Glass comparison

Jump to latest Follow Reply
You didn't give a budget but if you wanted to go all out it'd be a March High Master. 

Finding good deals on used March BR scopes would save a bunch of money and they are very well built. 

I had the older Sightron 10-50 and it didn't impress me in the glass department. The newer 34mm version I hear has pretty good glass. 

The old Leupold 45x fixed power I used to own had good glass
 
Upvote 0
SFP at that magnification or the reticle gets huge. I own and love the Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60x52. Can’t speak to the Sightron or Falcon but know lots of people use them. I don’t think Hawke makes the high magnification model anymore but could be wrong. Have a good one. 
Stoti
Click to expand...

+1 on the Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60x52 with ECR-1 reticle.
 
Upvote 0
SFP at that magnification or the reticle gets huge. I own and love the Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60x52. Can’t speak to the Sightron or Falcon but know lots of people use them. I don’t think Hawke makes the high magnification model anymore but could be wrong. Have a good one. 
Stoti
Click to expand...

+1 on the Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60x52 with ECR-1 reticle.
Click to expand...

that looks way nicer than my UTGs and Leupolds...you guys always have the good stuff especially you BR guys. I have had a Vortex scope before, and it was very good for a entry level scope (I bought their base model I think it was called Crossfire or something). I’d love to get my hands on a higher end Vortex. Someone told me their top tier are Japanese made? The glass I had from China was excellent for me at least even on the base model. 
 
Upvote 0
The Vortex Golden Eagle ECR-1 (MOA) is the clearest at the higher magnification levels among those listed however it is not illuminated.

The only way you can get a significantly nicer clearer scope is to spend at least double this Vortex Golden Eagle and from Kahles or Valdada or Schmidt and Bender or March or Nightforce tier1 scopes.

May see a little better with the Sightron SVSS ED series for between the same price and up to 25% more depending on model than the Vortex Golden Eagle but may or may not be worth the extra to you.

The standard Sightron SIII isn't all that at higher magnification levels so what's the use?

Be advised Falcon has relabeled Sightron SIII Japan made scopes as well as Chinese made ones too. Do your research and do Choose wisely.


 
Upvote 0
Bear in mind the clearer the glass quality the less magnification you actually need.

I would buy that Leupold 40x45 Fixed Benchrest scope on the classifieds if I were you.

It has a 40 yard minimum focus and weighs only 20 oz and lowest I seen was $1099.00 new.

INTERESTING! 2 different RETAIL sellers state different minimum focus! One says 40 yards while the other states 25 meters.

Best to ask the seller before buying.
 
Upvote 0
SFP and FFP are totally personal preference and I wouldn’t say either is better, but in general, most 50x scopes are SFP, because of price. The FFP ones are only at the very higher end (like March and S&B). I personally like FFP scopes better because I like the larger reticles and I’ve never had a problem with them blocking the target. I owned the S&B 12-50 FFP, and while it was really nice, I didn’t think it was necessarily worth the higher price. 

Sightron SIII is very popular, but mostly because of the price for quality. The quality is not amazing, but for the price, I do think it is a great buy at $700 or less. It can’t be compared to ED scopes that are more expensive. It is still very good. The SV non-ED isn’t a lot better and I don’t think it is worth the premium, but has the best side focus I’ve ever used. The other thing about Sightrons is they are rock solid. You don’t hear of many failing, which is why you probably see these more than most others on the line.

I think the Vortex Golden Eagle is the best ED for the money. If you are willing to spend a little more than the SIII ($1100 or less) without spending too high, it is my recommendation. I am not a huge fan of the reticle, and that is the reason I don’t have several. I would probably put them on several rifles if they had a different reticle. It is also very lightweight unlike the Delta or SV.

I have tried the Delta, and while the scope looked very good, even better than the Golden Eagle, I didn’t like the thin reticle. It is more expensive than the GE, so I would probably try to find a SVED for the thicker reticles if I were to spend on this range. I do like the large adjustment range in these.

I have now tried the Kahles 10-50 and I like it the most... I think. I need more time to decide. The reticle is larger (which I said before I like) and I think it has been the best so far in low light, which is important in my shooting through wooded lanes. All that said, it is the most expensive of these (except for maybe the S&B). 
 
  • Like
Reactions: Batman2
Upvote 0
Nation, 

I have several "go to" scopes that are excellent in my opinion. 

I currently run a Sightron Slll 10-50×60 on my Marauder, good glass, good Mil Dot reticle. I also have another Sightron Slll 10-50×60 on my Air Arms EV2, that model is the MRAD. Both are equally clear, track well, and hold zero. Excellent ranging properties from both of them. Both are Second Focal Plane

I also have a pair of Kahles 10-50×56 FT's. One that I bought brand new i have mounted on my RAW TM1000, and the other, I bought used, and was recently been refurbished and re calibrated from the factory before my purchase. That one sits on top of my Thomas FT. Love the scope, and it's reticle, also illuminated. Both Second Focal Plane. The one thing that is a little tricky, is rangefinding. It does not "snap in" like other similar power scopes. It takes a little practice and consistency on the users part in order to rangefind properly. One thing that I can attest to, over almost any other scope, is, I've never experienced or heard of any other Kahles owner complain over temperature shift with these scopes. Definitely my choice of a high end, quality scope, hands down.

I did own a Falcon 10-50×60, and that scope failed in the middle of the Crosman All American Field Target Championship one year. Was good, clear glass, tracked well, but something went wrong with the focus, thus the rangefinding capability failed. Never considered another after that incident. 

Hope this helps 

Tom Holland 

Field Target Tech 
 
  • Like
Reactions: Batman2
Upvote 0
I'm curious - what ITAR restrictions are you running into that prohibit the purchase of a USA made scope???

For example, I don't believe the Leupold 45x45 is restricted and would be right in line with what you are looking for.

What's the issue?
Click to expand...

Nothing prohibits me buying, the problem is buried deeper.

#1 I tried buying several scopes from several US online stores (in example opticsplanet, Sig Sauer, Dvor, PA, PR, LO...), they can't ship to Canada. Chinese scopes with better glass, mid prize, imported to US and re-branded re-boxed, and then ITAR kicked in prohibiting export.

#2 Right now I have two scopes to send to US for inspection/repair, one is a Sig x6 magnifier the other Chinese 10-40x50, I can send them there but they cannot send back to me only through a distributor.

Enough for me but somebody else may find it more entertaining.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu