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Here's my story on scopes for what it's worth. Years ago bought my first bolt gun it was a used win. mod. 70 in 3006. My brother had an old weaver 4 power scope laying around so i slapped it on, and sighted it in. Money was tight so I figured I would save up and buy a good scope later. I got so used to that little scope that I never changed it. My friends would show up at the hunting camp with the latest and greatest on their rifles and tell me I needed to upgrade. Well where we hunted was mostly woods ,a 100 yard shot was rare. There was a fence about 50 yards in front of our camp, sitting on the porch of the camp I would tell them to point their scope at a post and holding on that post count how many posts they could see on ether side. I would hand them my rifle and tell them to do the same. Now remember we hunted in fairly thick woods It never failed with their expensive high magnification scopes they only had 1 or 2 posts in their field of view, When they looked through mine you could count 6 or 7. When I shouldered that gun I didn't have to search for my target. That was over 45 years ago I still have that little weaver on my rifle and wouldn't change it for anything
Yup. I have Redfield Lo Pro widefields on all my rifles, Ones a fixed 4 power and another' is a 2× 7 set on 4 power. The field of view at 50 yards is wide and amazing. They can shove the new scopes with the auto range finders and BDC . All gimmicks that dont make you a better shot.
Sounds like my younger days. I always had less gun then my more fortunate pals. Before I had a scope I practiced throwing up my gun and dry firing at a spot on my bedroom wall, always seeking that perfect sight picture. When I finally got a scope, I did the same thing, but I learned to shoot with both eyes open. Believe me, practice pays even if you don't have any ammo. You can tell if you're on or not. You don't need a bullet hole except to impress your friends.
I hear ya bro, I've got a 4x Weaver scope I put on my .250 Savage in 1976. My dad bought the rifle new for me in 1971, I'm 58 now, do the math. I've shot all of my biggest game animals with that scope on top and have considered 'upgrading' a few times only to be told by my children to "leave it alone". I guess when I tip over they want to remember taking their first big game animals with the rifle and scope that I did! I've got plenty of rifles I've taken Joe's expert reviews and trials to use.
I was in Academy Sports, a kid behind the counter was telling a customer "The bigger tube and objective lets more light in......blah...blah...." I felt the need to be a jerk and became one, and I call him out. I'm not too welcome in that particular store any more. But he had minimal experience, I found out through somebody who actually knew him, he had been hunting ONCE in his life! Hope he watches this video........
Loved your motto - "I'd rather cry once when buying than cry every time I use it" - rare wisdom these days. You probably know of a similar theme by John Ruskin (8 February 1819 - 20 January 1900), the English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era who said - "Buy cheap and you will have to buy twice so it's not cheap at all" and also - "A thing is worth what it can do for you, not what you choose to pay for it". cheers Joe, Mike in the UK
Where I hunt in Saskatchewan, Canada, shots on game vary from 10 yards to as far as you can ethically shoot (often on the same day). We also have very short sunlight days in November, which means that on cloudy days in the timber it is dark by end of legal hunting hours. I went the cheap scope route for years and was always disappointed. I started spending a bit more money on scopes and it greatly added to my hunting success. After I learned to shoot competently out to 500 yards (under ideal conditions) I began buying scopes that have a broad zoom range (10 yrd to 500yrd shots) and good low light capability. My favorite scope ended up being a Steiner Predator 4 (4-16x50). I have used it for shots on game from 20 to 400 yards and some in low light conditions. It's reasonably priced and IMO has the best glass in its price point. I used to go for light weight, but have found that slightly heavier rifle/scope combos suit me better. And finally, I am 66 and find better glass just that much less straining on the eyes.
Great points on buying a scope. If you have low to mid tier glass, don't go over to your buddies badass rifle and look thru his 3K+ dollar scope, wait until you have the finances to buy one, then look through theirs, yea, its worth it. Most guys buy many low end scopes then their tastes mature, do research and get a scope that has a good record for scope tracking, it can have all the bells and whistles but if it don't track, its crap
I have an older Simmons Atec 2.8-10x44 made in the Philippines that has been one of the best scopes I have ever owned. I have taken many deer during the 20+ years of owning it and holds zero extremely well. I found out that the newer ones were made in China and used poorer quality springs than those made in the Philippines. I've had good results with my Nikon scope as well. It's been the best. 22 LR scope I have used over the years.
I got myself a Bushnell Banner II 4-12x40 for my AR10 that I've set up for deer hunting. It's been good for me so far. Has a good DoF, and I can adjust the focus so I can use it with or without my prescription glasses.
I started deer hunting later in life at about age 42 when I was stationed in AK. I picked up a nice Rem .30-06 that had a Bushnell scope on it and I was ok with it. MOA at 100 yds with Rem 180 CL PSP factory loads was acceptable groups for hunting IMO. Was out shooting with a friend at the range one day and he let me shoot his Rem .308 with a really nice Nikon scope on it, and I realized I needed better glass. Went to my gun dealer and looked at many scopes, and settled on a Leupold VX-2 3-9x40. I really wanted a Nikon but when I looked thru the VX-2 my search was over. No fancy bells & whistles, beautifully clear optics, a set & forget setup. It got me sub-MOA with the same ammo, which was a plus. Tough piece of equipment too, I was hunting in the mountains with that same friend one day & lost my footing. Rifle was slung and I rode that Leupold about 20 yards down that mountain before I got traction and was able to stop myself. Didn’t want to take a shot that day so I just enjoyed the hike. At the range a few days later the scope was still dead on. I was impressed. That was 20 years ago and I just transferred that same scope to my new (to me) Rem .243 for hunting in Alabama. The ‘06 went with its original Bushnell, the trusty Leupold stayed with me for what will hopefully be another 20 yrs. Don’t know if I’ll still be hunting at 82, but we’ll see. Excellent video, liked & subbed! 👍
I have watched this video about 10 times - I keep on coming back because I have followed this advice and bought exactly what I need and want to get another scope for a different application.
Joe’s speaking the truth on hunters not needing so much magnification for hunting! The average deer is shot at under 100yds east of the Mississippi and under 200yds to the west! A 1-4, 1-6, 2-7, or 3-9x40 will all work fine. A fixed 4x is always a good option also! Joe mentioned glass clarity and that’s the most important thing to consider when deciding on a scope, not the highest magnification or an illuminated reticle!!! Great video!
Great advice as always. I just did somthing I never would have. I bought a Vortex. A Vortex Razor LHT 3-15×50. I was worried about being happy with the choice. The scope checked all the boxes 20oz, for a 7 rem mag Fierce carbon rival at 6.5lbs. By using q lot of what I've learned from Joe over the years, I made the right choice for me.
Here's one that will ruin your confidence, the scope on the thumbnail looks like a lht :) of the not to buy... that aside im thinking of the lht or trijicon tenmile. I've had 5 others so far there is something I don't like about each one. Too heavy. Crap reticle, bleeding illum, bad glass, or a combo. I wish I could of kept the leupold it was perfect except the reticle no windage or elevation holds, that's $2k extra
I think a lot of us, acknowledge the same issues, but to have them all compiled and fired at us one after another really hits home. As always a great job on the review thanks for doing these.
I like my 6-18 on my .270 partially because you can see the shots on a 100 yard target when sighting in. Of course a spotting scope would accomplish the same thing. Thanks for sharing.
Very sound advice Joe, hell knows how much money i have spent on scopes, only to come full back circle to a 10x32, light, optics are as sharp hell, light to carry, why oh why, do we all sucked in with big is better.
I absolutely agree with that, UNLESS you know exactly what your needs are along with exactly what that particular scope provides. These were hard-learned lessons when I stopped hunting and switched to 1500+ yards target shooting. In such an application money doesn’t enter the equation...
Amen to the money question. Accurate and inexpensive rifles are everywhere. Save the majority of the budget for the best scope that you can buy. Spend a little more to get the better scope and you won't look back. I don't mind being brand loyal as long as it is earned. I know someone who only uses Leupold optics, even though other good brands are out there and Leupold is not the most expensive. But he keeps using that and has taken several deer, antelope, onyx, and big horn sheep with a simple Leupold on his .300 WM. And .25-06.
Locking turrets are very useful for long range elk hunting. But that only applies to certain hunters. Anyone east of the Mississipi isn't going to be shooting 6, 7, 800yds like we do here in Montana.
MOST shooters, or hunters aren't capable of making a 1 shot kill at 600, 700, or 800 yards, especially with the mirage & various wind currents of shooting across canyons or up & down hill. Also, regardless of caliber, the energy at those ranges has dropped dramatically & a 1 shot kill cannot be guaranteed. It's called UNETHICAL "hunting". 500 yards is a very longgggggg shot for most shooters, especially when shot placement is most important. Most shooters can't even guess close to the real range of a shot without an electronic range finder. ALL the PRS guys on the TV are given the ranges of the targets which removes the real work for hitting MOA targets at long range & they're shooting a rifle & scope combo that would have paid for a Vette or Cadilac in the late 70s! I had a guy come into the sporting goods store I worked in 30 years ago bragging about a 500 yard shot he claimed to have made. I said "Most don't have a clue what 500 yards is." He answered "Yeh. That gong at Rio Salado shooting range is a long way out." I then told him he missed the yardage by 67% because the gong was at 300 yards, NOT 500! I've never missed the 300 yard gong, even with a high powered scoped TC Contender pistol, but I've also shot a LOT over the last 60 years. I like picking "vital area size" distant objects, hitting them on the first shot, & then ranging them afterwards to see how closely I estimated the distance to be! I have scopes from 2x to 6-20x depending on the application. 1-4, & 1.5-6 on my 5.56 ARs, 2.5-10 on my 308 AR, 2-7 on my semi auto 22s with 3-9 on my precision 22s, 2x on my 44mag & 4x on my 41mag 14.5" barreled Contender pistols, 4-12 on most of my hunting rifles, & a 6-20 on my 243 Varmint rifle which rarely sees the 20x setting, but I have more magnification than the 4-12s for prairie dogs at 400 yards so I can see the little rats before the mirage gets too bad. Mirage can be much more challenging than wind here in the desert southwest!
So right about quality glass. and simplicity. I used to stalk deer professionally, and never troubled with clever turrets, zoom etc. Top grade (Sako) locking mounts, and a 6x42 Schmidt & Bender on the M695 Tikka 6.5, and an 8x56 Schmidt on the .270 M695. Never drifted, and one could see properly from one hour before dawn to one hour after sunset - our legal limits. Schmidt, Zeiss and Swarovski make gunsights. It's like turning a light on.
For me as an airgunner shooting .22 and .25 calibers both at 900 fps or a touch under and seldom shooting past 150 yards…a 4-16X44 SF or FFP with side parallax works for the bench and hunting. When hunting just turn the magnification down to 4-6 power and you should be golden if the parallax has been set at 25-30 yards on 16X …you shouldn’t have to bother your focus at all. Most shots when hunting are under 60 yards and more often even closer. Great video bud as always very useful information. Stay blessed and twisted big guy.
3 biggest things for me, adjustable focus because i got bad eye sight, clear bright glass, and rugged durability. After that there’s no real preference for magnification or objective size other than “enough” usually 4-12x40 is a good sweet spot for a range plinker and couple hundred yard hunter
Great to see you back on the optics again, Cyclops mate. Cheers from Australia. Saw a well-to-do farmer out here trying to sell back to the country gunstore out here, the ridiculously large VX6 variable that has some 34mm tube and a 45x upper magnification, it was the size of a coke bottle and he reckoned it was completely useless on the farm as an everyday gun. The shop recommended it to him and as he had a fistful of cash, he thought it would buy a better scope for that task! Now he's going to lose BIG money...
I couldn't remember what caused the depth of field issues. Very low paralex or large objective lens. Thanks for the reminder. This is the best video one can watch. You are so right with everything you say. I also will not buy a Vortex. Everyone has one and advertises everywhere. You are right. You buy sponsorship, advertising, and a lifetime warranty.
I did a lot of this, I’m on my third scope for my current hunting rifle and I’m going back to the vx3 4.5-14 that I had on my previous rifle that I sold. It’s a good scope,decent power,light and nice glass.
Love your video reviews. I have a Leupold 3-9x40mm scope on my .308 hunting rifle, Bushnell 3-9x40mm Rimfire Scopes on my .22 and my .22 wmr, and a Bushnell 3-9x40mm AR scope on my Savage MSR. All of these scopes were very reasonably priced, come with rock solid warranties, and except for the Bushnell AR scope, they are all very lightweight (1 lb.). I love these fan boys on the gun forums who look at my posts and say stupid crap like, "my scope cost more than your rifle". Well big friggin' deal. I am shooting 3/8" to 1/2" groups with all my rifles and almost never dial them up past 3x to 4x. So there. Thanks again for your very informative videos.
One of the biggest challenges for most shooters is understanding that for the most part if you are not professionally trained or a competitive shooter, every rifle in the store with a few exceptions will outperform you. The best way to get the most out of your rifle is buy good optics and practice practice practice.
I’m self taught and not a competitive shooter and I easily outshoot most rifles in the store. It’s not that hard to do. At least for me anyway. I guess I’m a natural. 😊
Yep, exactly right. My current favourite scope is my MTC Viper Pro 10x44 but in the store I came so close to spending "only" an extra £50 to get a 4-16X50. But then I reminded myself that I was actually there to buy a fixed magnification scope for woodland squirrel shooting, it's all about depth of field and brightness of image. The 10x44 is what I needed and it is superb.
@@CyclopsJoeVideos Cheers Joe, I've never been happier with a scope, it does exactly what I want it to and it does it as well as any scope I've ever used. I have a Hawke Sidewinder ffp on my other PCP and it's a great scope but the MTC just does it for me. The target is always RIGHT THERE! if you know what I mean. Another scope I'm thinking of getting is the Optisan CP 10x32 for my springer (a HW97), I'm really enjoying the simplicity of fixed magnification. Take it easy and keep up the good work.
other factors to consider (you touched on hunting vs target shooting, etc) ... the type of rifle/caliber it will be on... the scope I have on my AR-15 is a lot less powerful than the scope on my AR-10 ... the AR-15 is a battle rifle, the AR-10 is for long-range targets. You can get disconnects for the scope in case your scope is damage or you need to transition to iron quickly ... or you can install the sights on the side like some guys do (I don't like it, personally) ...
I got into long lang shooting a few years back... I took your advice on the swfa-ss and I love it.... Although i wanted the 10x I they didnt have one in stock so I went with 12x and Im glad I did.. My vision as an older man just isnt as great as it used to be... This is definitely the place to be for reviews and advice. Thanks for all that you do Joe
Just got a Leica Amplus 6. 2.5-15-56 I. It's second focal plane, duplex reticle, capped turrets, illuminated center dot with 11 settings with off in-between. In a dark room the center dot on it's lowest setting is hardly visible. Best glass these old eyes have seen through. I know there's probably a lot better out there. The warranty got my attention if you break it for what ever the reason they'll fix or replace it for 10 years, 30 years manufacturer warranty, transferable. Took my new rifle up to my Buddy's home and looking through the scoop you could easily count the fence post, gate, water bucket at 200-300 yds 45 minutes after dark. Most of the critters around here don't step out of the woods till just about sunset.
The budget thing is true!! I am building an AR15 DMR type rifle for hunting and target shooting I had $2,800 ish for everything. Upper/Lower/Scope/Mount etc. I spent $2,000 of that on my glass and mount alone. 😬 it left plenty of room for a high quality used upper receiver with 20” barrel in 6MM ARC, and a nice new lower to match.
Excellent guidance Joe, thank you. Shopping for optics is much like shopping for an automobile. Take time and do your homework or you'll end up being disappointed sitting on the side of the road.
Thank you for the video. I own several scopes already, but your review confirmed several things for me and enlightened me on several things I was clueless about. There is one point I will kind of disagree with you on and that is, buying the most scope that you can afford. I have a Vortex Razor 1-6x24 LPVO and a Vortex Strike Eagle, 1-6x24 LPVO. I paid almost six times more for the Razor than the Strike Eagle. Add to that the Razor has been back to Vortex twice for repair and it is the only scope I have ever returned for repair. I much prefer the Strike Eagle over the Razor. I personally think the glass clarity in the Strike Eagle is better than the Razor, and it is much lighter. I also prefer the Strike Eagles illumination over that of the Razor. Here is another example. I have a Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x50 and a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50. The Leupold is 4 times the cost of the Diamondback. I personally can not see enough difference in the two to make the Leupold worth the expense. Now I am not a hunter. I am a target shooter only, so that probably needs to be considered about my opinion. Like you pointed out with objective bell size and magnification. You need to think about what you need, not about what is most. Again, thank you for the video.
The absolute best magnification I've ever had was a 4-14x44 blackout optics. I sent back the 24 magnification for a parallax issue and I begged and begged for them to send another x44 and they did.
That's all pretty much true when it comes to a hunting scope but when target , bench rest or long range scopes come into play then you go for the high mag , bigger tube, zero stop etc oh and glass quality one of my scopes is a Delta Stryker HD 5-50 and that thing kicks ass
A good rule of thumb is double whatever you spent on the rifle it's going on. Another one being, as much as you can afford. It doesn't matter how much you spent on the rifle, if your scope won't hold zero, it isn't going to do you any good. And remember, long range precision shooting is very different than hunting for deer, elk, moose, etc. There is also a big difference between a $500.00 to $1.000.00 to $2,000.00+ scopes and always buy when the scope you want is on sale. Buy once, cry once. Buy cheap, buy twice.
Worst imagination advice. I have $400 scope on a $1800 rifle. Looks as good as my dad's very spendy Lueopold mark 5 and runs better. I'm an optical engineer. Compare equivalent magnifications and bells in the store and look for color bleed and clarity. It's more in the optical design than where it's made (all the glass is China anyway).
Real world example on magnification. My son and I are going bear hunting in a couple weeks, he wants to Christen his .308. Problem is it has a 3-9x40 on it, and shooting distances for these bears is 15 - 30 yards. At 15 yards, his FOV is about 5 feet, so not even enough FOV to see a full grown bear at that distance. In contrast, I have a 9.3x62 with a 1-5x24 on it. It's perfect for up-close-and-personal shooting like what we're headed into. At 15 yards, my FOV on 1X is around 15 or 20 feet. Fact is you don't need a lot of magnification to hunt. You need a lot of magnification to be able to punch holes in paper from 500 or 1000 yards. And the difference in Field of View between 3X and 1X is huge. At 100 yards, 1X will probably give you somewhere around 100-120 FOV. 3X at 100 yards is going to be around 35 feet, give or take a little. FOV reduces linearly. That 3X at 50 yards is going to have about a 17 foot FOV, and at 25 yards, about 8 or 9 foot FOV. Something with 2-10X range of magnification will cover you for 99.9% of all the hunting you will ever do. And truth be told, if you live east of I-35, 8X is probably as much as you'll ever need for medium game like deer or black bear or hogs.
When i bought my deer rifle i splurged a bit wanting to get something that id be happy to pass down to my kids one day. I wanted a good scope too so after reading a ton of reviews and shopping around i bought a large 6.5-20x50. The rifle was heavy and the magnification was too much to practically use hunting. I ended up replacing it with a 3-9. Make sure to buy the right tool for the job.
Right to the point Joe. Only comment to add is you need to know what you really need for the job. I for my part like the illuminated dot in 1-6x scopes for driven wild boars which require shots on fast moving game. For that purpose the red dot cannot be bright enough, since these drives happen in bright daylight and the 1x allows both eyes to adjust to the scene. I also find the red dot very advantageous for fast shots in comparison to my non-illuminated 1x scopes. It gives you these minor split second advantage when pigs run through narrow openings. Although I have not encountered a hunting situation at reasonable distances in which the 6x wasn't enough magnification for the task.
It’s getting so that I find it hard to buy a good hunting scope. They mostly come with all these things that you don’t need , as an older experienced hunter I agree that a decent 13 Oz 3-9x by 40 duplex ( with a nice fine Center cross) is all you need. I am amazed at the latest trend to pay $1000 extra or more for an ultra lite rifle and then pay another grand for a big cumbersome 26 Oz scope to sit up high there and ruin the balance and handling of the outfit. Great video with lots of proven facts!
As usual you do a great job and couldn't agree more..... As a general set up on all of my scopes.... I set it and forget it at 6 power...... Never fails me.
My mistake was spending 10k of a few nice glass options all in MOA. Now the shooting has progressed to me speaking in mills but stuck white what I got because every body I know thinks I'm crazy for passing 500$ on a scope
Pretty Much agree with all of it. Mostly, buy all the scope you can afford. Optics are one of those places where you really do get what you pay for. I'm an ELR groundhog hunter, with shots well beyond 1000yds being a common occurrence, so for my needs it's really high dollar stuff, and just a few brands that fit that performance envelope.
I'm your orime audience for this video. I need like 3 scopes and boy have I been confused and I'm glad I waited and am still researching. Thanks for all the insight!
I just took a hunting rifle course at Gunsite. The cadre were all amazing and every single one echoed what this guy says. Drop all the wiz bang for light weight, good glass and SIMPLE reticles. They zeroed us at 200yds, and then trained us at close and far distances out to 400 so we understood holdovers at varying distances without needing to fuss with turrets etc.
I've always wanted to try that course! 47 years ago I purchased a Leupold 12X Plex and put it on a '76 M77 Ruger 22-250. When sighted in for a 275 yards, the point of the lower plex point was spot on for 400 yards. This was my bean field ground hog and general varmint rifle. I eventually shot the barrel out after 20 years of heavy use with the hottest loads; I settled on a 50 gr bullet made by Nosler. I had a tendency to twist the rifle early in the season to I would make a 3 point adjustment in the scope L/R, and slowing move that back in the shooting season. It does have an Adjustable Objective, and I bought an elongated sun screen tube stop glare and heat waves.
My most favorite scope was the Trijicon AccuPower 4-16X50mm. I bought two but then Trijicon stopped making it. Then I made the mistake of buying an Trijicon AccuPoint 4-16X50mm scope. It has no useful illumination but has this gigantic knob on top of the eye piece that makes this $1,500 scope absolutely useless for any scope camera usage. Lesson learned.
Very good example of “Hitting the nail on the head”! Spot on mate! Great vid for new scope buyers. You just left of out it’s ok to buy a 6-24x50 34mm if it’s for a bench rig.
I enjoy the way you tell the story. It's truth and to the point with alittle humor in there. I too have the same problem as you looking in a mirror...just the right one. Thanks for all the infor.
Absolutely spot on brother! I get asked a lot of these same questions from folks looking to pick up a new scope. I kinda consider my self an optics nerd. Love trying out new optics and such. I’m gonna share the heck out of this! One you didn’t touch on was FFP vs SFP. So many folks get hung up on that especially on a hunting scope. Really not worth the extra expense for a hunting scope to get FFP unless you’re hunting mountain goat at crazy distances and need more accurate holdovers at various ranges. Majority of us hunters are the set and forget.
yes, and with modern ballistic apps and an mrad or moa tree you can easily find holdovers for certain magnifications. The FFP will save you a little time but if you memorize holdovers for your most used magnification, you’re golden. And the busy tactical reticles on FFPs are difficult to discern at lower magnifications. They make both types for a reason.
You’re the best, highly qualified to profess on this topic. I used to sell optics in another life and most novice shooters,having no knowledge of what is needed in sight type to understand where the barrel is pointed, will always go for too much power and this power will thwart good shooting in all manner unknown to the novice shooter, from parallax error to mirage confusing effects. At any rate, peep sights I find are sufficient to get best results on the 1000 Yard Military Decimal Target as Competitors often prove. Bottom-line get enough magnification to support comprehension of a consistent sight picture relative to target size and distance which is in the arena of likely scenarios, factoring in grouping capabilities. For example if a shooter can hold to 2 MOA at 1000 yards in a no-wind condition that means only enough magnification to discern a consistent sight picture on a 20 inch diameter target is needed, meaning about a 2 power scope could get the job done and a 10 power scope could make the sight alignment effort really easy. So hey, maybe the 2.5-10 is a good bet for any sort of shooting?
am loving the feedback, mine is bit different. I bought a 454 casull pistol at an auction. It had a (to be unnamed) scope on it. Took it to the range and after a few shots, the scope literally fell apart. So I made sure to get a scope made just for a large caliber pistol and it works great! Set up for 100 yards.
It’s funny when you see people shoot deer on UA-cam, they have a scope cam. They got it so zoomed in you cannot even see where the animal would run after the shot. People are dumb lol.
Haven't seen you in a while, good video, good information. When I was just new to the Airforce and buying my first hunting rifle around 1983 I bought a used 700 Remington in 280 Rem. Took all the fancy finish off it, applied some Tung Oil and free floated the barrel from the recoil lug forward. Basically it's a 7mm -06, I mounted a 4 power wide angle Redfield scope on that rifle, ran some bore cleaning compound through that baby and hand loaded 140 gr. bevel base hollow points for her. I could just cant that rifle follow the game then flip it up, fire it with both eyes open and drop anything from 50 to 300 yards point of aim. First three deer I hit were in the spine one was at a full run. Wide angle, big field and medium magnification is the juice for sure. Of course I was 22 at the time and had excellent reflexes and good eye sight. Wonderful video here thanks for sharing.
Good general principles. Obviously particular application will trump some of the criteria you’ve set (e.g. parallax to 15-25 yds is almost mandatory for NRL22, etc.) but for a general use scope what you’ve said will be perfect.
I find that illumination helps me see the small marks on the reticle (useful for target shooting, not hunting), large reticle lines are best for hunting, smaller marks for snipers.
If all you do is daylight shooting, go cheap. But if your shot happens during nautical twilight, you need the good glass that can suck in the light. Magnification is a very secondary concern.
3:36 -- there aren't that many lens-grinders out there. So what'll happen is that lenses get mass-manufactured, then graded for clarity and light-transmission, and then they get sold to different manufacturers. Predictably, NC Star and BSA are picking up the bottom-tier lenses... mid-tier scope manufacturers are getting the mid-tier stuff... and so on. To help complicate it further, companies like Bushnell offer higher-end scopes in addition to their mid-tier stuff... it might be coming from the same lens-manufacturer, but it isn't the same quality of lens. Still other companies like Nikon produce their own lenses, and without a middle-man, they used to offer a better bang-for-the-buck (maybe they still do, I don't know). But generally across all brands -- due to the lens-buying process -- *you get what you pay for.* You just can't get top quality at low prices.
Great advice, I'm a beginner so I buy what I can afford then search youtube for the specs and either hang my head in shame or get excited. It's a weird game I play with myself.
All good points. But, you can have some fun finding a "winner" in inexpensive (note I didnt say cheap) scopes. A lot like getting an inexpensive air rifle and then working it to shoot tight groups. Got a bad one? That's what in laws birthdays are for!
Pretty good advice. Common sense, not emotion should prevail. I have a great many rifles and most of them wear a 3-9X40 scope. For me and where I hunt and shoot, this is the best option. SO, the statement about buying more magnification than you need is spot on. I have higher powered scopes and only one that is illuminated, and I shoot everything from a 22LR with and old Weaver Marksman 4X scope to a Benelli Lupo Walnut in 6.5 Creedmoor with a Swarovski ZX3. Overall, pretty honest advice here.
I agree with everything he said except for the illumination. There is a couple scopes on the market that work very well in any lighting conditions. With that said, I would prefer a Heavy Duplex over illumination for hunting. Unfortunately Leupold doesn’t offer that option anymore.
I’m the opposite. It took forever to find a scope with a small enough reticle for my varmint gun. It’s a 17WSM, the dot in the center of the reticle covers 1/8 inch @ 100 yards. It has illuminated reticle, the dot is black with illumination off, but when on, and set to max brightness, it’s barely visible during bright days (but not necessary during daytime) and at night, pitch dark, it’s dimmable enough to make it barely visible and the glass is as good as my Zeiss conquest. Only it was 250.00 or so instead of a grand
Excellent video. We often want close focus for airguns (15yards will work, 10 is better) or for close in with a rimfire & CCI Quiet, that kind of thing. A 50 yard focus is pretty awful if you're trying to pop varmints around the yard at 10 to 20 yards out, especially if the magnification is more than about 2 power. Even with a 2-7x Leupold I had them refocus to 75 yards I don't like it close in. I put a funky off-brand scope (I won't even say the name) on that rifle and it's WAY better.....except it's a 1/4 pound heavier and butt ugly.
Great video. I'm by no means an expert, however, if you have reason to purchase a first focal plane scope you will definitely also want illumination. Otherwise as the crosshairs get smaller they will be harder to see. Definitely agree lower magnification is advisable for all the reasons you gave, plus, for the biggest reason, I find it much harder to hold steady as magnification is increased beyond 4X. Exception might be benchrest shooting.
You always give sound and honest advice! I really appreciate that! You turned me on to Arken scopes. I really like those scopes! I would have never tried them, if I hadn’t seen your reviews of them! Thank you!!
If you can do it have rifles based on the hunting situations. Antelope gun: Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56 Elk gun: 3-18x44 Whitetail: I have several based on the situation and terrain Coyote: again based on the situation and terrain Now you also I have that 30/06 that can do a little of all, but I chose to have the one tool for the one job.
Joe, another top notch video. Thanks. As you point out every scope is designed to meet a specific purpose, just like every gun should be purchased for a specific need. It pays to do your homework (i.e., watch your videos) and think through what the scope will be used for before you spend the money. Match the scope with the gun.
I’ve been using 3-9x40 for a long time. Hunting within 40-150 yards range, I realized that I didn’t need that 3-9, but 1.5 to 2. LM and I’m going to get one cuz the last season I screwed up a nice looking deer at close range, after the sunset which was moving too quickly that 3 power didn’t give me enough FOV to see it in time to make a shot.
I am 70 years old and have been hunting since the age of 9 and for me a well made compact and light 2x7x32-33 fits the bill. Not for everyone but it beats carrying a rifle version of the Hubbell Telescope any day.
The problem I have done and others do is getting scopes too powerful. They are heavy and have a small field of view. They are great at the range. I started with a 3x9x50. Did not like shooing at the range then went with. 4.5x14x42. And love it on paper but have gone back to 3x9x50
Guys , here is my affiliate link to Optics Force opticsforce.com/cyclops Use any coupon or discount code on the Website . It saves you money and helps support the Channel , Thanks
Here's my story on scopes for what it's worth. Years ago bought my first bolt gun it was a used win. mod. 70 in 3006. My brother had an old weaver 4 power scope laying around so i slapped it on, and sighted it in. Money was tight so I figured I would save up and buy a good scope later. I got so used to that little scope that I never changed it. My friends would show up at the hunting camp with the latest and greatest on their rifles and tell me I needed to upgrade. Well where we hunted was mostly woods ,a 100 yard shot was rare. There was a fence about 50 yards in front of our camp, sitting on the porch of the camp I would tell them to point their scope at a post and holding on that post count how many posts they could see on ether side. I would hand them my rifle and tell them to do the same. Now remember we hunted in fairly thick woods It never failed with their expensive high magnification scopes they only had 1 or 2 posts in their field of view, When they looked through mine you could count 6 or 7. When I shouldered that gun I didn't have to search for my target. That was over 45 years ago I still have that little weaver on my rifle and wouldn't change it for anything
Yup. I have Redfield Lo Pro widefields on all my rifles, Ones a fixed 4 power and another' is a 2× 7 set on 4 power. The field of view at 50 yards is wide and amazing. They can shove the new scopes with the auto range finders and BDC . All gimmicks that dont make you a better shot.
Sounds like my younger days. I always had less gun then my more fortunate pals. Before I had a scope I practiced throwing up my gun and dry firing at a spot on my bedroom wall, always seeking that perfect sight picture. When I finally got a scope, I did the same thing, but I learned to shoot with both eyes open. Believe me, practice pays even if you don't have any ammo. You can tell if you're on or not. You don't need a bullet hole except to impress your friends.
I have an old bushnell 4X on my 30-30. Early 70's model steel housing. Crystal clear. Love it, never let it go
You must be in the woods of upstate New York.
I hear ya bro, I've got a 4x Weaver scope I put on my .250 Savage in 1976. My dad bought the rifle new for me in 1971, I'm 58 now, do the math. I've shot all of my biggest game animals with that scope on top and have considered 'upgrading' a few times only to be told by my children to "leave it alone".
I guess when I tip over they want to remember taking their first big game animals with the rifle and scope that I did!
I've got plenty of rifles I've taken Joe's expert reviews and trials to use.
I was in Academy Sports, a kid behind the counter was telling a customer "The bigger tube and objective lets more light in......blah...blah...." I felt the need to be a jerk and became one, and I call him out. I'm not too welcome in that particular store any more. But he had minimal experience, I found out through somebody who actually knew him, he had been hunting ONCE in his life! Hope he watches this video........
Loved your motto - "I'd rather cry once when buying than cry every time I use it" - rare wisdom these days. You probably know of a similar theme by John Ruskin (8 February 1819 - 20 January 1900), the English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era who said - "Buy cheap and you will have to buy twice so it's not cheap at all" and also - "A thing is worth what it can do for you, not what you choose to pay for it". cheers Joe, Mike in the UK
Just a novice .22 shooter for fun but Jesus be this guy is straight to the point with simple explanation and no BS. Worth a new sub Sir from Scotland.
My fellow Texan you rock! Straightforward and honest information that makes sense.
Where I hunt in Saskatchewan, Canada, shots on game vary from 10 yards to as far as you can ethically shoot (often on the same day). We also have very short sunlight days in November, which means that on cloudy days in the timber it is dark by end of legal hunting hours. I went the cheap scope route for years and was always disappointed. I started spending a bit more money on scopes and it greatly added to my hunting success. After I learned to shoot competently out to 500 yards (under ideal conditions) I began buying scopes that have a broad zoom range (10 yrd to 500yrd shots) and good low light capability. My favorite scope ended up being a Steiner Predator 4 (4-16x50). I have used it for shots on game from 20 to 400 yards and some in low light conditions. It's reasonably priced and IMO has the best glass in its price point. I used to go for light weight, but have found that slightly heavier rifle/scope combos suit me better. And finally, I am 66 and find better glass just that much less straining on the eyes.
Great points on buying a scope. If you have low to mid tier glass, don't go over to your buddies badass rifle and look thru his 3K+ dollar scope, wait until you have the finances to buy one, then look through theirs, yea, its worth it. Most guys buy many low end scopes then their tastes mature, do research and get a scope that has a good record for scope tracking, it can have all the bells and whistles but if it don't track, its crap
I have an older Simmons Atec 2.8-10x44 made in the Philippines that has been one of the best scopes I have ever owned. I have taken many deer during the 20+ years of owning it and holds zero extremely well. I found out that the newer ones were made in China and used poorer quality springs than those made in the Philippines. I've had good results with my Nikon scope as well. It's been the best. 22 LR scope I have used over the years.
I had a first edition AETEC and I used it on 5 different guns until I traded it off with the gun it was on.
I'm getting more into long range shooting and started watching scope videos... Straight to the point, funny, and no BS.. lol.. Thank You
Your channel is so underrated. Thank you so much for your great work!
I got myself a Bushnell Banner II 4-12x40 for my AR10 that I've set up for deer hunting. It's been good for me so far. Has a good DoF, and I can adjust the focus so I can use it with or without my prescription glasses.
I started deer hunting later in life at about age 42 when I was stationed in AK. I picked up a nice Rem .30-06 that had a Bushnell scope on it and I was ok with it. MOA at 100 yds with Rem 180 CL PSP factory loads was acceptable groups for hunting IMO. Was out shooting with a friend at the range one day and he let me shoot his Rem .308 with a really nice Nikon scope on it, and I realized I needed better glass. Went to my gun dealer and looked at many scopes, and settled on a Leupold VX-2 3-9x40. I really wanted a Nikon but when I looked thru the VX-2 my search was over. No fancy bells & whistles, beautifully clear optics, a set & forget setup. It got me sub-MOA with the same ammo, which was a plus. Tough piece of equipment too, I was hunting in the mountains with that same friend one day & lost my footing. Rifle was slung and I rode that Leupold about 20 yards down that mountain before I got traction and was able to stop myself. Didn’t want to take a shot that day so I just enjoyed the hike. At the range a few days later the scope was still dead on. I was impressed. That was 20 years ago and I just transferred that same scope to my new (to me) Rem .243 for hunting in Alabama. The ‘06 went with its original Bushnell, the trusty Leupold stayed with me for what will hopefully be another 20 yrs. Don’t know if I’ll still be hunting at 82, but we’ll see.
Excellent video, liked & subbed! 👍
So I put a SigSauer Whiskey 3
2-7x32 on my.30-30 for short range hunting in thick brush and it works beautifully! Enjoy!
I have watched this video about 10 times - I keep on coming back because I have followed this advice and bought exactly what I need and want to get another scope for a different application.
Thank you for that
Joe’s speaking the truth on hunters not needing so much magnification for hunting! The average deer is shot at under 100yds east of the Mississippi and under 200yds to the west! A 1-4, 1-6, 2-7, or 3-9x40 will all work fine. A fixed 4x is always a good option also!
Joe mentioned glass clarity and that’s the most important thing to consider when deciding on a scope, not the highest magnification or an illuminated reticle!!!
Great video!
Great advice as always. I just did somthing I never would have. I bought a Vortex. A Vortex Razor LHT 3-15×50. I was worried about being happy with the choice. The scope checked all the boxes 20oz, for a 7 rem mag Fierce carbon rival at 6.5lbs. By using q lot of what I've learned from Joe over the years, I made the right choice for me.
Here's one that will ruin your confidence, the scope on the thumbnail looks like a lht :) of the not to buy... that aside im thinking of the lht or trijicon tenmile. I've had 5 others so far there is something I don't like about each one. Too heavy. Crap reticle, bleeding illum, bad glass, or a combo. I wish I could of kept the leupold it was perfect except the reticle no windage or elevation holds, that's $2k extra
I think a lot of us, acknowledge the same issues, but to have them all compiled and fired at us one after another really hits home. As always a great job on the review thanks for doing these.
Absolutely!
3-15x44 VX5-HD SFP with fire dot, works for me all the time in the woods.
I like my 6-18 on my .270 partially because you can see the shots on a 100 yard target when sighting in. Of course a spotting scope would accomplish the same thing. Thanks for sharing.
Very sound advice Joe, hell knows how much money i have spent on scopes, only to come full back circle to a 10x32, light, optics are as sharp hell, light to carry, why oh why, do we all sucked in with big is better.
I absolutely agree with that, UNLESS you know exactly what your needs are along with exactly what that particular scope provides. These were hard-learned lessons when I stopped hunting and switched to 1500+ yards target shooting. In such an application money doesn’t enter the equation...
Amen to the money question. Accurate and inexpensive rifles are everywhere. Save the majority of the budget for the best scope that you can buy. Spend a little more to get the better scope and you won't look back. I don't mind being brand loyal as long as it is earned. I know someone who only uses Leupold optics, even though other good brands are out there and Leupold is not the most expensive. But he keeps using that and has taken several deer, antelope, onyx, and big horn sheep with a simple Leupold on his .300 WM. And .25-06.
Locking turrets are very useful for long range elk hunting. But that only applies to certain hunters. Anyone east of the Mississipi isn't going to be shooting 6, 7, 800yds like we do here in Montana.
MOST shooters, or hunters aren't capable of making a 1 shot kill at 600, 700, or 800 yards, especially with the mirage & various wind currents of shooting across canyons or up & down hill. Also, regardless of caliber, the energy at those ranges has dropped dramatically & a 1 shot kill cannot be guaranteed. It's called UNETHICAL "hunting". 500 yards is a very longgggggg shot for most shooters, especially when shot placement is most important. Most shooters can't even guess close to the real range of a shot without an electronic range finder. ALL the PRS guys on the TV are given the ranges of the targets which removes the real work for hitting MOA targets at long range & they're shooting a rifle & scope combo that would have paid for a Vette or Cadilac in the late 70s! I had a guy come into the sporting goods store I worked in 30 years ago bragging about a 500 yard shot he claimed to have made. I said "Most don't have a clue what 500 yards is." He answered "Yeh. That gong at Rio Salado shooting range is a long way out." I then told him he missed the yardage by 67% because the gong was at 300 yards, NOT 500! I've never missed the 300 yard gong, even with a high powered scoped TC Contender pistol, but I've also shot a LOT over the last 60 years. I like picking "vital area size" distant objects, hitting them on the first shot, & then ranging them afterwards to see how closely I estimated the distance to be! I have scopes from 2x to 6-20x depending on the application. 1-4, & 1.5-6 on my 5.56 ARs, 2.5-10 on my 308 AR, 2-7 on my semi auto 22s with 3-9 on my precision 22s, 2x on my 44mag & 4x on my 41mag 14.5" barreled Contender pistols, 4-12 on most of my hunting rifles, & a 6-20 on my 243 Varmint rifle which rarely sees the 20x setting, but I have more magnification than the 4-12s for prairie dogs at 400 yards so I can see the little rats before the mirage gets too bad. Mirage can be much more challenging than wind here in the desert southwest!
You should start walking closer to the deer in Montana.
You've taken away my excuses for buying bells & whistles! Actually, this is much more practical. Thank you and God bless, Miles
Glad it was helpful!
So right about quality glass. and simplicity. I used to stalk deer professionally, and never troubled with clever turrets, zoom etc. Top grade (Sako) locking mounts, and a 6x42 Schmidt & Bender on the M695 Tikka 6.5, and an 8x56 Schmidt on the .270 M695. Never drifted, and one could see properly from one hour before dawn to one hour after sunset - our legal limits.
Schmidt, Zeiss and Swarovski make gunsights. It's like turning a light on.
For me as an airgunner shooting .22 and .25 calibers both at 900 fps or a touch under and seldom shooting past 150 yards…a 4-16X44 SF or FFP with side parallax works for the bench and hunting. When hunting just turn the magnification down to 4-6 power and you should be golden if the parallax has been set at 25-30 yards on 16X …you shouldn’t have to bother your focus at all. Most shots when hunting are under 60 yards and more often even closer. Great video bud as always very useful information. Stay blessed and twisted big guy.
3 biggest things for me, adjustable focus because i got bad eye sight, clear bright glass, and rugged durability. After that there’s no real preference for magnification or objective size other than “enough” usually 4-12x40 is a good sweet spot for a range plinker and couple hundred yard hunter
Thanks for sharing
I've been buying Burris scopes for years and have never been disappointed.
Great to see you back on the optics again, Cyclops mate. Cheers from Australia.
Saw a well-to-do farmer out here trying to sell back to the country gunstore out here, the ridiculously large VX6 variable that has some 34mm tube and a 45x upper magnification, it was the size of a coke bottle and he reckoned it was completely useless on the farm as an everyday gun. The shop recommended it to him and as he had a fistful of cash, he thought it would buy a better scope for that task! Now he's going to lose BIG money...
Vx-6 only goes to 4-24x?
I couldn't remember what caused the depth of field issues. Very low paralex or large objective lens. Thanks for the reminder. This is the best video one can watch. You are so right with everything you say. I also will not buy a Vortex. Everyone has one and advertises everywhere. You are right. You buy sponsorship, advertising, and a lifetime warranty.
Glad to help
I did a lot of this, I’m on my third scope for my current hunting rifle and I’m going back to the vx3 4.5-14 that I had on my previous rifle that I sold. It’s a good scope,decent power,light and nice glass.
Love your video reviews. I have a Leupold 3-9x40mm scope on my .308 hunting rifle, Bushnell 3-9x40mm Rimfire Scopes on my .22 and my .22 wmr, and a Bushnell 3-9x40mm AR scope on my Savage MSR. All of these scopes were very reasonably priced, come with rock solid warranties, and except for the Bushnell AR scope, they are all very lightweight (1 lb.). I love these fan boys on the gun forums who look at my posts and say stupid crap like, "my scope cost more than your rifle". Well big friggin' deal. I am shooting 3/8" to 1/2" groups with all my rifles and almost never dial them up past 3x to 4x. So there. Thanks again for your very informative videos.
Thank you
One of the biggest challenges for most shooters is understanding that for the most part if you are not professionally trained or a competitive shooter, every rifle in the store with a few exceptions will outperform you. The best way to get the most out of your rifle is buy good optics and practice practice practice.
Great tip
I’m self taught and not a competitive shooter and I easily outshoot most rifles in the store. It’s not that hard to do. At least for me anyway. I guess I’m a natural. 😊
exactly the guns will be more accurate then you will, buy he scope and spend time training.
@@Rubicon1776 i am guessing something else
Yep, exactly right. My current favourite scope is my MTC Viper Pro 10x44 but in the store I came so close to spending "only" an extra £50 to get a 4-16X50. But then I reminded myself that I was actually there to buy a fixed magnification scope for woodland squirrel shooting, it's all about depth of field and brightness of image. The 10x44 is what I needed and it is superb.
Now that’s a NICE SCOPE !
@@CyclopsJoeVideos Cheers Joe, I've never been happier with a scope, it does exactly what I want it to and it does it as well as any scope I've ever used. I have a Hawke Sidewinder ffp on my other PCP and it's a great scope but the MTC just does it for me. The target is always RIGHT THERE! if you know what I mean. Another scope I'm thinking of getting is the Optisan CP 10x32 for my springer (a HW97), I'm really enjoying the simplicity of fixed magnification. Take it easy and keep up the good work.
He is honest and tells it like it is. He offers excellent advice.
other factors to consider (you touched on hunting vs target shooting, etc) ... the type of rifle/caliber it will be on... the scope I have on my AR-15 is a lot less powerful than the scope on my AR-10 ... the AR-15 is a battle rifle, the AR-10 is for long-range targets. You can get disconnects for the scope in case your scope is damage or you need to transition to iron quickly ... or you can install the sights on the side like some guys do (I don't like it, personally) ...
Great tips man , thanks
I just bought a bolt gun in 223, just for target and desert shooting, now bewildered by scopes. I like the advice, thanks!
Glad it helped
Hi from U.K. I'm a proper novice, your advice has set me on the right trajectory, no pun intended! Great content! Subscribed 👍🏻
Awesome! Thank you!
I like this video! I use 6-24× for long range shooting, and 4-16x for hunting.
I got into long lang shooting a few years back... I took your advice on the swfa-ss and I love it.... Although i wanted the 10x I they didnt have one in stock so I went with 12x and Im glad I did.. My vision as an older man just isnt as great as it used to be... This is definitely the place to be for reviews and advice. Thanks for all that you do Joe
Hard to beat the swfa, I’ve got the ten and 6, the glass is way above the cost.
Just got a Leica Amplus 6. 2.5-15-56 I. It's second focal plane, duplex reticle, capped turrets, illuminated center dot with 11 settings with off in-between. In a dark room the center dot on it's lowest setting is hardly visible. Best glass these old eyes have seen through. I know there's probably a lot better out there. The warranty got my attention if you break it for what ever the reason they'll fix or replace it for 10 years, 30 years manufacturer warranty, transferable. Took my new rifle up to my Buddy's home and looking through the scoop you could easily count the fence post, gate, water bucket at 200-300 yds 45 minutes after dark. Most of the critters around here don't step out of the woods till just about sunset.
That’s an INCREDIBLE SCOPE !!!! Leica stuff is top notch in anybody who has used ones book
The budget thing is true!! I am building an AR15 DMR type rifle for hunting and target shooting I had $2,800 ish for everything. Upper/Lower/Scope/Mount etc. I spent $2,000 of that on my glass and mount alone. 😬 it left plenty of room for a high quality used upper receiver with 20” barrel in 6MM ARC, and a nice new lower to match.
Great advice. I bought too much scope for my last rifle and ended up selling it and getting a good old 3-9 40mm. Much happier.
Excellent guidance Joe, thank you. Shopping for optics is much like shopping for an automobile. Take time and do your homework or you'll end up being disappointed sitting on the side of the road.
I have a BSA 4-16 bought it in 1998 sits on my Savage 223 been using it from day one not the best scope on the market but gets the job done every time
Thank you for the video. I own several scopes already, but your review confirmed several things for me and enlightened me on several things I was clueless about. There is one point I will kind of disagree with you on and that is, buying the most scope that you can afford.
I have a Vortex Razor 1-6x24 LPVO and a Vortex Strike Eagle, 1-6x24 LPVO. I paid almost six times more for the Razor than the Strike Eagle. Add to that the Razor has been back to Vortex twice for repair and it is the only scope I have ever returned for repair. I much prefer the Strike Eagle over the Razor. I personally think the glass clarity in the Strike Eagle is better than the Razor, and it is much lighter. I also prefer the Strike Eagles illumination over that of the Razor.
Here is another example. I have a Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x50 and a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50. The Leupold is 4 times the cost of the Diamondback. I personally can not see enough difference in the two to make the Leupold worth the expense. Now I am not a hunter. I am a target shooter only, so that probably needs to be considered about my opinion. Like you pointed out with objective bell size and magnification. You need to think about what you need, not about what is most. Again, thank you for the video.
Awesome comment man , guys could learn a lot from you
@@CyclopsJoeVideos Thank you.
The absolute best magnification I've ever had was a 4-14x44 blackout optics. I sent back the 24 magnification for a parallax issue and I begged and begged for them to send another x44 and they did.
That's all pretty much true when it comes to a hunting scope but when target , bench rest or long range scopes come into play then you go for the high mag , bigger tube, zero stop etc oh and glass quality one of my scopes is a Delta Stryker HD 5-50 and that thing kicks ass
A good rule of thumb is double whatever you spent on the rifle it's going on. Another one being, as much as you can afford. It doesn't matter how much you spent on the rifle, if your scope won't hold zero, it isn't going to do you any good. And remember, long range precision shooting is very different than hunting for deer, elk, moose, etc. There is also a big difference between a $500.00 to $1.000.00 to $2,000.00+ scopes and always buy when the scope you want is on sale. Buy once, cry once. Buy cheap, buy twice.
Worst imagination advice.
I have $400 scope on a $1800 rifle. Looks as good as my dad's very spendy Lueopold mark 5 and runs better.
I'm an optical engineer. Compare equivalent magnifications and bells in the store and look for color bleed and clarity. It's more in the optical design than where it's made (all the glass is China anyway).
I like the word 😂 buy one cry one, buy cheap buy twice lol I'll commit
Outstanding video. I appreciate the detail you provided.
Real world example on magnification.
My son and I are going bear hunting in a couple weeks, he wants to Christen his .308. Problem is it has a 3-9x40 on it, and shooting distances for these bears is 15 - 30 yards. At 15 yards, his FOV is about 5 feet, so not even enough FOV to see a full grown bear at that distance. In contrast, I have a 9.3x62 with a 1-5x24 on it. It's perfect for up-close-and-personal shooting like what we're headed into. At 15 yards, my FOV on 1X is around 15 or 20 feet.
Fact is you don't need a lot of magnification to hunt. You need a lot of magnification to be able to punch holes in paper from 500 or 1000 yards.
And the difference in Field of View between 3X and 1X is huge. At 100 yards, 1X will probably give you somewhere around 100-120 FOV. 3X at 100 yards is going to be around 35 feet, give or take a little. FOV reduces linearly. That 3X at 50 yards is going to have about a 17 foot FOV, and at 25 yards, about 8 or 9 foot FOV.
Something with 2-10X range of magnification will cover you for 99.9% of all the hunting you will ever do. And truth be told, if you live east of I-35, 8X is probably as much as you'll ever need for medium game like deer or black bear or hogs.
When i bought my deer rifle i splurged a bit wanting to get something that id be happy to pass down to my kids one day. I wanted a good scope too so after reading a ton of reviews and shopping around i bought a large 6.5-20x50. The rifle was heavy and the magnification was too much to practically use hunting. I ended up replacing it with a 3-9. Make sure to buy the right tool for the job.
Right to the point Joe. Only comment to add is you need to know what you really need for the job. I for my part like the illuminated dot in 1-6x scopes for driven wild boars which require shots on fast moving game. For that purpose the red dot cannot be bright enough, since these drives happen in bright daylight and the 1x allows both eyes to adjust to the scene. I also find the red dot very advantageous for fast shots in comparison to my non-illuminated 1x scopes. It gives you these minor split second advantage when pigs run through narrow openings. Although I have not encountered a hunting situation at reasonable distances in which the 6x wasn't enough magnification for the task.
Great Commemt man , thanks for that
I like this channel and the sheer honesty . Refreshing
It’s getting so that I find it hard to buy a good hunting scope. They mostly come with all these things that you don’t need , as an older experienced hunter I agree that a decent 13 Oz 3-9x by 40 duplex ( with a nice fine Center cross) is all you need. I am amazed at the latest trend to pay $1000 extra or more for an ultra lite rifle and then pay another grand for a big cumbersome 26 Oz scope to sit up high there and ruin the balance and handling of the outfit. Great video with lots of proven facts!
As usual you do a great job and couldn't agree more..... As a general set up on all of my scopes....
I set it and forget it at
6 power...... Never fails me.
Good point Buddy
My mistake was spending 10k of a few nice glass options all in MOA.
Now the shooting has progressed to me speaking in mills but stuck white what I got because every body I know thinks I'm crazy for passing 500$ on a scope
Pretty Much agree with all of it. Mostly, buy all the scope you can afford. Optics are one of those places where you really do get what you pay for. I'm an ELR groundhog hunter, with shots well beyond 1000yds being a common occurrence, so for my needs it's really high dollar stuff, and just a few brands that fit that performance envelope.
I'm your orime audience for this video. I need like 3 scopes and boy have I been confused and I'm glad I waited and am still researching. Thanks for all the insight!
I just took a hunting rifle course at Gunsite. The cadre were all amazing and every single one echoed what this guy says. Drop all the wiz bang for light weight, good glass and SIMPLE reticles. They zeroed us at 200yds, and then trained us at close and far distances out to 400 so we understood holdovers at varying distances without needing to fuss with turrets etc.
I've always wanted to try that course! 47 years ago I purchased a Leupold 12X Plex and put it on a '76 M77 Ruger 22-250. When sighted in for a 275 yards, the point of the lower plex point was spot on for 400 yards. This was my bean field ground hog and general varmint rifle. I eventually shot the barrel out after 20 years of heavy use with the hottest loads; I settled on a 50 gr bullet made by Nosler. I had a tendency to twist the rifle early in the season to I would make a 3 point adjustment in the scope L/R, and slowing move that back in the shooting season. It does have an Adjustable Objective, and I bought an elongated sun screen tube stop glare and heat waves.
This man is a great connoisseur of optical equipment.
I'm glad you brought up tube diameter/light transmission. There's a lot of guys, including guys I really respect who think this is true
It’s a hard myth to kill
My most favorite scope was the Trijicon AccuPower 4-16X50mm. I bought two but then Trijicon stopped making it. Then I made the mistake of buying an Trijicon AccuPoint 4-16X50mm scope. It has no useful illumination but has this gigantic knob on top of the eye piece that makes this $1,500 scope absolutely useless for any scope camera usage. Lesson learned.
Very good example of “Hitting the nail on the head”!
Spot on mate! Great vid for new scope buyers.
You just left of out it’s ok to buy a 6-24x50 34mm if it’s for a bench rig.
I enjoy the way you tell the story. It's truth and to the point with alittle humor in there. I too have the same problem as you looking in a mirror...just the right one. Thanks for all the infor.
Absolutely spot on brother! I get asked a lot of these same questions from folks looking to pick up a new scope. I kinda consider my self an optics nerd. Love trying out new optics and such. I’m gonna share the heck out of this! One you didn’t touch on was FFP vs SFP. So many folks get hung up on that especially on a hunting scope. Really not worth the extra expense for a hunting scope to get FFP unless you’re hunting mountain goat at crazy distances and need more accurate holdovers at various ranges. Majority of us hunters are the set and forget.
yes, and with modern ballistic apps and an mrad or moa tree you can easily find holdovers for certain magnifications. The FFP will save you a little time but if you memorize holdovers for your most used magnification, you’re golden. And the busy tactical reticles on FFPs are difficult to discern at lower magnifications. They make both types for a reason.
I agree 100%!
I have Leupolds, Nikons, Burris, Vortex and Sig Sauer's. All good scopes!
You’re the best, highly qualified to profess on this topic. I used to sell optics in another life and most novice shooters,having no knowledge of what is needed in sight type to understand where the barrel is pointed, will always go for too much power and this power will thwart good shooting in all manner unknown to the novice shooter, from parallax error to mirage confusing effects. At any rate, peep sights I find are sufficient to get best results on the 1000 Yard Military Decimal Target as Competitors often prove. Bottom-line get enough magnification to support comprehension of a consistent sight picture relative to target size and distance which is in the arena of likely scenarios, factoring in grouping capabilities. For example if a shooter can hold to 2 MOA at 1000 yards in a no-wind condition that means only enough magnification to discern a consistent sight picture on a 20 inch diameter target is needed, meaning about a 2 power scope could get the job done and a 10 power scope could make the sight alignment effort really easy. So hey, maybe the 2.5-10 is a good bet for any sort of shooting?
Great comment man . Thanks for taking the time
You r exactly right got 3 scopes that light up never use it hunting or haven't yet
am loving the feedback, mine is bit different. I bought a 454 casull pistol at an auction. It had a (to be unnamed) scope on it. Took it to the range and after a few shots, the scope literally fell apart. So I made sure to get a scope made just for a large caliber pistol and it works great! Set up for 100 yards.
FOV is far important in a scope than magnification in about 95 percent of hunting applications.
It’s funny when you see people shoot deer on UA-cam, they have a scope cam. They got it so zoomed in you cannot even see where the animal would run after the shot. People are dumb lol.
@@nebraskaman8247😂😂😂😂😂
Nightforce NX8 1-8x24 on my Blackout, NX8 4-32x50 on my .308, and a 4-16x42 ATACR on my '06. Never had a problem since I switched to NF
Haven't seen you in a while, good video, good information. When I was just new to the Airforce and buying my first hunting rifle around 1983 I bought a used 700 Remington in 280 Rem. Took all the fancy finish off it, applied some Tung Oil and free floated the barrel from the recoil lug forward. Basically it's a 7mm -06, I mounted a 4 power wide angle Redfield scope on that rifle, ran some bore cleaning compound through that baby and hand loaded 140 gr. bevel base hollow points for her. I could just cant that rifle follow the game then flip it up, fire it with both eyes open and drop anything from 50 to 300 yards point of aim. First three deer I hit were in the spine one was at a full run. Wide angle, big field and medium magnification is the juice for sure. Of course I was 22 at the time and had excellent reflexes and good eye sight. Wonderful video here thanks for sharing.
Good general principles. Obviously particular application will trump some of the criteria you’ve set (e.g. parallax to 15-25 yds is almost mandatory for NRL22, etc.) but for a general use scope what you’ve said will be perfect.
I find that illumination helps me see the small marks on the reticle (useful for target shooting, not hunting), large reticle lines are best for hunting, smaller marks for snipers.
Excellent, straightforward video. You cleared up a lot of questions I had deciding on my first scope.
If all you do is daylight shooting, go cheap. But if your shot happens during nautical twilight, you need the good glass that can suck in the light. Magnification is a very secondary concern.
3:36 -- there aren't that many lens-grinders out there. So what'll happen is that lenses get mass-manufactured, then graded for clarity and light-transmission, and then they get sold to different manufacturers. Predictably, NC Star and BSA are picking up the bottom-tier lenses... mid-tier scope manufacturers are getting the mid-tier stuff... and so on. To help complicate it further, companies like Bushnell offer higher-end scopes in addition to their mid-tier stuff... it might be coming from the same lens-manufacturer, but it isn't the same quality of lens. Still other companies like Nikon produce their own lenses, and without a middle-man, they used to offer a better bang-for-the-buck (maybe they still do, I don't know).
But generally across all brands -- due to the lens-buying process -- *you get what you pay for.* You just can't get top quality at low prices.
Great advice, I'm a beginner so I buy what I can afford then search youtube for the specs and either hang my head in shame or get excited. It's a weird game I play with myself.
Glad to help!
All good points. But, you can have some fun finding a "winner" in inexpensive (note I didnt say cheap) scopes. A lot like getting an inexpensive air rifle and then working it to shoot tight groups. Got a bad one? That's what in laws birthdays are for!
I love my Buick Buick LaCrosse 2006. My first car was an 82 Buick regal two-door sports sedan. There's probably been others in between
Pretty good advice. Common sense, not emotion should prevail. I have a great many rifles and most of them wear a 3-9X40 scope. For me and where I hunt and shoot, this is the best option. SO, the statement about buying more magnification than you need is spot on. I have higher powered scopes and only one that is illuminated, and I shoot everything from a 22LR with and old Weaver Marksman 4X scope to a Benelli Lupo Walnut in 6.5 Creedmoor with a Swarovski ZX3. Overall, pretty honest advice here.
Guilty to nearly ALL of the above! 😄 Started using prismatic scopes recently...great hunting option.
I agree with everything he said except for the illumination. There is a couple scopes on the market that work very well in any lighting conditions. With that said, I would prefer a Heavy Duplex over illumination for hunting. Unfortunately Leupold doesn’t offer that option anymore.
I’m the opposite. It took forever to find a scope with a small enough reticle for my varmint gun. It’s a 17WSM, the dot in the center of the reticle covers 1/8 inch @ 100 yards. It has illuminated reticle, the dot is black with illumination off, but when on, and set to max brightness, it’s barely visible during bright days (but not necessary during daytime) and at night, pitch dark, it’s dimmable enough to make it barely visible and the glass is as good as my Zeiss conquest. Only it was 250.00 or so instead of a grand
Excellent video. We often want close focus for airguns (15yards will work, 10 is better) or for close in with a rimfire & CCI Quiet, that kind of thing. A 50 yard focus is pretty awful if you're trying to pop varmints around the yard at 10 to 20 yards out, especially if the magnification is more than about 2 power. Even with a 2-7x Leupold I had them refocus to 75 yards I don't like it close in. I put a funky off-brand scope (I won't even say the name) on that rifle and it's WAY better.....except it's a 1/4 pound heavier and butt ugly.
Great video.
I'm by no means an expert, however, if you have reason to purchase a first focal plane scope you will definitely also want illumination. Otherwise as the crosshairs get smaller they will be harder to see.
Definitely agree lower magnification is advisable for all the reasons you gave, plus, for the biggest reason, I find it much harder to hold steady as magnification is increased beyond 4X. Exception might be benchrest shooting.
You always give sound and honest advice! I really appreciate that! You turned me on to Arken scopes. I really like those scopes! I would have never tried them, if I hadn’t seen your reviews of them! Thank you!!
Funny stuff. Someday I'll buy a scope for my ar15, I'll have to check some of your other vids first
Great advice of course, but Joe's also just fun to listen to
If you can do it have rifles based on the hunting situations.
Antelope gun: Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56
Elk gun: 3-18x44
Whitetail: I have several based on the situation and terrain
Coyote: again based on the situation and terrain
Now you also I have that 30/06 that can do a little of all, but I chose to have the one tool for the one job.
Great video Joe! Just wished I found it earlier as I can say I'm guilty for about everything you've mentioned in this video.
Joe, another top notch video. Thanks. As you point out every scope is designed to meet a specific purpose, just like every gun should be purchased for a specific need. It pays to do your homework (i.e., watch your videos) and think through what the scope will be used for before you spend the money. Match the scope with the gun.
Lol..i buy my guns for my need of every weapon i can get my hands on..
This is great for hunting scopes, for E/LR, target shooting etc, you need those features like a huge objective n high magnification
I love the way you speak. Not afraid to use foul language!!!!!! Thank You Jim Fisher
Just being me
I’ve been using 3-9x40 for a long time. Hunting within 40-150 yards range, I realized that I didn’t need that 3-9, but 1.5 to 2. LM and I’m going to get one cuz the last season I screwed up a nice looking deer at close range, after the sunset which was moving too quickly that 3 power didn’t give me enough FOV to see it in time to make a shot.
I am 70 years old and have been hunting since the age of 9 and for me a well made compact and light 2x7x32-33 fits the bill. Not for everyone but it beats carrying a rifle version of the Hubbell Telescope any day.
I agree 100%
Your reviews are as informative as they are entertaining. Great sound advise.
The problem I have done and others do is getting scopes too powerful. They are heavy and have a small field of view. They are great at the range. I started with a 3x9x50. Did not like shooing at the range then went with. 4.5x14x42. And love it on paper but have gone back to 3x9x50
Hunted alot when I was young my hunting rifles all had fixed 6 power scopes on them..
I have a fixed 6 on my deer rifle