Not a long range shooter. Never shot at an animal over 325 yards. Got a Dall sheep hunt in 2021. Want to be prepared if necessary. What is the best budget dial scope that is worth having? If it's 1000.00 model so be it. A cheapie that's crap is no bargain. Tell me my options straight up and I'll have to decide if it's worth it.Thanks.

SWFA SS 6x or 10x

SS 3x9 HD or a NF SHV 3-10. Pretty darned good bargains well under a 1000 bucks.

If you go the NF SHV route, I suggest you call Doug at Cameraland (sponsor on this forum) and see if he still has this model on sale. I think he had them for $675 or $699...best price I have seen on that scope anywhere since they were introduced.

I am test driving the SWFA SS 3-9x42HD now and am enjoying it. If you go this path, I recommend you wait on their next sale which is tax day if I remember correctly. Not as good as Black Friday (~$460 IIRC), but still better than paying the full $700 retail.

IMHO - if I could afford a guided dall sheep hunt, I could find a way to afford a 2.5-10x42 NF NXS scope to put on my rifle and not have any fears of it failing me...

Good advice here. I use the ss 3x9. Very re!iable.

SWFA SS 3-9x.

Nightforce right here......$1600.00, free shipping, and they pay sales tax:

https://www.eurooptic.com/nxs-25-10x42mm-zerostop-250-moa-moar-digillum-ptl-c458.aspx

Also available from this sites, optics sponsor, C458 Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42 Compact ZeroStop - MOAR Illuminated

Well. there ya go.....I just googled Nightforce and that link showed up first.....

I have had great service from Eurooptic.

Hard to beat a SWFA 3-9, especially for the money

Just got an email that my (back)order is now on the way, gonna get here Friday.

I'm not a sheep hunter, but I know and have known plenty of them since I came to Alaska in 1965. Most of the guides I knew are in the happy hunting grounds now. Several of them and their clients did lots of sheep hunting and never touched a dial. I know long shots happen and I think you are wise to prepare for your sheep hunt. By that I mean I would do lots of shooting out to 600 yards, so the 500 yard shot would be easy under "perfect conditions".

A couple of my buddies sheep hunt every year and do pretty good. One of them uses a .270 Win. and 130 grain Barnes TSX and an older Leupold 4.5-14x40 with the B&C reticle. He swears by it and I doubt he will ever change. The other uses a .270 WSM and I forget what Leupold he has on it. Neither one dial, but they kill sheep. Many in the old days used a fixed 4 power and 3-9 scopes. I only know one guy that dials and he does lots of long range shooting when not hunting.

Almost everyone tries to go in as light as they can on a sheep hunt and they try to carry light rifles with light scopes. If you can afford it I think a NXS 2-10 or a 3-10 SHV would work for dialing and you can tape your loads info to your stock for a quick reference. I have the SHV version with a Force Plex reticle, as it was lots cheaper then the NXS version. I ordered some ballistic tape from Kenton Industries with the numbers from the load I sent in now taped on the elevation turret so all I do is range it and turn the elevation dial to that range on the SHV and press the trigger.

If some one is tough enough to pack it up a mountain I am sure the NXS 3-15 Mil Mil scope has every thing a guy could want.

I also have SWFA 3-9x42 that is a dialer with a good reputation. If I was sheep hunting with it I would leave it on 6 power unless I had a rest and time to zoom to 9 power. I also would not feel under scoped with it. I think a good riflemen with that scope can make shots way past 500 yards. At least they do on You Tube.

Any real preference between the SWFA 3x9x42 or the Night force SHV 3x10?

I have had a couple SHV 3-10's and a bunch more 3x9 SS HD's. Personally, I prefer the 3x9 SS. The reticle is very useful for holding wind, elevation, and optically the scope is pretty darned good as well. I also prefer mils, no huge reason other than I am used to it. It doesn't hurt the 3X9 can be had for a few hundred less than the NF.

I'm a sheep hunter with 4 rams to my credit. Planning a hunt to complete my slam with a desert. I've been using a Zeiss V4 4-16 with a twister turret. Little heavy but it's well built and tracks accuratety.

DANG! Was that a Black Friday order?

I literally just talked with them yesterday (spoke with Michael) and he told me they were looking at 90 days!

I had an SS 3-9, then sold it to get an SHV 3-10 (MOAR non-illuminated). I shot the SHV for a while, sold it, and bought another SS 3-9. I prefer the Milquad reticle, glass is just as good to my eyes (maybe better), and it’s a couple hundred cheaper.

zeiss v4 is worth a look, the sample of one I have tracked dead on, I will continue shooting it long term, when it gets warm I want to do a video connecting on some shots way out there. another choice that I think is excellent as a HUNTING scope. is huskemaw. if you can find a deal on one. I really like my 3-12, again its tracked true in a static fixture and I have 2 seasons under my belt with it.

the SWFA 3-9 tracked true as well for me. no zero stop and non capped turrets. FFP reticle, if you like that. if you are wanting to save money maybe its an option. I would go with the first 2 though if I am worried about a big hunt. nightforce, well you can't go wrong there!! The gold standard of tracking and dialing.

I've compared the SS 3-9x42 to many scopes on a tripod, side by side, comparing resolution,contrast,colors, field of view, "(tunneling/lack of tunneling) etc.......for hours on end, from ranges 20 yards to 1100 yards.

I've yet to find anything other than the Steiner P4xi 4-16x56 that is as "good" in all regards, Steiner is better. The Steiner is pretty incredible, next level.

However, comparing the SWFA 3-9x42 HD against........ several Bushnell LRTS 3-12x44, Vortex Razor HD LH 1.5x32 and 2-10x40, Sightron big sky 3-12x42, Zeiss V4 3-12x44, Leupold VX 3 4.5-14x, Burris FourX 3-12x56, Trijicon Accupower 3-9x40, Meopta Meopro 4.5-14x44, SWFA SS 6x and 10x, Tract Toric 2-10x, Weaver Grand Slam (New Re-Designed model) 4-16x44..............etc......I'm sure I'[m missing a few.

Nothing comes close the the quality of glass in the SWFA 3-9x42 HD for my eyes (and anyone else who's compared side by side with me), EXCEPT the Vortex Razor HD LH scopes and the Weaver Grand Slam (New Design).........FYI, I think the Grand Slam and the Vortex have the same glass prescription......(both made at LOW).

Take that for what it's worth.

None of the scopes I listed above, regardless of glass quality(or lackthereof in comparison to the SWFA) are as robust and proven as the SWFA 3-9x anyway. That is most important. However, the quality of glass in the 3-9 is way above the price of $599 and particularly the Mid $400 black friday specials.

I find the glass incredible from 4-9x..........3x is rubbish, horrible tunneling. So, as many have said before, It's basically a 4x-9x.
The SWFA 3-9x on 3x is about like the Tract Toric on 2-10x on all powers........what a tunneling, small field of view POS, that Tract is.

You start comparing scopes like your at the "eye doctor", on a steady tripod with both scopes mounted solid so you can switch instantly back and forth from one to another, and you quickly learn a lot.

The FFP MQ reticle would send me to the SS 3-9x42 every time, for my uses.

Well, the LRTS and SWFA fixed powers are, but in general I agree with you.

Yes it was a Black Friday order.

Oops...you are correct Jordan. I misspoke there for sure. The LRTS is very proven as are the fixed SWFA "classics"

Tract Toric as good as anything out there and well under a grand

Tract Toric if weight is a concern or a Steiner P4xi from Doug. Just got my p4 and it's an awesome scope for 800$

I ordered one of the Bushnell LRTS from Doug as several here thought it was a screaming bargain. I know its heavy, but it's an introduction to dial scopes and can be put on my open country rifle. I will try to wait for the SWFA sale and hopefully pick up a 3x9 for the sheep and high country rig. Thanks to all who replied. I know buying two scopes takes me to $1100.00 but it seemed to be a better path than a $1600.00 Nightforce for my needs.

Okay, the scope came in and I have it mounted, and have taken a look or two through it but no shooting, yet. I'll probably fix that next weekend.

My impressions are that the glass is certainly good enough, it doesn't seem to be quite as good as my VX-5hd but on par with my Nightforces.

The reticle is mighty small on 3 power and may be hard to use in the woods, I can't say for certain but it isn't as hard to use with clutter as I thought it may be. If I used it on a hunting rifle, that would be important because the vast majority of the hunting I do is Easter Woods hunting at short distances.

The turrets feel great and so far, with the limited tests I've done, it's tracking correctly. I simply will have to shoot the gun to find out any more, but the only reservation I might have would be the reticle on low power in a "woods" situation. It could use a zero stop and I know where to go for that.

The scope went on an AR set up in an SPR configuration with the idea of shooting groundhogs, and for that it will be excellent, but I suspect it could be used on a rifle that sees "woods" use. .223 is not legal in Virginia, so I may just try it on my .458 SOCOM this deer season.

All in all, I'm liking it.

Is it necessary to mount a scope with dials on a rail or will normal mounts such as Weaver or Leupold work? Intention is to dial for shots to 500 yds.

Dials don’t change your mounting options

Quality two piece bases and rings are fine, no need to have a rail if your situation doesn't require it. I prefer not to have a rail on most of my hunting rifles because they restrict access to the loading port.