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Vermin93 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vermin93 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Need a scope
    Posted: June/22/2010 at 19:36
Hi.  I'm new to the forum.  I've been lurking here for several weeks researching scopes and I've really enjoyed all the great information and experienced opinions on this forum.  II've learned a LOT about scopes here in the past few weeks.  What a great forum.

Anyways...I need a scope for a Weatherby Vanguard Stainless in 300 Wby Mag and I'd like to get some opinions from the members here.  I junked the plastic stock that came with this rifle and replaced it with a high quality thumbhole laminate.  It looks and feels good and now I want to finish it off with some decent optics.  Primary use will be elk, moose, caribou and big deer out to 400 yds and also fun at the range. 

I'd like to keep it under $500 and I'm currently considering these scopes:

- Weaver Super Slam 2-10x42 w/ EBX reticle
- Sightron SII Big Sky 3-9x42 w/ HHR reticle
- Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 (CDS) w/ Duplex reticle
- Burris Signature Select 3-10x40 w/ Ballistic Plex reticle

I have a Bushnell 4200 3-9x40 and the Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40 that everyone raves about since it's only $399 (although I don't like the plastic turret caps).  I really like the optics in both of those scopes, but life is short and I like variety so I want something different for this rifle.  I also want to try a ballistic reticle this time (or the CDS dial on the VX-3).  I also, for reasons that don't make much sense, have no interest in Nikon scopes.  That's why I'm not considering a Monarch.

To be honest, I previously had my heart set on a Burris Euro Diamond 2.5-10x44 w/ Ballistic Plex reticle. I was prepared to spend a little more for it because I thought it sounded great and looked even better.  Then I was shocked to see it's place on the 2009 Riflescope Rating Scale.  It's ranked equally with the Burris Signature Select (so why pay $100 more for the Euro Diamond), and it's ranked below the Sightron SII Big Sky, the Leupold VX-3, and presumably lower than the Weaver Super Slam since it's equal to the lesser Weaver Grand Slam.  The riflescope scale seems to indicate that the Burris Euro Diamond and Black Diamond are just not a good value.  That's a surprising disappointment to me.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Weaver Super Slam, but nobody that I know has one.  I like the EBX reticle and from the few reviews that I've been able to find it sounds like a heckuva lot of scope for the money.

I must admit that all the talk about Vortex in this forum has me thinking that I should add the Viper to my short list.  I had never heard of them until I came to this forum.  Are they really that good? 

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

-V93



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Bitterroot Bulls View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bitterroot Bulls Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/22/2010 at 20:17
Welcome to the OT!
 
Do you have access to a store or friend with any of the models you listed.  You are correct that there is great information on the OT, but nothing replaces putting the glass you want to your eye.
 
I understand completely that you want something different, but it is hard to get past the value of the Conquest line, especially the 3-9X40.  Like you, I have one and really like it.
 
Of your list, I really like the Leupy.  The new vx-3 glass is pretty nice to my eyes.  The custom dials are handy, but realize you need to make sure it is absolutely dialed to where and when you are hunting (average elevation, average temperature, projectile ballistic coefficient, and velocity).  Same goes for the ballistic reticles. 
 
You really should check the Burris out, if you have your heart set on it, but the Burris scopes I have looked through seem a step behind their similarly priced competition, optically.  I haven't heard many complaints about Burris durability, though.
 
You gotta love the hunt for a new optic!
 
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pyro6999 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/22/2010 at 21:04
ive got a 2x7x32 viper on my .375H&H and i love it.
if you want to spend up to $500 look at a conquest.
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

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Vermin93 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vermin93 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/22/2010 at 22:29
BB - I've read a lot of comments on other sites where people talk down the Leupold.  Do you think that's because their reference point is the older VX-III and not the new VX-3?  I know some people that didn't realize that a VX-III isn't a VX-3.

pyro - I already have a Conquest.  I like it a lot, but I'm looking to try something new for this rifle. 

I just saw that SWFA sells the Sightron SII Big Sky 3-9x42 with Plex reticle for only $320.  That's $60 less than I have seen it anywhere else.  I might have to scrap the ballistic reticle idea because that price may be too good to pass up.

Then again I could get the Vortex Viper 3-9x40 with Dead-Hold BDC reticle for only $300.

Ugh....I need to think about this some more.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/22/2010 at 23:10
hmm tough call between the big sky and the viper.
They call me "Boots"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DAVE44 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/22/2010 at 23:43
I had a 3-9x42 Sightron SII Big Sky. The scope was light and yes the optics were nice...but... the eye box is VERY FINICKY. If your eye isnt lined up exactly the right distance and exactly centered each time the rifle comes up the view just blacks out. I had an earlier SII 4x32 and yes it was the same thing and I sold it also. I had a Burris Euro Diamond 1.6-6x40 with #4 lit dot reticle and that was my favorite scope to look through. Optically it wasnt quite as sharp as the Conquest but the view was very flat and easy on the eye. That scope was just solid and nice. I however did not like the reticle because it reflected too much light and the center spacing of the reticle was fairly wide. I sold it also. If I could get a Euro Diamond with an Etched Taper Plex I would love it. I am considering the new WEAVER DANGEROUS GAME SCOPE. It is in the Super Slam series. It has an etched heavy plex but it only has a 24mm objective.
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Vermin93 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vermin93 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 11:44
I just noticed that the Weaver Super Slam is anywhere from 50% to 100% heavier than similar scopes.  That's a lot of extra weight.  Why would that be?  What do they have in that thing?  Is it built like a tank for supreme durability?

Also, on the Weaver website it shows the 2-10x42 at a weight of 23oz, but on SWFA it shows it at 19oz.  I don't understand where those 4oz went?  Either way it's still relatively heavy.

Do 5x mag scopes just weigh more?


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oldtrader3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 12:02

Most "older people", myself included, Do understand the differences between the Vari XIII and the VX3 Leupold in excruciating detail.  Some of us even understand refraction index matching and coating technology.  Be careful about generalizations, particularly concerning old people, because you never know online who you are talking too.  Even face to face, it is easy to stick your foot in your mouth.

Many of the old people around here have been military barrack snipers, competitive shooters, engineers, physicists and what ever.  I don't know you or about your education. only that you have stuck your foot in it and do not seem very knowledgeable to be making such generalizations about shooters in general.
 
That aside, you may wish to seriously consider the 3-9x40 Conquest as a beginning to learn about using a good, solid performing scopes that will most likely never let you down.  BTW, the old Vari XIII has a reputation for being a very robust scope although not as optically capable as the new VX3.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BoDaggitt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 12:10
Originally posted by Oldtrader3 Oldtrader3 wrote:

Most "older people", myself included, Do understand the differences between the Vari XIII and the VX3 Leupold in excruciating detail.  Some of us even understand refraction index matching and coating technology.  Be careful about generalizations, particularly concerning old people, because you never know online who you are talking too.  Even face to face, it is easy to stick your foot in your mouth.

Many of the old people around here have been military barrack snipers, competitive shooters, engineers, physicists and what ever.  I don't know you or about your education. only that you have stuck your foot in it and do not seem very knowledgeable to be making such generalizations about shooters in general.
 
That aside, you may wish to seriously consider the 3-9x40 Conquest as a beginning to learn about using a good, solid performing scopes that will most likely never let you down.  BTW, the old Vari XIII has a reputation for being a very robust scope although not as optically capable as the new VX3.


I am not sure where you got that he was making a generalization of anyone let a lone"old people". 

Looks like you are trying to read way to much in between the lines and actually ended up sticking your own foot in your mouth to me. 
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Vermin93 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vermin93 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 12:37
Whoa - hit the brakes!  Who's talking about old people?  I'm sorry, but you misinterpreted my post.  I didn't say anything about "older people".  I referred to the "older VX-III", and the fact is that the VX-III is older than the VX-3.  I said that I know people - guys I hunt with - who did not know that the VX-3 is a new and improved version of the VX-III.  They think the VX-3 is the same old VX-III.  One of them was ripping Leupold and saying they hadn't kept up with the competition in years.  His reference point was a VX-III that he owned.  I had to explain to him that the VX-3 was new.  He did not know that.  Personally, I think Leupold should have named it something different to avoid confusion. 

You are right that I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject of optics.  I don't pretend to be.  That's why I asked for feedback from members on this forum.  I got some good feedback from some of the other guys here and I appreciate that.

Also, I have a 3-9x40 Conquest and I don't want another one.  I said that in my original post where I asked for some advice.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oldtrader3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 18:42
Sorry, Vermin, guess I misread it.  I have rather a dry sense of humor anyhow and was just teasing.  No offense intended.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 18:50
Wow.............I missed what you guys were talking about......................
 
 
 
 
     
 
 
                                                                         Shocked
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 19:01
 Ya gotta be stayin focused,Ed!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bitterroot Bulls Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 19:07
Vermin,
 
I think Leupold takes some heat on the OT and elsewhere.  I don't think many people have the Vari-X III and VX-3 lines confused on the OT.  There have been quite a few posts about them here.
 
Leupold has a lot of responsibility due to being the benchmark for so long.  I think they spent too much time, money, and effort on marketing and too little on development for quite a few years.  There is no doubt that turned off some consumers, and sent them elsewhere.
 
That said, the new VX-3 line is pretty good.  I have one and it compares nicely with my Conquest.  If it makes a difference, I didn't think the Vari-X III scopes were bad scopes, but there were better values out there.
 
Try to get a look through the scopes you are considering, and +1 on the Vortex Viper.  Check that one out.  I am currently on a bit of a Vortex binge, and they make great products.
 
Now stop picking on Oldtrader.  He might have forgot how to convert your posts to giant OLD FOLKS font.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 20:41
We are the old folks who were waiting for Leupold to finally upgrade their optics to VX3.  We used to squint through the VX-II and VX-III's until we finally gave up and went back to Weaver ( El Paso ) so we could see something at dusk................
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vermin93 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/23/2010 at 22:56
Speaking of Weaver, what do you think of their new Super Slams weighing 23+oz?  Based on the comparisons I've made, it seems like it's one of the heaviest scopes out there.  Do you think an extra 8 - 10oz makes much difference in the field?  I don't have enough experience to know whether that's a good enough reason to look elsewhere for something lighter.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oldtrader3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/24/2010 at 00:39
That's my problem!  I have squinted through my two Leupold VXII's for too long.  No wonder I need Kahles or Swarovski optics to try and cure my squint.
 
I am no long strong enough to carry both a rifle and a scope that heavy, I'd throw my back out before I ever saw a deer.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/24/2010 at 03:14
Yes.....we have to carry the scope and the rifle in two trips!!   Roll on Floor Laughing   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June/24/2010 at 06:12
Ed, just camo up a wheelbarrow and tote all your stuff in it.
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