the cost of some scopes - and other equipment

[Jcann]

There are two kinds of scope snobs. Those who crow about their $300 brands and those that crow about their $3,000-$6,000 brands. One group is poor or pretends to be poor claiming their scope does what they need it to do and the other group has a defining no compromise self imposed mission for their scope. Be it expensive hunts, competitive shooting, or life and death situations.

My hunts I take serious, my long range shooting I take serious, my self imposed consistent accuracy I take serious. That’s why I don’t compromise with $300 scopes.

Glass quality/clarity/chromatic aberration, magnification, reticle, focal plane, windage/elevation adjustment, turret design, zero stop, tube size, objective diameter, and weight all play a factor for me. These are all things that don’t come cheap and many here I would venture to guess would not consider to evaluated when looking for an optic. Why, because they don’t need it or they don’t realize the value of having it. Either way, to each their own.

 

[Camo]

Ive had a few high end scopes in my life and none seemed superior to a good scope. I don't buy tasco cheapos and the like, but a few hundred dollars for a nice hunting scope is the normal for me.

 

[crrcboatz]

There are two kinds of scope snobs. Those who crow about their $300 brands and those that crow about their $3,000-$6,000 brands. One group is poor or pretends to be poor claiming their scope does what they need it to do and the other group has a defining no compromise self imposed mission for their scope. Be it expensive hunts, competitive shooting, or life and death situations.

My hunts I take serious, my long range shooting I take serious, my self imposed consistent accuracy I take serious. That’s why I don’t compromise with $300 scopes.

Glass quality/clarity/chromatic aberration, magnification, reticle, focal plane, windage/elevation adjustment, turret design, zero stop, tube size, objective diameter, and weight all play a factor for me. These are all things that don’t come cheap and many here I would venture to guess would not consider to evaluated when looking for an optic. Why, because they don’t need it or they don’t realize the value of having it. Either way, to each their own.

I like your last statement, “ to each his own”. That applies to a good bit of us that fall in the 400- 800or a bit more. Optics are better than ever for your money. Mainly glass, reticle, tube size and quality of adjustment feel. That happy medium is far better than a 20 yr old used high end brand that’s in its day was high end.

This subject of discussion reminds me of people and their cars. There are few bad cars being built today. No Yugos, etc but by and large most are far better than something 20-30 years old. TO EACH HIS OWN is perfect to fit both purchases optics and cars

 

[bas402]

I have a friend with a $4000 Schmitt Bender scope on his $700 Savage rifle.
He won’t hesitate to mention what great glass it is and how much he paid for it.
Problem is that he ordered a scope in mil-rads. He has no clue on how to use that feature.
Took him elk hunting once in New Mexico. We had a down hill shot at about 450 yards. He emptied his rifle with the elk just standing there as the shot echoed from all directions in the mountains.
Handed him my 30-06, told him the holdover at that range and angle. Dropped it with the first shot using a $400 Nikon scope.
Lesson: it ain’t always the glass that’s the problem with shooting.

correct! To a point, I’ve had some awesome factory Savage rifles and some sh!/t ones. if it was @ 600+ I would be using that S&B. You need to know your file and its limitations but I still am of the opinion that if you can’t see it you can’t hit it. I have some of those S&B scopes and several other $$$$ scopes I use in ELR but I will tell you with the progression of glass mfg today the Arken line of scopes are just awesome at a min cost. Glad you were with him and that he harvested his elk!

 

[dennishoddy]

The glass was

correct! To a point, I’ve had some awesome factory Savage rifles and some sh!/t ones. if it was @ 600+ I would be using that S&B. You need to know your file and its limitations but I still am of the opinion that if you can’t see it you can’t hit it. I have some of those S&B scopes and seberal

It was a .338 Lapua Magnum caliber. He had never shot it over 100 yards before the elk hunt.
The times I took him to the range prior to the hunt using the mil-rad scope was pretty much a disaster watching him try to adjust the zero like a standard reticle.
He refused advice as I do have experience with his system.
Scope not correctly zero’d for long range, shooting downhill at 45 degrees approximately was his issue. Not understanding the ballistics of a bullet in flight with those parameters at hand was his issue. Every shot was likely over the top of the elk.

 

[RickN]

Received a Midway USA sales "newspaper" this week. Leupold scope on the front for $1,539 and a Vortex on the back page for $2,249. Shipping included!!!! I made very good money as an engineer b4 I retired back in 2014. Maybe knock 20% off these prices for 10 year ago prices. Maybe for that once in a lifetime safari in Africa or hunt in Alaska I might have considered paying that much money, but as of today I don't think I would spent that kind of money. To me, it is NOT about what I own, it is about the experience in life. If you choice to spend your money that way, thanks for supporting the "economy".

Even if I won a billion dollars in the lotto, I could not see paying that much for a scope. Just not worth it to my mind.

 

[foghorn918]

What’s better first focal plane or second, why and what’s the difference

 

[dennishoddy]

What’s better first focal plane or second, why and what’s the difference

First focal plane is superior in a variable power scope.
The zero doesn’t change from low to high power vs second focal plane which will change between high and low.
First focal plane scopes are more expensive for that reason.

 

[sumoj275]

I have a friend with a $4000 Schmitt Bender scope on his $700 Savage rifle.
He won’t hesitate to mention what great glass it is and how much he paid for it.
Problem is that he ordered a scope in mil-rads. He has no clue on how to use that feature.
Took him elk hunting once in New Mexico. We had a down hill shot at about 450 yards. He emptied his rifle with the elk just standing there as the shot echoed from all directions in the mountains.
Handed him my 30-06, told him the holdover at that range and angle. Dropped it with the first shot using a $400 Nikon scope.
Lesson: it ain’t always the glass that’s the problem with shooting.

Nikon has good glass in my opinion but unfortunately they are no b longer in the scope business

 

[bas402]

It was a .338 Lapua Magnum caliber. He had never shot it over 100 yards before the elk hunt.
The times I took him to the range prior to the hunt using the mil-rad scope was pretty much a disaster watching him try to adjust the zero like a standard reticle.
He refused advice as I do have experience with his system.
Scope not correctly zero’d for long range, shooting downhill at 45 degrees approximately was his issue. Not understanding the ballistics of a bullet in flight with those parameters at hand was his issue. Every shot was likely over the top of the elk.