Dennis,you make good points, but dollars are getting tight right now for alot of us. I will buy Leupolds in the future, but if I were scoping SEVERAL deer/big game rifles and/or Coyote rifles, I would be buying some Weavers to try as I have yet to hear any complaints. One reviewer said the Weaver optics were a good bit better than his Burris 6x on a cloudy day.

Leupold makes a good scope no doubt, and the worst thing they could do now is jack their prices any higher IMHO.

I THINK but not sure Light Optical in Japan has made some Weavers and if so, that may be the very company that makes Bushnell Elite's. Yep, found a link:

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:xU9BDydlZq8J:yarchive.net/gun/scope/makers.html+Weaver+scopes+light+optical&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

From: Gale McMillan <" gale"@mcmfamily.com>
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: [Scopes] Which (non-Leupold) brand is best?
Date: 11 May 1997 16:49:17 -0400

John Abatte wrote:
> ...

Just for the record Nikon doesn't make their scopes or lens. They are
contracted to the lowest bidder. The last I heard they were being made
in the Philippines I think. I buy lens from the same manufacturers as
most of the Japanese Manufactured Scopes so I feel I can speak with
first hand experience. Lens are polished to a standard which is the
number and size of digs and dings that are not polished out. Then they
are coated to aid in light transmission. The better lens are coated
with a 4 layer coating and all use the same formula. The glass types
are dictated by the computer designed lens system and the flint and
crown glass all come from the same areas and the same computer design
programs are used by almost every one in the industry What I am saying
is while you may think one is better than the next. The only difference
between a Leupold, B&L Simmons or any of the rest of the scopes that use
Japans lens is the amount of quality control The importer is willing to
pay for. When it comes to mechanical design only the American companies
design their own mechanical systems. All Japanese scopes use nearly
identical designs so there is very little difference. The big
difference is where the importer wants to fit in the market place and
what he is willing to pay for. If you stay within the same price range
it doesn't make much difference what you buy if it is an import. I
would pay more attention to which company makes it as that is the big
difference. And one last comment. The scope companies don't polish
their own lens, they buy them from lens manufacturers and price dictates
quality.I have been in the lens factory when the buyer for one of the
best known European scope companies was there on a buying trip so the
name on the scope doesn't mean a thing on where the glass comes from.

Gale McMillan


Dober, I think you are correct in not seeing enough difference to justify double the price. I can say if I ever had to do with only one rifle, I would trust a 4x33 or 6x36 Leupold to do all I need. If dollars were tighter yet...a Weaver would be next in line. I don't think you can get much more durability than these fixed powers short of perhaps a Zeiss.