I decided to take advantage of the $800 off on a Aero Precision Solus during their Labor Day sale. I picked up one in 6.5 CM for target shooting and some hunting. I have a Savage 10 that I will take to Texas and leave there for feral pigs and whitetail…what scopes do you recommend for someone who likes to shoot out to 1,500 yards plus (whenever possible) that I can still hunt with?
I like SFP for hunting and FFP for long range, so I am torn…
What’s your budget? These are my favorites at each price point. 15 Best Rifle Scopes for Hunting in 2024 – Backfire
I have read and watched your scope review and you do a fantastic job of putting everything through tough situations! I try to spend about the same amount on the optic as the rifle. I haven’t set a dollar amount yet, but I’m trying to gather information. Friends here in Ketchikan have suggested everything from Arken to Nightforce…
How does the Element Titan compare to the Athlon Helos and the new Vortex Viper HD?
I can vouch for the new Viper HD series, it’s a great upgrade from the previous generation Vipers! I find it kind of crazy actually because now it’s hard to tell the difference between the Razor HD and the Viper HD (at least in 3-15x, I have both and I just can’t see why someone would spend $400-500 more for the Razor version over the Viper). Might be a subjective difference to your eye type of thing? I dunno, but I just don’t see it. I saw a review from that Cyclops character who said the 5-25 in the new Viper HD was a flop, but that the 3-15 is really, really good (which has been my experience also). I don’t think he said why, but it’s something to consider.
Also worth looking at (if you’re planning to buy this month) is the Zeiss Conquest V4; pretty much all retailers right now I think are running a sale $150 off most models through end of September. Excellent German glass, and probably one of the best scopes you can get for around $1,000 (so a bit more than the Viper series, but still less than some other premium brands). Both the 4-16 and 6-24 get consistently good marks from reviewers. I have one in 3-12, and it’s one of the clearest scopes I own (but in this lower magnification option it’s capped turrets/fixed parallax–for eastern/mid-western hunting; the 4-16 and 6-24 have exposed turrets which are supposed to be nice and positive, and of course come with parallax adjustment.).
I haven’t gotten it yet, but my next scope on order is a Schmidt & Bender (I wanted something nicer for a Sako I have coming)–these are generally more expensive but supposed to be among the very best. I think they start around 1,200 and go up from there. After it comes in and I get a chance to play with it a bit, I’ll post a review here.
Now all that having been said, I saw you mentioned Arken and Nightforce in the same breath here, and I just saw this video which was… interesting: Arken EP5 5-25 (youtube.com)
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Looking forward to your experiences with the S&B.
I’ve been interested in one of those myself but there’s certainly nothing anywhere near that nice in any of the stores around here to look at. Furthermore, there’s just not a lot of information online about their specific product lines and what is best for a specific application with them.
For the range you’re looking at, if budget isn’t an option, take a look at March. I went to a small range a few months back where the owner worked for Applied Ballistics. He had all the toys including a March scope he let me look through, 10x60. All hand made a very impressive.
Just watched 50% of the video- I take back what I suggested with March lol
I only bought one Athlon scope, and I believe it was the cheaper ARGOS BTR Gen 2. I did not like it because the glass was very bad to my eye. I did not try anything higher end with Athlon though. Probably just don’t go any lower than the Helios that Jim suggested. I have liked my Arken EPL-4 4-16X44
I just did a ton of research on the S&B scopes, I can fill you in on the Hunting line (I didn’t look closely at their Defense and Competition scopes). A brief overview:
The “entry” model is the Klassik. They start around 1,200 and come in a few magnifications. There is one “fixed magnification” 8x56 which is actually supposed to be pretty popular in Europe. There used to be a 6x42 also but it is only “by request” now? Whatever that means. They also have a 2.5-10x56, 3-12x42, 3-12x50, and 4-16x50 in the Klassik. The only one that has parallax adjustment and is intended for longer range target shooting in addition to hunting is that 4-16x50. All of these are FFP.
The next step up is the Zenith line (also FFP), which features a 1.5-6x42, a 2.5-10x56 and 3-12x50. S&B’s marketing materials claim Zenith is their most popular overall for hunters. All of these are fixed parallax, and first focal plane. Stand hunting, hunting in the timber, etc. This is complimented by the Ethos line, which is comprised of just two scopes in SFP–a 1-8x24 LPVO that can be used in a hunting capacity but also in stuff like 3-gun and home defense, and a 3-21x50 which does have parallax and is intended for close and long-range stuff.
The next bump up on the rung is “the brightest scopes ever made” which is the Polar T96 (boasting 96% light transmission). 2.5-10x50, 3-12x54–both of these are offered in 2nd focal plane only, fixed parallax, and then the 4-16x56 which is set up for more long range with parallax adjustment, offered in either FFP or SFP. The downside to these is (aside from price) the fact that they are 50% heavier than most of the other scopes in their lineup, and have thick 34 mm main tubes.
Last is their newest entry in the Hunting line-up which is called the Meta. This is described as compact and versatile, as it has a little bit of everything (except it is only offered in SFP, which I prefer anyway). 3-18x42. Parallax adjustment, simple reticle with illumination.
Most of these do come with illumination actually but a few models are offered without it as well (which only seems to drop the price like $100).
And that is the whole selection for “hunting” scopes from S&B. There is another really popular scope from their Defense and Competition line: the PM II 3-12x50, this is used by the USMC and some other military around the world, and is supposed to be a really good all-rounder. In fact, the Klassik 3-12x50 is based on this model, but they removed the parallax adjustment and lightened it up a bit for hunting.
Here in the US the only place I have found these available in stock is Eurooptic.
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Thank you sir!
Hard to beat this for the money, solid scope and you can get a customer dial from Kenton industries. Zeiss Demo Conquest V4 4-16x44 Rifle Scope | Red Hawk Rifles
Redhawks demos are pretty much NIB.
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Thank you for the information