Great suggestions….

603 is correct. I’m looking for a light weight hunting optic. Not interested in PRS or Long Range

Here’s my criteria:
Under 16oz, prefer closer to 12-13
9x magnification is OK, maybe a little more
Made in USA preferred - Leupold is US made, Trijicon US assembled. Others in my price range mostly imports.
Budget $500-$1000
Interested in dial up capability, hence the question on turret mechanics. New Leupold VX-3HD with custom dial felt imprecise in the adjustment
Ability to reliably hold zero with hunting use.

While talking with Bill Wilson at the NRA annual meeting in Dallas, he had his NULA rifles sporting Trijicon Accupoint.
I’m leaning that way for now. Those fit the bill on weight, adjustments, US assembled.

Thanks for all the suggestions

Kris
Cajun in Texas

If you are gonna hunt pigs, be sure to get a useable illuminated reticle. I’m pretty sure Trijicon offers that.

When I say ‘useable’, the illumination needs to be such that you can dial it down to very dim. What I like about the VX5HD illumination is the Firedot. Just a red dot that can be dialed down to where you can barely see it. Not a busy thing at all. Just that tiny red dot on a black hog.

IMO it's hard to beat a trijicon accupoint for hunting. I much prefer it over the vx5hd(owned 3 of them). I have 3 of the accupoints with the standard duplex green dot for hunting and they just work for my eyes and needs.

That’s what I use on my 22 Hornet for varmint hunting. Green dot is easy to see even with a red light.

"Not PRS or Long Range"

"Interested in dial up capability"

Ok, so what do you need the scope for? Dialing up for up to a 500 yard shot? Doesn't matter if you're in a rifle match, practicing on the rifle range, dialing elevation for an animal. A proper functioning scope either works or it doesn't.

You've been given feedback on brands that work, and brands that don't work..

The Trijicon Credo 3-9x40 with a Mil Square reticle is a favorite of mine. 17 oz, capped turrets, illumination. Looks good on a classic rifle. I have one on my Kimber 84M in 257 Roberts and one on my chopped 6.8 bolt action. I doubt I would ever dial for a shot with capped turrets , but I would use the reticle for a hold over if needed.

I don’t think the lighter Trijicons with capped turrets are the best for cranking turrets for a shot. They are not built for that.

JMO. Below has a good reticle for taking longer shots.

https://www.eurooptic.com/Trijicon-...1-in-Matte-Black-Riflescope-2900042.aspx

That is one really nifty looking rifle.

I use Swfa 3-9 scopes on both of my kimber 84L’s. However, like a previous poster said they are always on back order. Second place for me would probably be the Swfa 6x or 10x. Heavier scopes that are also good include the bushnell Lrhs that are no longer made and I hear good things about the new maven scope, rs1.2. Anything Nightforce will track and hold zero, maybe look at the shv line. I had always been a leupold user until about 7-8 years ago and finally got tired of sending scopes in for warranty work. I tend to find that the folks that say they don’t have issues with leupold and vortex don’t shoot enough to know their scopes have failed.

ABSOLUTELY!!!

The same goes for those that say they've never had an ejector spring fail in a Savage bolt. They probably have not put enough rounds through that rifle for it to fail yet.

You've been reading too many "expert" opinions over on Rokslide apparently.

Like others have posted here, I used to be a "Leupold man", but in recent years the quality has gone way down. None of the newer Leupold scopes I've tried will move POI a consistent amount per click or repeat. Once zeroed, they do seem to hold zero though. The last Leupolds that I was happy with were VX 2s and I'm really pissed at Leupold for discontinuing the 9.5oz VX2 Ultralight 3-9x33, these were GREAT hunting scopes for lightweight rifles !!!

I've pretty much moved on to Trijicon Accupoints and Swarovski Z3s for quality lightweight scopes. But, I have to admit, I've got several Burris Fullfield II and Droptine scopes made in the Philippines that I've have zero issues with and the 3-9x40s are still available from Amazon and Natchez for under $160. The new production Burris Fullfields are made in CHINA, so are a NO GO for me.

I've shot with about 12 Leupolds in the last 12 months. Not a one of them tracked properly. I saw at 100 yard paper, and I saw it on every piece of steep from 200 to 800 yards. The last one to fail to perform correctly was ten days ago.

That's great. I've probably killed 200 big game animals with Leupold's alone, never an issue. Over 60 of those in Africa, getting the crap beat out of it from the airline handling gorillas, and in the back of a landcruiser with more beatings. Neve wiggled. Some have problems, some don't like every other brand, some more than others for sure. 95%+ of big game animals killed every year are under 300 yards so most of this LR obsession and high BC bullet obsession is moot anyway, and yes, I enjoy shooting LR alot.

I wonder what percent of shooters/hunters do not have a rifle setup along with the needed skills to actually see small shifts and understand what is happening?

Probably the same number that aren't talented enough to discern shooter error/quality of ammo/scope mounting/environmentals/parallax from perceived scope zero shifting.

It is not moot at my place. I stay quite busy with it, actually.

As has been discussed many times before. Things are changing. Some people want the ability to reach out farther than they have before. Those that wish to do so, will have much less frustration by using equipment that works properly. I get the opportunity to use many different brands of optics, rifles, and loading components. I just call em like I see em.

<10%

It's moot 95%+ of the time in big/medium game hunting was the point. What you do at your place is irrelevant to that fact.

Leupoldd VX5 HD is on my two primary hunting rifles. I have dialed them to kills at 330, 370, 550 yards on coyotes in the last year, 15-20 shots on 8” steel at 300, 400 and 500 yards, easy shots on deer under 200 yards, more hogs than I can count…… one has been doing it for 7 years. I’ve dialed as many times as 7-8 for different ranges over about 45 shots in a few hours, always back to perfect zero. There’s a reason every time I’m around a bunch of hunters LEUPOLD is 1/2 of all the scopes in the group.

Any one want a good deal on a vx5HD 3-15x44 firedot…. W/alumin caps. Greatest scope in the world, infallible there for incapable of fallacy with abilities to dial across international boarders. AT&T even called to see if they could learn how to reach out and touch something…..

Would even consider shipping

All BS aside, this is possibly the best low light hunting scope that I’ve used. Good quality glass and the firedot make it excellent for pigs after legal light. Unfortunately after a bad experience with a Mk 5 I quit using anything with that name on it for dialing. That’s my limited experience, but it’s too damn much money for it to be wandering around. It wasn’t even consistently wrong, which I could have dealt with.

Thats funny, regardless which side youre on.

From the very first post.

"Have you noticed a decline in the quality of reticle adjustment dials in Leupold in the current line up?"

The man is asking about turret function on Leupold scopes. What I'm doing at my place is testing things. Which is exactly what the O.P. started this thread about. Turret controls do not only apply to shooting distance. They apply to getting a scope zeroed on paper.

Funny, when I guided 160+ hunters for aoudad, mule deer, whitey's and antelope 90% of them had a Leupold scope of some sort and Swaro binos. These were guys that could buy whatever, whenever they wanted and hunt all over the world. Never had one lose zero or go bonkers on a hunt. Have some fun with it though, while you're testing and mounting scopes I'll be killing game.

FWIW, I haven't bought one in a while, as I like to try new stuff and prove to myself what works and what doesn't and do so shooting targets and such at longer ranges. In spite of internet folklore, that successfully includes LRHSi, Arken, and a couple of Athlons lately.

And I've got clients that too can buy anything they want. Of late was a Doctor I've done lots of work for. He was fed up with Leupold letting him down, and went to NF NX8.


My freezer is always full of wild meat that I killed. I ate it for supper last night, and breakfast this morning.

That has nothing to do with the fact that I can give out experience across lots of brands of rifles, rifle scopes, and loading components. This is not a part time job anymore.

Gotta go shoot a riflefkr load development now...