still cant decide between these 3

Fursty Ferret

Well-Known Member
I still cant decide between these 3 for my 6.5
Bushnell xlt 3-9x40 @ £119
Nikon prostaff 3-9x40 @ £149
Burris fullfield 3-9x40 @ £169
Or should i spend the extra and get a leupold 3-9x40 @ £249
Rifle should be ready for collection next week in time for the start of the red stag/fallow buck season so need to pull my finger out!
 
Mate, don't want to appear to be snobbish but, if you can't see it you can't shoot it! Spend as much as you can afford, it will pay for itself over and over!
 
Mate, don't want to appear to be snobbish but, if you can't see it you can't shoot it! Spend as much as you can afford, it will pay for itself over and over!

I agree, but I spent 50% more than I could afford and will never need to look at another scope...!

Spend more and cry once
 
again don't mean to be rude , so forgive me if i have been . but uttings do payment arrangements on scopes don't go mad and you will not regrete buying a good scope.
:coat:
 
No, not rude and not offended in the slightest. Im still trying to work out if his "spend hundreds on a scope" attitude is justified or not.
Having spent years using a budgetish scope on a 17hmr shooting 50+ rabbits a night several times a week with no problems...both day and night and with nv, it does make me wonder.
I appreciate cf is different to rf but is it a case that the cheaper scopes just arent up to the job or is it just a case of do you want a astra or a porsche?
If people have bought cheaper scopes then upgraded...why? Did they not hold zero? Where they ***** at dusk and dawn? Or did you just want the kudos of a "big name brand"?
 
Ok, if I was to venture into the quality scope market....say £500-£600
I will be shooting over modest ranges....most sub 100yrds, is a fixed mag....say 6,7 or 8 x gonna be a pain in the arse for target acquisition on really close stuff?
I still like the idea of variable....how about the Zeiss Duralyt 2-8x42?
 
If you haven't got alot to spend I have a 6x42 Schmidt german 1" tube it's in well used condition with a few marks here and there, it has a mark on the objective but does not effect the scope in anyway, it can still keep up with my lecia bins at last light yours for £200 posted
 
I personally noticed a big difference when I upgraded from the £150 mark to the £500 - 600. Past that the differences are not of the same magnitude and your generally paying for specialist features. As Iain points out, if your careful you can get a lot for your money buying s/h.
 
i can honestly say that with my burris i have never been able to not shoot at last light it has been on a 270 for nearly four years and has accounted for alot of deer and people on here i stalk with have also been impressed even after using top notch glass. i also have sightron on two other rifles and again really impressed with those.
I have used top glass on other rifles but was not in a position to buy expensive glass and even when i could spent the money on stalking as i did not see the need to change. my rifles have been all over shooting in other country and still have the same glass i have lost zero twice now on two rifles one due to a crack in the rear action on the stock and the other i ballsed up a level 2 stalk zero was checked the day before and fine but was miles out on the night i found out it was the front sling swivel loose and it changed poi when i tightened it back up,
nothing to do with the scopes my burris has been knocked about over the years and is still going i maybe lucky but i cannot comment on that i also use these scopes foxing at night and have never had any bother doing this either ,if you ever are my way you are welcome to pop in and try it out. if you are on a budget dont be put off i cant comment on the other scopes just the ones i have been using .
its all ok if you can afford to spend alot of money but some people just can't do this you either dont get out till you can save or get something on a budget and get out stalking , i have seen guys with all the kit and still not be able to shoot deer so you make your choice ,atb wayne
 
Hi Fursty. No offence meant , but I think I am probably coming from the same camp as you. I.e with not loads of money and the need to be content that I have paid for what I have and will not regret any over spend at the end of the month when the bills land on the step.
So I originally lashed out on a Bushnell elite 6500. Cracking scope and blew my other cheaper stuff away. I found I could see to shoot through the scope way after I could see the deer myself and was happy that any darker it was just not really worth it. I'd have had trouble looking for a deer that had run 20-30 yds in the dark.
I only changed because in woodland I found I could see the deer well enough to shoot but couldn't see the cross hairs. Bushnell do not do illuminated in their elite range so I had to look else where.
Still conscious of cost I bought a zeiss duralyt 1.2-5-36 ill. This I have just sold as I found it just a little to low powered if in more open ground. Still not as good as the bushnell for gathering light. Now I have a duralyt in 2-8x42 ill which I find very good especially in the gloom of the forest if turned down to 6x mag.
Managed to pick up a 2nd hand 3-12x50 ill duralyt last week (this is where the over spending bit comes) which as yet haven't put on a rifle but expect it to be as good as the other but at higher mag. So the long and short of it is more money does seem to buy better optics, and when you're spending you're hard earned on paid stalking you do get pi**ed off if you don't shoot something due to bad optics.
Much as I'd love to own a £2000 scope and enjoy the benefits of it I very much doubt I'll be able to afford one and would rather be out on the ground, I think if all you can afford id £150 well try a hawke or similar and get out there, hone your stalking ability and just accept that you will have a little less chances than the guy with a £2000 scope, but be sure you can hit what you aim at and get in 20 yds nearer and you enjoy every minute, I do. Or I think you need to be in the £500 mark on a good second hand S+B 8x50 which from what I'm told still hard to beat. Happy hunting.
 
Ok, if I was to venture into the quality scope market....say £500-£600
I will be shooting over modest ranges....most sub 100yrds, is a fixed mag....say 6,7 or 8 x gonna be a pain in the arse for target acquisition on really close stuff?
I still like the idea of variable....how about the Zeiss Duralyt 2-8x42?

Why do you want a variable for up to 100m ? Unless you are spending over £1000 there is no improvement on a 8x56 S&b or swaro
 
I still cant decide between these 3 for my 6.5
Bushnell xlt 3-9x40 @ £119
Nikon prostaff 3-9x40 @ £149
Burris fullfield 3-9x40 @ £169
Or should i spend the extra and get a leupold 3-9x40 @ £249

Several points for you.

Firstly, I wouldn't have a Bushnell product given to me. Strike it off your list. You will be disappointed with it. Also, I paid £100 equivalent in US $ for a top end fixed power 4x40 Nikon in 1987. It's a pretty good scope: I've still got it. I can't imagine that a Nikon variable costing £149 today is going to be of the same optical quality. Like Leupold, Burris make severl grades of scope. I would only consider their top end scopes (same as I would Leupold).0

Secondly, if you're ona tight budget, buy a fixed power scope. For the same money you will get a better scope (because no money is going into the mechanics of a variable). And buying a second hand fixed power scope (presuming it's in good condition) will be an even better buy. Look at the classifieds on this forum.

Thirdly, you only get what you pay for. If you buy a German/Austrian scope it will outperform those from the US or the Far East especially as the light fades at dusk. For deer stalking, that's what counts. A fixed power Hungarian made S&B has got to be one of the best value buys. That said, Leupold are over priced for what they are. In terms of optical quality, in my opinion, Burris equal Leupold but cost less because they do less marketing. Leupold has worked hard at being a 'name'. That doesn't mean it's a better product.

Fourthly, you will never regret buying a quality optic. You will regret buying a cheap scope - immediately after you return to your cheap scope having spent ten minutes looking through your mate's [S&B / Khales / Zeiss / Swarovski / Nikon / Burris / ...] scope.

Buy th every best you can afford.

-JMS
 
So if FF can afford £250 what should he buy? The aim (no pun) is to get out and shoot some deer asap I presume.
 
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