Interested in the collective opinion on this, as I've seen and heard recommendations on this topic recently that seemed confusing. When someone is either upgrading their optics suite for the first time or getting into hunting, which of these categories is a higher priority to spend money on and get a really good optic?
Binos vs. Riflescope
- Thread starter oxn939
- Start date
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
After doing the opposite, I say high quality binos before quality riflescope.
Raisin Bran
Well-known member
Definitely Binoculars. Having poor quality optics in both binoculars and a scope over the years, my hunting improved the most with the binoculars.
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Deleted member 16014
Guest
If you can’t trust your aiming device to track and hold zero, that has to be the priority. Don’t be fooled on price and “glass quality” correlating 1:1 with that either…
Beyond that, binos all day.
Beyond that, binos all day.
Very interesting results- currently 7 of 9 votes for binos first.
In the vein of transparency, I have a hard time understanding that perspective. If your binos fail, you still may very well have a successful hunt- I spotted my Nevada Pronghorn this year with my naked eye. If your riflescope goes down, though, it's almost always a very big deal, ranging anywhere from catastrophic miss-of-a-lifetime to delaying the hunt one or several days to scramble for a replacement. Although it's only used briefly, but it surely plays the most critical role of any piece of an optics kit at a time when your binos are sitting in a pack or a chest rig.
Appreciate all the input and opinions!
In the vein of transparency, I have a hard time understanding that perspective. If your binos fail, you still may very well have a successful hunt- I spotted my Nevada Pronghorn this year with my naked eye. If your riflescope goes down, though, it's almost always a very big deal, ranging anywhere from catastrophic miss-of-a-lifetime to delaying the hunt one or several days to scramble for a replacement. Although it's only used briefly, but it surely plays the most critical role of any piece of an optics kit at a time when your binos are sitting in a pack or a chest rig.
Appreciate all the input and opinions!
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
I think using the term 'upgrade first' skews your responses to binos. Echoing @SnowyMountaineer you have to have a fully functional and reliable scope, but once that's covered the 'upgrade' in binos is a better bang for the $.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
That’s how I read it. In my mind, upgrade doesn’t necessarily mean purchase first.
Sure glad I didn't know all this when I was first hunting. Times change and so have I. Binos first. Can't hunt what you can't find. Besides, what's the percentage of hunters that ever dial? We need a poll. I hate polls. mtmuley
perma
Well-known member
I actually asked myself this same question this week. What I came to the conclusion of is that I looked through my nocks more than actually pointing the gun at an elk…… so I have some Vortex UHDs coming this week.
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Deleted member 16014
Guest
I wish I would have. I messed around trying to figure out how to make a scope and rifle combo hold zero for years as a young hunter.
perma
Well-known member
I think spotter and riflescope is interchangeable here. I think it depends on the hunt too. If it’s a sheep or goat hunt for sure spotter.
I have a rifle with one of those Bushnell scopes that have a dial. I bought the rifle in 1990. The dial broke and fell off. Didn't use it anyway. Both of my kids pounded deer and antelope with it. A friend killed two elk with it. Still holding zero today. I can't understand how so many people have issues with scopes holding zero. I still have my first rifle topped with a Weaver K4. It held zero for years. mtmuley
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Deleted member 16014
Guest
I think we’re in agreement, and I don’t know. I have a mid 90’s VariX-II and some fixed 6x’s that held zero. A couple post 2000s variable Leupolds have not, as well as several Vortex that I have troubleshot for on friends rifles.
People who are into such things say that every optic design has a failure rate, and that many currently popular scope manufacturers are willing to accept a pretty high one as long as sales remain high. Seems believable.
The early V-X2 scopes were highly underrated. I buy them when I can. mtmuley
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
The first rifle I bought myself was a Ruger M77 7RM with a VX-2 2x7. Wish I still had it, killed a lot of stuff with that set up.
