Best Scope For $350

[pattygook]

I'm looking to buy a new scope for my .308. Max price is about $350. I'll be trying to make 800+ yard shots with it. I've been looking at Barskas (especially the 6-24x60) which it right at the top of my price range. Does anyone here have a better suggestion?

Thanks,
Patrick

[zoomie]

Does anyone here have a better suggestion?

1. Don't buy a Barska.
2. Are you shooting paper or game at 800 yards? If game, you definitely don't need 24x. If paper, you still don't need 24x. Higher quality glass with lower power beats higher magnification with crappy glass.

Here are some options that will serve you better than the Barska
http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell...d-324124a.html
http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-mo...flescopes.html
http://www.opticsplanet.net/bushnell...-32-5154m.html
http://www.opticsplanet.net/weaver-r...v16-16x42.html

[confirmed shooter]

for that kind of money, you need to go to E-bay and get a 500.00 dollor scope for 350.00 because there is no replacng good glass. good luck, charlie sierra.

[pattygook]

Well, this is my first rifle, so I'll be shooting paper until I'm good enough to shoot game. I intend to shoot everything from varmint to deer.

[zoomie]

Do you have a 22 yet? You can shoot a lot of 22 - even match 22 - for the price of a box of 308. A scoped Marlin or Kimber bolt 22 will decrease your learning curve so you can get to shooting game at long range sooner.

[pattygook]

Yeah, I've got an old 22 with iron sights. I've also got a scoped .17 HMR, but it isn't legal to shoot a deer with that in my state (I wouldn't want to anyway, not with a .17). This .308 is my first high power rifle. I was planning on buying bulk Wolf ammo at $250 for 500 rounds and getting tons of practice in with those.

[sholling]

1) Barska = crap.

2) 800yds is a long way and and bullet drop is going to eat up a lot of elevation adjustment. More than most scopes will give you. That leaves maybe the Super Sniper 10x42.

3) I wouldn't use a long distance scope for hunting. For out to 500-600yds I'd go with a Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15x40. Or perhaps a Weaver V16 or V24.

Now when you get ready for a hunting scope then it's hard to beat a Bushnell Elite 4200 in 3-9x40 but it's not an 800yd target scope.

[bejay]

dont buy the barska like everyone else has said, for your price range I would be looking at nikons buckmaster with a bdc or mil-dot reticle unless you can find a really good deal on a monarch most of them are likely going to be over your price range.
and even then they are probably not ideal for 800 yard target shooting but they are a good hunting scope and should work well for target shooting out to 500-600 yards.

[CK_32]

Iv been told its better to upgrade and spend the extra $200
You see a huge difference in quality and preformance..

So if u can save up that extra $200 id recomend it

[Pointer]

Weaver makes a 3-15 Super Slam about $550.00

Burris makes a 4 - 16 about $375.00

Bushnell Makes a Trophy about $ 250.00

It is better to use a good name low price than an unknown or unloved like the Barskas :barf:

[ronl]

Nikon Buckmaster scope. I think Natchez has the SF 4-14x42 for $299. I think that will nicely fit into your budget. Super Sniper 10x42 is another very good scope for the money $319 at SWFA. Only drawback to that is it is a fixed power, but that has never seemed to bother me. Less things to fool with.

[wideglider03]

Konus M-30, www.rrarms.com, I have a 4.5x16x40 on my 7mm rem mag SPS. Love it!!!

[James R. Burke]

Just myself I use Leupold on all my rifles. I compared them many times when I been out huntiing with friends, and what they have. Even with the ones I have with the smaller obectives compared to the bigger ones the Leupold seemed sharper, and gathered light much better. They are a very accurate scope, and I never had a problem with any of them. They have a great warranty if you should need it. There are a few good ones out there has mentioned, and I am sure you will get more input yet on good makes for your money. ZOMMIE is correct on what he said also. The more you can look thru the better, so try to do that as much as you can. Good luck, keep it safe, and have fun. Also the 3x9x40 or 50 always seemed like a good one.

[Doyle]

for that kind of money, you need to go to E-bay and get a 500.00 dollor scope for 350.00 because there is no replacng good glass. good luck, charlie sierra.

There are WAY too many fake Nikon and Leupold scopes being sold there. These are being made in China and it sometimes takes an expert to tell them from the real ones - until you try to send it in for warranty service and the factory tells you.

[Rogue]

Nikon Monarch 4x16x42 SF with mildot for $341 on manventureoutpost.com

[saands]

Like has been said, stay away from the cheap brands ... even their top of the line scopes still suffer from the cheap DNA. That being said, I don't think that you need to spend a fortune to get good glass. Also, what has been said about 800yds is true ... it is a LOOOOONG way out there for most folks and for most plinking ammo. Remember that 1 MOA is ~8 inches at 800yds ... so cheap ammo that groups 2MOA in your rifle will have a spread (in still air) of ~16 inches

In your 308, you will need 20-25 MOA of adjustment to account for drop ... most scopes have a total of 50, but they usually start out at the halfway point, so that nominally leaves you with 25 for adjustment - more or less depending on how your bases line up with the bore. I'd recommend looking at the Burris Z-rings if you want to have more adjustment room ... they come with inserts that allow you to get roughly 20MOA more if you need it.

Back to the original question ... I have a Bushnell Elite 3200 that is a 10x40 (maybe it is a 10x42) with a mil-dot reticle that is a great scope. I use it on a 7mm-08 to shoot at ranges in the 750-1000yd neighborhood. The adjustment knobs are first class and the 10MOA per revolution that they give makes the counting super easy and error-free. It has always returned to zero and the image quality is great. I will buy another for my next rifle. My recollection was that it was just under $200 and it is nicer than my Leupold VXII for more $$$.


Stay safe and do you homework before you waste time trying to hit things at 800+yds ... you need to learn a bunch about ballistics, wind, altitude, and temperature if you want to make first shot hits at that range ... it is a lot of work ... more thinking and less booming ... but it really puts a smile on your face when you connect

Saands

[5whiskey]

Back to the original question ... I have a Bushnell Elite 3200 that is a 10x40 (maybe it is a 10x42) with a mil-dot reticle that is a great scope. I use it on a 7mm-08 to shoot at ranges in the 750-1000yd neighborhood. The adjustment knobs are first class and the 10MOA per revolution that they give makes the counting super easy and error-free. It has always returned to zero and the image quality is great. I will buy another for my next rifle. My recollection was that it was just under $200 and it is nicer than my Leupold VXII for more $$$.

Saands, I have that same scope and I give it the same recommendation. I've shot well past the 500 yard mark with it. The glass isn't absolutely stunning, but it does return to and hold zero through all adjustments. It's a very utilitarian scope, but it get's the bloody job done. I recommend it with Saands.

[ZTerje]

There are WAY too many fake Nikon and Leupold scopes being sold there. These are being made in China and it sometimes takes an expert to tell them from the real ones - until you try to send it in for warranty service and the factory tells you.

Thats right.

I bought a Bushnell Banner 3-9x50mm for my Ruger 10/22.
After 10 shots, it was broken. Crap...
I'll think I payd 110$ for it...

Whats the "best buy" if I want a scope with 56mm opening?

I've been looking on Bushnell Trophy 3-12x56. Is this crap to?
This one is going on an 308w.

[sholling]

Whats the "best buy" if I want a scope with 56mm opening?

I've been looking on Bushnell Trophy 3-12x56. Is this crap to?
This one is going on an 308w.

Have you figured out why you want a 56mm objective? The only reason would be low light and a better grade of glass and coatings will get you better low light performance than a huge heavy cheapo scope.

[ZTerje]

The reason is low light yes.

But I'm not a professional in optics..., so I'm grateful for every tips.

Maybe I can use 50mm too....

[sholling]

The reason is low light yes.

But I'm not a professional in optics..., so I'm grateful for every tips.

Maybe I can use 50mm too....

It depends on your age. A youngster can use a 7mm exit pupil but by the time we hit 40 that's usually down to 4mm. Divide the objective diameter by the magnification and you get the exit pupil. The other thing to keep in mind is the quality of the coatings. Bare lenses reflect back a percentage of the light that strikes them reducing the amount of light passing through the scope by 15-20% or more (multiple lenses reflecting light, which also causes cloudiness). Coatings reduce the amount of light reflected off the lens which increases the amount of light transmitted through the scope. Premium scopes like Nikon's Monarch, Bushnell's Eite 4200 and 6500, Burris' Signature Select, and Weaver's Grand Slam will pass 95% of what hits the lens to your eye. Popularly priced scopes like Nikons Buckmaster, Bushnell's Legend, Burris' Fullfield II pass roughly 90-92%. As you get further down the food chain the quality of the coatings is reduced to cut costs. Still lower on the food chain they reduce the number of the lens in the scope that receive coatings. Look for a premium product from a premium brand name that uses fully multi-coated lenses (fully = all lenses coated). You'll also notice that premium scopes produce a sharper image than cheapie.

Weaver claims that their RV9 3-9x32 rimfire scope will pass 95% of the light that strikes their fully multi-coated lenses. 32mm divided by 9x means an exit pupil of 3.8mm or about all a 40y/o can utilize. Dialing it back to 5x and you have an exit pupil of 6.4mm or just about all that a youngster can use. Just food for thought.

[ZTerje]

Sholling: Thanks, I really think I learned something.
By the way, I'm 30 years old...

[hagar]

I'd second the Weaver V16, they are not that expensive but have good glass and even better tracking. And I did shoot a 1000 yard match with a Weaver V9, it was the only scope I had back then that gave me 60 minutes of elevation. Had no problem seeing (and hitting) the X at 1000 yards.