Thread: Scope musings

Hey folks. Here's another 'help with scopes' post

The goal here is to settle on something which I can use primarily on a hunting rifle in the North Island. This'll likely be a Tikka T3x or Bergara B14 Extreme Hunter in 7mm08 or .308 (that's another debacle).
I do intend to shoot longer range with it now and then at club days (600yds, maybe more), and have aspirations to do South Island trips in the future when time allows.

This is pretty much the shortlist at the moment.

From reading here on the forums the general impression I get is go with Leupold or Swarovski but I enjoy the process and want to look at all my options.
Please feel free to chip in and provide any insight or experience you may have.

Regarding the Nightforce, the NZ prices are absolutely mental. I could get the NXS 2.5-10 for almost half in Aus for example.

These look good and 2.5x https://www.nzammo.co.nz/product/272...-5-15x44i-moai

Vx5 and z5 would be my top picks on that list I’d avoid leica at all cost due to their useless nz agents

Originally Posted by matto1234

These look good and 2.5x https://www.nzammo.co.nz/product/272...-5-15x44i-moai

Almost forgot about GPO. Haven't had one in hand yet so I'll see if I can find one to take a look at.

Always an interesting discussion point and much more useful than "270 is the best" sort of threads.

On your list I've had the Z5 and VX5 . . . . Both sold off, wouldn't bother with a Z5 again, to "delicate", might entertain a VX5 again.

I do have an Optika6 3-18 and really like it, but it's not on a "high country" rifle, I'd prefer something lighter.

For your purpose you only need a 1" tube, that helps a lot with weight and will easily dial to sane hunting distances including 600M (if you must, why people bother is beyond me).

And 1" tubes with the best contemporary glass are just not on the radar of most manufacturers, fashion has not served us well.

Originally Posted by Kelton

Vx5 and z5 would be my top picks on that list I’d avoid leica at all cost due to their useless nz agents

Good to know about the Leica. Highlights a good point of trying to get something that's well supported here.

Originally Posted by Tentman

Always an interesting discussion point and much more useful than "270 is the best" sort of threads.

On your list I've had the Z5 and VX5 . . . . Both sold off, wouldn't bother with a Z5 again, to "delicate", might entertain a VX5 again.

I do have an Optika6 3-18 and really like it, but it's not on a "high country" rifle, I'd prefer something lighter.

For your purpose you only need a 1" tube, that helps a lot with weight and will easily dial to sane hunting distances including 600M (if you must, why people bother is beyond me).

And 1" tubes with the best contemporary glass are just not on the radar of most manufacturers, fashion has not served us well.

The delicate comment about the Swarovski is something I've seen before, so that seems worth taking into account. Counter that with Nightforce apparently being on the other end of the scale and tough as. I have not held an NF in hand though. The Meopta seems like a solid contender though it's quite heavy and if the gun doesn't weigh much itself (likely under 3kg) that might be an issue.
On the 600+ shots - yeah that's not something I think I need to be doing for animals. The range, yes.

Any of the top 4 would be my choice. I own 3 of the top 4 (Swaro is a 2.4-12x) and I like all of them. All have their pros and cons.

They are all very different scopes.
I have owned the swaro, ziess, leupold, lieca, 2 of the NF
I would own another NX8. I only sold my one to give the Schmidt and bender meta 3-18x42 a try which is awesome.
The nxs 2.5-10x42 I currently own and that will always have a place on one of my shooters.

Given the price range you are looking over add in the Burris Veracity or even the Veracity PH lines in as well.

Just something to note you may find yourself compromised if you want 1 scope to cover both islands.
Shooting big game to 3-400 mtrs is one thing but moveing to 600??

NorthIsland hunting you will typically want a very black crisp and coarser retical (Iluminated ???) that is easier to see in a hurry and with poor light, ie a variant of the German #4 with 3 heavy or tapering legs leading you into a fine cross hair or red dot.
While Tops hunting down south in good daylight you may want a finer retical with more precision, but they can be harder to locate in poor lightg bush hunting situations. ie a more standard duplex or BDC/Mil dot type setup.
Z

Not sure what this North Island/South Island thing is all about. Anyone who has ever hunted the Kaimanawa tops or Tongariro know all about long range. Or slips in the Ruahines or Ahimanawas. Or the Kawekas. Equally South Westland can be bayonet range. For that matter anywhere you can hunt in the bush is like that, and the South Island has a lot of that.

Given your likely rifle choice - 708 or 308, then 500yds is realistic max hunting range imo. Some might argue 400. Anyhooo a 10x, 12x or 15x will do the job. So definitely include the Swaro Z5 2.4-12x50 & also GPO, Athlon & Element Helix 2-16x50 are definitely worth considering. Swaros - I have owned a couple of Z3s and still own 2 Z5s -the 2.4-12x50 and 3.5-18x44. Never had any issues with any of them, but I look after my gear pretty carefully.

I've been looking at scopes for a similar use case.

Vortex released a new Viper model that I think I'll get.
https://broncos.co.nz/optics-and-sig...sfp-vmr-3-mrad

I have a VX-5HD on my rifle and love it (3 x 15 x 44 duplex side focus)
Spent a lot of time at the range and got my CDS done and it's a game changer, don't even have to think about it, just range dial & squeeze.

I see you have included weights etc... The VX-5HD is relatively heavy, if i were to do another rifle and was conscious of scope weight i'd go for the VX-3HD
Probably the 4.5 x 14 x 40 would be my pick.

One con on mine is the parallax dial on the LH side of the scope seems to move with the slightest of touches which is a bit annoying but something i'm used to now, mine does it and a mates doesn't so its a bit random...... Have heard others have had the same issue & I talked to Leupold in the U.S and theres no adjustment to tighten or anything so it's just a quirk of some of them.

When I went through all of this the last time round, I focused on what the most desirable feature was that I couldn’t do without. After having a VX3i suffer from a wandering point of impact, for me reliability was what I was after.

Instantly that puts you into another weight (and generally cost) bracket- there’s no free lunches here. I ended up with a Maven RS1.2 and love it. Before that I was using the 2.5-10 NXS and that was great, only sold it to go to the FFP Maven. It’s heavy at about 750g, but you could hammer in nails with it.

If light weight is your priority, then the Z5 is a good option. However, like everything in life there’s a compromise to be made…. It may not be as reliable as other options. The Duley crew love them, and I’ve seen Greg state that their reliability isn’t in question, but we’ve also seen the show where they missed an animal due to a bent Swaro…..

There’s no right or wrong here, just what’s right for you.