Rifle Scopes Why not the 3-20x50?

[RyeDaddy]

Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of love for the S-B 3-20x50. Every time a question comes up where someone asks for an opinion on scopes the answer in mass seems to be "Get the 5-25x" without much explanantion. Just trying to figure out if there's something I'm not seeing about the 3-20x50 as it seems like a better scope for my purposes.

Is it the MTC/LT turrets that people shy from, or is everybody that hung up on getting the extra 5x on the top end? The 56mm obj maybe that people would rather have?

Is the 3-20 just not massive and tacticool enough?

 

[Infringed711]

I think the general train of thought is you'll use the 5 on the top end more than you'll need the 2 less on the bottom

 

[steve123]

The 3-20 has a slightly tighter eyebox than the 5-25. It has 25m min parallax instead of 10Y as well. But it's a handier scope which compliments a medium to lightweight rifle. No tunneling at 3x either, not that the tunneling on the 5-25 has ever bothered me.

Some people hate those MTC turrets. They are however the best turrets I've ever used, having messed with most of the better scopes out there.

 

[djskit]

I've been eyeballing the 3-20 myself and wondered the same thing. Slightly lower power, smaller size. Seems great for a more compact application - like a match rifle with a medium palma barrel.

I have a 5-25 and love it, but there are times when I wish is was smaller so I'd like to have a 5-25 for my "big rifle" and 3-20 for my "medium rifle".

Well, really, I'd like 2 5-25 for my 2 matching big rifles and the 3-20 for my medium, but now we are talking $11,000 in glass.!

 

[RyeDaddy]

Those opinions make sense, and were kinda what I was thinking. I hadn't read about the eyebox being smaller, though and that is a bit of a negative. I'm waiting on a Tangent Theta 5-25x56, but am starting to rethink it due to the size of ALL the scopes in that mag range. I'm shooting a medium palma barreled rifle in a chassis and because I spend so much time out in the woods I'm starting to think saving some bulk may be a good idea. Being able to focus down to 10m isn't important to me, but size matters. I don't imagine myself using a scope on 25x a lot, but would like a little more than the 15x I've been using.

Not meant to be a versus thread, or a "help me decide on a scope", was just looking for confirmation that there wasn't some awful drawback to the 3-20x that I was missing in my reading. I had read of some problems with the turrets, but not recently.

This has been helpful, thanks guys.

 

[RCS1278]

I went with the S&B 3-20 based on the based on the distances i usually shoot, wider FOV and i was going for something light and compact as possible but still a decent top end magnification.

 

[sib1948]

I have both, but use the 3-20X on the rifle I shoot most often. Have the MSR reticle on both and love it. Great for ranging at unknown distances! Comes with great Tenebraex caps.

 

[RyeDaddy]

I ended up buying a 3-20x50 h2cmr after all and love it. The MTC turrets I didn't care for when I got it, but in time have grown on me and I love them too. One of those things I never thought about till I had it, MTC is great for no-look dialing. Great scope.

 

[BM3JOHN]

I really like my 3-20 S&B , it does fit for what I need from the uses I am limited to . Where I hunt or punch paper , it's all thats needed. I don't get alot of chances to shoot long distances where I live . I wish there where somewhere that was beyond 300 yards . I feel like I would not be at a disadvantage with my 3-20 , it works well for me.

 

[cramey74]

I was in the same boat not long ago. I decided to go with the 5-25 LT MTC H2CMR. I love it. I would have bought the 3-20 if it would have been a lot smaller but the size diff is very little. With all this new stuff coming out lately I thought I might give something else a try. I haven't seen anything yet that makes me want to let go of my Schmidty.

 

[Hairball]

I have a S&B 3-20 on my AX338 and I don't have any complaints.

 

[ZiaHunter]

I have a 3-20x50 H59 mounted on a McM STAR in 6.5 CM and a great scope for a rifle of that size. Shot out to 1200 with it without a hitch even at lower power. Was shooting steel today at 1100 on 11 power and could still see my impacts. Have a 5-25 x56 on a another rifle and like it as well.