RIFFLE SCOPE?

[jrebel]

Check out Burris........Fullfield II 3-9x40 should be more than adequate for shots in the 100 yards range and out to 250. Price should be around $150-200. I've had one of those on a rifle for 20 years and it does what it's supposed to do.

This is your best advice.
Burris is better glass and construction.
You know why people always comment on LeeOhpold and Vortex warranties?...Because they're necessary.
I own zero Vortex or Leupold for that reason.
My Burris Fullfield scopes lived a tough life on top of a Tikka 300WSM and 7-08 and never failed or needed zero adjustment.
Burris is clear, bright, reliable.

I have never had a leupold fail.....ever.  With that said, I don't own leupolds with dial turrets because they don't get the best reviews.  Where the warranty comes into play with leupold, is they will warranty a scope that is 50 years old.  They will absolutely replace a scope that is no longer manufactured....and has been abused to the point of failure.  Leupolds are fantastic scopes.  Never owned a burris so can't speak to their quality. 

[Pathfinder101]

For what it's worth:
I have a close buddy who is a long range national champion.  He has run long range shooting schools as well.  His opinion of Vortex is as follows (I am paraphrasing here):
IF you get a good Vortex, it will be as good as any scope that you buy in that price range.  HOWEVER, you may run through a couple of them before you get a "good" one.  He has seen more Vortex scopes fail than any other brand.  They have a lifetime warranty, but be prepared to use it. 
So, if he were advising you (based on the choice you originally posted), he'd advise you to get the Leupy.
That being said, he runs Sig on everything he owns now.
 

[buckfvr]

Tri-MOA reticle on the Leupold Freedom series scopes is more than adequate on most hunting rifles.  I use one on a lightweight rifle and also have several Vortex including 2 of the PST Gen 2 vipers and dont think too highly of them, adequate, yes, but not top of the line at all.

[Stein]

I've owned both and at the same price point they are similar.  Inexpensive scopes of current production will likely lose zero at some point and the chance of needing to use the warranty is pretty high.

If it were me, I would go fixed power as that would at least take one failure mode out of the equation.

[jrebel]

These post make me wonder....how many people have had a leupold scope fail?  I'm not talking repeatability with the dial / turret, but a standard 2-7 or 3x9, etc.

[Pathfinder101]

These post make me wonder....how many people have had a leupold scope fail?  I'm not talking repeatability with the dial / turret, but a standard 2-7 or 3x9, etc.

Never.  I run Sig on the guns I shoot most now, but I have several Leupolds and have never had one fail.  Same goes for binos, spotting scope and rangefinder. 

[Karl Blanchard]

I have a vx2 on the bench right now that won't hold zero even on a .22 mag. Also 2 vx freedoms that won't retain a zero even when not dialing. Leupold is really struggling these days to produce a durable scope. Their vx 5 and 6's are plagued with tracking issues. I want so badly to love and support them again but for now I've got them in the "won't buy" category with Vortex.

[jrebel]

I have a vx2 on the bench right now that won't hold zero even on a .22 mag. Also 2 vx freedoms that won't retain a zero even when not dialing. Leupold is really struggling these days to produce a durable scope. Their vx 5 and 6's are plagued with tracking issues. I want so badly to love and support them again but for now I've got them in the "won't buy" category with Vortex.

That's very interesting and a good prospective form someone that obviously shoots quite a bit.  I will admit that my newest Leupold is at least 3-5 years old and even it is an older model that a store still had on the shelf.  All my other leupolds are 10+ years old and still hold zero.   

All of my new hunting rifles sport Nightforce scopes and they speak for themselves.  I do have one Zeis V4 because another member on here....no names....was such a supporter that I had to try one....   So far it has proven to be a great scope also.   

[Magnum_Willys]

Scopes wear out like anything else.  I love my Leupolds but they wear out a lot faster than my Nightforces the way I use them.  I don't do Vortex.   I have never "noticed" a problem with my non-turret Leupolds but I'm happy with 1 moa out to 500 yard with those.

[bobcat]

I've used Leupold scopes for 40 years and never had one issue. They always hold zero and track perfect, but of course the only time I'm ever turning the dials is when I'm sighting in. Which is usually only once a year for each rifle. I always hear about how great their warranty is, but in 40 years I've not had a chance to use it.

[Karl Blanchard]

Yeah this vx2 is an old gloss model that came on a barreled action I bought. I was really surprised when it didn't hold zero. Those old leupy's are normally work horses. The freedoms didn't really surprise me when they didn't work as they are pretty inexpensive and the stuff I was seeing in the 5's and 6's kinda killed my hopes of them working. They checked the boxes on what I needed in functions for their intended applications, they just didn't hold up.

[Karl Blanchard]

I've used Leupold scopes for 40 years and never had one issue. They always hold zero and track perfect, but of course the only time I'm ever turning the dials is when I'm sighting in. Which is usually only once a year for each rifle. I always hear about how great their warranty is, but in 40 years I've not had a chance to use it.

honest question here, why are you having to rezero annually? Changing ammo or something, or are they "just a bit off" come spring? If you're having to tweak your zero from time to time it's because your scope isn't holding zero. They shouldn't do that.

[Stein]

These post make me wonder....how many people have had a leupold scope fail?  I'm not talking repeatability with the dial / turret, but a standard 2-7 or 3x9, etc.

If you define fail as losing zero, then I have.  Same with Vortex.

Watch YouTubes from Leupold sponsored hunters and there are plenty of times they missed, can't figure out why and are good shots.  They line up, are steady and miss by 4 feet over the top of the animal.  They always blame themselves as I did, but then you go back to the range and magically your zero is completely off.

Of course people miss due to human error, but I got tired of having my zero off all the time.  I've missed 2, maybe 3 animals from it.

I've sent Leupolds and Vortex scopes back in to have the reticles reattached or whatever they do.  If you ever have to re-zero and you haven't changed anything, the scope has failed, at least that's how I look at it.  They weren't dropped, damaged or mistreated yet when I sent them back they found a problem that needed to be fixed.

I think people just get used to having to rezero every year and then again when they get to where they are hunting and think that's normal.

[bobcat]

I've used Leupold scopes for 40 years and never had one issue. They always hold zero and track perfect, but of course the only time I'm ever turning the dials is when I'm sighting in. Which is usually only once a year for each rifle. I always hear about how great their warranty is, but in 40 years I've not had a chance to use it.

honest question here, why are you having to rezero annually? Changing ammo or something, or are they "just a bit off" come spring? If you're having to tweak your zero from time to time it's because your scope isn't holding zero. They shouldn't do that.

They don't usually need any adjustment if I'm using the same load. But I like to reload, and I like to experiment with different bullets, so I don't often use the same load in each rifle year after year. One year might be Bergers, the next year a Barnes, and the next year Nosler.

[Alchase]

I've used Leupold scopes for 40 years and never had one issue. They always hold zero and track perfect, but of course the only time I'm ever turning the dials is when I'm sighting in. Which is usually only once a year for each rifle. I always hear about how great their warranty is, but in 40 years I've not had a chance to use it.

honest question here, why are you having to rezero annually? Changing ammo or something, or are they "just a bit off" come spring? If you're having to tweak your zero from time to time it's because your scope isn't holding zero. They shouldn't do that.

Re-zero might be a bad word, "confirm zero" works better for me. I do it before every hunt. Not because I don't trust my leupold scopes, but because I am not the most careful person at times, and things get knocked around in travel.
Five quick shots to confirm zero, is how how taught my sons as well. That way if I was to miss any shot at game, I have no doubt the problem is between eye and the finger, and not my scope.