Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Sightron SII 3x9x42 vs Leupold 3x9x40 VXII

I am wondering if this is part of the reason for folks fascination with Leupold's fixed power scopes.

Actually RD,its more of a goof proof factor.Loopie variables have a very long history of POI shifts as the power ring is turned.So its just a way to keep it simple.Just one less thing to go wrong.Matts review of two current 6x42 loopies pretty much says it all.An over sold under performing scope with issues right from the factory.Why bother?
Think of it like this.Lets say you were on a deserted island.And were starving.Someone gives you a cracker.
You eat the cracker.Mumm thats a really really good cracker.In fact,its the absolute best cracker, you ever ate in your life.When you get off the island,you tell everyone about it.
This is about where E is with loopies.Hes never used or tested or even bothered to look at anything else.So that loopie cracker is the bestest in the whole world.....
dave

dave

Once optics get to a certain point, and I think a VX-III is certainly past that point... it's all gravy. I mean jeez, we can split hairs ad nauseum but we some lucky hombres, to have access to all the great stuff around these days!

-jeff

LMMFAO!!!!!

Dave, my man, you have a gift for hilarious analogies! That's the funniest thing I've read in a long, long while!

Thanks!

eslude,THANKS for the info! I believe I can make one work.

til later

When you only compare Brand "A" against Brand "A", Brand "A" should always win.

Rob

I agree %100 Jeff, The optics market is extremely competitive and their are so many great scopes out there from more than a few companies, its hard to find a really bad product and we are some lucky guys nowadays to have such great optics choices compared to the market just 20 years ago. I can't help but wonder what the optics market will be like in another 20 years.....................547.

547, in the pat 3-5 years optics have changed by leaps and bounds. I can't imagine what it will be like in 20 years.

Rob

I would think in 20 years scopes won't be all optical. You will have CCD's working with smaller lenses. These will allow many things among them a picture on an LCD or some similar rather than direct optical viewing. Probably will have things like programmable trajectory compensation for any cartridge even down to individual handloads. A built in range finder isn't at all unlikely either in top of the line optics which also will probably have image stabilization abilities too. Some will decry this move from optical purity. But over time you will end up with a better aiming device which is really what a scope does for you.

The fascination with fixed magnification Leupolds comes about when you get them set right and, after some field time, especially in situations where you have to shoot rapidly, you discover they work alot better than you ever thought. You also discover that the ability to change magnication just isn't needed.
They are right there with that image no matter what shooting position or what layers of clothing you wear while hunting. That's why old gun writers like Jack O'Connor much prefered scope with very forgiving, non critical eye relief for his big game rifles. Some of the early scopes had this feature and some didn't. Old Jack used to shoot at running jack rabbits and coyotes regularly as well as big game. Noticed the difference and wrote about it.
BTW, since the coming of CNC tooling, changes in POI when changing magnification haven't been a problem with even the cheap scopes. Barsness says this even applys to the very cheap, bubble pack, Wally World scopes. E

Had to have a friend send his 3.5-10x44 Zeiss Conquest back last summer for some SERIOUS POI changes. 10" vertical and 2" horizontal from max low range to max high range. Best scope I've ever looked through!

til later

Sounds like the "constant" eye relief is a better choice after all. That's what I thought as you just confirmed. Eremicus, just recently you described how you set up a scope with a variable eye relief at low, middle and high magnifications then from the standing, sitting and prone. Sounded liked you needed to choose a magnification setting depending on the shooing position. In short it was to confusing. Never would have to go through all that nonsense if it was constant.

Roy

I am going to reply to the original poster disregarding all I have read here.In my gun cabinet right now I have a Rem 30-06 with a VX-II 6-18X40 Leupold(my rifle) I have a Howa 270 with a Bushnell Elite 4200 4-16x40(wife's) and a Rem 243 Mohawk with a Sightron SII 3-12X42(Daughter's)I have been to the range and hunted personally with all three.Other than the differences in magnification you would be hard pressed to notice any differences in quality of these optics.The bushnell would get my nod solely for the raingaurd coating whice really works.But if price were a factor I'd give the Sightron the nod.But you will also notice the Leuppy's on my rifle.Go figure?
Good luck with whatever choice you make and none of the above mentioned would be a bad choice.
That's my 2 cents.
Rock

Don't suppose the reason could have been that the varible scopes of the period were lacking in several areas field of view, brightness, eye box, etc.
As many here have realized the advances and changes in the optics world over the past several decades since Jack O'Conner have not yet reach Placerville, Ca,

esldude,



The will be illegal in Oregon for hunting. No battery power on hunting tools; guns or bows. This state is controled by a bunch of backward folks.

Would not fly in AK either, though there is some question about it...

Rock, Thanks for the 2 cents. I think I'll try an SII 3x9x42, for $199.00 I don't think I can go wrong................547.

Nope, you can't. You'll be happy with the quality and, your wallet will like you too.

Rob

BrocksDad, Have you ever compared that sightron sII 3x9x42 to a burris fullfield II 3x9x40? If so are there any big differences? thanks

bnbrk94, yes I have compared both and now were splitting hairs. The biggest difference is the eye relief, the SII is less critical and very friendly. The glass on the SII is a bit sharper and crisper. The weight, length and mounting space are almost identical. In this post or a previous post I noted that I had 2 3-9X42's with different eye relief. One was terrible and one was awesome. They were only about 2 years different in manufacture time. The new ones have awesome eye relief, the old ones are bad.

The only knock on the FFII's is customer service. I have not had the greatest luck with Burris customer service. Sightron's customer service has been outstanding. The older SII I have will go back and I'm sure I will receive a new one in a week.

Hope this helps, any other questions please ask.

Rob