I’ve been a scope snob for the last 20 years due to the guys I shot with, but I’ve discovered that I really don’t “need” a Swarovski Z6i to kill a pig or a deer and sure don’t to just punch paper. For mid range scopes, I’m a big fan of the original Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14 scopes and have 4 or 5 of them, and these scopes can be bought on the used market for $450-500 and have really good glass. I’ve recently picked up a few used Nikon Buckmaster scopes to put on guns I don’t shoot much but want to keep scoped, and I’m really happy with them so far. I haven’t paid more than a $100 for the 3-9’s, but I did pay $175 shipped for a 4-14.
In reading through this post, you may have noticed a common theme, and that’s I don’t buy “new” scopes. There are deals to be had on used scopes if you look hard enough. Several years ago, I saw a Zeiss Diavari with an illuminated reticle for sale on GB, but the pawn shop selling it didn’t know what they had. I ended up with a $2500 scope for $975 shipped, and it’s mounted on my pig killing Encore right now.
Of all the rifles I own or have owned and killed stuff with, the one with the highest body count is the Ruger M77 Ultralite 270 Win that my parents gave me in 1985 that was topped with a $35 Tasco Pronghorn 3-9.
In reading through this post, you may have noticed a common theme, and that’s I don’t buy “new” scopes. There are deals to be had on used scopes if you look hard enough. Several years ago, I saw a Zeiss Diavari with an illuminated reticle for sale on GB, but the pawn shop selling it didn’t know what they had. I ended up with a $2500 scope for $975 shipped, and it’s mounted on my pig killing Encore right now.
Of all the rifles I own or have owned and killed stuff with, the one with the highest body count is the Ruger M77 Ultralite 270 Win that my parents gave me in 1985 that was topped with a $35 Tasco Pronghorn 3-9.