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

Is there a extremely extremely durable-tank tough scope out there fixed or variable for 1K and under ? I know a scope can break , but is there a scope out there that you can recommend that is just dead nuts tough as nails! In extreme cold and extreme heat for shots out to 500 yards and in. ???? Fixed or variable.

Trijicon

Nightforce

^^^^

Trijicon Credo line?

Nightforce

Nightforce bullet proof...

NF

The 2 1/2 x Leupold I have had on my 458 Win for the past 35 years had held up and been used to take moose over 400 yards. And the one I had on my 30-06 guide rifle I used in the Brooks range was used on sheep out to 600 yards.

I don’t think they make the 2.5 Leupold any more.

NF SHV for your price range.

If I had to wager, for under $1k as stated in the original post, it'd be a SWFA fixed power or 3-9x.

Other than the SHV line, I don't think NF has an offering for $1k or under.

If the price limit was removed, I'd still list the SWFA fixed powers and 3-9x, along with Tangent Theta as the top two. Just my guess.

Like 458Win above, I have found the M8 fixed power 4x28s to be essentially bullet proof, and have never had one fail (out of something like 20 of these scopes dating back to my first one in 1971.

Getting a Leupold zeroed usually takes you through the “Leupold Shuffle”, but once zeroed these older scopes have always held zero for me. One of mine currently resides happily on a Model 70 in 416 Rem Mag.

i sold an nxs 2.5-10 last year for 850$ on here

but i can't get the swfa 3-9 to lose zero and that includes repeated shoulder high drops onto frozen ground 30 below

and couple thousand mils of erector travel between 10 shot groups.

How is it that the swfa SS is in this conversation ! You would think for a cheap scope it would not be tough and durable!

The only one they have now is the #58450 FX-II Ultralight 2.5x20mm - Wide Duplex

Its not difficult to make a tough durable scope lika a SWFA... you just have to design it right from the start.

Sightron S-tac is the most functional "cheap" scope I've tried.

I've found the TractvToric with 1" tube to be rock solid and under $1,000.

My favorites for under $1000 and less than 500 yards hunting with the main focus on toughness:

SWFA 6x and 10x - I use the 6x on several rough use rifles. One lives on an ATV that's driven every day. Best toughness for the $.
SWFA 3-9x42
Nightforce SHV 3-10x42
Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x32 or 42 - this would have to be used and less than most used ones sell for - would likely be the toughest of the bunch
S&B 6x42