Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics What do you think of S&B's?

I really like my Zeiss Victory HT but for the money just as with S&B it busts just as easy as any other variable. Other than the "I got a Zeiss HT" or "I got a S&B and love it" I can see no reason to bust one of these once a year over a $1200 VX-6 these days.

"It busts just as easily as any other variable"

Can you elaborate? Did you bust it? How?

Are all variables built to the same specs from millet to hensoldt?

Optically a vx6 is great I know, more Curious on your experience with variables

Nothing crazy about having one dedicated big game rifle. In fact, it makes a lot of sense.

my thought is .."I can only pull one trigger at a time" and eliminates having any crossover between cartridges (grins)

As the old saying goes, "Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!" There's a lot of truth in that old cliche.

I too only use one big game rifle, a Sako 85 Black Bear .308. It's phenomenally accurate, handles well and isn't too heavy. I don't shoot past 350 yards max so it's all I need or even want in a deer rifle.

308 here as well...

The only downside I can think of is not being able to shoot while your one rifle is cooling down at the range.

That, and "variety is the spice of life."

I own two S&B Summits and one 3-12x42 Precision Hunter. As far as optical quality my 63 year old eyes see marginally better with the S&B's over the VX-III/VX-3 Leupolds I have. I am sure younger eyes would see more. What I like about the S&B's is that the adjustments are precise.

All, and I mean all of my Leupold scopes move more or less than what the dial increments should be. If I move them up ten clicks some will move about 7 clicks worth, some will move 12 clicks worth, some will settle in somewhere close after a few shots. I have perfected the old tap on the scope with fist to settle the dials trick. I have found that once zeroed and settled in Leupold scopes tend to stay zeroed, although I am not very hard on my scopes when hunting.

When I purchased my first S&B Summit I was amazed when I made elevation and windage adjustments the shot move exactly that amount. It made zeroing the scope a pleasure and I left the range with great confidence it was right on the money and would stay that way. That is why I like my S&B's.

Now that said I still purchase Leupold scopes. They give me enough optical quality to do what I want to do. You can bet if I return to another horseback elk hunt my rifle will be wearing one of the S&B's.

the thing is that I am just no longer inclined to believe that any variable telescope is tougher in actual use than any other. if you pay $2500 bucks for a variable will it withstand a drop any better than a $500 variable both from reasonable vendors? Don't think so. I hit my Victory HT its a lot of money and its back to Germany, does S&B have some magic pixie dust that makes their variables immune to a 4 foot drop on a hard surface?

Ok

Do you think that's the only thing that will make a scope go belly up? If so, you have a point.

No sir, I am cynical regards them all these days.

Given same/same engineering and build, a fixed will always be more reliable and durable. However, it's never the same. There are variables that are as reliable and durable as any fixed power made. Now when talking variables designed for deer hunting.... Small differences. The only thing that the masses talk about is "glass". As if some how small differences in view will help you hike to find the animal or ensure that the bullet goes where you want. But that's all they crow about and so that's all the manufacturers put their money towards. When people start caring about things that matter- zero retention, correct adjustments, return to zero, durability, etc., then companies will start putting effort to that.


But they won't. People don't shoot. The most "use" that the vast majority of scopes see is going from a padded safe, to a padded case, to a padded seat, out of the padded case to be placed gingerly on a padded rest, back to a padded case on a padded seat, into a padded safe. That ain't use. Nor close.

"When people start caring about things that matter- zero retention, correct adjustments, return to zero, durability, etc., then companies will start putting effort to that."

Don't forget data books! LOL

I could not agree more with most all your posts.

I will never be able to afford S&B's so when I am flush it is Nightforce, when I am broke it is SWFA.

I just wish weaver would put the microtrac into a less expensive 6x with 1/4 moa's and get a nice eye box going. As you have stated many times; I don't much care about glass either.

My most accurate rifles were built by Robert Gradous. The 6.5x47 has a March tactical 10x60 The 260 has a S&B 12X50 While my 6br from McWorther has a bench 10x60.

All our gorges scopes so it is really hard to say which one is better than the other..

Last time I took my March out with Robert we could clearly see the six legs on a fly that had landed on my target 100 yards away. You can not expect much better clarity than this from any scope