Optics were part of my daily life for the better part of a quarter-century, and I depended on their performance to put bread on the table, so to speak.
I consider myself unbiased and fully capable of wringing out optics and rating every critical performance aspect.
The absolute best bargain in good optics is the Nikon Monarch. Contrasted against a comparable Leupold, the Nikon outperforms the gold-ringed scope in most critical categories. Of course, some of the differences are minute and difficult to detect in the field. Nonetheless, they do exist.
In terms or overall quality, my 3 favorites in the sub-$1000 category are Minox, Zeiss Conquest and Nikon Monarch -- in that exact order. The only fly in the ointment for the Minox is that the reticle is much like the Leupold duplex and a little too thin for late evening/early morning hunting. A reticle more like the Nikoplex or Z-plex #20 would make it nearly perfect.
The good new, though, is that Minox is adding reticle choices at this very moment.
But the differences between the Minox, Conquest and Monarchs are miniscule -- and you really can't go wrong with any of them.
There is nothing wrong with Leupold, either. They produce good, solid and dependable optics and have a terrific warranty. But the "L" scopes are far from the final word in quality optics.
And as to the poster who considers Leupolds superior because he has never seen a Leupold refurb, that is tainted thinking. You know why you can find a Nikon refurb??? No matter what reason a scope is returned for -- be it a gift in the wrong power range or finish or an actual technical issue -- Nikon demands that the item be returned to the factory, where it is given a complete check-up. Nikon does NOT allow these units to be re-sold as new, even if the original box was never opened.
Therefore, you can find excellent bargains on "refurbs."
And NO, Leupolds are not 100% "made" in the USA, but most units are indeed assembled here.
