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Started By
Message
Gun/scope setup for around $2000... Suggestions?
Posted on 11/26/19 at 7:19 am
Posted on 11/26/19 at 7:19 am
I haven’t bought a gun or scope in probably 5 years and haven’t really paid much attention to those markets either, so I’m kind of lost.
I’m pretty much set on the Tikka T3x for the gun, but suggestions on caliber are welcome.
So I think that will leave me with about $1200 give or take to play with on the scope. I was in a store yesterday (Van’s) and it was kind of an information overload at an already busy gun counter, so I thought I’d come here for suggestions.
Most of the shooting that will be done will be 200-400 yards in the delta. Mainly going to kill deer obviously, but I do see a hog every now and then and coyotes.
One question I have is are high end Vortex, Nikons, Leupold’s, etc better than low end Zeiss, Swarovski, etc... Also not opposed to other brands. Those are just examples. I’ll buy a Trijicon, Burris, Meopta, etc. if there’s a deal to be had. Basically I have no brand loyalty, so I’m all ears.
I’m pretty much set on the Tikka T3x for the gun, but suggestions on caliber are welcome.
So I think that will leave me with about $1200 give or take to play with on the scope. I was in a store yesterday (Van’s) and it was kind of an information overload at an already busy gun counter, so I thought I’d come here for suggestions.
Most of the shooting that will be done will be 200-400 yards in the delta. Mainly going to kill deer obviously, but I do see a hog every now and then and coyotes.
One question I have is are high end Vortex, Nikons, Leupold’s, etc better than low end Zeiss, Swarovski, etc... Also not opposed to other brands. Those are just examples. I’ll buy a Trijicon, Burris, Meopta, etc. if there’s a deal to be had. Basically I have no brand loyalty, so I’m all ears.
17
Posted on 11/26/19 at 7:30 am to prostyleoffensetime
For that price you cant go wrong with the Leupold VX5HD line, the Swaro Z3-Z6 line (Z5 is my go to), or my favorite the lower end Nightforces. I mainly hunt with a NF SHV 4-14x50 F1 personally. Bought it slightly used for 800 bucks. It's a tank.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 7:48 am to prostyleoffensetime
All those you listed are decent pieces IMHO, stay with a 30mm or larger tube and you should be golden.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 8:14 am to prostyleoffensetime
Posted on 11/26/19 at 8:52 am to Judge Smails
I personally would shy away from Nikon as they are getting out of the scope game business. I just purchased a Meopta Optika 6 and to my eyes was leaps and bounds above The Leupold VX3/VX-R line as well as a Vortex Viper I had.
Check places like CameraLandNY as he is having a big sale right now. Call in for best prices, I always mention I am a member on Sniper's Hide and get at least 10% off usually of things that aren't on sale. For hunting don't be afraid of the Athlon line of scopes. Just ordered my daughter an Athlon Ares 2..5-15x50 with Burris rings from Doug for $399 shipped.
Also, if you don't mind buying use join a place like Sniper's Hide and go to their Exchange. You can find great deals on scopes. I got a brand new Bushnell XRS2 for only $1200 this week.
Check places like CameraLandNY as he is having a big sale right now. Call in for best prices, I always mention I am a member on Sniper's Hide and get at least 10% off usually of things that aren't on sale. For hunting don't be afraid of the Athlon line of scopes. Just ordered my daughter an Athlon Ares 2..5-15x50 with Burris rings from Doug for $399 shipped.
Also, if you don't mind buying use join a place like Sniper's Hide and go to their Exchange. You can find great deals on scopes. I got a brand new Bushnell XRS2 for only $1200 this week.
This post was edited on 11/26/19 at 8:53 am
Posted on 11/26/19 at 8:59 am to prostyleoffensetime
Tikka T3x, NightForce SHV 4-14x50
Posted on 11/26/19 at 9:02 am to prostyleoffensetime
Lots of good info. I just bought a new bergara ridge. I was dead set on tikka until I picked up the bergara. I just hunt but may shoot out to 400 yards and picked up vortex viper hs. I really like it and didn’t need/want anything with open turrants. It seems like the cheap scopes are still way better than anything 10 years ago
Posted on 11/26/19 at 9:49 am to prostyleoffensetime
lots of good advice here. For rifles, the Bergara or Tikka may be the best bang for buck on the market right now. Another option is get a Wby Vanguard (Howa) and have it accurized by a gunsmith. For 200-400 yd beanfield shots, accuracy & velocity are critical. You cant go wrong with a 7mm mag, 6.5 CM, 7mm-08.
Leupold VX5-HD, NF SHV, Swaro, and Zeiss all have awesome scopes in that budget, but you have to see what you like in terms of features, reticle design, illumination, etc vs your budget. It's mind-numbing; study the features and cost of everything on their websites to educate yourself. Then go to a store with a couple of models in mind to look at. Side by side, the Swaro and Zeiss had clearer optics over the Leupold or NF when I was shopping earlier in the year. However, I narrowed it down to NF & Leupold because I could get features, zoom, reticle that I wanted for about a grand less than the same thing in a Swaro. I found a deal on the Leupold before I found a deal on the NF - but would not been disappointed with either.
Leupold VX5-HD, NF SHV, Swaro, and Zeiss all have awesome scopes in that budget, but you have to see what you like in terms of features, reticle design, illumination, etc vs your budget. It's mind-numbing; study the features and cost of everything on their websites to educate yourself. Then go to a store with a couple of models in mind to look at. Side by side, the Swaro and Zeiss had clearer optics over the Leupold or NF when I was shopping earlier in the year. However, I narrowed it down to NF & Leupold because I could get features, zoom, reticle that I wanted for about a grand less than the same thing in a Swaro. I found a deal on the Leupold before I found a deal on the NF - but would not been disappointed with either.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 9:51 am to prostyleoffensetime
I picked up a Christensen arms 6.5 CM and leupold LR 6.5-20x50. Heck of a setup for a little under 2k
Posted on 11/26/19 at 9:53 am to prostyleoffensetime
I'm in a similar boat. Just bought a Remington Mountain Rifle in .308. Fitted with a Vortex Gen 1 PST scope, Vortex precision matched rings, and a murphy precision base.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 9:59 am to prostyleoffensetime
quote:
are high end Vortex, Nikons, Leupold’s,
quote:
better than low end Zeiss
yes
quote:
Swarovski
no
I'd do a Tikka or Bergara with a Z3/Z5 or a Meostar
This post was edited on 11/26/19 at 10:02 am
Posted on 11/26/19 at 10:36 am to ruger35
Posted on 11/26/19 at 10:37 am to prostyleoffensetime
Posted on 11/26/19 at 10:41 am to Carson123987
What about Steiner? I’m seeing some Steiner’s on that cameralandny.com site that someone listed earlier that look like something I’m looking for... The GS3 3-15x56 looks enticing with the 56 mm objective for low light, a 30 mm tube and still having a reticle fit for longer shots. They also have an HX4 4-16x56 for about $100 more.
Looks like the Steiner, Meostar, Z5’s, and one of the lower end Nightforce’s may be the 4 I’ve narrowed it down to. So the next question to ask is if one of the Nightforce SHV’s or a Z5 2.4-12x50 will be better than a Steiner HX4 4-16x56 or a Meostar 3-12x56?
Thanks for the help so far, guys.
Looks like the Steiner, Meostar, Z5’s, and one of the lower end Nightforce’s may be the 4 I’ve narrowed it down to. So the next question to ask is if one of the Nightforce SHV’s or a Z5 2.4-12x50 will be better than a Steiner HX4 4-16x56 or a Meostar 3-12x56?
Thanks for the help so far, guys.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 10:45 am to prostyleoffensetime
the US optics that I've shot next to zeiss and swaro were noticeably better.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 11:17 am to prostyleoffensetime
If 400 yards is your max range, I’d go with a 300 magnum that’s on the heavy side and a quality scope without all the dashes and hashmarks. Site in dead on at 300 yards and hold high shoulder at 400.
Set your stands up with sand bags that will give you a great rest. Put markers out for 300 and 400 yards. Buy a quality rangefinder and pair of binoculars.
Also, make sure the scope is mounted correctly. It’s a waste of money if it’s slapped on the rifle in a couple of minutes.
Set your stands up with sand bags that will give you a great rest. Put markers out for 300 and 400 yards. Buy a quality rangefinder and pair of binoculars.
Also, make sure the scope is mounted correctly. It’s a waste of money if it’s slapped on the rifle in a couple of minutes.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 11:44 am to Carson123987
Does anyone have experience with the Sig scopes that link up to the rangefinders to assist with holdover?
Is the glass quality / good for the price? Does the hold function work well?
Most my shots are within 300 yards but we do have a couple setups with 450-500 yards being possible. Plus, I love shite like that. I was seriously looking at the burris eliminator series, but the glass was pretty bad for the price, even when considering it is a built in rangefinder.
I have used the swaro binos with the rangefinder and the nikons. The nikons were a complete waste of money. The glass was worse than binos 1/4 the price.
OP, I have a Leopold VX6 3-18x50. I absolutely love it. The Swaro Z3 is in the same price range, but the mag range is way lower and the glass was very similar. You step up to the Z5/Z6 and you are way outclassing the leopold, but almost doubling down (or more) on the price. Go look through them and see what you like.
ETA: I got mine on sale for $1,250, I should have mentioned that.
Is the glass quality / good for the price? Does the hold function work well?
Most my shots are within 300 yards but we do have a couple setups with 450-500 yards being possible. Plus, I love shite like that. I was seriously looking at the burris eliminator series, but the glass was pretty bad for the price, even when considering it is a built in rangefinder.
I have used the swaro binos with the rangefinder and the nikons. The nikons were a complete waste of money. The glass was worse than binos 1/4 the price.
OP, I have a Leopold VX6 3-18x50. I absolutely love it. The Swaro Z3 is in the same price range, but the mag range is way lower and the glass was very similar. You step up to the Z5/Z6 and you are way outclassing the leopold, but almost doubling down (or more) on the price. Go look through them and see what you like.
ETA: I got mine on sale for $1,250, I should have mentioned that.
This post was edited on 11/26/19 at 11:46 am
Posted on 11/26/19 at 12:41 pm to prostyleoffensetime
quote:
What about Steiner? I’m seeing some Steiner’s on that cameralandny.com site that someone listed earlier that look like something I’m looking for... The GS3 3-15x56 looks enticing with the 56 mm objective for low light, a 30 mm tube and still having a reticle fit for longer shots. They also have an HX4 4-16x56 for about $100 more.
Looks like the Steiner, Meostar, Z5’s, and one of the lower end Nightforce’s may be the 4 I’ve narrowed it down to. So the next question to ask is if one of the Nightforce SHV’s or a Z5 2.4-12x50 will be better than a Steiner HX4 4-16x56 or a Meostar 3-12x56?
Thanks for the help so far, guys.
Some people love Steiner, some people hate it. I would not be afraid of trying one, if you don't like it and don't mount it then send it back. Also don't be afraid of Meopta, they do a pretty terrible job of marketing here in the US but are very good scopes.
Doug has the SHV on sale for 749, but I'm sure a phone call would get you a few dollars off of that price which may make it a steal. Nightforce is running 15% off on Black Friday with participating dealers. They are pretty strict on their MAP.
I really like my Meopta reticle a lot, and the illumination is very good even during the day. Personally, I'd buy the Tikka over the Bergara. Bergara's are nice, but their QC isn't on par with Tikka. Tikka is a lot more customize-able as well if you ever go down that road. I'll have a Tikka T3 Tac A1 here Friday. Be sure to check out gundeals on whichever firearm you choose.
If you're looking to build a compact lightweight hunting rifle, also check out the Eotech Vudu.
This post was edited on 11/26/19 at 12:43 pm
Posted on 11/26/19 at 12:42 pm to The Rodfather
With gimmicky electronic holdovers and whatnot, you are just setting yourself up for issues. I have a sig kilo 2200 rangefinder and on day 3 of my 8 day elk hunt, it stopped giving me my holdovers. Luckily I had a written out dope chart to let me keep hunting. If you rely on electronics, they will fail you eventually IMO. OP should get a reliable optic with flawless tracking (NF is my pick). That will never fail you.
Posted on 11/26/19 at 1:08 pm to prostyleoffensetime
Nice quality posts. That's a good budget to have.
Will you be walking a lot with this rifle? If weight is not a concern I would look at the T3x Varmit(.308/6.5 CM) It will be a lot more comfortable to shoot at those longer ranges.
As for scope goes check out the Trijicon Accupower
LINK
Paired with
Will you be walking a lot with this rifle? If weight is not a concern I would look at the T3x Varmit(.308/6.5 CM) It will be a lot more comfortable to shoot at those longer ranges.
As for scope goes check out the Trijicon Accupower
LINK
Paired with
quote:
Vortex Precision Matched Rings
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