Starter scopes and then some.

So, the starter rifle question has been hot and heavy.  If it were an easy decision there would not be so many people asking the question.  After we get through the "what rimfire" to buy, we get to the next question, "what scope to buy?"

First, you have to ask yourself, what do you want to shoot?  What do you intend to use the scope for?

I am not a hunter and due to that,  I don't own a darn thing that is suitable for a deer hunt.  From what I can tell you want low power and high light gathering ability for hunting.  That means a 50mm objective and power levels in the 3-9 category.  Or at least in the woods of NH. If you plan to hunt 51% of the time and shoot silhouette 49% of the time....well....this post will not be helpful because it will be somewhat silhouette centric.  But, I have been beat by folks using old Weaver 12x scopes.  More power, bigger, badder glass does not equal more animals. I've been through that rodeo.

In the game of Silhouette the key issue is REPEATABILITY!  Because you are going from chickens at 40m and then Rams at 100m and back again, you want your scope to be what we call mechanically repeatable.  Price point wallyworld scopes just don't give you that.  Next in priority is the adjustment dials for elevation and windage.  It is nice to have a scope with "clicks" or "detents" so you can count the clicks up and down.  In theory, you should be able to run the scope up 12 clicks and down 12 clicks and return to the same POI.  Lastly, it is handy to be able to affect these 12 clicks with the apposed thumb and index finger and not a screw driver on coin substitute.  Then you have optical clarity.

You can spend $75 or $2,500 on a rifle scope.  Yes, research Nightforce, Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski if you don't believe me.  We won't go there!

Here are a few brands that have a good reputation.  Leupold, Bushnell Elite series, Weaver T and KT series and Sightron.  You also can look at Tasco but only the older scopes with Japanese optics.  So, who have a slighted?  BSA, Bouch & Lomb, Redfield, and I am sure a slew of others.  It is really quite dicey as many venerable brands have turned into outsourcing companies and no longer make or control their product.

Leupold has been the historical leader in optics and mechanical performance.  Over the past five years or maybe longer they have done what so many brands have done, tried to reduce cost at the risk of sacrificing quality.  They still have a life time warranty and will fix any issue you have.  But, after a while, it's nice to not have to worry about shipping your scope back for repair.

Sightron has been on the heels of Leupold and has perhaps passed them with their "Big Sky" line.  I own both and I prefer the Leupold because it is optically cleaner, brighter.  But, I looked through a new Sightron and WOW!  My point again, who knows who makes what for whom.

Next would be the Bushnell Elite 4200 family.  They have a 6-24x scope that is optically better than the Leupold and mechanically works well.  Just be sure you get a 1/4" MOA click scope.  Bushnell and Weaver offer some in 1/8" for the benchrest market.

Then you have Weaver.  Weaver used to be made in El Paso, TX and there they developed something called MicroTrac.  Great system.  Then, like so many others, things went off shore and there are good Weavers and not so good Weavers.  I am a fan of two that I own.  The KT-15 which is no longer made but excellent mechanics.  And a rare T-24 with 1/4" clicks.  All the T-24s now are 1/8" clicks.

So, what to look for?  Weaver KT-15 is what I tell all new shooters to find.  They are on eBay.  Used guns stores, pawn shops etc etc.  Great bang for the buck.  Then, I would look at the Bushnell 6-24x.  I have seen very good deals on eBay.

Sightron has evolved from the entry level upstart to the high dollar scope.  I think they deserve strong consideration but my old Sightron and thus experience is not the same as what is on the market today.  In this one instance, the new stuff is better than the old stuff.

A word about weight.  Some scopes are heavy and can make it hard to pass the 8.5 pound rule for Hunter class.  Although Nightforce scopes are the defacto scope for F-Class, Field Target and I gather some bench shooting, they are too heavy for the silhouette game.  When doing your research it is prudent to know the total sum of your parts from a weight perspective.  Scopes can vary from 14 to 18 oz or more.

Cheers!