When I grew up shooting, I was dirt-ass poor, so optics were pretty limited (had some Walmart-special 4x on my first .22, ended up using irons more). I'm still pretty budget-conscious, but am trying to determine which scope would best meet my needs.

The Vortex Strike Eagle seems to be a decent choice in the sub-$1000 range (clocking in at around $700).

Mostly going to be shooting within the 600 yard range (due to the range in my area not having any room beyond that), but want the capability to shoot further comfortably (using a .223 Remington 700). Eyesight isn't as good as it was in my youth (if you ever get told to take Gabapentin, don't - I went from wearing regular glasses to needing trifocals, and the rest of the side effects were no fun either), so at least 5-25x mag is ideal.

Also: Not planning on doing competition shooting. I just like to shoot longer range stuff.

I'm a bit of a broken record on the subject. I avoid stuff made in China whenever possible.

Leopold has alternatives in that price range ±.

600m? Since you're not spending your money on boxes of ammo, go leopold

I have the Strike Eagle. I bought it on a half-off sale and I am glad I paid a low price. It works fine here because we have too many trees to see beyond 200m. If I had to spend full price, I would have gone with a Leupold scope. I hear nothing but good things about them.

Wait for more opinions before making the decision. See if you can try one first.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a Leopold would be amazing, but the cost? Oof. Their FFP options in the magnification range I want are just WAY out of my budget here.. Plus, I'm a big fan of Vortex's EBR-7C reticle.

I mean, good glass is definitely going to be a huge chunk of money and will last a while, but I AM limited here Has to be something good sub-$1000.. Vortex has gotten a lot of positive reviews in my recent readings/watchings on YT.

I have the FFP Athlon in that range. It works great and was a reasonable price. Definitely on par with my vortex

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offensivename wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:18 pm I have the FFP Athlon in that range. It works great and was a reasonable price. Definitely on par with my vortex

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Which model? Argos BTR is pretty damned cheap at about $400 right now.

wfl wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 4:51 pm Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a Leopold would be amazing, but the cost? Oof. Their FFP options in the magnification range I want are just WAY out of my budget here.. Plus, I'm a big fan of Vortex's EBR-7C reticle.

I mean, good glass is definitely going to be a huge chunk of money and will last a while, but I AM limited here :) Has to be something good sub-$1000.. Vortex has gotten a lot of positive reviews in my recent readings/watchings on YT.

Before writing Leupold off, shop around. The prices listed on their website are MSRP. Meaning they are high, so that when one looks the scope up on Amazon or whatever they think they're getting a "DEAL!"

I picked up a DeltaPoint Pro a few months ago. ~$600 on the Leupold website...~$400 and change on Amazon.

Just say'n

wfl wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:37 pm

offensivename wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:18 pm I have the FFP Athlon in that range. It works great and was a reasonable price. Definitely on par with my vortex

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Which model? Argos BTR is pretty damned cheap at about $400 right now.

The one on my precision rifle is a Helos BTR 8-34.

I have a Talos on my hunting rifle, I've never managed to see a deer through it but its also a nice scope.

Higher quality glass at more moderate magnification is a better solution to the problem while keeping in price range. Lower magnification means you have to aim more carefully, which is about shooting skills not seeing.

In the $6-700 range there are a couple of premium scopes in the 3-9x range and if you can really see it all clearly, you can do better than with a hazier image at 20x. I adore my 3-9 Swarovski I got for 599.

Also if you really want high magnification for cheap, the fixed 24 and 36x Weaver T series scopes are excellent.