Stalking, and lamping rifle scope?

thefisherbuy

Hello all,
Just wondering for what scope I'm currently applying for a new .243 and I'm willing to spend a good chunk(around the 1600e or less)on the scope as people say spend more on the scope rather than the gun!! So anyways I was looking at the NF nxs series, because they have a good illuiminated crosshairs, Im really used to the crosshairs, I was looking at Zeiss and others, but none have the crosshairs I was looking at, but I herd praise for them being amazing at early morning and dusk, so what would you choose? I was looking at the NF nxs 5.5-22x56mm I was liking to shoot out around the 400 yard mark also...
I was also started on lamping and would be shooting around 150+plus yards..
Thanks.

Cass

Can i give one piece of advice about illuminated crosshairs?

Some makes have variable settings on the level of illumination, and most illuminate the full crosshair. These can be problematic as depending on the brightness at dusk or dawn the light from the crosshair can blind you to your target.

For this reason i try to go for a scope that has an illuminated centre dot ONLY. This means the very centre of the crosshair or a small dot in the centre of the crosshair lights up only. This allows you to keep good target picture and know exactly where your scope/rifle is aimed. Something like this:



Not all scope manufacturers offer this. Sigthron and Nightforce do, and i think Zeiss.

Now this is a personal choice, but if you are using the scope for lamping foxes, etc. then the lamp does the work and you don't really need the illuminated crosshair. If it's dusk or dawn shooting you'll probably have already found that some crosshairs can be too bright.

What do you intend to do with the rifle/scope? Hunting only, target shooting only, or a mix of both?

As for the Nightforce, they're a great scope and i'e had many over the years. You'll get a lot saying they're not as good as others for night shooting, but with a 1-1.5% light transmission difference i don't know of anyone that can see this difference. That being said they are a target orientated scope. Look towards the SHV range. The 5-20x56 one has the above crosshair.

I'm a fan of Sightron too. Have a few of their scopes. Had a problem with the long range one, but the others have never caused me a bother. The S-Tac is a great model. It has 2.5-17.5 mag, 56 bell, adjustable illuminated centre dot, etc.

There are other great brands out there like Zeiss V8, S&B, Kahles, Swarovski, etc. but to get one with the features you want you may be looking at far more than your budget. €2,500+ range.

You don't need to increase your budget, it's more than enough to get a great scope with all the features you want.

clivej

People that say spend more money on the scope than the rifle IMO have more money than sense. Buy a €2000 rifle and pay €3000 on a scope NO WAY in my book.

I've been shooting and hunting a good few years now and never paid more than €400 and a scope. I shoot .22lr, .223, and .308. I like Bushnell mid price scopes.

I shot foxes at night and turned the illuminated reticle off, on scopes that had it, after a a few nights out, found it wasn't needed.

These scopes have the tactical turrets for easy range adjusting in the field.
.22lr = Bushnell 10x40 3200 elite, fixed scope.
.223 and the .308 = Bushnell 6-24 x 50mm 4200 elite both bought second hand @€;400. These have never let me down and have been thru a lot of shooting.

Just my 2 cents worth :)

shooting101

Thanks for your replys,
Cass have you ever had an NF scopes before? What's the glass like compared to Zeiss? I was thinking the conquest model..
Clivej I actually have a few Bushnell scopes, and I do like them..
Thanks for the replys.

Cass

shooting101 wrote: »

,
Cass have you ever had an NF scopes before?

4 of them.

What's the glass like compared to Zeiss?

The only Zeiss i've ever owned was the Duralyt. Got rid of quick because the low mag and poor features was not my cup of tea.

I never compared the Zeiss side by side to my Nightforces because they were for two different uses. Plus, as said above, the human eye cannot distinguish the small percentage of light transmission difference between the two.

I have looked through/used other Zeiss such as the Victory, V8, etc. but without a NF to compare against (again side by side) i could not tell you which i thought was best.

As asked above it really depends on your use. I know the thread title is lamping, but you mention target work. One (lamping) requires a scope with good glass, possibly FFP, and keen low light properties. The other (target shooting) requires higher mag, SFP, and does not concentrate on low light properties. IOW it would be hard to get a scope that is excellent at both without compromising a little on one front.

shooting101

Cass wrote: »

4 of them.

The only Zeiss i've ever owned was the Duralyt. Got rid of quick because the low mag and poor features was not my cup of tea.

I never compared the Zeiss side by side to my Nightforces because they were for two different uses. Plus, as said above, the human eye cannot distinguish the small percentage of light transmission difference between the two.

I have looked through/used other Zeiss such as the Victory, V8, etc. but without a NF to compare against (again side by side) i could not tell you which i thought was best.

As asked above it really depends on your use. I know the thread title is lamping, but you mention target work. One (lamping) requires a scope with good glass, possibly FFP, and keen low light properties. The other (target shooting) requires higher mag, SFP, and does not concentrate on low light properties. IOW it would be hard to get a scope that is excellent at both without compromising a little on one front.

,

Plus for the bushnell great scopes,

tonytoc11

What are the Vortex Crossfire ii scopes like?

Heavy handed

I've have a bushnell banner on the 17hmr, great scope for the money to be fair. Have a zeiss 3-12x56 victory HT on the 243, ASV turrets are good with some drop on rings giving you a 600m reach. Have had the vortex viper too but didn't think too much of it so sold it on. With only 2 months left in the season you'll see a good few high end scopes coming up for sale with some falling into your budget.

One shot on kill

Case that's the first time I've ever heard someone didn't like the duralyt.

For that money I would go ziess there is plenty to choose from. I personally think the night force are a little heavy and me personally I think there is to much stuff on them.

I like a plain an simple scope 3-12 no parralax just point and shoot.

Now that's just me. I have a duralyt on my 243 non illuminated I personally have had illuminated scopes before and never used them so decided to get the none illuminated.
My mate has the illuminated duralyt and it's also a fabolous scope the red dot is so fine and crisp on it. For the money I personally think the duralyt is great value for money. I don't think the conquest are as well finished as the duralyt were.
The turrets on the duralyt are resetable aswell so you can adjust for windage and elevation. Prob not the best set up ever for this but it works all the same.

Maybe look at the likes of the z5/6i aswell there suppose to be a serious scope aswell. No personal experience with them but I wouldn't over look them the next time I'm buying anyway.

Best of luck with your choice.

Cass

One shot on kill wrote: »

Case that's the first time I've ever heard someone didn't like the duralyt.

I like a plain an simple scope 3-12 no parralax just point and shoot.

That is why i don't like it (as said above)

Cass wrote: »

The only Zeiss i've ever owned was the Duralyt. Got rid of quick because the low mag and poor features was not my cup of tea.

Having used high powered scopes with many features from almost day one i find it hard not to have the same on all my scopes regardless of purpose. I also had a Sightron in 2.5-10 and the same problem. Not enough mag when i wanted it.

I know some lads only use such scopes for hunting and some can use them when doing a little target work, but i'm not one of them. I've spoken to lads that don't like the crosshairs with loads of hash marks, but i'm used to them and as such they don't bother me.

I never criticised the Duralyt from a functionality or quality point of view. However much like you don't like all the features of Nightforce or the weight, i do. So it's a personal choice between users.

Maybe look at the likes of the z5/6i aswell there suppose to be a serious scope aswell. No personal experience with them but I wouldn't over look them the next time I'm buying anyway.

I mentioned those above, but with starting prices at €2,300+ it's over the OPs budget.

One shot on kill

Jasus I understand that of coarse I do. And I completely get were your coming from I use to one end of the scale your use to the other. I was just it's the first time any one has come out and said its hats all.

But there is a radon why the duralyt is so have to get at time and when you do there not cheap compared to there new price. That's s I was trying to put across.

browning fusion

Get the most expensive scope you can't afford low to mid range priced scopes are grand and will do a job for ya ,but some can be trouble and just don't cut it in low light compared to high end german glass
Most expensive scopes also come with a great warranty and have great resale value
Better spent money in the long run

browning fusion

Get the most expensive scope you can't afford low to mid range priced scopes are grand and will do a job for ya ,but some can be trouble and just don't cut it in low light compared to high end german glass
Most expensive scopes also come with a great warranty and have great resale value
Better spent money in the long run

Cass

One shot on kill wrote: »

And I completely get were your coming from I use to one end of the scale your use to the other.

Exactly.

But there is a radon why the duralyt is so have to get at time and when you do there not cheap compared to there new price. That's s I was trying to put across.

New prices for them range between €850 for the non illuminated and €1050 for the illuminated models. Second hand the price seems to run around the €550 - €600 mark for non illuminated and €750 - €850 for the illuminated ones.

Depending on condition that is not too bad a price. Look at Nightforce. Lads, regardless of age, condition, etc seem to think a second hand Nightforce is always worth €1,200 or more. I recently seen a Nightforce for sale somewhere, second hand, for €1,500. The new price on this model is €1,550. A new price on the higher mag NXS model is €1,850 and i've seen people ask over €1,500 for it. So second hand prices are subjective. IOW lads will see what some are asking and ask the same. It keeps the price of them artificially inflated.

Without going off on too bad a tangent my Sister was recently looking for a new car. She wanted something small and cheap to run. Renault Clio was on top of her list. Due to the increase in insurance costs, etc. these cars have become much sought after and as such the prices are artificially inflated. These cars were selling for 30 - 45% more than their worth. Today they have come down to a more reasonable price, but still high.

My point is second hand prices are what some lads want and not what they are worth. While getting the best scope you can afford is a good step it is not always the right one. IOW if you think spending thousands on a scope will get you the best one, when in fact it won't cover your needs then why buy it.


When looking for a scope you need to think of what you do the most with the rifle and hence scope. Consider secondary needs next. Then look to features to need, want and can do without. Set out a budget and then make a list of the scopes that fall within you needs and price. Go look at them and then decide which suits you best.

If looking at second hand scopes (as you may save a few hundred on a new one and get the scope you really wanted but could not stretch your budget to) then look at:

• Age
• New or bought second, third, etc. hand
• Any dents, scratches, marks, etc
• Any issues with loss of tracking
• Can it hold zero
• Is it caliber rated/suited

thefisherbuy

Hi all,


So after thinking and researching I've narrowed it down to the Swarovski Z6i 5-30x50mm or Zeiss Victory Diavari 6-24x56 T* FL IR I'm more to the Zeiss as it has the illuiminated crosshairs, but if anyone who has one of you could tell me about either one? I would very much appreciate it! Also I've upped the budget a good bit so I could afford these two..

Thanks a mil.