Ziess, Bushnell or Leupold VXII for heavy recoil?
- Thread starter saskcop
- Start date
I've got or have had all on your list plus a pile of VX111's if thats what you meant. I'd forget the Bushnell right of the bat, for reason of short eye-relief. You'll be wearing that scope, sooner or later. Probably sooner. The lower powered Zeiss varibles like the 3-9 are better, but once you get over that power it starts to get short.
Normally the Zeiss Conquest is compared to the VX111 not the VX11. Optically it will walk away from the VX11 but your chances of getting stroked are quite a bit higher. I run a 3.5-10 x 40mm VX111 on my .375 H&H. In 1700 rounds I've never got grazed, never mind hit. My 3-9 Conquest is OK on the .308 that I use it on, but I won't be putting it on anything that kicks any more than that.
The scope standing up to recoil is the other part of the equation. Leupold has a bullet proof reputation, and so far I haven't been able to hurt one. I haven't broken a Zeiss either though. Bushnell I hate!
Normally the Zeiss Conquest is compared to the VX111 not the VX11. Optically it will walk away from the VX11 but your chances of getting stroked are quite a bit higher. I run a 3.5-10 x 40mm VX111 on my .375 H&H. In 1700 rounds I've never got grazed, never mind hit. My 3-9 Conquest is OK on the .308 that I use it on, but I won't be putting it on anything that kicks any more than that.
The scope standing up to recoil is the other part of the equation. Leupold has a bullet proof reputation, and so far I haven't been able to hurt one. I haven't broken a Zeiss either though. Bushnell I hate!
Any of the above. I've never had eye relief problems with any of these, and I actually find the eye relief of the Leupolds a bit excessive as I have to mount the scope too far forward to get an optimal view. Lately, I've been very impressed with Burris optics
Prosper,
I guess that shows that one size doesn't fit all. There are a few Leupolds that have a little shorter eye relief. The 2.5-8 comes to mind. I gravitate toward the longer eye relief scopes in the line-up and run them right against the rear ring. This is with 13 7/8-14" LOP stocks. If that doesn't permit enough clearance to get my fist between the occular and my forehead I'll change mounts or drill new holes until it does. Mounts are cheap compared to scopes and rifles. Avoiding scope cuts is priceless.
In some more extreme cases I had to go with fixed power scopes because the occular bell is shorter than that of the variables. The 2.5X FX11 on my .416 was chosen for a full 5 inches of eye relief and a short bell. I accidently free- recoiled that one and never got hit.
Something about set triggers and remembering when you are using them
Recoil doesn't bother me much, but the thought of a Bushnell on a .338 Ultramag makes my blood run cold.
Saskcop,
Prosper's example shows some of the pitfalls of trying to pick scopes for someone else. Take your rifle into a well stocked gunshop and trial mount a few scopes that seem to meet your needs. If there isn't at least a solid 4" of clearance between you and your scope find a combination that does provide it.
I guess that shows that one size doesn't fit all. There are a few Leupolds that have a little shorter eye relief. The 2.5-8 comes to mind. I gravitate toward the longer eye relief scopes in the line-up and run them right against the rear ring. This is with 13 7/8-14" LOP stocks. If that doesn't permit enough clearance to get my fist between the occular and my forehead I'll change mounts or drill new holes until it does. Mounts are cheap compared to scopes and rifles. Avoiding scope cuts is priceless.
In some more extreme cases I had to go with fixed power scopes because the occular bell is shorter than that of the variables. The 2.5X FX11 on my .416 was chosen for a full 5 inches of eye relief and a short bell. I accidently free- recoiled that one and never got hit.
Something about set triggers and remembering when you are using them Recoil doesn't bother me much, but the thought of a Bushnell on a .338 Ultramag makes my blood run cold.
Saskcop,
Prosper's example shows some of the pitfalls of trying to pick scopes for someone else. Take your rifle into a well stocked gunshop and trial mount a few scopes that seem to meet your needs. If there isn't at least a solid 4" of clearance between you and your scope find a combination that does provide it.
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- Calgary, AB
Very hard to beat Leupold. Fantastic warranty.
Highly recommend extended eye relief like the Leupolds, optics are nice as well. The Zeiss Conquests are nice too. I've used 3200 & 4200 Bushnells, nice optics on the 4200, but that 3" eye relief makes things rather interesting indeed. Also had some good luck with Burris scopes.
Some good advice here. I am seriously considering the ZEISS. I have used a Bushnell 3200 on that rifle for the last couple of years. I tend to creep up on my scope when I shoot, but fortunately never been bit. Recoil doesn't seem to get a hold of me, but I have found that it has made an impression on some of my scopes. Has anyone here actually had a Zeiss conquest on a similar rifle? If so, are you happy with your decision to go with that scope?
I had all three on my 375h+h,I love the leupold for its warrenty optics and light weight,the zeiss to me weights more and is a bit klunky in size then again mine are the 1.5-5 ,the bushnell 4200 i got is heavy and the eye relief is short as a friend found out,you tell em not to creep the stock but they never listen.The reason all my scopes will be leupolds is that on a trip I fell and the back of the eyepiece seperated,I sent it back to the factory and explained what happened the sent me a new one no questions asked,now that a warrenty.A friend had a bushnell 3200 with problems and they wanted to see the receipt and that they said it was only covered for a year,they gave him a hard time but it worked out in the end,you can't go wrong with the leupolds or the zeiss.cheers george
I have a Zeiss conquest 3-9x40 on my 30-06 and wouldn't change it for anything! I simply love this scope, lots of eye relief and clear as a bell. I will say that I havn't tried a Leupold...yet. I'm going to buy one for my 22-250 to see how they are but the Zeiss is a great piece of glass IMO. The POI never changes and it always stays sighted.
