Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Optics Obsessions?

I am an optics junkie of sorts for the stuff that helps me find game, as others here have mentioned, with top shelf binoculars and spotter. All I want from a rifle scope is to see the game well enough to aim precisely and know that the mechanics - the rifle sight - are solid and work all the time.

As such, of several Leupolds, all except one is a fixed power (most are 6x). The only Leupold variable is an old and reliable 1.5-5x20 Vari-X III. I will also admit to using and liking a pair of Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x32s, each of which weighs a whisker under 19 oz. They happen to have illuminated reticles, a feature I can easily do without, and capped turrets, which I like a lot.

It's funny to me how people really identify with a certain brand, especially when it comes to optics it seems. Simply state a fact that you had trouble with something or that certain product offers more or better xyz than someone's pet scope, and there'll be a bunch of offended people along to tell you how wrong you are. It's just an inanimate object with a job to do.

There's a lot about a scope choice that's subjective, but mechanical function isn't.

We're where we're at ( with any product) strictly because of the spoiled American consumer, who demands CHEAP, therefore suppliers started making CHEAP. Americans demand NF durability but demand a Tasco price.

That will dial repeatedly and reliably, and are rugged and durable to withstand travel and field abuse, and with good glass? OK, I'll bite...

Scopes that I've used that fit the stated cost/weight criteria:

SWFA 6x - $300 19 ounce
SWFA 3-9 - $600 20 ounce
LRHS/LRST can be had for around $800 used. 4.5-18 can be had new right now at GA precision for $995. 3-12 non lit version of these goes 23 ounce, IIRC.
Smaller NF's are low 20's for weight.

If you don't share my aversion to supporting big red China, or if you're willing to up the price to 1500-2k, there's more options.

One thought I had about how rugged the straight X SWFA's are, is that they are so cost effective that they often get put into service on knock around guns, loaners, high use rigs, etc. Likewise, there's a lot of dudes who don't treat them with kid gloves like they would a much more expensive optic. All of this just makes it more impressive that they have such a well earned reputation.

I state it often, and I don't use one as much as I used to because I like to try different things and I do like a few options, but I honestly could do just fine with a SWFA 6x for just about everything. An accurate bolt with the 6x on it and a quick handling woods rig with 1-5 or so would about cover big game for me. Not that I plan to sell any of my niche, micro-niche, and redundant rigs off, but fun to go down certain "what if" abstract paths now and again.

I, too, sometimes get a kick out of the choices American wage earners make in regards to buying items based on cost. How many people in the USA, or other developed countries with competitive standard of living structures, show up to work and tell their bosses that if they are looking for a good deal, they could likely have the job they do outsourced for less and still get an acceptable level quality and work completed. Like it or not, for just about all of us it's true.

I'm completely with you on fixed powers.

I like the notion of a BDC reticle in a fixed power scope.
Not so much in a SFP variable.

Closest I’ve seen is the now discontinued Leupold LR Dots.
Seems they could’ve put Steve Tim’s B&C reticle in a fixed 6X, and it would’ve been a hit.

What do I Know ?

No wonder my ears were itching!

If I’m a whore, I’m a cheap one. I’ll use any optic that works well for me regardless of price, although I’ve forsworn stuff from the PRC (except women) on principle, not because the stuff I’ve used has been unsatisfactory (Hawke, plus some red dots and prisms). I’ve been futzing around a fair bit with scope swapping, trying to find good matches for my rifles to maximize my opportunities in my declining years, and sometimes to satisfy my liking for nice stuff. Keepers have been Burris FFs, Trijicons, SWFA, and a Tract; prices ranging from $150 to about $900. Weights run from maybe 13oz to 25oz. Eye relief has to allow me to run the bolt while looking through the scope without banging my poor old nose. Adjustments have to work as expected and stay put (I allowed an exception to that with the little Leupy 4x I bought for a Marlin 39). I’m pretty much done now after hopefully solving my last optical problem, getting a scope and mount to hold up on a Mini 14, a tough ride due to the way the action works. That got a SWFA 1-4 (on sale!), currently in Burris mounts already on hand. I doubt I’ll be buying any more in the near term, but if I do, those brands are where I’ll start.

Where in Europe?

4" eye relief, true #4 reticle, LPV, straight tube, under 16 oz.

It seems to me Khales used to have a 10x fixed meant for sniping. I never got around to getting one but I wanted one. These days fixed powers are few and far between.

I love great glass also. I have upgraded optics numerous times. I have been satisfied now, that all have been upgraded. Great glass pays off in early morn and late evening shots. When others are walking back to truck, you are still hunting for another 15 min. or so. I used to say, I will never pay $500.00 for a piece of glass. But I have paid double that on scopes with no regrets. If you have never had great glass, you do not know what you are missing. I must be an Optic Whore also. Good shooting.

Cotis, Romania

Pappy,
"pretty much done" aye? Did you know that Primary arms has a real neat Prism scope out with 3.6" of eye relief and it weighs around 5 ounces. Primary Arms SLX 1x17 Micro Prism Scope. It has great reviews. Tempting.?

Have you tried egun.de ?

Several there have no problem sending abroad.

Northman, yes I occasionally check egun.de, but haven't found anything that met the specs I mentioned above. There is not a problem with shipping scopes from Germany to Romania. But when I change the egun site language to English, it only changes the categories of the listings to English and everything else defaults to German, And I do not speak German. This could really make bidding and buying anything off of the site very difficult. RJ

In case you didn’t realize you are a scope snob 😂. You refuse to even acknowledge that ALL “top tier scopes” have decent enough glass for “hunting”.

Please humor us further and list the “top tier” scopes with glass inadequate for “hunting”.

No open “spots” at present. Trying to make good use of what’s on hand rather than just keep piling stuff up. I’m also trying to re-evaluate my opportunities and capabilities and tailor my goodies to those as opposed to simple acquisitiveness.

I just removed a previous generation PA prism, the Cyclops, from my Mini 14 because I wasn’t entirely happy with it as a general-pupose sight. As a combat/close-range sight, it’s excellent, but it lacks definition for precision shooting. I may sell it, or keep it as a spare. They have a great reputation for reliability and toughness, and mine held zero perfectly. Most prisms have tactical-ish reticles that obscure the target more than I like for my use. The Mini P is better, but the small “window” and limited eye-relief can be a problem. I’m using some Burris Fastfires where the prisms don’t fit. The ones with auto shut-off minimize the possibility of dead battery surprises.

I hear you Pappy. That's exactly what I am trying to do now. With the stock I have on hand, I am optimizing those sights. I am not going to buy any new optic that has "almost" everything I want in a sight. If it has all of the boxes checked, well maybe. Right now to me, the biggest problem with prism scopes is their short eye relief, even the 1x units. I made a couple of extension mounts for 2 of my "driven game" rifles to get the Li'l P's lower and farther back. And let me tell you, they work great for my astigmatism/ repaired neck issues. I believe Prism sights are evolving right now. That new P.A. 1x sight has a longer eye relief (3.6"), than any other prism sight that I have seen and a reticle about twice the size of their last 1x prism scope. So I will watch and see what boxes get checked. It would also be great if the lowest mount position got down a little lower on Prism scopes. But, I'm not going to hold my breath since these things are built primarily for the tactical weapons. RJ

I have mostly Leupolds, a few Redfield’s, and one Ziess.