Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Scopes and Optics => Topic started by: BIGINNER on February 17, 2011, 11:03:06 AM

Title: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: BIGINNER on February 17, 2011, 11:03:06 AM: ok, i'm looking for a scope for a rifle that i'm gonna get, what should i be looking for in a scope? zoom? waterproof? type of lense? i can't spend too much money on the scope, but just give me ideas on what to look for. i'll be getting a savage axis in either 25-06 or 270win.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: BIGINNER on February 17, 2011, 11:03:38 AM: oh,... and i will be using it for everything, mostly coyotes though
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Woodchuck on February 17, 2011, 11:11:56 AM: What I look for in my scope for my coyote gun, is usually coyotes. :dunno: :chuckle:
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: BIGINNER on February 17, 2011, 11:12:31 AM: Quote from: JIMKD8 on February 17, 2011, 11:11:56 AM
What I look for in my scope for my coyote gun, is usually coyotes. :dunno: :chuckle:

lol :bash: :chuckle:
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Tman on February 17, 2011, 11:14:53 AM: Quote from: BIGINNER on February 17, 2011, 11:03:06 AM
ok, i'm looking for a scope for a rifle that i'm gonna get, what should i be looking for in a scope?

zoom?

Depends on how far you plan on shooting. If I'm using a 3X9, I like to keep my shots at under 300 yds.

waterproof?

This is Washington State, everything you look at should be waterproof.

type of lense?

To me, glass is glass, I look for eye relief and clarity.

i can't spend too much money on the scope, but just give me ideas on what to look for. i'll be getting a savage axis in either 25-06 or 270win.

Cabelas is having a good sell on their Nikon 3X9's right now. 99 bucks will get you one.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Tman on February 17, 2011, 11:17:07 AM: Biginner, your not typing in CAPS... ARE YOU FEELING OK?
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: BIGINNER on February 17, 2011, 11:21:18 AM: Quote from: Tman on February 17, 2011, 11:17:07 AM
Biginner, your not typing in CAPS... ARE YOU FEELING OK?

ya lol i was typing small to avoid comments about caps... lol :bash: :bash: :chuckle: didn't work. also i was trying to avoid being murdered or being "in time out" by mr. jackalope :chuckle:
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: CHUCK S on February 17, 2011, 11:22:31 AM: I'm a big Leupold fan but my son just bought a Tikka T3 in 270 win and put a Vortex 3 x 9 on it. We compared them side by side with the Leupold and found the clarity was better. The guy at Wholesale sports convinced me it was a better buy (i.e. cheaper by about 50 bucks) and the same if not better warranty. Worth a shot if you're not wanting to spend a ton.

P.S. we have not hunted with it yet since we just got it.......
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Tman on February 17, 2011, 11:31:20 AM: I have a few different scopes on my rifles, and the leupold far outperforms the others in low light conditions. My Simmons and Cabelas scopes goe too dark to see long before the leupold even starts to darken.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Miles on February 17, 2011, 11:38:54 AM: Quote from: Tman on February 17, 2011, 11:14:53 AM

Cabelas is having a good sell on their Nikon 3X9's right now. 99 bucks will get you one.

I'm not seeing it, do you have a link?
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: fishermanjoe on February 17, 2011, 11:43:27 AM: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Optics/Riflescopes%7C/pc/104792580/c/104752080/sc/104535180/Nikon-ProStaff-Riflescope/729045.uts?destination=/catalog/browse/shooting-optics-riflescopes/nikon/_/N-1100246%2B1000004133/Ne-1000004133/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104535180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104792580%253Bcat104752080%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC;MMcat104792580;cat104752080;cat104535180 (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Optics/Riflescopes%7C/pc/104792580/c/104752080/sc/104535180/Nikon-ProStaff-Riflescope/729045.uts?destination=/catalog/browse/shooting-optics-riflescopes/nikon/_/N-1100246%2B1000004133/Ne-1000004133/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104535180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104792580%253Bcat104752080%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC;MMcat104792580;cat104752080;cat104535180)

cabelas sale
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: OSCAR1987 on February 17, 2011, 11:52:51 AM: Redfield is pretty good for the money... :twocents:
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: BlackRidge on February 17, 2011, 11:58:35 AM: Quote from: OSCAR1987 on February 17, 2011, 11:52:51 AM
Redfield is pretty good for the money... :twocents:

Yup, now owned by Leupold as well

PM headed your way Biginner
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Miles on February 17, 2011, 12:00:55 PM: Quote from: fishermanjoe on February 17, 2011, 11:43:27 AM
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Optics/Riflescopes%7C/pc/104792580/c/104752080/sc/104535180/Nikon-ProStaff-Riflescope/729045.uts?destination=/catalog/browse/shooting-optics-riflescopes/nikon/_/N-1100246%2B1000004133/Ne-1000004133/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104535180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104792580%253Bcat104752080%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC;MMcat104792580;cat104752080;cat104535180 (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting/Optics/Riflescopes%7C/pc/104792580/c/104752080/sc/104535180/Nikon-ProStaff-Riflescope/729045.uts?destination=/catalog/browse/shooting-optics-riflescopes/nikon/_/N-1100246%2B1000004133/Ne-1000004133/Ns-CATEGORY_SEQ_104535180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104792580%253Bcat104752080%26WTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU&WTz_l=SBC;MMcat104792580;cat104752080;cat104535180)

cabelas sale

I must be blind...still not seeing a 3-9 for $99. :dunno:
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: bobcat on February 17, 2011, 12:08:53 PM: This would be a pretty good one: Bushnell 3200 4-12x40 (http://http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bushnell174-Elite174-3200-Riflescopes/748557.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3D3200%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=3200&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products)

Another good one they have on sale right now is the Bushnell 4200 3-9x40. It's a better scope than the 3200 and less money because it's only a 3-9x and doesn't have the AO.

Bushnell 4200 (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bushnell174-Elite174-4200-Riflescopes/748946.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3D4200%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=4200&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products)
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: bobcat on February 17, 2011, 12:09:36 PM: Quote from: Miles on February 17, 2011, 12:00:55 PM
I must be blind...still not seeing a 3-9 for $99. :dunno:

I don't see it for $99 either.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: FC on February 17, 2011, 12:13:42 PM: What to look for in a rifle scope:

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi441.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fqq138%2Fthehellcamino%2Fguns%2Ffar-side2bears1.jpg&hash=65cffb8995b5bd0de8d7e536c9a69448f9415c49)
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: swanny on February 18, 2011, 10:30:28 AM: Quote from: bobcat on February 17, 2011, 12:09:36 PM
Quote from: Miles on February 17, 2011, 12:00:55 PM
I must be blind...still not seeing a 3-9 for $99. :dunno:

I don't see it for $99 either.

Me neither, must be sold out? To bad, I could use a good scope too for my .30-06. Looking to keep it under $300 and Vortex is what I'm leaning towards. Their warranty sounds unbeatable and the few people I have spoke with have had nothing bad to say about them.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Curly on February 18, 2011, 11:05:03 AM: I'm sure Vortex are really good scopes, but I don't know how you could beat the deal Bobcat posted on page 1..........Bushnell Elite 4200 at Cabelas for only $200 (3-9 x40).
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 11:09:37 AM: my rifle camw with a bushnell 4-9X40 i might wate a little before getting a new one. i need to get my wife a shotgun pretty soon
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: PolarBear on February 18, 2011, 11:15:21 AM: Quote from: Curly on February 18, 2011, 11:05:03 AM
I'm sure Vortex are really good scopes, but I don't know how you could beat the deal Bobcat posted on page 1..........Bushnell Elite 4200 at Cabelas for only $200 (3-9 x40).
:yeah:
A buddy of mine loves his 4200 (all six of them). That is a great price!
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: KimberRich on February 18, 2011, 11:19:17 AM: Quote from: CHUCK S on February 17, 2011, 11:22:31 AM
I'm a big Leupold fan but my son just bought a Tikka T3 in 270 win and put a Vortex 3 x 9 on it. We compared them side by side with the Leupold and found the clarity was better. The guy at Wholesale sports convinced me it was a better buy (i.e. cheaper by about 50 bucks) and the same if not better warranty. Worth a shot if you're not wanting to spend a ton.

P.S. we have not hunted with it yet since we just got it.......

I've heard the Vortex scopes are nice and not a terrible price. Not sure how you get better than the Lifetime warranty offered by Leupold? It it's the same warranty as Leupold that's awesome! I'd seriously think about buying one.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Curly on February 18, 2011, 11:50:06 AM: Quote from: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 11:09:37 AM
my rifle camw with a bushnell 4-9X40 i might wate a little before getting a new one. i need to get my wife a shotgun pretty soon

yeah, but what model is it? If it is a low end Bushnell, it might be crap............ just saying.....
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 11:59:42 AM: Quote from: Curly on February 18, 2011, 11:50:06 AM
Quote from: BIGINNER on February 18, 2011, 11:09:37 AM
my rifle camw with a bushnell 4-9X40 i might wate a little before getting a new one. i need to get my wife a shotgun pretty soon

yeah, but what model is it? If it is a low end Bushnell, it might be crap............ just saying.....

it is a low end bushnell, but, how bad is crap? lol :chuckle: :dunno:
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: Curly on February 18, 2011, 12:09:33 PM: Well, I consider a crappy scope to be one that you have to wait until a half hour after shooting time starts to be able to see an animal through it. If the scope works well for you, then maybe holding off on the purchase of a new one would be worth it. The Bushnell Elite scopes are being discontinued apparently, so they are on sale now. I just replaced a crappy scope with an Elite 3200 on one of my rifles.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: addicted on February 20, 2011, 03:04:03 AM: reticle that fits your use, glass thats clear enough to keep your conscience clear, a zoom level that suits not only the conditions of the shot but also the ability of you to take it, and eye relief that not only keeps you away from a rifle that kicks, but also that makes the rig fit you.

thats what i look for in a scope. whatever that scope costs you depends on how many of these things your willing to live with or without.

Almost all scopes these days say "waterproof" in the description these days.
they all have some sort of "coating"
most of them use a leaf spring for an internal erector
Objective diameter is second to clarity of glass and arguably second to well fitting rig.
Title: Re: what to look for in a riflescope?
Post by: bearpaw on February 20, 2011, 07:20:39 AM: When we were putting together my wife's rifle she compared all the various makes, she liked the Nikon Monarch the best and I have to say, I think it is brighter than my Leupold VX-III's. We have a couple Nikon Monarch's and I am thinking of getting another.

All Nikons are not equal. The cheaper prostaff is not the same scope as the Monarch.

And Monarch's are being upgraded. They are coming out with Monarchs now that have 4x zoom magnification (2-8, 2.5-10, 3-12, 4-16, 5-20, 6-24, 8-32) so there are some pretty good sales on Monarchs with 3x zoom magnification (2-7, 3-9, 4-12).

3x Zoom: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Nikon+Monarch+scopes&cid=3542032154661633963&os=sellers# (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Nikon+Monarch+scopes&cid=3542032154661633963&os=sellers#)

4x Zoom: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/Optics/Riflescopes%7C/pc/104791680/c/104752080/sc/104535180/Nikon-Monarch174-Scope/748462.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fhunting-optics-riflescopes%2F_%2FN-1100055%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104535180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104791680%253Bcat104752080&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104791680%3Bcat104752080%3Bcat104535180 (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/Optics/Riflescopes%7C/pc/104791680/c/104752080/sc/104535180/Nikon-Monarch174-Scope/748462.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fhunting-optics-riflescopes%2F_%2FN-1100055%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104535180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104791680%253Bcat104752080&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104791680%3Bcat104752080%3Bcat104535180)

Miles, I did see the 2-7 prostaff in cabelas bargain cave for $94.99.