Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Which fixed scope, quality and budget, 6x42. ?

M8 6x42 M1 has been my favorite of all time.

S+B 6x42

I think the best is S&B. But, best for the money is Meopta. I've owned both along with 6x42 scopes from Leupold, Swarovski and Zeiss.

I am kinda cheap, but I have 6x Weavers on my two most carried hunting guns......

I love 6x scopes. Following are my thoughts:

Weaver: great scope for the money. Tube is short so I only put on short action rifles where they work great.

Leupold: I loved the 6x42. Was my favorite scope. Clear enough, flexible eye relief and mounts easily on most rifles. But I have sold all but one. I got tired of the scopes getting wonky after adjustments and shooting all over the place for 4-5 shots before settling and I didn't think they held zero all that well. Every Leupie I have bought the last few years have done this and is a sample of dozens. I don't think this was always the case with Leupold, but I am about through with their product.

SWFA: I have one and so far so good. Not bad for price. Heavier than Leupie and eye relief not quite as flexible. I wished at least the windage turret was covered. I hate exposed turrets on a rifle I will travel with.

Meopta: I have one and haven't shot it, but have it mounted. So far so good. Eye relief is decent, glass is clear, mounted just fine on a long action. This may be my next favorite if it tracks well and is durable.

S&B: had one and sold it. Good scope. Tracked well, clear, etc. eye relief is not flexible at all and I didn't like it. Sold it pretty quickly.

I'm kinda with Desert Mule Deer. I always thought that the 6x42 was a stout proposition and for some I'm sure it is.

But I bought one last year in a fit of "I don't know why?",yanked a perfectly good 6x36 that had been in zero for 5 years on my 7mm Mashburn, and popped on the 6x42.

Since the rifle is proven I grabbed zero at 100 yards and fired a 3 shot group at 300 yards that measured about 9 inches(!?)

I went through the usual drills of checking screws, mounts etc and continued to try more groups with lousy results. I finally yanked the scope, installed the 6x36,and never had to touch adjustments for it to shoot a 3" 300 yard group and a couple of MOA out to 600.

Might be ring spacing on the Mashburn that was the problem with the 6x42...whatever. They are off my list.

I will take a 6x36 in the Leupold line up.

If you could find a 6x42 Sightron Big Sky, there's no flies on it, either. Not the custom options of the others, but as bright/clear as any, tracks/adjusts well, and has a decent reticle. Keep waffling on parting with one of mine, since it has no ride and I'm not the fixed 6x junky that some are.