Amen. One vendor told me the newer Bushnells are what the old Bausch & Lomb line used to be in quality & pricepoint. But, the benchmark for me remains Leupold. Anecdote:

Owned lots of Leupolds over the years. Only had to use the company once. A much-loved short-tube Vari-X III 1.75-6 on my 7-08 carbine (with 20yrs of hard use) apparently lost a tooth or two inside. (1 click windage suddenly started moving POI 3/4".) Sent them a target & the scope after talking to a guy. Counting the trip both ways the scope was only gone 10 days. Came back, gears replaced, purged/re-filled & complete post-production check; no charge of course. It's like having a Zippo on top of a rifle. They will continue to get my money.

:cool:

aw shoot, for that kind of price point, he'd be better off going for the Omen Match .300 WinMag (comes in 7mm and .338 too) or the Noreen .338 Bad News :D
http://nemoarms.com/portfolio/omen_match2/
http://www.onlylongrange.com/badnews.asp

Never shot the Bad News, but I can speak for the Omen. Tested that exact model last year and oh man, 400 movers became literary childs play. They got the young ladies (spouse, daughters, etc.) in the audience who hardly ever shot precision pull that exact feat. The muzzle brake and spring at the bolt's end made the recoil like 5.56 if not less. I'm sure folks at R37 can pitch in on the rifle's tremendous shootability...but boy, it's looooong and the ammo price... :(

7 Rem Mag is a great choice if you're elevating from 7.62.

One of my buddies I am mentoring uses a surplus Czech Mauser chambered in 7 Mag, topped with a 10X Super Sniper. We've shot it at a mile against steel E-types, and he dropped a 4X4 Utah elk this year at 354 laser-ranged yards.

My brother uses a 7mm Winchester Laredo, their spin on Remington's Sendero.

A muzzle brake can make a 7 Mag a pussycat.

It doesn't have to be expensive to be effective.

Well today I was surprised by a phone call at 0900. On the other end was a young lady telling me my New Mod 70 had arrived. I was taken back as it was supposed to take 3+ months when I ordered it from Winchester.

Well I went with the Super Grade 7mm Rem Mag. She looks great but still naked.

Arrived so quick I have not purchased a scope. Still trying to decide on the scope.........

Leopold
Super Sniper
Vortex

Just have to decide on which manufacturer and their model. Last time I purchased a scope was over 15+ years ago and boy have they changed.

Wanting to spend 500-600 for it.........:munchin

That's usually a good thing. :eek: ;)

Pat

MOO - I recommend Leopold, Vortex, and SS in that order. I own five Loopys, I've played with several Vortex, and I used to own a SS. Unfortunately, the only one that will even come close to your price point is the SS and it will NOT maximize the potential of your rifle. To do that, you're going to have to (more than) double your price point and look for "friends of the industry" deals. This is a case of you get what you pay for. Good luck.

Leupold fan here. Have bought about five of them over the years.

For what you want to spend take a look at the VX-R 3-9X 40mm.

What do you intend to use the rifle for, that would give a clearer indication.

I think you could find a Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 Riflescope for $650 locally.
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/...-1-moa-reticle

you are reading my mind with that model. I looked at that one here in town but they wanted $745 for it.

The Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40mm Adj. Obj. CDS is the one from them that I have been leaning toward.

The Super Sniper I have never used and was going of what people have said about them.

Like Peregrino noted I may have to move up my price point........

I plan on killing some steel this summer and hunting up north in the fall for either Elk or Mule Dear. Will enter the lottery for a ram but who knows if I win. I need long shot capability here in the mountains.

I tell people that I would spend at least as much as the rifle cost on the scope.

Leupold has a broad range of products that range from the inexpensive fixed powers to the Mark 8s that cost more than $3,000. To a very large degree, there are no free lunches, and you get what you paid for.

More money means more capability, though a 1,000 yard benchrest scope may not be the best for brush hunting, regardless of how much it costs. Since you plan to use it for domestic hunting, you should probably go for a mid-range scope (in both magnification and price).

The Leupolds are made in the USA. Some of the Vortex scopes are US made, and some are made in the Philippines. I like the high end Bushnells as well, which are made in the US. IOR Valdatas are nice, but very heavy and are made in Romania. I am not a fan of the Nikons, which are made in Asia. The Super Snipers are low to middling quality and are made in Asia as well. The Euro brands start around $1,000, and go up quickly.

I would recommend something in the 3-15x range (plus or minus a few power) for maximum hunting flexibility. Pick a reticle that you like and know how to use. I generally avoid objectives larger than 50mm, except on spotting scopes. The limiting light gathering factor is not really the diameter of the objective, and the larger objectives make mounting problematic, and good stock cheek welds damn near impossible. I do like larger tubes (30mm and up) for their usually significantly greater elevation adjustments. I think Leupold is the brand I would be looking for in your price range. With that, you have a scope that should weather the conditions and provide sufficient magnification for hunting (and banging steel) within the range of your rifle. You can also dial it down enough to be able to use it to scan for game or engage something at closer ranges. If you are looking for an optic for two-legged game or 1,000 yard plus shooting, my recommendations would be different.

Don't forget to get quality rings and mounts, and have them leveled and LocTited before you zero.

Hope that helps.

TR

I have a Leupold 4.5X14 with a Boone and Crockett reticle that I am going to trade off. The scope shoots better than I can, and the reticle works really well for fast target acquisition. The only thing I don't like about it is low-light shooting. It just doesn't gather light like my Zeiss.

I bet the Leupold scopes with the 50-56mm objective would be better on the light gathering issue.

FYI, local out-the-door prices:

Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 $753
Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x56 $2286

Based on those quotes (about 32% off list), I would guess that a Vortex PST 4-16x50 would go for around $600, $750+ if you want first focal plane.

That would get you game out to 6-800m I would think.

Good point.... I am going to check each out Saturday and make a decision. What ever it is, it will be made in the USA

do you have a link to where you can get the Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 for those prices? they are way more here than what you quoted..... The first focal plane looks good if I could get it for that price...