A few suggestions:
The
Steiner Predator 8 2-16x42 - E3 includes a rear focal plane E3 Ballistic reticle, with cascading subtensions and windage dots and an integrated customizable ballistic turret.
Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44mm CDS-ZL2 - Boone and Crockett has Leupolds professional optical system (their highest), has a 5:1 zoom ratio so good for short to longer range, custom dial system, and the b&c reticle will allow hold over without dialing.
Burris XTR III 3.3-18x50mm - SCR MOA, on sale for only $999.99,
- The smaller of the two XTR III models, the 3.3-18x50 model provides huge field-of-view in a relatively compact scope package (13.3 inches).
- The 3.3-18x50 model offers a huge 120 MOA of elevation.
My Burris tech rep chimed in....
"The new
Veracity PH could be interesting to him. 4-20x isn't far off, it's FFP but the reticle is intelligently designed with bold, tapered posts to draw the shooter's eye towards the center when set to lower magnifications. Then of course there's all the cool connected/digital features on top of that.
The rest of the
Veracity Line would be a good option for the same reasons as the PH, and a 3-15x is available if the low-end magnification is the priority. The dials share mechanical design with the XTRs, so precision when adjusting is guaranteed. No illumination though, so if that's a red flag, hopefully the sub-$1k price point will make up for that.
Alternatively, the
XTRi 3.3-18 would be my personal choice as a precision shooter. The SCR-MOA version uses a graduated reticle *without* the additional clutter of 'Christmas tree' wind hold marks, AND it's illuminated. Also priced under his limit, if he's familiar with his DOPE and not area afraid to dial, it would be a strong performer for him."
Not to be left out, my Element rep says:
"First a
Titan 3-18x50 would be an excellent choice as it does tick many of his boxes. FFP, 3 – 18 Magnification, 4” of Eye Relief, 34mm diameter chassis for excellent light management, ¼ MOA click adjustment, an incredible 150 MOA of adjustment in the elevation turret, and 50 MOA of adjustment in the windage turret. Positive zero-stop, illuminated reticle, perhaps a bit heavy at 34.4 oz and available with an APR – 2D (Christmas tree style reticle)
Next is the
Element Nexus 5-20x50: This too is an excellent choice. Japanese point of manufacture, FFP, 5 – 20 Magnification, 3.03 – 3.66” of eye relief, 30mm diameter chassis, ¼ MOA click adjustment, 90 MOA of elevation turret adjustment and 40 MOA of windage turret adjustment. Positive zero-stop, illuminated reticle, weighs in at a svelte 28 oz, and is available in an APR – 1C reticle.