Burris, Nikon, Weaver, and Leupold dropped the Fixed 4x scope...

Is our only choice a $50 Bushnell Banner?

Is that it, the end?

It's the end of the world as we know it.

6x are about gone too.

There is absolutely no use for a 4x scope on an AR-15 now is there.

Its a damn shame

The 4x33 Leupold is no more?

I can’t find a current listing.

I bought a Banner for a plinker and its actually a very clear scope but I’d not trust my hunt to a $50 scope

I personally won’t buy any serious scope for the hunt that weighs more than an ounce per inch.

What - are Konus & Tasco not doing it for you?

Leupold is about all that's left in current production. Doug can probably still order those Meopta Artemis 4x scopes for ya. I believe CowboyTim loves his.

Otherwise, you're looking at used Conquests, IOR, S&B, maybe Kahles.

And no, you're not the only one who misses being able to buy a current-production fixed 4x scope. The trouble is, I think we're so few that if we were to all get together, I could probably afford to buy all of us 2 or 3 rounds o' beers.

FC

So the 6x36 and the 4x33 are on their way out. I need to snag a spare or 2 then

Goodluck.

I guess I’ll have an ACOG on a 30-30

I wanted a Leupold 4x a few years ago but they only offered it in the stupid wide duplex so I found a used one instead. I think they pretty much killed both the 4 and 6 with the wide duplex reticle. The LRD in the 6 is pretty nice, but it was discontinued awhile back.

Everyone started shooting 2000 yds, and now they think they need 50x scopes with four or five spinning dials. I imagine long range dove hunting will be a thing soon.

That's why I just bought on in the classifieds, here, last week...

I put a 15-38.5XX with a 90mm Objective on my 30-30. I'm hunting hogs at night with it.

If customers were buying them in sufficient numbers to keep them in the product lines at a price that would continue to sell, they'd still be available.

I've read over and over how the great popularity of 3-9 scopes results in efficient production and lower cost. I imagine scopes using common parts like tubes, eyepieces, etc does the same thing. If only a few people are buying 4x scopes, production costs will rise and the only way to keep them in the line will be to raise the price, or "carry" them at a loss, not likely these days, especially at Leupold where they seem to be contracting their offerings, and have even stated that they're reducing options to keep prices down.

So 4x lovers are left either scrounging for remaining supplies, buying economy models or high-end Euros, or going for used ones.

If the makers had gone with keeping them in the catalog at a price that reflected the true cost, this thread might well be titled, "$400 for a 4x, WTF!"

I’d say the Banner is on par with the FXII visually and I’m biased toward Leupold. I just don’t trust it. I guess I could keep an extra Banner in the truck with an allen wrench in the event of failure.

I have a 4x Banner. For the money you can't beat it. Surprisingly it has pretty good glass. All I need.

FWIW, almost all the feedback I've ever heard on the Banner line of scopes was positive. Folks seemed to like 'em, given what they'd paid for 'em.

Now, would I bet a Desert Bighorn sheep hunt on one? Probably not. Then again, if I could afford such a hunt...

FC

Leupold M8 4X is my favorite scope.

I suspect part of the "problem" of fewer 4x scopes remaining in production isn't just less demand from shooters, but the fact that there are so many used 4x scopes available. They tend to be pretty rugged (especially M8 Leupolds) so any company trying to market new 4x scopes is competing against the used market as well.

It's the same combination of factors that caused Savage to quit making Model 99 rifles: Fewer and fewer hunters want a lever-action rifle, and those who do often prefer "traditional" levers chambered for the .30-30 or .45-70. Far fewer want a lever chambered for "modern" cartridges capable shooting spitzer bullets at close to 3000 fps--and for those who do, there are still plenty of used 99's around, whether chambered for the .250 and .300 Savage or .243 and .308 Winchester. Yeah, there are still some 99 fans who SAY they'd buy a new 99, but in reality they're mostly guys who prefer the old ones. Which is exactly why you can still buy a used "pre-mil" 99 in one of the common chamberings for $500 or so.

Same deal with "classic," lightweit 4x scopes. Dunno how many M8 Leupolds are still out there, but the supply seems to be endless, and since hunters who want fixed 4x scopes normally don't plan to twist the elevation turret so they can kill deer at 600+ yards, the old set-and-forget scopes work fine. But another indication of the dropping demand for fixed 4x scopes is the price of M8's keeps dropping.

I've always hunted big game with a 4x or 6x or open sights. Zero problems. I too wish there was a better selection of fixed power scopes.

I have a couple of 4.5X Weaver Grand Slams. Love those scopes.

I like my Leupold first version 4X compact.
Sits on my .35 rem 760
Need another for a .22rf

Lower power range variables have replaced 4xs for me, usually 2-7s. Really, they're effectively 2 or 7s for the most part; 7 at the range and 2 in the woods, until I need the extra boost in power anyway. There's not a big weight penalty compared to 4s, and the extra field and often extra eye-relief can be useful. Right now I have a couple of Hawkes with 4.5" of ER, and recently added a Weaver V7. All were discontinued models obtained cheaply, and all seem fine. Given recent events, I see no reason to pony up a lot more cash for Leupolds, but might buy a Burris if I need another.

FWIW, an option - I had a 4x Rimfire Nikon on a 7BR rifle.....dumped a WT running at 200 yds.........held good zero, optics quite good for the money at the time. I'd suspect they will hold up just fine on typical deer rifles. No doubt the 2-7s have a good niche....like the 4x and 6x - but it seems they could at least mfg them in plex in the Redfield line at a better price...probably sell more too.

But what do I know....I NEVER would have put a Wide Duplex in ANY scope if I were running Leupold.........just me.

It looks like Hawke stll makes some:
https://us.hawkeoptics.com/vantage-riflescopes.html

How are the hawke vantage scopes?

I have a need for a few scopes soon. 1 ML, 1 slug gun, and 2 .22


Really I was looking for 4x simple ... I could live with a 2-7 though so long as its not all cluttered up with BS turrets and dots and busy reticles.

Will the vantage scopes hold zero on a couple savage 220 slug guns? OPtics are less important to me, as thats what binos are for. Holding zero once its set is important to me.

A: I'm glad you shared info on the M8 4x28mm scopes in the past.
B: I'm glad their prices have come down.
I have bought two M8 4x28mm scopes in the past year and I'm very pleased with them.

I don't know yet about the Hawke Vantage 4x yet, as I'm about to order one. Just bought and mounted a Leupold FX-1 2-7x33mm shotgun scope on my Henry .45 Colt rifle. I can say that one works perfectly. That Hawke will be a spare along with my Weaver Classic K4[Japan ]. I like the fixed 4x scopes, just couldn't pass up the 2-7.

BINGO!!! You hit on an old argument of mine. I always said that's what binos are for. A rifle scope is a sighting system for a rifle, not a bino. If you're using your rifle scope to look for and identify game you're violating a bunch of safety rules. Like never point a gun at anything you do not intend to shoot, always identify your target before pointing a loaded gun at it. Those two for starters. Yet guys on all forums expound the virtues of their $1000-$4000 Scope that they use at low light to identify game.WOW! And that's right at the time of day when an accident is most prone to happen, when light is low and vision already impaired and they're pointing their rifles around looking for a target.

Now back on subject. I have one fixed 4X Scope. It's an old Redfield I bought new in August 1966 to put on my then new Winchester Model 70 .270 winchster. It has a course crosshair reticle. Damn clear scope for the times. It has been on my 1983 model Winchester 94 AE .30-30 for the past 38 years. It's still clear and holds zero. I guess I'll keep using it until it fails. A place called Iron Sights in Tulsa OK rebuilds old Redfields and I've thought about sending it in for a referb. The cross hair is fraid and I don't know if it's about to fall apart or not. So far no fog. But I know that after 53 years it's probably living on a Wing and a Prayer.

Some of those people, hopefully most, really mean they like the higher power for making sure they shoot the right animal out of a bunch or picking a hole through brush, not actually glassing. Hopefully.

Good point Pappy, we can only hope.

I agree with you wholeheartedly.

I have a Hawke Vantage 2-7 scope on a Mossberg 500 12g slug gun. Not a lot of rounds through it but so far, so good.

I find Hawke scopes are pretty nice glass for their price range.

https://www.leupold.com/scopes/rifle-scopes/vx-freedom-1-5-4x20


Just bought one of these for the very reasons mentioned, you can't find a plain old 4X when needed!



Mike

I have a couple of 6x scopes on rifles that I use, a Leupold 6x36 and a Meopta 6x42. Both work very well for what I use the rifles for. I have a couple of new unused 4x scopes, a Leupold FXII 4x33 and a Ziess Conquest 4x32. A couple of years ago, I almost sold them. Now, I am glad I did not. I will eventually use them. It is nice to know that I have them when needed. RJ

I was chasing a Leupold 6x36 a few days ago and found out they were discontinued (both the 4x33 and 6x36 have been removed from Leupold's site now). I ended up getting a Meopta 6x42. The view is nice and bright and looking forward to mounting it on a rifle and sighting it in. I'm just not sure what to put it on yet.

Out of my current 19 scopes, 16 are Luepolds with one lone Swarovski, Zeiss and Meopta now. Let's hope Meopta keep making a 6x for a while yet. It's currently still listed on the web page.

You certainly missed the point of better scooe optics. Game is spotted with binoculars, then one gets in the scope, Seeing better in ones scope increases one ability to define an exact aiming point.
Simply really

I find 4X too much more often than not. A 1-4X or 1-6X is about as near perfect as I can imagine.

Good thing I bought my Zess conquest 4x here last month. The leupold 4x prices have gone up and to my eyes it is a way better scope, the glass is a bit better but than the 4x fx I compared it to but the zeiss European style duplex is superior by far to the Leupold wide duplex. I did like the short length of the Leupold.

I have fixed 4x and 6x scopes on some of my rifles. All german scopes. I like the simplicity of them and they never lose zero and track, but a top end variable from one of the same companies do as well, just alot more cash.

Spence

Optics Planet shows Leupold 4x33 in stock, $299.00

I don't see it or the 6x36 on Leupold's website anymore. Opticsplanet says estimated to ship in 7-16 days

I got in on that special run of S&B PM2 6x42 ST’s Doug did here a couple years ago. I’d love it if Camera Land could get a run of those same scopes in 4x. I’d be good for at least two, probably three of them.

Aside from the previously mentioned, Swift still makes 4x32 and 4x40 scopes, I think.

If you want a high end 4x, you will have to order Kaps or Nickel from Europe.

ILya

Are those Kaps scopes top gear?

I have not seen one in a while, but I remember it being of near S&B quality.

ILya

The Midway mailing I received today has a Weaver Classic 4x28 for $129 on page 5.

Nickel's website shows their 4x36, but only with running target reticle. They are certainly not cheap either.

I have a 1.5 - 6 Nickel, and it is a really nice scope. There's little doubt their 4x would be a good one too, if you could get it with a suitable reticle, and cough up the 2000 Euros or so plus shipping.

Kaps scopes are top notch for sure. I had a 1.5-6 ×42. To my eyes in league with any top end German glass but no importers or warranty services here.

Spence

I bought a brand new 4x FX-II just last year. It sits atop a Ruger Hawkeye 30-06.

I think if you go back and read the fine print in that circular, you will see that is for a long eye relief SCOUT SCOPE.

The reg Centerfire 4x Weavers were a 4x38

Weaver did make a 4x28 with 4" of eye relief also, sometimes marketed as a rimfire or shotgun scope, depending on what they wanted people to think that it was for. I have one, and it is very nice and works well. Closer parallax adjustment.

Spence, to clarify, did you say you liked the glass in the FX better than Zeiss?

Back to the OP, I forgot that I've owned a couple of Nikon 4x40 scopes, and they were actually quite nice. I've also used the ProStaff 4x Rimfire scope, and really, really like that one.

If one didn't mind buying a discontinued model from a discontinued brand...

FC

The 4x40 Nikon Monarch has been a great scope for me. I've sold a few rifles and moved several over to dialers resulting in a Conquest 4x and Monarch 4x that are sitting unused. Need to raise a little $ for a Sig Cross this summer so I may list them soon if anyone is interested.

I've ownd fixed 4's and 6's over the years and have found there is nothing they could do that a 1-4 or 1.5-6 couldn't do better.

It's still pretty easy to scare up an old Lyman all american perma-center 4X and they were and are rather good scopes.

https://us.hawkeoptics.com/user/products/Hawke_Riflescope_Vantage_4x32.jpg

Welcome.

Of course, the world is rich with 1-6x24s made for ARs. But I ran the 1.5 x 5 x 24 VXIII o my .270 for decades, killing machine it is.

I cant think of a single use for a fixed 4x scope. Evidently I am not alone.

I have several Kaps scopes, and like them very much. Comparable to the best European scopes to my eyes. One is a fixed 4x on my .375 H&H. It is a very good match to that rifle, and has been completely reliable. I also have a 1-4x ( first focal plane ) on another .375, and a 2.5-10x ( also ffp) on a .308. No worries.

9.3x62

Eastern US hunting

358 Winchester or any other caliber you might use in woods, dark timber or at medium range. I know, you can dial most variable scopes down to a 4x but some of us don't want to fiddle with dialing in the magnification....just point and shoot regardless of situation, and you are on target. Even my old eyes have no problem shooting out to 250 to 300 yards with a fixed 4x scope.

I have one for a 9.3x74R double, and have found it ideal for big game from very close to about as far as I have wanted to shoot with that rifle. It is very light and, having fewer lenses than a variable, passes plenty of light.

I also have found a 4x ideal on a .22 LR for rabbits and such.

I had one on a .45/70 too, where again it suited the use I had for that rifle. The magnification was ideal, with no need to fiddle with it, and it had the added bonus of a small eyepiece diameter, so it could be mounted good and low without obstructing access to the hammer.

Plenty of reasons to like them.

Funny, I cannot think of one use for a variable, and I hunt maybe four days per week year round when I’m healthy or not fishing.

Exactly, but I was surprised to find out that a buddy of mine that recently traded me a used FX-II 6x36 with the standard duplex actually prefers the wide one. He's the only person I've met that does. Otherwise he is a sensible guy.

I expect that I'm done buying scopes at this point in my life, but I'm disappointed in the recent discontinuation of so many good fixed scopes. I've got more scopes than I can use now, but don't like not having the choice of a good fixed scope. Most of mine are fixed 6X or 4X, but I use some variables. At the first of 2019 IOR/Valdada discontinued their 4X. Just before that I'd bought a used one, and wanted to get a new one, but waited too long.

Only fixed power scope I'd like to have is an ultralight 2.5x20 for a yet to be obtained bugout/backpack/canoe/survival rifle.
Would actually like to have three rifles that I could swap it from one to another depending on mood, game, or locale. A RAR compact 22 mag for the swamp, a hopped up 13xx carbine for birds/small game in the mountains or river banks, and a youth handi-rifle with superlight switch barrels in 223, 30-30, and 20 gauge for the Ouachitas, Ozarks, and some shotgun only national forest.

I like my 1-4, 2-7, and 3-9 on most hunting rifles even though I often keep them near the lowest setting.

I got a drawer full of 4x scopes. Have thought about mounting the old Redfield Widefield on something...sometime...maybe. Would be excellent mounted super low on a Marlin 60.

Actually I do have a tiny 4x32 scope mounted low on my Daisy 131 and it fits perfect and works quite well on that rifle.

Just looked at my hunting notes for the past several decades, and found that I've taken around 30% of my big game with 4x scopes. They included 24 species, ranging in size from pronghorns and springbok around 100+ pounds, to those weighing well over 1000, such as Alaskan moose and African eland. The ranges, uh, ranged from 10 to 450 yards, and the cartridges from the .243 Winchester to .375 H&H.

Now, admittedly, I've used 4x scopes a lot partly because when I started hunting that was the most common hunting magnification. But apparently they do work for more than a "single use."

I think many folk just don’t understand the fixed 2.5, 4, or 6 concept, maybe based on shooting paper targets where they enjoy more magnification.

The more you actually kill with them, the better they are.

I have two 4x Leupold m8 s with CPC reticles I will sell.

The glass is great, the tubes are scuffed.

Look in classifieds.

One guy bought one on impulse I guess and wants to return it. So possibally he could ship directly to you. It's the top one made suffix T.

Thanks.

Agreed!

I just happened to stumble into a Leupold 4x33 and a CZ American 9.3x62 today. Actually, I had to look pretty hard for the Leupold but I think the NIB CZ was the better find. I wouldn't mind another 4x and a 6x36 for stocked away for later.

If anyone is looking for 4x scopes I posted a Monarch 4x40 and a Conquest 4x32 in the classifieds:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...est-4x32-nikon-monarch-4x40#Post14578903

I have several fixed-power scopes and plan on acquiring a few more.

1: 4X Nikon Prostaff Rimfire on a Marlin Model 25/22 LR

2: 4X Leupold Rimfire on Browning BL-22

3: 4X Leupold Rimfire on Remington 580

4: 4X Simmons on Remington 510 ( 34 year old scope)

5: 6X Leupold on 788/222 Remington

6: 4X Leupold on Knight MK-85 muzzleloader

7: 10X Weaver AO (K10) on 22-250

8: 4X Leupold on Rock River AR

9: 4X Redfield on 44 mag. Handi-Rifle

My favorite is the 4X Redfield I picked up on trade for cheap. I needed a scope in a pinch and threw it on the Handi-Rifle and I fell in love with it. The reticle is a crosshair with a circle where the crosshairs intersect. At 100 yards a 3 inch shoot-n-see target completely fills the circle making it easy to shoot groups with for a four power. It is great for shooting game. I believe it is called a crosshair/peep.
I have several variables but the fixed powers seem to fill my needs perfectly. Simple and all have been 100% reliable for me.

I'm down to a couple 4x scopes This one is a hard to find M8 matte version. Not sure what it's going on yet but I couldn't let it pass. The other is a Scopechief.

JohnnyLoco: I come from an era when about the only scope people used was a "fixed" 4 power scope.
They worked.
But they "work" NOWHERE near as well as a modern variable power scope!
The question that puzzles me is WHY on earth would anyone want to limit themselves to a fixed 4 power scope when there is literally a myriad of wonderful, reliable and WAY more useful variable power scopes out there to choose from?
IF.... you really want a fixed 4 power scope I say get yourself to a gunshow (I have attended 6 of them in the last month and a half!) and they are often offered there (used) for sale.
I highly advise against limiting yourself with a fixed 4 power but if that is what you want give a gunshow a try.
I saw one fellow at the Whitehall, Montana gunshow yesterday (Sunday) that had several fixed 4 power scopes in a cardboard box for sale cheap - and at that it did not appear that he had sold any - since I was the first one through the door when that gunshow opened Friday afternoon!
In other words peoples interests are elsewhere, for the most part, it seems.
MAYBE that is why fewer and fewer factory folks are offering fixed 4 power scopes?
Good luck.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

4x scopes suck.
Proly end up w a queer president and a first lady that pees standing up.

Optics......scopes and politics.

Yay progress

4X scopes are all I've ever needed.

Johnny Loco: In response to your latest post - I think YOU do not understand that a nifty Leupold 3x9 variable scope will do ANYTHING your fixed 2.5 power or 4 power scope will - and the 3x9 will provide for some things your 2.5 fixed WILL simply NOT DO!
Let me give you another "gunshow" example of how slow fixed power (6 power or less!) scopes move on the open/used market.
I attended the Livingston, Montana gunshow on Friday February 7th.
I again was the first person through the door that Friday afternoon and it was pretty well attended.
About 2 hours into my perusal of that smallish gunshow I re-looked at a new style Weaver fixed power scope. I had originally thought it was a 4 power scope but it turned out to be a mint condition 6 power scope.
I paid the tableholder what he wanted for it $15.00 (fifteen dollars!) - now I know at least 100 "visitors" had looked at that scope prior to my buying it and probably 50 table holders had looked at it before I did and NONE wanted it!
I bought it because one of my Ground Squirrel Hunting partners is putting together a Gopher Rifle for his new to the game grandson.
I fully plan on "giving" that perfectly fine but not so desirable nowadays scope to the grandson.
If you wish to "stick" with the old technology I say GO FOR IT!
Just don't try to convince those of us that wish to do otherwise that YOUR way is best - its not!
Been there done that - for 6 decades now (since I was 12).
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I meant Weaver Grand Slam 4.75 power. Awesome scopes. The Leupold 4x wide duplex is a total abomination. Older Leupold M8's with standard duplex are the thing.....and I love the friction adjustments, too! Set it and forget it.

While elk hunting in New Mexico, I found that I preferred a friends 3X9 over my own 2X7. I liked the extra magnification in that type of terrain. As for southern Indiana, fixed power scopes seem to work because 150 yards is a long shot and rarely do you get one over 200. Most of my deer are killed in the woods under 50 yards. West of the Mississippi, things are a lot different.
I have found that in the woods, deer can slip up on you almighty fast(bucks chasing does), and there have been times I have struggled to pick them up in a 4 power scope inside 20 yards and this is where a 2X7 or smaller power variable shines. As a matter a fact, I have a Leupold 2X7 I purchased here on the campfire that will be finding a home on my 44 Handi-Rifle.
As for fixed-power scopes, most were purchased or traded for in my younger, newly married days when I didn't have a lot of disposable income. I mounted them on whatever firearms I was using at the time while dreaming of all the expensive, variable scopes I would someday own. In the meantime, I found that most filled my needs admirably and didn't need replaced. I have a Leupold Vari-X III 4.5-14X40 on my 243. Every time I've killed something with it, which is a lot of stuff, I usually find that the scope is set on 6 power. The Leupold 4X on the AR carbine is a trapline rifle that rides mostly on a fourwheeler in all kinds of weather. Shots are fast and usually not over 150 yards, so that combo works for me. All of my larger caliber centerfires (06's, 270's Swede) wear Leupold variables but I love my fixed power scopes too and use them accordingly.
I was taught that when it comes to rifle scopes, buy the best that you can afford. That was good advice. My ways aren't the best and may not be for everyone but they work for me.

The modern variable WILL do a lot of things that old 4x won't do. It will test your mounts better with it's greater weight. It will allow you to shoot with your head more erect as you mount it higher on the rifle. It will allow you to feel good about the extra lenses and moving parts you can count on.
Fixed 4x scopes are simple, lightweight, and rugged.
I have some variable scopes but only because that was all I could get. When I wanted a fixed 16, I had buy a 6-24 variable. I bought a 3-9 because it was available whilethe 6x I wanted was not. GD

Optics Planet still shows it.

As I pointed out very early in this thread, one reason fewer optics companies are offering 4x scopes is they're competing with the thousands (millions?) of 4x scopes cranked out by various companies for the last century.
These don't break all that often, so you can pick them up for anything from $50 to $150, and the price seems to be going down. Why in the hell would some 21st-century optics company spend part pf their time marketing 4x's?

However, geezers who know they can kill stuff even at 400+ yards with 4x scopes can now get some great deals. despite some of them really liking higher-X variables as well--especially if they also like older rifles, where a fixed 4x looks more "correct."

So what are you bitching about?

Just glad I can use what I want rather than what someone else thinks I need. 😃 Fixed powers have worked just fine for me.

MD, this old geezer agrees...well said. Just sad to see that new fixed power are getting harder to find.

What are you gaining with a fixed power scope that a variable can’t do with more versatility? Really want to hear the answer.

you are gaining durability while losing weight and bulk. GD

Dats som funny chit right down there vvvvvvvvvvvv

I thought military snipers used FIXED 10x scopes. I’m curious...Why?

Simplicity.

There's a couple of points. Lighter weight, durability, and simplicity. If made to exactly the same specs, a fixed scope is going to be less likely to have problems simply because there are less moving parts. Lighter because of the fewer parts and fewer lenses. Fewer lenses also results in less light lost on every glass/air surface so a higher percentage of light will make it through the scope than a variable of the same glass/coating specs. The simplicity of the image being the same, the same eye relief, the same exit pupil every time you look through it. Sleek and slim lined without a power ring on the tube is nice...no change of power to consider....

....I'm not really arguing against variables but in use I've not found myself handicapped with fixed scopes and I prefer them, especially 6x42 scopes. Simple things are reliable, simple things last, simple things are efficient. They aren't the best fit for everything but a simple read through this thread shows that for many people they're the best fit for their preference.....and that's as good an argument for them as any.

There you go again, JCM... reducing an entire thread to a couple sentences. Sheesh, what's to become of this place? Rick (and his evil henchman SYSOP) might as well start limiting us to 140 characters.

I like fixed 4x scopes for all the reasons stated above. I've also found I often shoot better at the range with them - they smooth out the crosshair wiggles. I tried to join the cool kids & fawn over 6x scopes, but I just couldn't get my eyes to like one. Trust me, that's far from the only reason I'm a weirdo.

I gotta say, though, that it's tremendously liberating to be devoid of [intercourse]s to give about what others think of my optics predilections. It's so much easier to only have to worry about pleasing my own eyes.

FC

I don’t think simplicity and durability are an advantage if you don’t buy junk scopes. Lighter weight at the expense of not changing the power is what you are trading. No one is buying fixed powers that is why they quit making them

Fixed power scopes also have a more classic look on a gun.

No.5 got my attention. That looks like a fun combo right there. Nice.

Neither are you a majority....

Actually in this case I would rather use one of the 3x Big Bores I have....








4x-1:

To paraphrase your quote:




6x at perhaps 20 plus a little yards on the run:

battue,

I have taken running game down to 10 yards with 6x--and standing game out to 500. A 3-9x doesn't provide much, if any, more versatility on big game--as long as the shooter knows how to point a rifle quickly so the scope lines up with the target. (Though I do prefer a little more magnification for, say, squirrels, whether tree or ground.)

But I have also taken some big game from 200-350 yards without any scope, just an aperture sight with a typical front bead.

I can see the benefit of a fixed 2.5 or 3x for dangerous game

MD,

Agree. The difference may mostly be what one grew up with and what they know can be done with it. Combined with figuring out what is best for the type of hunting they do, and not what they are force fed by most of the recent trends.

Shot one Buck at around 330 with a 4x and 3 minute dot. Bottom of dot on the backline. A Doe at 358 with a 6x post and duplex and a solid rest. A bedded Buck at 3 big steps with a 6X. Easily found the neck/back junction and hit the trigger. In recreating that distance for my own curiosity, everything was blurred, but in the moment it wasn't an issue.

All the others have usually been under 100 and the lower fixed powers have never been a handicap....

Addition: The 1.5-5 is also a favorite....

When you become one with the crosshairs, magnification really doesn’t matter.

Most folk familiar with my screenname know I can be an ass and I’m usually up for a fight, in this case I had no intent to bash variables. I do understand there are times when magnification is convenient.

I think most folk that bash a fixed just don’t have that “oneness” nor are they experienced to the degree they can appreciate the fixed.

I posted on another forum about the fixed...

“The more I use a fixed power scope, the more I use a fixed power scope“

Gunwriters, feel free to use

does a fixed power scope offer a wider FOV than a variable does when set to the same power? so if you use a fixed 4x does it have more FOV than a 3x9 does when set to 4x? Spotting scope eye pieces are this way.

I like this one too

https://www.leupold.com/leupold-cor...med-grays-best-by-grays-sporting-journal

“The more I use a fixed power scope, the more I use a fixed power scope“

Doesn't matter if it has a little or more or a little less, when it has more than enough....

Leupold 4x has 24 feet at 100....

I guess what you started with has a big influence on your preferences. I started shooting .22’s with open sights as a kid. Got pretty good at it. My first deer rifle had a peep sight. Most beginners now start with a scope and have no idea how well it is possible to shoot with a peep sight. I was a very experienced shooter and hunter before I got my first scope. By today’s standards it was low powered. As I got more financially mature, I hunted more widely and internationally. I’m not a long range shooter, but I have killed a lot of game between 200-300 yards with a fixed six. My longest shot was an Ibex in Kyrgyzstan at 305 yards. Five years ago I killed a Kudu in Africa at 240 yards with a Leupold 3X. I have never felt I needed more magnification. And I love the relative mechanical simplicity and aesthetics of fixed power scopes on my classic rifles.

I like to put the “hunt” in hunting these days, 5-60 yards on average. I’m mostly a meat hunter, not concerned with antlers anymore.

I understand how important magnification is for folk that can’t get close to game, it allows the mediocre hunter to maybe come home with an animal.

The more you talk, the dumber it gets.

For my deer hunting.......a fixed 4X or a 2-7X.
Either is fine.
Stock type, rear sight position.........some scopes will fit better than others.
Low rings and 28mm objective, my M8 4x on 760 with reg comb stock while not perfect, is pretty good.
And it looks right.

Nice package.

If I get a 99 in .250 proly slap a 3X on it.

Yur Momma !

If you like to hunt why even use a scope?
Should be running trad bows

I hunt the way I bow hunt, close.

I guess I like the simplicity of a fixed power scope, and it just stands to reason that with fewer internal parts their is less to go wrong. Other advantages, constant eye relief, the same no matter what. Less chance of the Magnum eyebrow, since the eye relief is normally greater on fixed power scopes. Shorter Eye Bells on the Eye piece (ocular lens). helps on the mounting of a scope, also assist on lesser chances of the Magnum eyebrow gash. Smaller profile of the scope seems to let the rifle glide out of a scabbard allot easier. Lastly for the people who claim the cross hairs of a 4x scope cover the whole deer at 400 yards, they need to look at Leupolds Reticle Subtension chart ( a 4x fxII scope thin section of the reticle is .8"@100 yards=3.2"@400 yards). So if you can't hit a deer at 300 yards with a 4x scope, it's best to look in the mirror, and not at the 4x scope.

I just like fixed power scopes. Light, simple, longer eye relief. Especially on the thumpers.

That is one beautiful dear. Congratulations Battue!

That is one beautiful dear. Congratulations Battue!

Thank you!!!!

Many of our guns (mine included) spend more time at the range than out hunting.

For pure hunting, a 4x is a very good choice for a lot of difference hunting situations but I like a variable for higher magnification at the range.

As a fixed scope user and advocate I'm still trying to figure out if this applies to me. I started hunting small and large game with the bead on the end of my bird and bunny shotgun. I have three rifles that I use for most of my hunting. They are a 6x42, a 4x33, and a 3-9x40. I'd swap out the 3-9x40 for another 6X I have lying around, but it shoots so well that I don't want to mess with it.

I’ve had several Leupold’s with a wide duplex and I like them. When I first started using scopes in the 70’s I was using my dad’s B&L with a fine crosshair and it worked great for both of us. So with the wide duplex I guess I figured I had the best of both worlds.
Now, my favorite is the 2.5-8 Leupold. I have it on 2 Kimbers and A 3-9 Ultralight on my Ruger American Ranch.
FWIW, my 2.5-8 was set on 4x this year when I shot my buck.

I see all sides, personally I've used 2.5x, 4x, 6x, 10x and 12x fixed power scopes. I've also used variable scopes up to 24x.

I shot my first deer with a 20ga 870 with a fixed Simmons 2.5x scope in the woods about 75 yards with a pumkin ball as my grandfather called it lol. Those where the days!

Honestly I prefer to shoot low power scopes, but I have gravitated to variables that have a very low side say 1x or 2x on the bottom.

I love fixed power scopes, but the truth is I don't own any now. I greatly appreciate and enjoy shooting fixed scopes, but if I m being honest a quality 1-6 or 2-10 or something like that offers more up side to me at least!

The $60-$80 4X fixed scopes killed off the $300 4X fixed scopes.

Serious question for some of you fellows...umm,,, on the upper end of the socio-economic scale. Are the European fixed powers a little shy on eye relief? I have only looked through a couple of them at gun shows and they were probably older, if not vintage, and without a side by side comparison with my old B&L's, Weaver's, Lymans and Leupolds my impression was they were a little short on eye relief. Enough to make you think twice before pulling the trigger on a 9.3 or '06 Fwt in the prone sneaky position. I had the opportunity recently to shoot a Steyr .308 with a Kahles 6x with a BDC elevation dial (military scope?)...I loved it but it was in a pretty heavy rifle so eye relief was adequate with the rifle snugged up tight.

I can speak to the Conquest 4x32 in its most recent production - it’s got excellent eye relief. I had it on a Whelen for that very reason.

FC

I came across a Nikon Buckmasters 4x40(original model) the other day.Seems like a decent scope.Good eyebox,ample eye relief,bright glass,and a great hunting duplex that's fairly thick.Don't have nothing to put it on,so I posted it on the classifieds.Not much interest,so I put it up for something down the road...

Love my Leupold 4x33!

So who does still make a great fixed 4x?

Meopta makes one that has good reviews but is pretty heavy.