Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20x50mm for long range shooting hunting... anyone?

I am considering a scope shuffle... end result would be a new scope for my 300 Win Mag Sendero. Primary purpose would be target work; however it could see some hunting duty, too.

It's either this, or a 4.5x14 Conquest, or a 4.5x14 Leupold. The only time I ever did a direct comparison between 4.5x14 Conquest and Leupold, the Conquest won out rather handily, showing me considerably more detail in deep shadows 150 yards or so away (in the store). So I'm leaning that way.

Much as I'd like something like a Nightforce... it ain't gonna happen right now.

Here's a link to the scope (the ad copy is pretty funny):

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/zeiss.pl?page=521450

A picture:

The amount of elevation adjustment on tap would take that scope right out of the running for me though you can address that with inclined base/rings. The various 6.5-20X Leupolds vary there too.
The 4.5-14x50 has the most of the higher X Conquests.
A direct comparison between my 4.5-14x40 L and 4.5-14x50 Z left me wondering what all the hub bub about the Z was about though I do like the scope and it's tracking. FWIW.

I have a couple of 6.5x20's Zeiss Conquest very nice for the money !

They are durable -and track well.
Side note = my 4.5x14-44 has noticeably higher resolution than the 6.5x20 -why i don't know..
Like Joe Dirts mama said -"it just does" .

ol mike,

Do you regularly crank 'em up and down with the turret?

I'm trying to figure out if I should expect better performance, as far as repeatability and return to zero, than from a Leupold.

Leupolds are not known to excell in that regard. And that's been my experience with them. It SEEMS that guys are reporting better results with the COnquests, but then there aren't nearly as many of them out there...

Dang hard to figure out what the best path forward is! I want good optics, which I'll get from either L or Z... but I NEED repeatability and a reliable return to zero.

I helped a guy I know sight in a 300 Weatherby,He wanted to get to 800 yards but his scope,a Conquest 6.5-20x50mm,was mounted on a zero base.We ran out of up at 650 yards.We did 50 yard increments from 200 yards on out so he could get his drops just right.When we got done at 650 I carried the target board back to 100,our starting point,and made him shoot his last group of the day.Zero was still zero.Just like it should be.
Hes been runing that same load and set up now for the past 5 years.Its worked out very well for him.
dave

I pm'd you Jeff.

I use burris signature series rings w/offset inserts and can go out too 1200yds -280AI.

as said above, i use one on an ar15 and run out at about 800 yards. 1 full revolution takes me to 700, and then just a bit more and i'm done.
get a 20 moa base and you should be fine..

sellin that 2.5-8 yet ?

Jeff

Every Z I've had tracked perfect except the one that broke inside on the first shot.... well it could have too... they track much better than others I"ve had, but I have not had S/B, NF or SWaro either.

Jeff

Maybe! Still trying to sort out what the best path forward is. If you PM'd me before, you'll be in the first group to know of it/them.

I'm all confused about what to do, to be perfectly honest. I shot a test today that confused me even more... see my other post, if interested, about diagnosing a possible scope problem.

-jeff

looks to me it's missing a click in the turning of the adjustment knob.
send it back and they'll fix it or replace it, free.

i didn't send ya a pm, but i did reply in your wtk thread.. does that count ?

Yeah, I know they'll take care of it, I've sent stuff to Loopy before and they are amazing that way.

Problem is, at most they will replace the erector assembly... with another Leupold VX-II erector assembly. I'm not sure that the precision is there, period, with a VX-II erector assembly.

But [bleep] if I know! Aaargh. Can't afford to just throw money around and buy the wrong thing....

Leupold has GREAT customer service -it comes from LOTS of practice !grinning!

no pun intended, right !

Lots of folks that use L and demand the best performance, buy a new one, or at least it used to be common.... and then send it directly in to be fixed, then get it back and test it and start using it.

BTT

If anyone has a reason this scope is a bad idea, say so! Finally should be able to buy it next week.

Jeff, I looked at the Z before I bought the L.

I didn't like the mushy feel of the turrets, not distinct enough and clear for me.

Not enough adjustment in the scope.

I have a new VX3 with a M1 on top and am very pleased.

Also have an new Mark 2 with 1/2 adjustments on top.
It works like a champ.

Optically, I don't think you can go wrong with the Conquest. I have owned the 6.5x20 50mm model (mil dot reticle; regret selling since the day I shipped to the new owner) and it gave me flawless performance atop a FN SPR in .308. Tracking was spot on & I never had any issues with enough elevation adjustment (just shot it out to 300yds). I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

The limited elevation travel doesn't bug me; I'll be shooting 1000 yards on in, for years to come still. And a 10 or 20 MOA base gets me there- if I even need that, depends where the scope zero's.

Two things are pushing me towards the big Z over a comparable Leupold. First, tracking. Second, price. I can get a demo unit from Doug WITH TURRETS for under $750. That's considerably cheaper than a big L. Money is tight right now...

But hey- correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not telling, I'm asking. You guys are years ahead of me in this stuff!

I have a NF and Conquest and think highly of both, sold my L and will not buy another L.

Mike

Guys: Where do you go to get prices on the that 2.5-10x32 Nightforce?

Here's a good list for you Bob:

http://www.riflebarrels.com/products/nightforce_scopes.htm

You can probably shop around a bit and beat those, but not by too much as they're pretty strict with their minimum pricing rules. But that should give you an idea.

If interested in a scope like the NF 2.5-10, you may consider the new SS 3-9X40 FFP as a lower cost alternative. It's a pretty amazing value.

Thanks, Jon.

Jon:That 2.5-10x32 NF with the new Velocity Reticle is just making a ton of sense to me.......forgive my ignorance on the matter...

According to the website info, the reticle gets you to 600,and I'd get the enclosed turrets(they aren't gonna spin by accident);and if I ever wanted to go beyond 600(highly unlikely)the turrets are avaiable. I don't know much about these things but it seems their turrets are held in high regard for reliability,repeatability, etc.It's a 19 oz scope, but not big at 12",so won't overwhelm a rifle.

Yeah, it's $1500 bucks....but this is like buying bino's......am I making any sense here?

Perfect sense and I agree--it's a very nice scope. I do really like that new reticle of theirs for that type of use as well.

It's just a lot of money. If you aren't planning on spinning the turrets much you won't be utilizing much of what you're paying for--and that's fine too, of course. They'll be there if you need them.

Cool scope. I want one!

I should update this thread. I bought the Zeiss 6.5-20, and it's been really, really great for me so far. This is a test I shot at a lasered 100 yards, 4 MOA increments, dialing up and down. I've shot perhaps 200 rounds of 300 win mag, maybe 250, with it on the rifle (Sendero) and so far, so good. Tracking during ACTUAL long range shooting has been about like you'd expect, from the pic below- excellent out to 850 yards. Optics- excellent. One thing I did run into was that I ran out of windage zero'ing it; I don't know why. I did a kludge fix with a Burris 10 MOA insert and will track down the problem this winter, when hunting season isn't looming large. Anyway:



Here it is mounted on the rifle, with my scope level thingie "deployed"... You can maybe see some of my white plates on the hillside opposite.

Ugh, not the best pic of the scope. Here's a better one, prior to getting my scope level on there...

Looks good,Jeff!

Looks great. I have one on my Remington/Hart .300 win mag. I really like it. I went with 20 moa bases.