$350 Scope Recommendations

[325 WSM]

I second the Sightron. But not much love on here for Athlon not sure why but many that will qualify for you

 

[shannerdrake]

You might want to check out the Burris Fullfield. Good value, same great warranty as expected (better than Leupold) and with the new Knob Synergy you can choose like 4 different turret options if you want something other than old school capped turrets. $260 or $350 if you want illuminated. We shot a demo with them a couple of weeks ago and I liked the 4x16 Fullfield enough to buy one as a "just to have scope". Bonus.....HQ in Greely, call center/service/customer service is all there along with assembly of their high end stuff and the Steiner US stuff (they are both owned by Beretta) and I can say directly that NONE of our other suppliers have put as much effort into training us, being available to answer anyone's questions or be as excited about their stuff. https://www.scheels.com/p/00038101533?queryID=c2758c2410221a9

I second this. Burris out performs everything at its price point. Shoot my cheapest Burris has better glass than my Luepy Freedom.

 

[brockel]

Best scope for that price is SWFA 6x42 fixed. About $300. Will hold zero like your life depends on it and return to zero if you dial.

Good luck finding one

 

[brockel]

Arken EPL-4 4-16x44mm is tough to beat for $299. Have 3 of them and so far no issues

 

[SFC B]

Potterfield says they’re made in the USA.View attachment 413568

Potterfield is wrong....their scopes are ASSEMBLED in Oregon, NONE of their optics are anything other than Asian and they won't disclose which are which (and their range finders are COMPLETELY built overseas, as well as some of their spotting scopes and all of their binos) . If you look at their price structure it is pretty clear Freedom-China, VX-3,4 and Mark 4-Philippines, and the 5s and 6s-Japan. If you look at the comparable prices you can see the Leupold charges about a 20% premium while posting flags on their advertising. I do not appreciate not being told the truth/being disingenuous.

 

[Keep on]

I've been a Burris convert. The older Fullfields weren't much to brag about, but they've come a long way. I think they've dropped the Fullfield E1 vs the IV, now I believe the low end scope is the droptine and the Fullfield IV is just called the Fullfield again. I have a IV 3-12X42 that's a few years old, it's held zero well and the glass and performance has been more than acceptable.
I'm looking to put together a .223 T3X for plinking this fall, and the plan is to mount a Burris on it.

 

[TN2shot07]

Potterfield is wrong....their scopes are ASSEMBLED in Oregon, NONE of their optics are anything other than Asian and they won't disclose which are which (and their range finders are COMPLETELY built overseas, as well as some of their spotting scopes and all of their binos) . If you look at their price structure it is pretty clear Freedom-China, VX-3,4 and Mark 4-Philippines, and the 5s and 6s-Japan. If you look at the comparable prices you can see the Leupold charges about a 20% premium while posting flags on their advertising. I do not appreciate not being told the truth/being disingenuous.

I’m not saying it’s right but if you look into most items marked made in the USA they include imported parts. There are still 700ish people in Oregon who have jobs because they elect to assemble them there instead of overseas. Not saying it doesn’t exist but I think all of the high end glass itself is either produced in Japan or Europe. My bx5’s are marked as Japan, so they aren’t false advertising that.

 

[It’s Bucky]

I also really like the Arken EPL-4 4-16. I like it better than the 10x SWFA. It’s better than my VX3’s and VX freedoms. I even like it better than the Maven RS1.2. Thinking about getting a couple more EPL-4’s. Really hard to beat for the price.

 

[MTLabrador]

I’d go with the Trijicon Huron, every Trijicon product I’ve used has been solid. My buddy recently got that Arken EPL-4 and really likes it as well, I’m looking forward to trying it.

 

[mtmuley]

I’d go with the Trijicon Huron, every Trijicon product I’ve used has been solid. My buddy recently got that Arken EPL-4 and really likes it as well, I’m looking forward to trying it.

I couldn't deal with those huge turrets on the Arken. mtmuley

 

[Islander]

Good luck finding one

True enough. Used on Rokslide is one a decent source.

 

[SFC B]

I’m not saying it’s right but if you look into most items marked made in the USA they include imported parts. There are still 700ish people in Oregon who have jobs because they elect to assemble them there instead of overseas. Not saying it doesn’t exist but I think all of the high end glass itself is either produced in Japan or Europe. My bx5’s are marked as Japan, so they aren’t false advertising that.

Truth is there is barely any glass made in the US and if there is any it is ridiculously expensive due to costs. Burris employs a couple hundred people here in CO (Greely) and Vortex has about 400 in Wi (Barneveld) and both of them are VERY clear about the origin of their stuff (BTW Vortex is the ONLY one of the 3 that has a fully American made line including glass - the AMG line). While those binos are marked, NONE of their scopes are. They just put "assembled in America" and put flags all over their displays (we are required to put up this bs advertising). There is nothing wrong with their scopes, but there are pretty big differences between China, Filipino and Japanese glass and consumers should be given the information to make a choice and see what the actual premium charged is. From a sellers perspective I will say this....our store has been open 5.5 years and have not seen a SINGLE Leupold rep once. They have not done a single minute of training with us on their line, their new lines as they come ....anything. In contrast Burris, vortex, Swaro and Nightforce have all been here at least twice each for in depth training and range time. Vortex, Swaro and Nightforce also have relationships with some of the gun manufacturers that means we get to shoot them even more. Further, the feedback from customers about customer service from Leupold is pretty hit or miss(especially if anything electronic is involved)......very different from both Burris and Vortex.

 

[brockel]

I couldn't deal with those huge turrets on the Arken. mtmuley

They have a capped turret model for people that don’t spin turrets

 

[mtmuley]

They have a capped turret model for people that don’t spin turrets

I do spin from time to time. Hate the tall turrets. The side parallax is useless to me. mtmuley

 

[mtmuley]

Truth is there is barely any glass made in the US and if there is any it is ridiculously expensive due to costs. Burris employs a couple hundred people here in CO (Greely) and Vortex has about 400 in Wi (Barneveld) and both of them are VERY clear about the origin of their stuff (BTW Vortex is the ONLY one of the 3 that has a fully American made line including glass - the AMG line). While those binos are marked, NONE of their scopes are. They just put "assembled in America" and put flags all over their displays (we are required to put up this bs advertising). There is nothing wrong with their scopes, but there are pretty big differences between China, Filipino and Japanese glass and consumers should be given the information to make a choice and see what the actual premium charged is. From a sellers perspective I will say this....our store has been open 5.5 years and have not seen a SINGLE Leupold rep once. They have not done a single minute of training with us on their line, their new lines as they come ....anything. In contrast Burris, vortex, Swaro and Nightforce have all been here at least twice each for in depth training and range time. Vortex, Swaro and Nightforce also have relationships with some of the gun manufacturers that means we get to shoot them even more. Further, the feedback from customers about customer service from Leupold is pretty hit or miss(especially if anything electronic is involved)......very different from both Burris and Vortex.

We know. You dislike Leupold. mtmuley

 

[MTLabrador]

I couldn't deal with those huge turrets on the Arken. mtmuley

That’s how I am with the SWFA, no matter how solid they are. If they made the 3-9 with shorter turrets and capped windage it would be hard to beat.