dust. All of my guns are hunted with and im not going to risk a hunt on a cheap scope.

[anweis]

I wont buy a scope UNDER 200 bucks anymore. I dont collect a ton of rifles that collect dust. All of my guns are hunted with and im not going to risk a hunt on a cheap scope.

Same here. I am too poor to waste money on poor quality products.

[OLDHandgunner]

I do most of my quality scope shopping at gun shows. Alot of great buys on top quality scopes if you are not in a rush for a certain scope. I buy ahead. Last gun show I picked up a very nice 2-7x Leupold Vari X-II for $ 150. Don't have a gun for it yet but might need it someday. I have in stock now this Leupold 2-7x, a Leupold 4x, Silver Leupold 2x EER, Silver Burris 6x Target BR w/dot & 2 Lyman All-Americans scopes w/post in 2 1/2x & 3x just in case I need them.

[Brithunter]

Ahhh yes but what I would pay and what I can afford are not the same or even close to the same  . My most expensive scope purchase so far was a new Schnidt & Bender 6x42 and a friend got it trade for me. A one off which I am very grateful for his help with.

[diggler1833]

I'll spend what I need to in order to get the features and reliability that I need/want.  With optics you generally get what you pay for.  That being said I'm not one to just want to up and throw massive amounts of money at every scope I have.  If I can make do with a less expensive optic, I will. 

I have found that cheap optics tend to fail when you touch them a lot.  If I ever get another cheap optic, it will be for a plinker that I don't plan on touching after I initially sight in.

I have also seen quite a few guys with glass in the $2K-3K range who had the skills of a $100 optic shooter.  Maybe they were following the rule of "buy once, cry once", but a $5K + tactical rig does not make a tactical shooter.

On the other hand, you won't ever catch me out on a hunt with Chinese glass, too much riding on a shot.

[helotaxi]

I'll just say that a lot of Leupold glass comes from Asia, and not only Japan.  They won't admit it of course but they're as guilty of outsourcing to cut costs as anyone.  The difference is that everyone else that does it admits it and doesn't raise prices at the same time.  Leupold will never get any money from me except for a new Redfield.  That line they at least admit that they assemble in the US from imported parts and more importantly price it accordingly.  Leupold might have been the "best" at one time but the rest have improved their products greatly and priced them right while Leupold continues to rely on their name to sell product that isn't what it once was compared to the rest of the market.

I've got an inexpensive Vortex Crossfire mounted on my most expensive rifle and it is up to the task.  Best glass for the money, IMO.

All my other rifles have Bushnell Elite 4200s mounted on them of various types.  I bought all the scopes new and don't think that I ever spent more than $400 for one.  I based my purchase on comparison between them and every other scope I could get my hands on (read every quality scope at the Sportsmans Warehouse regardless of price).  That included $2k Swarovski and Zeiss, Nightforce and the best Leupold had to offer.  The European glass was nice but in a double blind test you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between them and the Bushnells.  The Bushnells were noticeably brighter than the Leupolds comparing like size objective and magnification.  The Nikons weren't really in the match.  I own one but I bought it on sale to go with a .204 Handi.

I'm far from sold on the idea that you have to spend a fortune to get good optics.  There is junk out there, a lot of it.  But there are several brands out there that forgo the ego and sell quality optics at reasonable prices.  I don't make enough money to pay extra for a name.  The name isn't pulling the trigger.

[Lloyd Smale]

one thing to keep in mind is warantee. I recently dropped a rifle with a 2x7 varix2 leupold on it. The scope was at least 25 years old. I sent it to leupold and they replaced it with a brand new scope. Hard to beat a company that stands behind what they sell like that. I dont know that vortex or one of the others would do the same but the way scope manufactures come and go who knows if they will even be around 20 years from now. As long as theres guns there will be leupold burris bushnell and nikon. Ive been impressed with what ive seen from vortex but they havent been around long enough to claim there products are durable. Maybe in 10 years ill put them on the same plane as leupold but not today. I hear the leupold bashers all over the internet. For the most part there guys that dont want to spend the money on one so buy something cheaper and try to justify it. Id bet a dime to a dollar that theres more leupolds still being put on custom built rifles then any other brand and id bet anohter dime to a 100 dollars that if you looked at the dangerous game guns in and going to africa 75 percent of them wear leupolds. you think maybe theres a reason

[helotaxi]

Maybe 10 years ago there was a reason that quality rifles wore Leupolds.  The problem is that Leupold has stagnated and relied on their reputation to continue to sell scopes.  In the mean time other companies have improved their products significantly, catching and even surpassing them in quality.  I'm not saying that their stuff is junk merely that they are not the best anymore and certainly not the best for the money.  The Redfield line is a notable exception and the only scope made by Leupold that I would consider paying for.  They are actually a pretty good value for the money.

Vortex has a no questions asked warranty that is lifetime and fully transferable.  They also have a presence on several of the forums and answer customer questions and address concerns.

A lot of other companies are making inroads into the dangerous game rifle market as well.  Leupold's place on US military rifles is no longer exclusive either.

A final note, the attitude that Leupold is simply the best and nothing else is even worth consideration is all too common and wearing a bit thin with me.  I'm not referring to anyone on this forum, so please don't take offense.

[Brithunter]

OK let's look at this closely. Have you ever considered the fact that a lot of hunters who can afford to go the Africa hunting DG actually know nothing or very little about guns, ammunition and optics?

How many of them would reload their own ammo, heck they usually have enough money they just buy what's recommended by their gunsmith/dealer of buy "Custom loaded ammunition" their rifles are usually customised or at least tweeked and the sights/mounts are those they were advised to get and have fitted by the gunsmith. Who let's face it has a vested interest is selling the high end stuff.

As an example of this type of hunter let me relate something I saw today at the gunsmiths. A gentleman brought in a very nice SAKO A111 in .308 Winchester which jams after the first shot. Yes a bolt action that jams. He had returned to the shop he brought it from used and they said they had fixed it but it still jams after the first shot. The bolt needs to be hammered open with normal factory ammunition so he was now at the gunsmith to see if he could tell him why.

Now he obviously does not reload or he would have noticed the horibble mottling on the case where the pressure had forced the brass into the deep rust pitting in the chamber. Yes that's right the barrel and chamber are rusted severly enough to have deep pitting and the gunshop didn't notice it  and this gentleman hunter certainly didn't  . The rifle is now having a new barrel fitted.

To my mind the shop should be dealing with this but it seems they fobbed him off long enough for it to be out of their used rifle warrenty period and of course they can always deny it was like it and he let it get into that state  The outside of the rifle is pristine.

People buy brand names becuase they are brain washed to do so. They wear designer label colths, eye glases etc and pay far more for them because they have the "right" label on them the same is true in the shooting world. Now I happen to have two Leupold scopes and to be honest they are OK but nothing outstanding both came used, one on a rifle the other I brought used, as I am on a tight budget and low income I have to shop used. Whilst at the gunsmiths a local gamekeeper came in and wanted his new scope fitted to his Tikka T3 Tactical the scope was a new Leupold Vx-1 or something like that it has a 56mm objective but has the notch in the bottom to get the scope lower on the action I asked him why the new scope and it seems he broke the last one, didn't say how but he has been saving up for a couple of months to get this new scope and he seemed pleased with it. I happen to think it was rather gimmicky but then it's not my money so?

[Lloyd Smale]

nobody said noting else was exceptable. I would be will to bet i have at least as many differnt brand scopes as you do. What i see as much as snob appeal from leupold fans is leupold bashing from guys that are to cheap to pay for a good scope and feel they have to justify there cheaper scopes by bashing leupolds. Just about anytime someone wants to compare there scope to another brand its a leupold. As to the redfields i wouldnt have one there nothing but a rifleman leupold with a differnt name on them and the rifleman scopes i tried had optics not much better then a tasco to be honest. My praise for leupolds starts with there old vari x111 line and now i will add the vx11 and vx111s. these are fine scopes and compare opticaly to about anything out there. they are built to leupolds high standard of durablity and are backed by a lifetime warantee. to me these lines are not overpriced or outdated technology by a long shot.

[Brithunter]

Sorry Lloyd but the two Leupolds that I have are:-

2.5-8 Vari X 111

M8 Compact 4x

Now they do not compare favorably optically with a couple of Tasco Titan 3-9x42 scopes I have and a 40+ years old Khales 4L2 4x scope leaves them way behind in everything except the reticle which are so different it's not fair to compare them directly the Khales having the German Tri post against Leupolds Duplex. If I compare them to the Meopta 7x50A or the Schmidt & Bender 6x42 well I am sorry to say that the Leupolds come off very badly.

The Leupold is not a bad scope it's just grossly over priced. The S&B has got very pricey as they have gone up at least 50% in the last few years  I am not longer keeping up wiht the prices as they are simply out of my range and even good used scopes are getting out of my reach. You used to be able to buy a decent Pecar Berlin used for just over £100 but now they are fetching £150+ and often over £200  but when i brought that S&B 6x42 it was about the same price as a Leupold was the Meoptas used to be less but they have come up a lot in price  too now.

At the Moment I have OK for scopes as I have about 1/2 dozen spare  a couple require servicing. one has a illuminated rectilce which no longer works, it wa sliek ti when i brought it but I actually brought it off e-bay for teh scoep rings it had on it so the scope is free  so I wills end it off to see if it can be repaired. I have a 4x32 zeiss on which the elevation turret has siezed, it cam off a double rifle and after being regulated was not touched and so it's sized up and as I don't want to damage anything a service is in order.

I took  the scope and mounts off a couple fo rifles and fitted Redfield reciever sights hence another couple are spare now. One always keeps an eye out for a bargin scope of course  .

[Lloyd Smale]

ive uses Kahles S&B and Swarovski scopes and have to admitt they have  better optics then about anything american. Out of the three the swarovskis impressed me the most but ill use your argument with these. Sure there better opticaly but talk about over priced! In some cases there 4 times more expensive then a leupold and there sure not 4 times better. I can get a good serviceable leupold for 500 bucks. About the cost of the box for a S&B. In my opinion the european scope manufactures are a bit to proud of there products.

[Brithunter]

Lloyd, you'll get no agrument from me that they are pricey  Only the 6x42 was brought new and I got that trade as a favor from a friend. Now I wonder how much the import duties and importers put up the prices. For those willing to go through the hassle of getting export permits it's still cheaper to buy a Leupold from the US .................................. that is IF ........................... If you can find someone willing to jump through the hoops  .

Part of the optics thing is the different way in which the hunting is conducted in America and Europe. It's vastly different between Mainland Europe and the UK for instance and between the UK and America is also very different. Unless you get to a few places in the UK hunting deer is a short range proposition with 200 yards being a long shot. Mostly it's at 40-130 yards. My last one was at 125 yards a few weeks ago and if I can wangle the finance I will going again in June. In the UK were have deer hunting all year round with Six huntable species in the wild now this has it's drawbacks as you have to be able to clearly and positivley identify the deer not only by species but sex as Roe Bucks are in season right now but Roe Does are not. Clarity in optics becomes vital then such as those American hunters now saddled with Antler restriction liek the number of points. I have friends in Missouri who come under this ruling and they have found that to be safe and sure they have had to upgrade their scopes. Steve used to use a couple of Redfields but has now replaced them he had a Weaver Grandslam on one rifle for a while until a slight mishap saw him, his rifle and his stand come down  the rifle of course landed on the scope and it wa rather badly damaged Steve got away with a couple of cracked ribs and a lot of bruising. The heavy rain that year had softened the ground his stand was on and it slipped out from under him and he came down the 15 foot.

[Swampman]

I can't see any improvement after $200.00.  Even that is a little high IMO.

Cheap scopes are 100 times better than they were even 10 years ago.

We don't know anything about the new Redfield scopes.  In a few years I may try one.

[84Jim]

Very interesting thread...I never thought that it would go on as long as it has.

Most of the discussion so far has been about optical quality.  Do any of you consider, or have experience with, the repeatibility of the scopes internal workings?

The reason I ask is because I read a magizine article years ago (Precision Shooting I think) about a custom rifle maker who guaranteed his rifles accuracy.  The only stipulation was that the groups be shot with a high end Leupold scope, VariX III if I remember (that might have been top of the line back then?).  His reason was that he thought that other cheaper scopes weren't as stable internally and therefore could affect the group size.  Ever since then I've opted for decent quality scopes on any rifle I've really cared about accuracy wise.

Jim