The Glock 19 of rifle scopes?

[LittleLebowski]

Call CS Tactical. Just do it.

[revchuck38]

I don't think that there's an answer to this question. There's just too many variables.

I see what you did there...

[okie john]

I'm a big fan of my swfa 3-9x

I just started working with one of these.


Okie John

[TOTS]

I think a Bushnell DMR 3.5-21 (original or II) has a lot to argue for being the Glock 19 line of scopes. It will do anything you need it to, robust enough to last, no unneeded bells or whistles, do-able price, basic black, and a little bit on the ugly side. Have I missed anything? Can get the Pro with HD glass (G17) for $1200 or so and the XRS (G34) in 4.5-30 for comps.

OR

As Vortex and the G19 is so ubiquitous, in alot of ways that could be applied to Vortex and the PST line.

[boing]

Some scopes have MOA on one and MRAD on the other.

Sidebar: what is the rationale for this setup?

[okie john]

Sidebar: what is the rationale for this setup?

I have no idea.


Okie John

[Chris17404]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Good insights. I did call CS Tactical yesterday, and the very helpful gentleman named Richard who pointed in some good directions. We discussed the pros/cons of SFP vs FFP and the quality tradeoffs going to FFP in my budget area. The 3 specific scopes he mentioned that I really couldn't go wrong with include:

Vortex Razor LHT 3-15x42 HSR-5i MRAD - SFP but better glass than PST
Vortex Viper PST 2 3-15x42 EBR-7C MRAD - FFP but worse glass than LHT, good eyebox
Nightforce SHV 4-14x50 F1 Mil-R - FFP good all-around scope, great glass, but more than my budget, and eyebox is tighter than others

Other scopes I have considered include:

Steiner P4Xi 4-16x56 SCR Mil - great glass and great low-light performance
Brownell's MPO 3-18x50 N-OMR - good all-around scope, yet unproven
Meopta Optika6 3-18x50 FFP MRAD - another good quality scope
SWFA SS 3.5-15x42 Mil - solid value, bombproof, good basic reticle

I do now agree that there really isn't a single "Glock 19 of scopes", since they are so tailored for individual needs and uses. But the fact that the Vortex Viper PST 2 3-15x42 seems to appear in nearly everyone's list of scopes they are considering definitely indicates it's a quality option and makes it a leading contender.

My goal is to find a scope that has good quality glass, a practical reticle that is usable at all magnification levels, and is a good all-around scope I can grow into with a proven track record. I do not currently hunt, so weight is not a concern. To that end, I'd like a scope with a low-end magnification in the 3-4x range and a high-magnification in the 14-18x range. I'm looking for an exposed elevation turret with a return to zero feature, solid and repeatable clicks, but not necessarily locking. Capped windage turret. Mil adjustments, mil reticle. Parallax adjustment is desired. Illuminated reticle is preferred.

Regarding SFP scopes, the only real downside is the fact that the reticle marks are only accurate at max magnification. So at lower powers you need to do some math. Is that a huge issue? The Vortex LHT 3-15x seems to be an easy one to do that with. At 15x, full Mil values. At 7.5x, double Mil values. At 3x, 5x Mil values. 15, 7.5, and 3 seem to be the most-likely magnifications one may use anyway. I do, however, see the value of having a FFP reticle whose hash marks are accurate at any magnification. You don't have to worry about what mag you're on, just pick the one that works for your shooting situation.

[bman940]

Love mine. It is amazingly clear and the price is exactly where I want it to be. So far in the last 2 months, 4 bobcats, 3 coyotes, and 4 pigs. All between 100-350 yards. European quality glass for a fair price, how nice!

[SkiDevil]

Hello Chris,
While the Bushnell Elite 4500 doesn't check all of your boxes it is a quality scope. I mounted the 4-16X model on a Howa .308 and after a couple hundred rounds I'm satisfied it works well, especially for the price. May be a practical option if you can track one down, because it was discontinued. Made in Japan, great and clear glass, and repeatable adjustments.

I paid $550 for mine at a box store and used a Nightforce rail to mount it. It's perfect for an all around hunting rifle and suits my needs.

For what it's worth the description of your ideal scope sounds like a Nightforce model or a European model like Schmidt and Bender, Zeiss, etc.

I own both Schmidt and Bender and Nightforce scopes, excellent products but not cheap by any means. If you decide to go high-end, definitely go to a shop and look at some different models in person.

My Glock 19 scope candidate would be a high quality fixed (yes old school) 4 power scope.

I've killed a lot of small and medium game either with a straight fixed 4 power (Leupold) or a variable scope set at 4 power.

Best of luck, buying a new scope alway gives me a head ache, it's almost as bad as getting a new computer, or phone.

https://www.natchezss.com/bushnell-e...cle-matte.html


https://gunnewsdaily.com/bushnell-elite-4500-review/

[TWR]

For me it’s the SWFA 3-9 HD. I’ve had one on my 22-250AI for a few years now and it’s just a really easy scope to use. FFP, MIL/MIL, robust and good glass. I put another one on my 6.5 CM to use at 1000 yards, it got me there but I wound up using a classic 10x from SWFA for the parallax adjustment. Hits went up a bit.

But for a do it all, rugged scope, the 3-9 is it.