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On my hunting rifles, I use Leupolds. I have never been let down even by the vx1 series. I prefer the vx3 and higher, and use those now.
I like the Bushnell elite series, Japan glass, and haven't been let down. I use them on bench guns mainly and they seem to hold up well.
Never found a Vortex I liked, but never tried the Razor series. I have some Viper binos though, and they are excellent.
I like Sightron but have had a failure in a windage adjustment knob. Warranty was quick and easy.
Nightforce are tanks and clear glass. Even the SHV series is excellent and competitively priced.
Im not a fan of any lower end European glass but over the $800 mark, I think they are clear.. just not my thing.

Its best to try out some different glass at the same time, if you have buddies or are at a shop, etc. Its great to be able to compare views, turret quality, zoom rings, etc.
 
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I just picked up a Sightron S-Tac 4-20x50 MOA-2 and it seems like a real bargain. Not fancy, but really good glass. Kind of the opposite of Vortex which have pretty poor glass but lots of useless "features" lol.
 
See l have vortex viper and I have had know problems at low light with them I have a leopold and there good too all for hunting I'm going to try nightforce for target shooting
 
for whatever reason, ive always gravitated towards bushnell scopes. Ive got a 1-6.5 FFP elite tactical and a 6-24 FFP elite tactical and both have been top notch optics. I also got cheap Trophy XLT scopes on some rim fires and they have never given me trouble either. So yeah, from my experience, Bushnell is my choice
 
for whatever reason, ive always gravitated towards bushnell scopes. Ive got a 1-6.5 FFP elite tactical and a 6-24 FFP elite tactical and both have been top notch optics. I also got cheap Trophy XLT scopes on some rim fires and they have never given me trouble either. So yeah, from my experience, Bushnell is my choice

That's awesome I have had nothing but problems with bushnell I will never buy anything they make ever again
 
Leupold. Easy to add different turrets or dials, change reticles, easy to service. They function perfect and personally look the best on my rifles
 
See l have vortex viper and I have had know problems at low light with them I have a leopold and there good too all for hunting I'm going to try nightforce for target shooting

I ran a Viper HS (4-16x44) for years on my .223, loved that scope. Then I tried a Sightron SIII. It's funny how fast your perspective can change. My budget is relatively tight for most things~guns/scopes included, but since (at the time) I only had one centerfire rifle I used for varmint work, scraped together enough to put an SIII on that .223 and I haven't regretted that move one bit. It's a 6-24X, MOA-2 reticle. Other varmint guns have come and gone, and with them I've tried other scopes. Nicest was a Leupold VX-3 with the VH reticle but I'll be honest, I think the Sightron SIII has nicer/brighter glass.

Now, with mostly rimfires and an even smaller varmint caliber (17 Hornet) I sort of feel like I can get away with "lesser" scopes. "Lesser" being a relative term, but they include; Bushnell Banner (Japan-made), Bushnell Scopechief (Japan, again), Sightron S1, Weaver V-16, etc. Ordered a Primary Arms fixed 6X last night, that feels like a small risk but reviews are good. Supposed to roll out of the same factory as some Vortex do. For better, or for worse. Will be tested on gophers pretty soon..I hope!

Others that worked OK but didn't stay~Bushnell Elite 3200, Vortex Diamondback, Vortex Viper HS..and a few lower-end Bushnells.

Scope that didn't survive 1 range trip on a 22~Vortex Crossfire
 
The optics I've used the most are Bushnell and Vortex. Both have good warranties, Bushnell's has been fantastic with the Banners I sent back. I bought them knowing that they were low end optics and not expecting them to last a lifetime but free replacements are good. Never an issue with my Vortex's.
 
I've reviewed most of the high end scopes and my personal faves are

1. For pure glass quality S+B Pmii
2. For Turrets Vortex Razor 2
3. Best combo of glass and turrets and high mag NF ATACR 7-35
4. Best reticle - SKMR3 (on Kahles 624i) followed by EBR-2C on Razor 2
5. Best Value For Money - Bushnell DMR/HDMR
6. Best newcomers Athlon Cronus BTR and Delta Stryker - both amazing new entries
 
For hunting, I love the Rapid Z reticles on my Ziess Conquests. Nothing faster or easier. Plus I’ve put some my 3-15x50 through some rough times and it has shown it’s durability. Decent glass too, and reticles thick enough to see in low light..

For Precision work my Kahles 6-24i has been flawless, no surprises there.

And I’ve written a review on here about how much I live my Kowa 660 spotting scope.
 
Some I've owned in descending order of preference:

Tangent Theta (Optical and mechanical perfection, even better than they say. It's like teleporting to the target)
Premier (Oh, how I wish I had more of these. TT's origin)
March (Ahead of the game. Japanese glass that REALLY delivers. Unbeatable for its size)
Zeiss Victory (Bulletproof, laughs at massive recoil, stunning glass. Smallish adjustment range)
Leupold VX-3 (The lightweight champion. A hunter's dream. Reliable and great glass. Can't go wrong)
Nightforce ATACR (terrible at its elevation limits but nice glass otherwise and copious travel)
Bushnell (Japanese stuff is decent. Eyeboxes seem small)
Burris (The black sheep for a reason. Some good stuff to be found but they never stuck with anything for long)
Tasco (Holds the bag down at the bottom of the garbage can nicely)
Barska (Soros-funded ploy to destroy the west)
 
I may be an odd duck, but I have never looked through a Leupold that I was overly thrilled about, that's just me.
I have tried many scopes but I seem to gravitate to Bushnells, my reasons are I have never had to return one and I have scopes that were made in the 70's and are used every year.
I have Banners, Trophy's, Legends, 3500's and 4500's.
The cross hairs are to my liking and they are clear to my eyes. One other scope that I also use is Nikon and I find it is close to the Bushnells.

I have one Hawke, it's a nice scope but it keeps being put on a rifle then changed to a Bushnell if I keep the rifle.

Again that is just my opinion.

David
 
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