I have owned a number of leupolds and Swarovski. The new Swarovski z5i plus 2-10 is certainly a step up from the previous model. No problem shooting game at 600 yards
I have owned a number of leupolds and Swarovski. The new Swarovski z5i plus 2-10 is certainly a step up from the previous model. No problem shooting game at 600 yards
Hard to go past a vx5 for price and performance
I've got a March 2.5 - 25. And its bloody awesome.
Worth having something more reliable for 500 grams more, plastic internals for new gen Swaro turrets... better to go Kahles or NF if you have cash or Delta/Sightron/ old LOW (Japanese made) Bushnell and strap a torch on when it gets dark...
Swaro or Leupold for me out of your shortlist, had 1 March, 2.5-25, didn’t really like it. On high mag it seemed to be less clear so would crank it back to around 20x, and the eye box was really fussy for depth.
My first reaction is “what is the intended use for said rifle & scope?” Bush hunting? Open tops? Mix of both? What distance do you want to shoot ?
You mention light weight & not liking big, bulky scopes (me too). I’d add the Swaro Z5 2.4-12x50 with BT & windplex reticle to your list. Excellent optics, superb low light performance, 12x plenty for 500-600 yds. This is what I run on my 18in 284. Another alternative to consider if you want more mag is GPO 3-18x44. You get one new for that budget.
Just a back up rife so so cold end up on an old 243 or a 7mm rm Tikka .so I want to to be able to do a bit of everything. But not necessarily the best at any 1 thing like a 2.5 -12 or a 3.5 -18
I feel would cover every thing well and might not be the best at any one thing .
Leaning towards a z5 or vx5/6 at this point
Vx6 is more $$$ than the new z5+ 90% of scopes are not good on their full zoom either from clarity to eye box