Well, I've decided to invest in a new scope. When asked what I wanted for graduation by my grandma, I replied that a gift certificate to optics planet would help me be able to afford (or at least make the price a little less painful) a scope that will last the rest of my life.
What I need: quality, durability, dependability, and a lifetime warranty that I can count on.
I've always known that Leupold is a gold standard, but I am seriously thinking about Vortex, as I've heard nothing but good things about them, and their warranty rivals that of Leupold's.
I'm thinking about:
Vortex Viper HS 4-16x50mm
Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x50mm
I know that in the midwest whitetail woods, that seems like a lot of power, and it is. My thought is that if I'm ever lucky enough to do any traveling (out west or up to Canada), I don't want to have to buy a new scope. The farthest shot I have on my property currently is about 250 yards, so I need SOME magnification, but a 14 or 16 power isn't necessarily needed. I think that with a 4 or 4.5 power, I'll be right around where I keep my current scope on my shots under 100 yards (although maybe I creep up to 5x or 6x when they get closer to 100). It'll be sitting on a Ruger Mk II 30-06 (late 90's), so there is plenty of range in that gun provided that my shooting abilities are proficient.
So...
1. Do any of you have one, or both of these scopes? Which do you prefer?
2. Do any of you have negative experiences with these scopes (or similar models)
3. I can get the lower end Zeiss or Swarovski as well... but I figured that these were going to be of a lesser quality than those listed above.
4. Is there that big of a difference between the VX-2 and the VX-3?
5. Are there any other scopes that you can think of that I should look into?
Honestly, I don't think I can go wrong with either one of these scopes, so I am not too worried. I appreciate the help!
Chris
What I need: quality, durability, dependability, and a lifetime warranty that I can count on.
I've always known that Leupold is a gold standard, but I am seriously thinking about Vortex, as I've heard nothing but good things about them, and their warranty rivals that of Leupold's.
I'm thinking about:
Vortex Viper HS 4-16x50mm
Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x50mm
I know that in the midwest whitetail woods, that seems like a lot of power, and it is. My thought is that if I'm ever lucky enough to do any traveling (out west or up to Canada), I don't want to have to buy a new scope. The farthest shot I have on my property currently is about 250 yards, so I need SOME magnification, but a 14 or 16 power isn't necessarily needed. I think that with a 4 or 4.5 power, I'll be right around where I keep my current scope on my shots under 100 yards (although maybe I creep up to 5x or 6x when they get closer to 100). It'll be sitting on a Ruger Mk II 30-06 (late 90's), so there is plenty of range in that gun provided that my shooting abilities are proficient.
So...
1. Do any of you have one, or both of these scopes? Which do you prefer?
2. Do any of you have negative experiences with these scopes (or similar models)
3. I can get the lower end Zeiss or Swarovski as well... but I figured that these were going to be of a lesser quality than those listed above.
4. Is there that big of a difference between the VX-2 and the VX-3?
5. Are there any other scopes that you can think of that I should look into?
Honestly, I don't think I can go wrong with either one of these scopes, so I am not too worried. I appreciate the help!
Chris