Best scope under $500

Originally Posted By: water doctorA Meopta Meopro 4-12x50 would be an excellent choice...
New price will put you over your $500 limit but if you watch, you can get them slightly used for under that.

I think you'll find it to be right up there with Leupold VX3 and Zeiss Conquest in clarity and brightness... I personally would rate it higher.

Cabela's Instinct = Meopta MeoPro....
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Is get a vortex viper in 6.5-20. Great glass. I know more power and probally bigger than your wanting. But at 429 with a warranty like there's? It's money in the bank. I love mine. I've also got a 2.5-16 bushnell elite 6500 that was about that. You could look on eBay for deals. I just got a 3200 5-15 elite for 225
 
Originally Posted By: browning442Go to sponsor's specials under forums on here... Cameraland is selling some damaged box Vortex Viper HS scopes for around $300. That's a great price for outstanding scopes, and you can't beat their warranty. I would absolutely recommend that, especially since they come in the 2.5-10 power range!

I just picked up 2 of the Vortex Viper HS 2.5-10x44's on sale at Cabela's for about the same price. Took them to the range today and was very impressed. Very clear optics, positive clicks, and just seem to be a very well made piece of equipment, especially for the price.
 
Limited -2 trips- range time has me favorably impressed with the Vortex I recently bought.

I bought a Vortex Viper HST 2.5-10 / BDC reticle:

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/vortex.pl?page=vortexviperhs2-10x44

I scored a demo at $350, saved me $70. Full warranty & it looks new, can't tell it was ever touched. Note that they currently have damaged box ones with this reticle for $299.99, new they're $419.99.

It's on the grendel. My Colt has a Leupold Vari-X II 3-9x40.

Side by side at the range the Vortex was clearly superior glass. Using it I could see 22 cal bullet holes at 100 yards, with the Leupold mostly I couldn't. I could see some, if the light was just right, but using that scope I just couldn't see where I was grouping or how well.
 

I am not sure what experience has someone saying a Leupold VX-2 has better glass that a Vortex Viper, but my eyes and side by side comparison say otherwise...Clearly(pun intended). As a matter of fact, I sold my last Leupold VX-2, and have three Vortex Vipers. And the old fall back for Leupold lovers was even though the glass quality was suspect, the warranty made it worth owning less than clear glass. I had a Vortex Viper show up NIB, with the parallax adjust stuck(may have been a shipping or handling issue), and called Vortex CS. They e-mailed me an overnight shipping label, I shipped that day, and they repaired and return shipped the next day, and I had it back on the rifle the next day. Try that with Leupold... Needless to say, I am an now a steady Vortex customer.

OP, you could do worse spending your $500 on a Vortex.

Squeeze
 
KCH..
I will give you a suggestion that hasn't been made here yet..
For any glass, not just scopes..
I would suggest going to the store, especially Bass Pro, or Cabela's. I say this because these places usually have a atrium that allows natural light in the store. (key to this test) I would at the end make a note fo the price, do some shopping and if they have the better deal buy from them.

Go there late, after sun set, and usually or at least in Phoenix, the store has the scopes and bino's at one end up high. You go up and ask them to see all of the scopes everyone has suggested. Take the time to look through each of them. Then take a minute break to let your eye's adjust. Look through the next one. repeat until you are done. Put them in order as you see it, and when you are done, you will know.
I also brought my girlfriend with me. She has no clue which one is which. I would tell her to look at the Elk that is about 70yrds away, now zoom in and tell me what you see, can you tell what color the eye's are, can you see the fur that is out of place? She of course picked the Ski scope, but she said it was only slightly better than the one I bought that was $1000 less.

I did this because in the low light is when the clarity and quality really come out. (in my opinion)

I will also suggest that for a 22-250, and the possiblity of load development use, I would for a coyote gun, get something that goes from 3 or 4 to as high as is available. Like a 4-12 or more. I don't like the coyote reticle for the range.
I would also suggest a bullet drop type of reticle or a mill dot, for adjusting to the longer shots quickly. A coyote standing there staring at your stand at 300-400 yrds and one getting ready to leave can happen quickly.

Hope this helps.
 
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Originally Posted By: Stu Farishyou read it wrong. I said the Viper has superior glass.

he is talking about this post.

Originally Posted By: pahntr760

Aside from that, I'd get into a Leupold VX-3. Contrary to what has been written, the Viper line does not stand up to the VX-2 or 3. The Viper isn't bad, just not what it's been talked up to be.

i never looked throug a viper. i am going to have to check one out.
 
Gotcha. i don't have a VX-3, could be that glass compare better.

I think the VX-2 is what the Vari-X II got renamed to & that's a $300 scope, so it's in the same price range as this Vortex is. $299.99 / V-Plex reticle, compared to $299.99 / duplex for the VX-2.
 
Given that the VX-3 starts at $500, I'd put it in a different class than those in the $300 - $400 range & would expect better glass & features.
 
Originally Posted By: Stu FarishGotcha. i don't have a VX-3, could be that glass compare better.

I think the VX-2 is what the Vari-X II got renamed to & that's a $300 scope, so it's in the same price range as this Vortex is. $299.99 / V-Plex reticle, compared to $299.99 / duplex for the VX-2.


The VX-2 is what the Vari-X III got renamed as. And the VX-3 is a whole different animal.
 
The vortex mentioned is a 30mm is it a fair comparison for the 1 inch vx-2? I need to know I was seriously considering the vx-2 cds for my first turret bullet drop compensated hunting rifle (m700 17rem). I am leaning to the 3x9. This rifle is not heavy would not want to wreck the balance.
 
Originally Posted By: spotstalkshootThe vortex mentioned is a 30mm is it a fair comparison for the 1 inch vx-2? I need to know I was seriously considering the vx-2 cds for my first turret bullet drop compensated hunting rifle (m700 17rem). I am leaning to the 3x9. This rifle is not heavy would not want to wreck the balance.

The VX-2 is a great scope for the money, I've got several of them. The upgrade to the VX-3 is nice if you can swing it.

I've owned 3 vortex scopes and shot two others, there's not much there to write home about. If they were that good, I'd have a bunch those instead of these Leupolds I've got.
 
Originally Posted By: FurhunterOriginally Posted By: spotstalkshootThe vortex mentioned is a 30mm is it a fair comparison for the 1 inch vx-2? I need to know I was seriously considering the vx-2 cds for my first turret bullet drop compensated hunting rifle (m700 17rem). I am leaning to the 3x9. This rifle is not heavy would not want to wreck the balance.

The VX-2 is a great scope for the money, I've got several of them. The upgrade to the VX-3 is nice if you can swing it.

I've owned 3 vortex scopes and shot two others, there's not much there to write home about. If they were that good, I'd have a bunch those instead of these Leupolds I've got.

+1

Vortex Bino's on the other hand...I dig them over comparable Leupold Binos.
 
Originally Posted By: FurhunterI've owned 3 vortex scopes and shot two others, there's not much there to write home about. If they were that good, I'd have a bunch those instead of these Leupolds I've got.

furhunter were those the viper series?
 
Originally Posted By: spotstalkshootThe vortex mentioned is a 30mm is it a fair comparison for the 1 inch vx-2? I need to know I was seriously considering the vx-2 cds for my first turret bullet drop compensated hunting rifle (m700 17rem). I am leaning to the 3x9. This rifle is not heavy would not want to wreck the balance.

The 30mm tube gives you greater range of adjustment in windage and elevation. It's irrelevant when comparing the quality of the optics.
 
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: FurhunterI've owned 3 vortex scopes and shot two others, there's not much there to write home about. If they were that good, I'd have a bunch those instead of these Leupolds I've got.

furhunter were those the viper series?

Owned..
Viper PST 4-16 FFP
Viper PST 6-24 FFP
Razor HD 5-20 FFP

These belonged to my shootin buddy.
Viper HS 4-16
Viper HS 6-24

The viper HS and PST in 6-24 were better than the 4-16 models but still.. If you needed higher power settings the optical clarity went to the dogs on anything over about 2/3rds of their magnification range. Neither of the PST's lasted more than a week on my rifle before I moved to the Razor HD which wasn't a bad scope but when you look at scopes in the 2g price range.. It wasn't hard to top it either.

Experience tells me that they sell a great warranty with decent options built off of poor quality glass. As long as your good with that you will never have a problem but if you know what good glass looks like its a bit hard to swallow.

I'd like to note...
Another friend of mine has the little Viper PST 2.5-10 and it seems like a decent scope. I don't believe it suffers from the same clarity issues as its larger counterparts.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Originally Posted By: FurhunterOriginally Posted By: spotstalkshootThe vortex mentioned is a 30mm is it a fair comparison for the 1 inch vx-2? I need to know I was seriously considering the vx-2 cds for my first turret bullet drop compensated hunting rifle (m700 17rem). I am leaning to the 3x9. This rifle is not heavy would not want to wreck the balance.

The VX-2 is a great scope for the money, I've got several of them. The upgrade to the VX-3 is nice if you can swing it.

I've owned 3 vortex scopes and shot two others, there's not much there to write home about. If they were that good, I'd have a bunch those instead of these Leupolds I've got.

+1

Vortex Bino's on the other hand...I dig them over comparable Leupold Binos.

Leupold has really never made a decent pair of bino's. I think they are like Burris binos. You buy them and if they break, neither company will fix them. They just send you new ones. I had Burris do just that to a pair I had. They openly admitted they don't mess with them, just send out new ones. They upgraded me for 40 bucks to the next best thing.
 
No real experience with the Leupolds, but I will take my 250$ Weaver glass over my 700$ Vortex glass. Not at all impressed with the glass in the Vortex when I compare it to lesser priced Weaver stuff. As far as my experience goes I will take Weaver every time for under 500$. They may not have the flashiest features, but the glass is the best for the money to my eyes, and they track very reliably.
 
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