Rifle Scopes New Scope advice please.

[finsky]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been a member for about 10 years but this is my first post

I’m looking at a few long range scope choices. It will probably start its life on my Sako P94S Finnfire 22LR as a trainer shooting out to a couple of hundred metres. Then the plan is to move it onto the Tikka CTR. I’d like to get into PRS type stuff, but I don’t know if there is much of it around where I live in Australia. But I can always shoot long range out on farms.

I’m trying to keep my budget to $1100 - $1300 Australian, at the moment that’s about $710 - $840 US. All scope prices I’ve quoted are sourced locally in Australia.

At the moment there’s three different scopes that fit into that category: Bushnell Forge, Athlon Midas Tac and Meopta Meopro Optika6. I did Look into Athlon Ares BTR, but at AU $1400 – $1600, that getting very close to Vortex PST GEN II prices (in Australia) and is outside of my price range. As for magnification, 3 – 18 is probably plenty, 4.5 – 24 ish if it fits in the budget I guess wouldn’t hurt. I think I've read all the reviews I can on them.

So the scopes:

Athlon Midas Tac 6-24x50 APRS2 FFP MIL $1182.50 (US$765)

+lifetime warranty
+great reviews
- need to buy scope caps
-need to buy sunshade
-relatively new unknown company

Bushnell Forge
3-18x50 MIL FFP BLK $1270 - (US$820)
4.5-27x50 MIL FFP BLK $1340 - (US$865)

+Lifetime warranty (well 30 years)
+Well established company
+Parallax down to 25 meters (maybe yards?)
+comes with everything
-From what I’ve heard Bushnell can be painful to deal with regarding said lifetime warranty.

Metopa Optika6
3-18-x50 FFP MRAD RD $1080 (US$700)
4.5 – 27x50 FFP RD MRAD $1265.00 (US$817)

+European Glass
+Well established company
+They actually make the scopes
+Illuminated reticle
+European in house manufacture (I don’t see being made in China by a third party OEM as a bad thing, but I do see this as a good thing.
+Fits well into budget
- Warranty only 10 years in Australia – I find that a bit crap comparing to many companies that have condition-less lifetimes warranties: Vortex, Athlon, Leupold, Bushnell?
-Not much review evidence of scope at this stage

Any recommendations or thoughts on the above options, or other options I haven’t taken into account?

Thanks for you help .

 

[Bitchtitsbob]

trying to keep my budget to $1100 - $1300 Australian, at the moment that’s about $710 - $840 US. All scope prices I’ve quoted are sourced locally in Australia.

At the moment there’s three different scopes that fit into that category: Bushnell Forge, Athlon Midas Tac and Meopta Meopro Optika6.

One of your countrymen posted this on the Vortex Strike Eagle thread, and it fits your budget. From what I've read, it's a great value and I plan on picking one up.

This is a bit of a coincidence! Just arrived in Australia and going for $1200 AUD whereas the Gen2 Viper going for about $2K. Sounds like a bargain with those features just be interesting to hear how good the glass is?! Look forward to some people's opinions.

 

[longshot2000]

I like option 1 and option 3. Both scopes are well made, solid foundation and great value.

 

[finsky]

I like option 1 and option 3. Both scopes are well made, solid foundation and great value.

As in the Bushnell and the Meopta or the Athlon and Meopta?

 

[Big Timber]

I own a Forge 4.5-27 with the mil deploy reticle. There are better scopes for the money.

 

[srt-4_uk]

The 2 Meopta scopes you listed come with MRAD 1, not MRAD. They are 2 very different reticles. The 3-18x56 and the 5-30 have the MRAD reticle.

Meopta Sports Optics - European premium optics

www.meoptasportsoptics.com

 

[JeremyV]

I just got a vortex strike Eagle 5-25x56 and for your budget I think it’s going to be very hard to beat!
Vortex is awesome with customer service and warranty. Glass is pretty dang good for this price range..

I’ll have to do a direct comparison to my razor gen2 and my pst gen2 but from what I can tell it’s glass is almost as good as the pst but the pst is definitely a little better .. tracking and knobs feel great has locking knobs and zero stop so for me checked all the box’s

 

[thehun]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been a member for about 10 years but this is my first post

I’m looking at a few long range scope choices. It will probably start its life on my Sako P94S Finnfire 22LR as a trainer shooting out to a couple of hundred metres. Then the plan is to move it onto the Tikka CTR. I’d like to get into PRS type stuff, but I don’t know if there is much of it around where I live in Australia. But I can always shoot long range out on farms.

I’m trying to keep my budget to $1100 - $1300 Australian, at the moment that’s about $710 - $840 US. All scope prices I’ve quoted are sourced locally in Australia.

At the moment there’s three different scopes that fit into that category: Bushnell Forge, Athlon Midas Tac and Meopta Meopro Optika6. I did Look into Athlon Ares BTR, but at AU $1400 – $1600, that getting very close to Vortex PST GEN II prices (in Australia) and is outside of my price range. As for magnification, 3 – 18 is probably plenty, 4.5 – 24 ish if it fits in the budget I guess wouldn’t hurt. I think I've read all the reviews I can on them.

So the scopes:

Athlon Midas Tac 6-24x50 APRS2 FFP MIL $1182.50 (US$765)

+lifetime warranty
+great reviews
- need to buy scope caps
-need to buy sunshade
-relatively new unknown company

Bushnell Forge
3-18x50 MIL FFP BLK $1270 - (US$820)
4.5-27x50 MIL FFP BLK $1340 - (US$865)

+Lifetime warranty (well 30 years)
+Well established company
+Parallax down to 25 meters (maybe yards?)
+comes with everything
-From what I’ve heard Bushnell can be painful to deal with regarding said lifetime warranty.

Metopa Optika6
3-18-x50 FFP MRAD RD $1080 (US$700)
4.5 – 27x50 FFP RD MRAD $1265.00 (US$817)

+European Glass
+Well established company
+They actually make the scopes
+Illuminated reticle
+European in house manufacture (I don’t see being made in China by a third party OEM as a bad thing, but I do see this as a good thing.
+Fits well into budget
- Warranty only 10 years in Australia – I find that a bit crap comparing to many companies that have condition-less lifetimes warranties: Vortex, Athlon, Leupold, Bushnell?
-Not much review evidence of scope at this stage

Any recommendations or thoughts on the above options, or other options I haven’t taken into account?

Thanks for you help .

I can tell you that my sample size of 1 on the Optika 6 was not good...here are the issues I found out of box:

Elevation turret was MIL and the Windage was MOA. The rear eyepiece had "Dead Spots"...meaning it would be lose than tight...lose...than tight...Optically it was well below my Bushnell LRTS...the MRAD reticle is sweet...I can tell you the illumination controls are NOT European...it is Chinese...I think a lot of money savings come from lack of QC...small parts made in China....by the way this is my 3rd Meopta...and each Meopta had eyepiece tolerance issues where there is either movement or these deadspots in them...I am officially over Meopta...sad because the reticle is well designed.

I would go for a used LRHS or LRTS from Bushy...NF SHV is not bad option either...on the used market you can find one in your budget. Brownells MPO looks promising as well.

 

[cast1]

The Ares BTR gen 2 is a heck of a scope.

 

[cast1]

I would put it well in the category of the vortex.

 

[Gohring65]

The crimson trace series 5
3-18x50 is on sale at midway for half off. I don’t know if you can get it in Aussie or not, but it has 40 mils of travel and tracks spot on.
made in japan

 

[JeremyV]

The crimson trace series 5
3-18x50 is on sale at midway for half off. I don’t know if you can get it in Aussie or not, but it has 40 mils of travel and tracks spot on.
made in japan

The field of view looking through the crimson trace is tiny I was very disappointed when I looked though their scopes

 

[finsky]

The crimson trace series 5
3-18x50 is on sale at midway for half off. I don’t know if you can get it in Aussie or not, but it has 40 mils of travel and tracks spot on.
made in japan

Crimson trace seems to be a bit out of the price range. Exchange rate is pretty poo at the moment, then there would be shipping too. I can't seem to find them over here but I haven't looked hard as out of the price range.

I would put it well in the category of the vortex.

What Vortex?

I just got a vortex strike Eagle 5-25x56 and for your budget I think it’s going to be very hard to beat!
Vortex is awesome with customer service and warranty. Glass is pretty dang good for this price range..

I'll have to check it out, thanks!

I would go for a used LRHS or LRTS from Bushy...NF SHV is not bad option either...on the used market you can find one in your budget. Brownells MPO looks promising as well.

Thanks for the tip. I've had a look and it would be great if I could find one of those used. There was one earlier in the year for a really good price but sold. There is an older Bushnell Elite DMR, but no zero stop and not sure of the reticle.

You're comments on the Meopta have turned me off it a bit. You'd think if I had issues I could change exchange it for another, but depends on the distrubter. I feel Vortex or Athlon would be better to deal with on that front.

 

[Too broke to shoot]

What did you end up going with mate? I'm in a similar position in terms of budget and use and would be interested to hear what your thoughts were and where you purchased.

The strike eagle 5-25 is a bit hard to find in Oz at the moment but I think ScopedOut and Cleavers are due for some soon. I'm leaning that way at the moment.

 

[supermo26]

I'm interested to know as well.