I see these threads about scopes in the one to two thousand dollar price range and I really scratch my head and wonder. I have to tell my story. About 5 years ago,I bought a left handed Zastava Mauser in 375 H&H, and wanted a scope with a lighted reticle, thinking I might someday take a crack at a leopard. Looking around, I found that scopes with a lighted reticle were either just a lighted dot, or too bright, or both. Looking in the Natchez Shooter's Supply catalog, I stumbled across a --wait for it-- TRUGLO 3x12 44 mm Variable with a lighted BDC reticle. If this wasn't enough, the variable was controlled for brightness by turning a knob on the side of the scope AND the color of the reticle could be either red or green with the turn of the brightness knob. The cost? Less than a hundred forty bucks. No way, I said. The glass has to be garbage, or it will come to pieces after three or four shots out of the 375 H&H. But I also figured that a hundred forty bucks is not really enough to get mad over, and being intrigued, I ordered one.
Surprise, surprise. Two hundred rounds later out of the 375, the scope is still going strong, and I have two more of these scopes. One is mounted on a Win. Model 70 in 223, and the other is on yet another left handed Zastava Model 70 in 30-06. The surprising thing is that the optics on these scopes are noticeably better than the Leupold VX3s that came off the 375 and the 223, and equal to or better than a Zeiss that is on the rifle of a neighbor.
What about the BDC reticle? I frankly haven't stretched the 375 out beyond 200 yards because it kicks too much, but it will stay in .750 for five at 100 yards. The fun part is with the 30-06. I fell into some milsurp Lake City 69 headstamp ammo for the '06, and with no tweaking whatever, the rifle shoots this into 1 1/2 " at 100. USING THE BDC RETICLE, I can hit gongs across the course on my range from 100 to 600 yards simply by using the appropriate crosshair. No turning knobs, no holdover, no Kentucky windage. Just put a laser rangefinder on the target, use the appropriate crosshair, and if you break a good shot, you hit the target. I can't speak to longer distances, as my range only goes to 600 yards. But based on everything else, I don't doubt this scope would be good to 800.
Good optics, BDC lighted reticle with a color option on demand and a brightness control on a scope that WORKS for well under a hundred fifty bucks--I just had to try it. I tried it, and I like it.
