So myself being a student that is very low on funds I want to get the best scope I can for the money. It's going to be on top of an AR that I'm currently building. Main purpose of the scope is going to be for varmint hunting (50-250ish yards) and maybe some three gun fun in the future. So I'm thinking that puts me in the 1-4 or 2-7 power range. Now my main question would be what are the advantages of spending over 200 bucks on a scope? Up to this point in my life I've only had a lot of experience with two different scopes. A 25 dollar 4x40 BSA on top of a 22, and a 3-9x40 cheapo bushnel that came with a savage axis in 25-06. Both these scopes do what they are suppose to do quite well and I don't see how spending so much money is justified. I could see spending the money if I wanted to do some extreme range shooting or hunting in very low light situations, but for these normal conditions ( shots under 250 yards) it seems like a waste of money. So I'm asking y'all to either sell me a scope for under a hundred bucks, or explain to me why I need to save up a little longer. Thanks, Isaac
I am in love with Redfields. Wide range of offerings, great warranty and good glass. Vortex offer great things at pretty much the same price range! I wouldn't hesitate on either of these, and look for year old models to save a little more!
Image quality, repeatability of the elevation/windage clicks, and ability to withstand abuse and not lose zero. I'm not terribly familiar with a lot of $100 options, but you can buy some decent glass in the $200 range these days. The Leupold VX-I and the Redfields are really good scopes for the $$$. Also consider looking at www.samplelist.com, they sell a lot of used glass as well as scopes that were display units in stores. If you buy anything Leupold they hold the same warranty if you bought new or used. I've purchased a decent amount of used Leupold glass in the past off samplelist.com and have always been happy. You might be able to pick up a VX-II for the same amount of $$$ you would normally spend on a lower tier model of scope. It's difficult to describe differences in glass quality until you have looked through and hunted with better optics.
Go to swfa and look at the sightron closouts. They are amazing scopes, and they have some killer deals right now. The S1 is better than a Leupold VX1 or Redfield Revenge, imo and they have it for $79 right now. The S2 Big Sky (out of your price range) is absolutely awesome. I'd put it up there with Leupold VX3, and right now half the price. Not sure what all they have left, but I'd check it out. (and fwiw, I have plenty of Leupolds and Sightrons, big fan of both)
I have this scope on my AR. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/74...mm-adjustable-objective-truplex-reticle-matte I paid only 90.00 at the time. It does what you need a scope to do. Nothing fancy but not a turd. I haven't had to rezero it yet and I beat on it. You'll need extra high scope rings. Don't get the cheapest rings.
This is what a lot of people miss. The guys at the gunshop here will tell you the rings are more important than the scope. A cheap scope and good rings are way better than the opposite.
