need scope

[splitshot]

  I need a better scope for my 7 mm.  there is a leupold 3x9 on it now.  they were purchased in 1964 I think.    am looking at about  $500 more or less for the scope.    don't know much about optics but I do have old weak eyes.    thank you,    mike w

[Timberstalker]

Go get a Vortex. They've got a good lineup and you'll be satisfied.

[full choke]

This one is for sale in the classifieds. Awesome scopes. This is what I have on my 7mm.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,186506.0.html

[Boss .300 winmag]

Get a hold of Elknut, he sells vortex at great prices. I bought a viper 6x24 50 mm objective great scope reasonable priced. Might be what you need for your eye condition, but ask him about it. Call him that's what I did. 

http://stores.elknut.com/vortex-optics/

[splitshot]

  would the 50 mm deal better for my eye?  I had a detached retina and see about 20-100 with glasses.  mike w

[follow maggie]

I like leupold. They're good scopes for the money. I do have one vortex, and while I haven't shot with it yet, it seems to have good glass in it.  Zeiss & Nikon at good also. Ther are a lot of choices in your price range. A 50 mm objective will transfer more light that say a  40 mm, especially if it has a 30 mm tube vs a 1" tube. Whether that helps you see better, I think you have to try some out.

[Shooting Stix]

Before you buy a scope you can try the Original Scope Enhancer for 20 bucks see if it works before you spend 500 bucks

[Taco280AI]

I'd take a look at the plain 'ole VX2 3-9x40. Much better glass than your old scope now. Or Nikon Monarch. Or whatever looks good to your eyes but I'd suggest going and looking through a bunch in the store.

[Pnwrider]

Leupold has a $100 mail in rebate offer right now that is good until year end. I just ordered a vx3 3.5-10 for under $300 after mail in rebate.

[Igor]

Leupold has a $100 mail in rebate offer right now that is good until year end. I just ordered a vx3 3.5-10 for under $300 after mail in rebate.

Where did you buy your scope at that price?
Thanks.

[Pnwrider]

Leupold has a $100 mail in rebate offer right now that is good until year end. I just ordered a vx3 3.5-10 for under $300 after mail in rebate.

Where did you buy your scope at that price?
Thanks.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/home/top-selling-ammunition-optics-%7C/pc/105625080/c/932137380/leupold-reg-vx-3-cds-riflescopes/731240.uts?destination=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D932137380

[JDHasty]

You can get a 3.5-10 VX3 for that and have money left over

[Bill W]

  I need a better scope for my 7 mm.  there is a leupold 3x9 on it now.  they were purchased in 1964 I think.    am looking at about  $500 more or less for the scope.    don't know much about optics but I do have old weak eyes.    thank you,    mike w

I purchased one of my Leupold 3x9's back in 1967 for $67.50.   It's still just as good as most other scopes.  If you are having problems seeing you might mention that to your opthamologist the next visit.   I've got old Leupolds and a new 40x Leupold and all seem to have the same clarity.

As an additional note you might send your scope back to Leupold for a warranty check.  Those scopes have a lifetime warranty.

[splitshot]

thanks bill.  will look into it.  see you Tuesday.   mike w

[JDHasty]

A Leupold 3x9 VX2 is a good scope and it does have that warrantee.   Take advantage of it before spending real money.  Your friend is right.  It has been the most popular "good" scope in these parts for a reason. 

I don't own one, and have never owned one, but I sold a truck load of them and ya' know what I never "sold" a single one.  The hunters coming into SPORTCO to buy one, when I ran their hunting/shooting counter 25 years ago, already knew what they wanted. 

It is a "solid performer" and unless you want hash marks or some other BDC range compensation it will serve you almost as good as a 2.5-8 or 3.5-10 VX3.  Those have better coatings, but that is such a little bit of improvement that that VX2 you own will probably be just fine. 

If you want to add range compensation, Leupold will add an elevation target turret while it is there and that cost is ~$75.  If you need range comp it naturally follows that the game is far enough away for you to "dial it in."  Put a sticker on the side of the scope and write down the settings out to 500 or so yards on it.  I have stickers that are 30 years old and they are just fine even in our western Washington weather.   

I own twenty, or more, scopes and that 3-9 Leupold VX2 would more likely than not be a better scope than some of the "better" scopes I own on a big game rifle because what I have on them are much heavier.  But I own them. 

Your friend Bill is right on the money:  have Leupold check it out.     

[bobcat]

The new VX-2 is a much better scope than the old Vari-X-II.

I'd recommend getting a new scope. You really can't beat the 3-9x40 VX-2 for $299. Great scope for the money.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1362147251/leupold-vx-2-rifle-scope-3-9x-40mm

Or if you can get the VX-3 for the same price, that's even better.

[JDHasty]

Haven't  looked through them, your first hand knowledge is probably better than mine.  Maybe a new scope is in order.  My varmint scopes that are newer are far superior to the older ones, even the VX3s.  So maybe I am not giving good advice. 

My big game rifle has a Burris Signature that is 25 years old and it suits me just fine.  So I have never upgraded it.  But I buy new varmint rifles and put new scopes on them every year and even though I still have the same old scopes on the same old rifles... the newer scopes are my favorites. 

I shoot big game with the same old 300 Wby mod 70 Winlite with the same old scope and for my eyes... it is good enough.  It is a Burris 3-9 Signature.  I am constantly tinkering with my varmint rifles though and the improvement in optics is what hits home.   

Again, I sold a truck load of Leupold 3-9 VXII scopes at SPORTCO, when we were a Burris shop and although I never "sold" one, they were out the door.  I used, and use today, VXII 2-7 compacts and still love them.  The 2.5-8 VX3 was and is better scope, but what I used was sufficient for my needs.   It still is.

Maybe the gent could prosper from a new scope instead of using the same money to upgrade his binocular.  That, without stating as much, is where I was going.       

[Taco280AI]

Just got the vx3 3.5-10x40 for $334 after tax after rebate. Not bad for my other rifle

[Curly]

Check out this scope from Meopta:  MeoPro 3.5-10x44 for $349 at CameraLand NY

They are assembled in the US and have lifetime warranty.

(I have no personal experience with the scope, just noticed the scope the other day and thought it sounded like a great deal).

[WAnoob]

Good old Leupold are the way to go for that price, I have two myself.  These Zeiss budget models are good for the money as well http://www.eurooptic.com/zeiss-terra-riflescopes.aspx.  My dad had one before and he liked it.

[splitshot]

   taco,  please explain where you got the scope, etc.  it is exactly what I am looking for.  pm me if you want.   it is cheaper that the meopta which I am not sure about.    mike w

[JDHasty]

Good plan.

The VX3 is a solid choice.  It is also a scope from a manufacturer that offers modifications at a reasonable cost if you are not 100% satisfied after you buy it that you have the features that you would like to have.

Leupold has been very good to me over the years and you being happy is what motivates them.  They have capabilities that other manufacturers don't have in that regard and if it is "doable" Leupold never holds back.

I use other brands too, but I know EXACTLY what I want when I order even with Leupold.  But this much I can say, I have an $900 scope in my safe and a $500+ scope in my safe that were not made in Beaverton OR USA and they will go on my kid's guns and my oldest kid is seven years old.   They are what I bought and that is all they will ever be.  I don't like them, but I am stuck with them.

That being said, me thinks that you will be perfectly happy with a VX3, if that is what your budget dictates - right out of the box.  But if you are not, so long as you are fine with the power, the sky is the limit with Leupold and at a cost that is entirely digestible. 

[JLS]

   taco,  please explain where you got the scope, etc.  it is exactly what I am looking for.  pm me if you want.   it is cheaper that the meopta which I am not sure about.    mike w

Murdoch's has the VX3 3.5-10x40 on sale for 449, and then you get the $100 rebate.  I found a VX3 2.5-8x36 on Optics Planet for 299 after rebate.

[Taco280AI]

Found one at an Academy Sports for $405 on sale, plus tax for $434, minus the $100 rebate for $334. Just figured why not at that price.

[splitshot]

do they make a 3.5x10x50?  with my poor eyesight I need the 50 mm deal.  mike w

[JDHasty]

The Lacey Cabela's store has a shooting gallery that I test out binoculars by looking into.  It is dark in there, just like last or first light when hunting.  Try out a few rifle scopes by looking back into there from the far side of the optics counter and look for definition like the grain on the barn wood with a variety of scopes.  You may be right, but you also may find that the 3.5-10x40 works for you.  Just my 

[Buzz2401]

Get a Leupold 3-9.  They are made in America and have a great waranty with great service.  Vortex is made in china like most other scopes.

[splitshot]

  yep, will for sure get a leupold.  am looking for something stronger than a 3x9 and bigger than a 40 mm.   mike w

[JDHasty]

IIRC both the 3-9 & 3.5-10 are available with 50mm objective

[splitshot]

  am getting the 3.5x10x50 in vx-3.  the vx2 has no rebate.  it should look good on top of a tikka 270 wsm.   also thinking about a limbsaver.   mike w

[HntnFsh]

  am getting the 3.5x10x50 in vx-3.  the vx2 has no rebate.  it should look good on top of a tikka 270 wsm.   also thinking about a limbsaver.   mike w

Don't just think about it. Do it! They work very well!

[AWS]

Just a few thoughts on scopes.  A 50mm objective will have no clearer or sharper image than a 40mm scope.  Clarity is strictly governed by quality of glass and coatings.  A 50mm objective will transmit more light in the upper powers of the scope if the quality of the glass and coatings are equal, meaning if you have both scopes set at at 10x the 50mm lens will be useable for a little longer in the evening or brighter in dim light.  Move them to 5x and they will be equal.   A lesser quality scope with a 50mm lens can be dimmer than a better 40mm scope due to the quality of the coatings and glass that transmit the light/image.  I shoot guns with 20mm scopes for coyote hunting and they have been more than bright enough and I have no restrictions on shooting hours, if I can see a coyote coming with my eye I can see him in the scope in theory a 20mm scope is just as bright at 3x as a 50mm scope at the same power, again glass and coating being equal.

The draw back of 50mm scopes is that they have to be mounted higher than a 40mm scope,  a 1/4" or more.  I tried one and had to build up the comb of the stock so high to get a good cheek weld that I couldn't remove the bolt any longer.

I have had cataract surgery many years ago and they didn't get quite the right lens in my right eye but I'm able to focus my scope enough that I get a clear image.  Have you tried to focus your existing scope?

[700xcr]

Just a few thoughts on scopes.  A 50mm objective will have no clearer or sharper image than a 40mm scope.  Clarity is strictly governed by quality of glass and coatings.  A 50mm objective will transmit more light in the upper powers of the scope if the quality of the glass and coatings are equal, meaning if you have both scopes set at at 10x the 50mm lens will be useable for a little longer in the evening or brighter in dim light.  Move them to 5x and they will be equal.   A lesser quality scope with a 50mm lens can be dimmer than a better 40mm scope due to the quality of the coatings and glass that transmit the light/image.  I shoot guns with 20mm scopes for coyote hunting and they have been more than bright enough and I have no restrictions on shooting hours, if I can see a coyote coming with my eye I can see him in the scope in theory a 20mm scope is just as bright at 3x as a 50mm scope at the same power, again glass and coating being equal.

The draw back of 50mm scopes is that they have to be mounted higher than a 40mm scope,  a 1/4" or more.  I tried one and had to build up the comb of the stock so high to get a good cheek weld that I couldn't remove the bolt any longer.

I have had cataract surgery many years ago and they didn't get quite the right lens in my right eye but I'm able to focus my scope enough that I get a clear image.  Have you tried to focus your existing scope?

100℅ agree with you. Like to mount scope as low as I can get to get a good check weld. That is why I mounted the Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x 36mm on the 375 Ruger with low detach rings. With the new coating on the VX-3 it is a lot brighter and can see before and after shooting hours.

[Curly]

Could always go with a VX3L with the larger objective and still mount low.

[700xcr]

Could always go with a VX3L with the larger objective and still mount low.

I agree with you.  If you need higher magnification at longer ranges in open terrain. But to me hinders while hunting in brushy or timber areas  because of the width. Just my two cents.

[John321]

I'm using this ATN X-Sight HD 3-12X, bought from this official site for some time already. It's somewhere at your price range and it does everything it's supposed to, even though it's not expensive.