Scope opinions

[Cleck]

I put a Nikon P308 on my hunting rifle and had the same needs as you - wanna shoot over 100y on occasion, close wooded area for deer hunting, budget-minded, easy to zero and maintain.

Looks like they rebranded it to P Tactical, but it's the same scope. Looks like they added more direction on the turrets to make zeroing easier: https://smile.amazon.com/Nikon-P-Ta...ds=nikon+p308&qid=1553262775&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Has worked fine for me, nabbed deer every shot it has taken while hunting so far Just my input, lots of good info here, depending on what you're looking for

 

[meketrefe]

My Opinion, Scopes are good for shooting stuff at long distances.

SJC

Yes, that is perhaps the most common reason but there are also good for other things.

A) one can have optics for short - mid range that improve the aiming skill and speed specially when we are talking
within 200 yards.

B) Redundancy. They can be the primary or the backup so if one goes bad one has the other.

C) Scopes can be so versatile that still can be used in short range and long range even a 1-3 or 1-4 range although
you even have 1-6 and 1-8 ranges. But even one of the popular 2-7 of good quality is a very versatile piece of equipment
that might allow to shoot at close range with both eyes open and then engage long distance given the proper scope functionality
and training to do accurate corrections is used correctly. Because this is so popular magnification range one has lots of great value and
quality with pretty decent FOV in the low end. There is very decent quality glass vs. scopes with more features more typical of tacticool scopes
but with lower quality glass.

D) A scope is also another optic in the first place so it can be used for glassing, finding targets or navigation and also to
estimate distances and object sizes (ranging).

So, there are a lot of good reasons even for a simple, light yet good quality and reliable scope.

 

[meketrefe]

I’ve been looking for a scope for my 6.8spc for hunting deer and probably some coyotes. Maybe once or reinvent in my life some hogs because hey why not right?
I came across this company called Athlon and they just seem too good to be true honestly. For $300 you get parallax form 10 to infinity, FFP, and good magnification. The scope on optics planet gets good reviews and Althing overall seems to get very good reviews.
Let me know what you all think.
Athlon Optics Talos BTR 4-14x44 Side Focus Riflescope 215028, Color: Black, Tube Diameter: 30 mm, $30.00 Off — Free 2 Day Shipping w/ code 2DAYAIR

Based on the design that seems like a OEM chinese scope. Athlon is not a manufacturer nor designer. They just put a brand on OEM scopes like countless others.
It doesn't mean that all chinese scopes are bad or all OEM are bad but I would go with at least a designer (if not a manufacturer) that has been in the market for a while that can back up their products by long establish reputation and service. They all use chinese, korean, and philipines OEM to meet
the low end market demand. The question is, is there anyone there to put some dedication to quality delivery and testing?

Vortex and Weaver are good examples of designers (not manufacturers) that use OEM according to spec and they still do certain assembly, testing
and backed by great warranty.

Scopes start with glass quality. Then robust construction. A few to be battle tested.

The pack is led by the German, Swiss and some American optics. From very expensive to somewhat reasonable.
Japanese optics and construction using high quality camera lenses are also pretty popular. Can also be very expensive but you have also great
deals.
Philipines, korean and chinese is a mixed bag aimed to the budget market. There are some somewhat decent chinese scopes and optics
but also a lot of crap.

Leupold, S&B, US optics, Night Force, Trijicon, Nikon, Vortex, Weaver, Burris, Bushnell, etc.. they are dedicated to optics business.

Athlon, BSA, Super sniper, Primary Arms, etc... they are not optics companies. They are "retailers" who resell affordable OEM scopes with a brand.

 

[Upstate43]

Vortex and Weaver are good examples of designers (not manufacturers) that use OEM according to spec and they still do certain assembly, testing
and backed by great warranty.

Well if we're splitting hairs, pretty much all of the major scope manufacturers outsource some of their manufacturing to 3rd-party companies...that's just the nature of the global market that live in nowadays. GM and Ford outsource a lot of their component manufacturing, but we still consider them "manufacturers" do we not?

FWIW, Vortex (can't speak for Weaver) does a large portion of its manufacturing in house, and certain scopes, like the new Vortex AMG Razor are nearly 100% made in house.

The pack is led by the German, Swiss and some American optics. From very expensive to somewhat reasonable.
Japanese optics and construction using high quality camera lenses are also pretty popular. Can also be very expensive but you have also great
deals.
Philipines, korean and chinese is a mixed bag aimed to the budget market. There are some somewhat decent chinese scopes and optics
but also a lot of crap.

Leupold, S&B, US optics, Night Force, Trijicon, Nikon, Vortex, Weaver, Burris, Bushnell, etc.. they are dedicated to optics business.

Athlon, BSA, Super sniper, Primary Arms, etc... they are not optics companies. They are "retailers" who resell affordable OEM scopes with a brand.

This I would mostly agree with. Leupold (an American company) as long been a strong contender within the scope market...they've won quite a few military and LE contracts to prove that. Similar story for Nightforce. Vortex is a relative newcomer to the market, and while its debatable whether or not their scopes are the "best" they've certainly earned a good reputation for producing very good scopes at very reasonable price point, backed by a very good warranty and customer service.

The Europeans still have a reputation for excellence, which many American companies have yet to mirror (excepting Nightforce, Leupold and some Vortex products). That may change going into the future.

And yes, there is a difference between companies which actually design and produce scopes and those which simply relabel outsourced products. With that said, outsourced manufacturing has come a long ways since 10-20 years ago. An Athlon scope isn't as good as Vortex scope, and its certainly not as good as top-of-the -line S&B, but you can still get a pretty decent product considering the price point.

 

[Saltwater60]

I bought the vortex cross fire II this weekend. I looked at a bunch of scopes and was kind of blown away by this one.
I really liked the eye box/eye relief. It was super clear, the fast focus was sweet on the front, and felt like the features were way over the price of $220. The zoom worked well, was very clear, and the view wasn’t bouncy on higher magnification.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vortex-Crossfire-II-6-18x44-AO-Rifle-Scope-Dead-Hold-BDC-Reticle/23821773

 

[Jaywmustang]

Congrats

 

[Cleck]

I bought the vortex cross fire II this weekend. I looked at a bunch of scopes and was kind of blown away by this one.
I really liked the eye box/eye relief. It was super clear, the fast focus was sweet on the front, and felt like the features were way over the price of $220. The zoom worked well, was very clear, and the view wasn’t bouncy on higher magnification.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vortex-Crossfire-II-6-18x44-AO-Rifle-Scope-Dead-Hold-BDC-Reticle/23821773

Nice choice, you'll be happy w/ it. I should have gone 6-18 on mine. 4-12 is nice, but I'm rarely at 4, I'm usually around 6, 8, or 10. I think the deer I shot on Thanksgiving I was all the way at 12. I could use the lower end of the scale for a range like this for hunting, and then the 12-18 end for fun long range shooting.

Leupold, S&B, US optics, Night Force, Trijicon, Nikon, Vortex, Weaver, Burris, Bushnell, etc.. they are dedicated to optics business.

Athlon, BSA, Super sniper, Primary Arms, etc... they are not optics companies. They are "retailers" who resell affordable OEM scopes with a brand.

I always enjoy your posts, especially on shit I'm not as knowledgeable about. This right here should answer any questions I have in the future on any optics I may buy. I always ask myself "Well, I'm not sure about this brand, do they make it or just sell it?" That'll answer a lot of questions I have about Bushnell, BSA, and PA when I'm cruising for AR scopes and the like.

 

[meketrefe]

Nice choice, you'll be happy w/ it. I should have gone 6-18 on mine. 4-12 is nice, but I'm rarely at 4, I'm usually around 6, 8, or 10. I think the deer I shot on Thanksgiving I was all the way at 12. I could use the lower end of the scale for a range like this for hunting, and then the 12-18 end for fun long range shooting.



I always enjoy your posts, especially on shit I'm not as knowledgeable about. This right here should answer any questions I have in the future on any optics I may buy. I always ask myself "Well, I'm not sure about this brand, do they make it or just sell it?" That'll answer a lot of questions I have about Bushnell, BSA, and PA when I'm cruising for AR scopes and the like.

I dont known all the scopes. Most brands have OEM lines and chinese OEM to meet price points. interestly, a few brands that have been around for decades sell those budget with the same warranty and service.
My take is, there are great japanese scopes at decent price points that actually use quality camera lenses and japanese construction.
One also have some nice leupolds and a few scopes of redfield that are made in the US with the same lenses since they are a leupold company.
I have a few chinese oen scopes from burris that work fine but those are not aimed to do any sort of mechanical correction and glass seems ok. but for any more serious duty I use well proven glass.

 

[Cleck]

That's kinda how I feel w/ my stuff. None of mine except my hunting rifle are going to be put through any real work, the accuracy doesn't need to be great. I usually go w/ things I've read about or have heard about. People always made me think Bushnell was garbage, but I have no problem putting their AR line on one of my range guns for fun, especially after shooting one before w/ no issues. The hunting rifle needs a decent one, so it gets the better/more expensive Nikon.

There are times though that I'm just perusing a website and see a Burris, US Optics, Night Force, BSA, etc and wonder if it's ok to pick up for the price that I'm seeing it. Now I think I have a better idea

 

[Vapor]

I mostly still like leupolds and Japanese scopes.The japanese scopes have the best glass for the money in my personal experience. I like leupolds because of the light weight and decent glass.

That being said, I know there are a few Chinese factories that are really starting to put out some quality scopes for a very reasonable price. Vortex, PA, and athalon too.

 

[Saltwater60]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys. I’ll get it mounted soon. This weeks a disaster for me