Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Case of scope purchase paralysis.

Hello,
Long time viewer, first time posting. This is a very informative forum and I learn much from it. I currently find myself looking to upgrade my approx. 30 years old Leupold 3x9x40 Vari X II. It has been mounted on a .270 A bolt since new. I have not been in the market to purchase a scope for some time and it is a bit overwhelming. Not to mention I am a bank credit analyst and tend to over analyze things. My thoughts are as follows:

Price = Around $400.00 max. Some flexibility here.
I am thinking a variable but in a standard range such as a 3x9 or similar with a 40 to 44 mm objective. I can't warm up to the larger 50mm.
I am also considering a fixed 4x or 6x.
Prefer a standard plex reticle and really like the German #4 (it is a shame the #4 is not more readily available).
Very important to me is performance in low light.

I live in Alabama and hunt both open clearcuts and thick, wooded terrain.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Craig

What's the problem with your current scope?

Mike the scope as a whole is fine. I am looking to upgrade to something with modern lenses coatings, etc. for better low light performance.

Look through some scopes!

That's what the eye doctors do, They have US look through lenses and pick what we see best with.

Most of my hunting riflescopes are Leupolds however some of the Zeiss, Kahles, Hensoldt, Swarovski, Lyman and others are excellent.

Current production VX-II and VX-III scopes will both be upgrades IMO. I put a new VX-II 2-7x33 on a rifle last year and it is noticeably better to my eyes that a couple of older Vari-X II and Vari-X IIc that I have.

Vx3I is in your range if you get off internet. Really extends DNR suggested hunting hours.

CraigH,

Awhile back I compared my Leupold VariX-III 4 ½-14X50 Long Range Side Focus with my Bushnell 4200 4-16X40 in low light. To my surprise the Bushnell beat the Leupold despite it having a larger objective. You can't go wrong with a used Bushnell 4200 or 4500.

Take a look at B&H Photo right now. They have some great deals on Leupolds. I just picked up a VX-2 3x9x40 LRD for $249 which is $100 off retail and they toss in a $30 Kleen Kanteen vacuum insulated water bottle. $249 for the VX-2 3x9 w/CDS, $225 for a VX-2 3x9 w/duplex, $319 for a VX-2 3x9 w/German #4 among other deals.

Thank you all for your replies. One option that seems to have a strong following is Meopta's Meopro line. I may save same more and get the 3x9 with the German #4. I also like the Leupold VX 3i.

No surprise there, the Bushnell 4200's are way better than the leupolds that you mentioned. At least in my experience.

$225 for a VX-2 3x9 w/duplex, $319 for a VX-2 3x9 w/German #4

Get either one of these and be done with it.

Go full-on crazy and try a Leupold 6x36. Light, dependable, long ER, mounts low. Get an extra set of rings and keep your 3-9 as backup (or put it on a backup rifle).

I did buy a new VX-3i 3.5-10 for a .243 mostly varmint rifle, and it looks good, but I haven't shot it yet, so the jury is still out.

As a OLD MAN from bama that has hunted our nocturnal deer here
in L.A. (Lower Alabama) I have tried them all in the $50 to $500 range
All I have now on ALL my Bolt rifles now that works the best
HERE MeoPro 6x42 #4 reticle
Leupold 6x42 #4 reticle or heavy duplex

I have looked through many scopes in that price range and nothing shows the reticle in low light like my Zeiss conquests. I would go with a Meopta meopro (essentially the same scope) in that price range if I were you.

I would look hard to try to find the discounted Meopta Mepro 3-9X42 with the #4 reticle.

May want to give our TURION scope a look. 3-9x40 with a T-Plex. You mentioned upgrading glass and coatings, and this scope gives you the best you can have for about $400. Schott HT glass and fully multicoated lenses. Add on 4" of constant eye relief through the magnification range and our turret reset to zero. Can also have a custom turret made for this scope if you choose. Great way to get some nice upgrades at a lower cost.

https://www.tractoptics.com/products/riflescopes/turion-3-9x40-t-plex

I only own Leupolds and have many of them. However, based on what I've researched also, I have a MeoPro on order. Similar price range and lots of great reviews for low light. I like that it's made in USA, but that was not a priority. All the mentioned options are good, can't go wrong with any of these.

There would be a world of difference in a current VX-2 in a 3-9X40 compared to the old Vari-XII you are using. At around $300-$350 depending on reticle choice is where I'd start looking.

I was in much the same position as you recently, I had three Leupold VariX IIs on Model 70s - mine were from the early to mid 90s. I'm a banker too and understand the need to analyze/overthink.

Anyway, I had bought a 243 for the wife/kids, moved one of the old scopes over there; shipped one off to Leupold to have parallax adjusted for use on a Ruger 77/22 and sold the last one for about $100. I never stopped liking those scopes, just had use for a couple and wanted to upgrade after 20+ years. I think the most notable differences with newer Leupolds are brightness and better adjustments, and there are a lot more reticle choices.

Over the past year, I have purchased 4 Leupold VX-3 scopes, two 3.5-10x40 and two 2.5-8x36

There are a lot of people on this site that know much more about optics than me, but since my last three Leupolds served so well, I decided to go that way again. Brands fade in and out of popularity, there is always a hot new kid on the block, but Leupold has been a better one for a long, long time. As I recall, those old vari -x scopes ran about $250 new - which was a lot more money then than it is now!

None of the new scopes I bought had been mounted - they were just scopes that people had bought and kept in the box and then decided to sell. One was bought on eBay, one from the classifieds on this site, another from a similar site, and one locally. Paid about $300 for each one, except a rarer silver b&c that I had to pay more for. I think those scopes are a heck of a bargain at $300

I did spring for the Boone and Crockett reticle on a couple. We are tree challenged in ND and shots can get long. I wouldn't worry about a special reticle like that unless you may shoot 350+ yards

Honestly, I haven't been out to compare them to my old one. Click adjustments are a lot better than the old friction ones. I don't see myself getting into using the cds system, although you could buy that too, and a lot of people love it. If you are really into spinning dials there are probably a fair number of guys that may recommend something other than Leupold, but I don't know enough about it to make a recommendation. Vortex has been very popular recently, and more guys seem to be spending the big bucks for Euro glass. I haven't had much to do with Vortex and it seems like a little shine may be coming off that brand - the comments aren't all positive anymore.

From my research, I would say the preponderance of guys regularly adjusting sights/dials has been one of the biggest trends

CraigH, welcome to the campfire. You can order scopes from Leupold's custom shop is the scope is not a standard over the counter scope. You can order a 3x9x40 with the #4 or any other Leupold scope with the #4. You save some on shipping since you don't pay for the shipping to the custom shop and the scope is built for you. I have done this several times for non-standard reticles. .