Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Built like a TANK scope....

I have the Leupold FX-II 2.5X with the wide duplex on 3 rifles - a .308, a .358 and a .45-70. They sure do soak up the recoil and hold zero very well.

Burris scopes are known for their robustness. I've used Burris scopes since the 80s. One thing about them is they hold zero. I have never had to readjust zero on a Burris scope once sent. Year after year they hit where they hit at the beginning of the last season. I've adjusted them for a different load, but once set to my main load, that's where they stay. Good glass, holding their settings is the thing that has kept me with Burris, even if they aren't the lightest scopes out there.

Maybe Doug at Camera Land can land you a Burris Veracity.
https://cameralandny.com/shop/brand...0135-0ffe-00163ecd2826?variation=1693613

SWFA, NF, Bushnell Elite Tac line, Trijicon Accupower.

I thought the Leupold 4x was discontinued and now they only have the 4x rimfire ?

Mr. Phil, do you know if that robustness applies to more recent versions?

In 98 I had a new Ruger 300WM. Mounted a Burris on it. Crapped the bed in the first 15 rounds. Sent it in. Mounted it on the same rifle after it came back. Died again in 12 rounds or so.

Wouldn't adjust, wouldn't track and wouldn't hold zero. Was the scope because I slammed a Simmons on it and right back to 1.5 inch groups - just fine.

Sample of 1 - I know...

My only experience has been with Nightforce, but I have an SWFA on the way to test. From what I have heard, the answer to your question in that price range is only going to be SWFA or a Nightforce SHV. A used NXS would also work.

My NXS had the [bleep] beat out of it over several years, banging into door frames, blind windows, riding in the bed of a truck, carried for unknown numbers of miles, knocked over by clumsy hunting partners, and shot through thousands of rounds. It doesn't look like Formi's working Razor 1-6 that he's posted, but it does look like its been loved tenderly. That whole time, I only zeroed it once. Fired lots of groups to make sure that the zero was still there, but that warhorse stayed zeroed the whole time from when I first dialed it in.

The better NF scopes are the standard of the industry but >$1k. My personal experience w/ Swfa 3-9 and Trijicon Accupoint has been that they perform reliably in all conditions and do not need to be coddled.


mike r

Are the newer Leupold 2.5’s as good as the old ?

I never had a single problem outta a VX-Freedom. They never left the box.

that's funny

😂🤣😳

I've owned and used a lot of brands. Burris, Leupold, Simmons, Bushnell, Bausch and Lomb (Bushnell), Pentax, Tasco World Class (Japanese). Some inexpensive, some expensive and most in between. 100% of them did exactly what I wanted them to do. None of them ever failed. Some received light use, and some were subjected to unintentional abuse. I had a Bausch and Lomb Elite 4200 slip in unlapped Ruger rings and slap so hard against the flared portion of the tube leading to the power adjustment ring that the aluminum mushroomed. That scope served me well for many more years. I've fired many rounds out of some hard recoiling guns topped by Burris and never had to re-zero. Many of the the scopes I've owned were exposed to crappy weather: freezing rain, and high humidity when getting out of and air conditioned vehicle, and I don't remember any of them fogging. Not even the cheapy Simmons. Many were bumped and banged and all survived. So, scopes from any of the major manufacturers are all going to do reasonably well. But none are going to survive a tumble down a 500 foot rocky hill atop a rifle.

What do you want to use it for? If you are shooting out to 500 yards, you don't need a 30mm tube. 1" will be fine. So you can save money there.

Do you really need the best glass? As a hunter, I find that there is a diminishing return on investment in that regard when scope prices go up. Pretty soon, I get to a point where I can't really tell a practical difference between scopes. My <$200 Burris E1s looks as bright and clear to me as my $600 Leupolds. And if my rifle does take a tumble, I'd rather replace a $200 scope than a $600 scope. I have never once taken sight on a deer and wished I had a scope costing $1,000.

Just think about what you want to use it for, come up with some specs that will suit that need, and buy a scope from one of the major manufacturers that have a scope that meet your specs. You'll do well.

Got a couple older Redfields 3 x 9 that have on my rifles....one is late seventies, Never failed me yet, clear as when I bought them.

Burris made in America:

3x12x 44mm with the light collector

6x24 with the light collector

Black Diamond

This

I've also had good luck with Nightforce. There's certainly a weight penalty, but I've started putting 2.5-10x42s on all of my rifles that see hard use. Used ones in your price range come up somewhat regularly. Or you could just get an SHV today.

I have the 3-9 Super-Chicken and both of the Nightforces you mention.

My favorite of the three, as a pure hunting scope, is the SHV.

Have a nightforce nxs on my 6/284. Was sighted in in 1998 when I mounted it and has never needed to be adjusted since then. Showed me what scopes can do. Beat,banged traveled at 43000 feet at -50 to -70 celsuis many times .

You have to consider what's available too. SWFA has had little available over the past year. Same with Tract. Seems like Trijicon and NF have good availability.

My uncle has great luck with Leupold.
Mounted it 20 years ago, shot it twice.

Every 3 years when he pulls it out from under the bed to show off after Thanksgiving dinner, it sits there working perfectly.

Best of all the glass quality is amazing when he points it out the window at the barn door.