best varmint scope

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dbaird

New member
What would you say is the best 500-700 yard varmint scope-not considering cost, just the very best? U.S. Optics-Schmidt & Bender- Swarovski-Nightforce-Zeiss-Leupold. Also what power for shooting 300-600 yards.


Dbaird
 
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I have Nightforce, Burris Signature & Balck Diamond 8X32X40 & Leupold 8.4X25X50 - 30mm.

The Nightforce is 42 power - great for those loooong shots.
Glass in the Burris is almost as clear as the Nightforce and clearer that the Leupold.
Mechanically the Nightforce and Leupold are better.
Leupold and Burris have a lifetime warranty.
They are all very good.
 
out of all of them i have, my 8-32 BR nightforce is superior in just about every way . only downside to the NF is it is heavy, so its not for carrying aorund alot.
 
I really dont think there is a correct answer to this question. To many variables and to many different options, that only you can know. For example, do you like mil mil type scopes or MOA scopes, do you like first focal plane scopes or first and second focal plane scopes. Mil dots, or hash marks. Will it need illumination? My point is this. All the top end scopes are going to be of high quality with great glass. What one scope works for me might not be what you need for your rifle or situation. Pick the features you need write them down, and go find the scope that has all of your requirements. Also remember you dont have to spend 2500 bucks these days to have a nice scope. Bushnell has a lot to offer for a lot less money than the scope you mentioned above. Good luck friend!! Lee
 
I just mounted a March 10-60 on a long range rifle. It just may be the ultimate varmint scope!

Comparing to Leupold, NF and Schmidt and Bender. The Schmidt and Bender has nice optics too but is much heavier.

al
 
dbaird said:
Alinwa,
How durable do you think the March scopes are? What about warrenty and repairs?
Click to expand...

Very durable.

No warranty to speak of.

No repairs AFAIK. If these break you're hosed, they have to be sawed apart.

That said, I'd own all March scopes if I had my druthers. I've got some great scopes for sale, so's I can buy Marches.

These definitely aren't for everyone.

But they are the best :)

IMO

Gonna' go shoot one now, it quit raining.

al
 
I have only mid to lower price scopes and in my opinion the Vortex Viper 6.5-20 X44 PA is tops and rivals some of the high end boutique scopes. I cannot justify buying a scope that costs as much or more than most rifles. If I were highly trained Special Forces person it might be different. I could take advantage of all the extra tech built into those scopes especially if my life were on the line. As it is I'm just a basic type shooter and the $ I save allows me to buy a heap more components to feed my favorite rifles.
 
I have Leupold, Nikon, S&B, Nightforce, and Zeiss (Conquest) among some cheaper scopes. The Zeiss Conquest for a varmint scope seems to be the ticket for my needs. I like my S&B and Nightforce but it isn't needed and is too heavy. The Conquest glass is unreal for the money.
 
I have Leupold, NF, Burris, Bushnell & one Zeiss Conquest. Best glass is Zeiss hands down, but my all-time favorite for what you asked about is the Leupold 6.5 - 20 X 40 EFR. These are tough, reliable scopes with a lot of adjustment and they are sharp, too. Have fun!
 
Has anyone here tried varminting with a thermal scope? It seems to me that a scope that detects body heat would be an advantage for varminting, particularly on moonlit nights when many critters are active. It should make detecting targets much easier. Gen III night vision scopes aren't very good for varmining. A spotlight with conventional scope is better. . Small furry critters have poor contrast in monochorme IR but having enough white light to have color vision is nearly as good as daylight. Some animal eyes are retroreflective to an IR or white light illuminator mounted with the rifle giving a good point of aim. In Arizona it's generally illegal to hunt at night at all so I don't, but I've watched the game in my area with various NV instruments.

All of my shooting is in Arizona deserts or mountains. Mirage is offten terrible on warm days. Spending more on an optical scope does nothing to improve the images over what a cheap scope like a SuperSniper or Bushnell wil do. It's not life theatening if a scope fails while varminting. Varminting is generally done with heavy rifles in relatively light calibers plus mild field conditons where scope damage is unlikely even with mid or low quality scopes. Just playing devils advocate, but I don't see much reason for a NightForce or US Optics scope for varmint hunting. They're fine if you just like to spend money and carry the extra weight.
 
i cant speak for everyone else, but i can use a lot more power with my nightforce in heavy mirage than i can with lesser scopes. its fairly important on a hot day on a dog town.
 
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