Favorite Optics

[Bhriindan82]

Just a general purpose thread, but what are the best scopes out there? Any tried and true brands that you'd recommend?

[W9ZEB]

For what?
Are we talking Close quarters battles? Tirijicon / Aimpoint are king here
Long Range (800+ yards) US Optics, Schmidt & Bender, Nightforce (and a few others)
General Purpose? Lots of good options here, in every price range.

[Scutter01]

I was thinking about putting a scope on my M44.

[shooter521]

I've had good luck with Burris and Bushnell for general-purpose optics in a medium price range.

[6birds]

I've been a long range shooter for a few years, when you're looking at a target at 150-500 yards, or shooting dogs for a few days straight, you cannot pay too much for good glass. Leopold has been a favorite for years, currently have 8 of them. To start out, look at a 6 power, very little money (compared to a 3-9 or 4-12), covers you from 75-250 yards, works on hunting rigs to varmint guns. Much less to go wrong with a high quality fixed power.

[phylodog]

I've got a US Optics and a Nightforce and have been very pleased with them both. I shot through an IOR a week ago and was blown away at the clarity and resolution of that scope at 1000 yards. I've got one on the way now....

[rhino]

As was mentioned, it depends on your application and your budget.

For what most normal people can afford, Leupold and Pentax probably make the best product, although few people know about Pentax for some reason.

On the top end are your German brands like Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski, etc. etc. and some US makes like Night Force. I dream of owning a Night Force scope some day.

Lots of good brands in the niche just below Leupold like Burris, the Bushnell Elite lines, Nikon, etc.

For types of scopes, low-powered variables are the best option for "general purpose." This is a lesson that was learned by 3-gun shooters 10-15 years ago, but has in the last few years been "discovered" by various military and law enforcement circles. I still remember my first message on AR-15.com several years ago in a topic about "what is the best general purpose optic for an AR." I said "low-powered variable" and of course I was roasted alive as being the village idiot since the idols of the k00l kIDz outside of the 3-gun world had not yet given such ideas their seal of approval. Things have changed.

I've had a Leupold Vari-X II 1-4X20mm on my Colt since the mid 1990s and it's still does its job well. When I used to p-p-p-practice back then, I was faster with that scope on the lowest setting (a little more than 1X) than I am with a red dot today. Then of course I had the 4X for when I was in a supported position and needed to see a little better.

Probably the best bargain on the market right now is the Millett 1-4X tactical scope. I don't know the model name, but for not much money it's a good scope.

[Scutter01]

Originally Posted by rhino

Probably the best bargain on the market right now is the Millett 1-4X tactical scope. I don't know the model name, but for not much money it's a good scope.

This one?

[Bigum1969]

Originally Posted by Scutter01

This one?

I checked out the web site and realized that the company is located less than 1 mile where I grew up in Huntington Beach. Kinda cool.

[bwframe]

Originally Posted by Scutter01

This one?

Ooooh, I like it.
If that's the one, would you choose it over a red dot? I need to make a decision in the next week or two.