Rifle Scopes My Thoughts on getting new optics

[Kristian_Jensen]

Its all about cost vs benefits. Price vs features. But for some of us its much more!

To me, and this may sound a little childish, its also a "game", where i'd like to have the same grar as the real snipers, and im sure a lot of hide members feel the same way. Thats why the Leupold mk4 is so popular. A lot of people google "sniper scope" and found the picture where a sniper and a spotter is sitting in a room and the text reads "...leupold mk4 10x fixed."

My point is that while it is a super addictivemand fun hobby, for some of us its also a game where we "pretend to be snipers"

So do i really need a S&B 5-25x56 which is the scopemthe Danish Marksmen are using? Isn't it overkill when im not going to shoot 1000+meters regularly and dont need to make call fast firing solutions?

Thats the question im pondering at the moment.

On the other hand, if i invest in the S&B ill have a scope for life and itll be a "one time investment"!

But then again, i could buy a decent Leupold, maybe a VX3 which cost 50% less then the S&B...and would probably not miss a single feaure or better clarity or whatever else id get from the S&B

I could use the money is save to buy a Kestrel 4500, a decent shooting mat and some other stuff.

....so whats a boy to do? Please share the thoughts you had when you were buying a good quality scope

 

[Kristian_Jensen]

To be clear, this is not a "what should i buy" thread, but more a thread about inner kid vs grown up. Being smart or go with the flow

 

[George Az]

This is just me, I would rather have a $1000.00 scope on a $300.00 rifle than a $300.00 scope on a $1000.00 rifle, or something like that. There is no substitute for good glass. As far as that other stuff, shooting mat- use an old wool blanket and a piece of canvas from a surplus tent, there a cheaper wind/temp measuring devices that will get you by until later. On the other hand, you don't need all the cool guy gear, look at last years models, Vortex and Bushnell scopes and used scopes. All of them might get you in the precision marksmanship "game." Many of the gys in the military wish they had the latitude we do to purchase what we feel is best. Think about it - they are issued and use passed on gear all the time. It is painted with krylon and beat up and scratched.

Guys in the military make alot of their own kit. They do not all wear Rolexes, in fact many of them wear the same damn G shock you can buy. Just because you see a picture in some add, or some poster does not mean that stuff is being used at all. I hear the argument all the time about certain 1911 firearms and manufacturers claims at "look who is using our 1911 now." It changes according to contract, special order runs, refurbs etc. In some cases the spec ops community buys certain things for certain missions.

 

[SugarBooger]

I've only used one scope since I began shooting. While not top of the line it is plenty good for me and what I do with it.
I've never really asked the guy next to me if I could look through his S$B, or U.S.Optics.
Kind of one of those things where I know it will be better, but, honestly, at this point it is way beyond my finances.
I am saving for a Nightforce, with a one year old and a wife who wants another soon, it is going to be a long time before that happens.
In the meantime, I will make what I got work and enjoy the time I get to compete and shoot with friends. Just my 2 cents

 

[macmann]

I do partially agree to your post. Leupold makes some excellent scopes for the money.

 

[Mortar Maggot]

New here but not to guns or life.

If anything I usually try to over buy for my 'needs and/or wants'

I do not want to buy an item and then sell it two to three years later to do an upgrade.

That can be guns, optics, trucks, tractors, weedeaters, chainsaws.

Kind of a buy once cry once mentality

 

[jrr1982]

I have a nightforce NXS and I absolutely love it. yes I could have gone with the less expensive benchrest model that is of eual quality, but I chose the NXS. a damn good scope

 

[One-Eyed Jack]

Evidently you and Free Will are wrestling to the death. If you have a budget for buying shooting gear, make a list, set priorities, and find how to satisfy your immediate needs within the constraints. When you save more money, decide what aspect of your gear you want to improve. For most of us it takes years to acquire the equipment that we'd like to keep and use for a long time.

 

[Kristian_Jensen]

The thing is i usually dont have a lot of cash, but luckily i recieved around $3000 in tax return.
$1200 will be used for a Savage 300WM, and $300 will be used on a shooting license (damn you, danish goverment)

So i have $1500 i could use for a good Leupold, maybe a VX3 or i could buy a louse scope and save the money for a S&B, but saving up the last $1500 would probably take me a year or two :-S

...and would i be $1500 more happy with an S&B?

Damn you, you damn expensive and addictive hobby ;-)

 

[jbell]

I think you would be happier with the Bender, however I would not wait 1-2 years to save the money. Can you find a scope of equal quality or maybe better than the Leupold that is made in Europe? But to answer your question, IMO the Bender is worth the difference in price...

 

[Crosshair]

I don't know if you have access to Vortex, Sightron or SWFA there in Denmark? There are lot of guys that have these scopes and don't feel the need to upgrade anytime soon. The S&Bs are probably the best out there, but there are several scopes that are very very good for quite a bit cheaper. IMO, Leuapolds are tough and light weight, but I think there are better values out there for the money. A $900 sightron SIII 6-24x50 would hold you over for a long long time!

 

[jasonZ]

Well before using a S&B I'd have said why would you pay that much for an optic! Now, after shooting behind one for a week a distance, I'd say they are worth the money and if it were within your means, then you should get one. Will it make you a better shooter, well that's debatable, but it probably will improve some aspects of your shooting, since you'd be able to see what you were shooting clearly and precisely. I will probably never own one myself and I'm sure that you can do with a $1000 job if you choose. I personally had never spent so much on an optic, then I bought a Leupold a few years ago. MK4 tactical, etc. I wasn't real happy with it, so I got rid of it and got a PST. I was pretty darn happy with that and it was $400 or so less, but that doesn't always mean anything. Maybe I got a really good one or maybe it was just my speculation, taste, eyesight, etc. I do believe that whatever you have invested in your rifle, you should have equally as much invested in your optic. It doesn't matter if you drive a Tac Ops rifle, if you have a cheap ole Simmons $40 scope on it, it probably won't perform to it's potential unless you only run it to 100yds or something like that. The quality will show through, especially at distance! I've got about 1k in my rifle and about that in an optic, for a very solid performer. I to used to buy a $2-300 scope for a $5-600+ rifle. That was before I really understood what a quality optic brings to the table though. Now, I haven't ran anything under about a $450 optic. I've learned that the better the glass, the better I will be able to do my point, as opposed to always trying to make out what's going on through the scope and such. Not to say you can't buy a $100 scope and shoot distance with it, just to say that it makes life easier to have a quality optic. Then you get into making the scope repeat when you start talking about tactical shooting or just simply doing a box test at 100yds. If it doesn't do it all fairly well, then it's a waste of time and resources.

 

[mikeltee]

"Sniper scopes" are 2k plus because they are built to be drug through the mud for days on end, and can also be used to beat your opponent to death. These things will last a lifetime. If and when you decide to sell 20 years from now, you are probably going to get more than you paid, as the new versions only got more expensive with inflation and not too many features are left to be added. Target scopes on the other hand, are not built the same way. They are a lot cheaper and in the future, will probably not hold their value as well as an all out sniper scope. I went for a leupold mark 4 a couple years ago, but recently upgraded to the BEAST. I say get as much as you can afford that way you will have no need to upgrade in the future.

 

[msmith64]

"Sniper scopes" are 2k plus because they are built to be drug through the mud for days on end, and can also be used to beat your opponent to death. These things will last a lifetime. If and when you decide to sell 20 years from now, you are probably going to get more than you paid, as the new versions only got more expensive with inflation and not too many features are left to be added. Target scopes on the other hand, are not built the same way. They are a lot cheaper and in the future, will probably not hold their value as well as an all out sniper scope. I went for a leupold mark 4 a couple years ago, but recently upgraded to the BEAST. I say get as much as you can afford that way you will have no need to upgrade in the future.

Please tell me where I can find a beast, I have a GAP10 sitting in my safe that I can't use until I find a scope, I wanted that BEAST so bad but I am being told they are not available yet.

 

[Kristian_Jensen]

I don't know if you have access to Vortex, Sightron or SWFA there in Denmark?

I can get all the scopes you have in the US. We have dealers that import scopes

 

[Kristian_Jensen]

I will probably never own one myself and I'm sure that you can do with a $1000 job if you choose.

Why will you never own one? I'm sure you can save up for it, if you really wanted it, so you're kinda saying it's cool, but not Really worth it?

Or not? ?

 

[Kristian_Jensen]

I think you would be happier with the Bender, however I would not wait 1-2 years to save the money.

You don't feel that a S&B is worth the wait. You feel it's for the people who can afford it, and the rest get something almost as good, like Leopold or NF?

 

[Flying Goose]

You don't feel that a S&B is worth the wait. You feel it's for the people who can afford it, and the rest get something almost as good, like Leopold or NF?

My theory... get something good NF, Vortex, Leopold, and when a friend offers you a look through his new S&B or USO don't do it. You'll never realize that there is better till you look through it.