Who wants to spend some of my money? :)

[DrMike]

I'll have a Vari-X II that's not doing anything once the VX6 arrives. You are more than welcome to borrow it.

I didn't spend your money on the Vari-X II, so it is of less interest. How about the VX6? :grin:

 

[tddeangelo]

I'll have a Vari-X II that's not doing anything once the VX6 arrives. You are more than welcome to borrow it.

I didn't spend your money on the Vari-X II, so it is of less interest. How about the VX6? :grin:

You have your own on the way. I'll just get mine sooner.

 

[DrMike]

Yeah, but since you're getting yours sooner, I thought sure you'd be generous toward your poor northern cousin and let him use yours until his own arrived. :mrgreen:

 

[tddeangelo]

Yeah, but since you're getting yours sooner, I thought sure you'd be generous toward your poor northern cousin and let him use yours until his own arrived. :mrgreen:

I think my wife may already beat me senseless with it. I will leave instructions that if she bludgeons me to a bloody pulp, to send it back for repair and then on to you.

 

[DrMike]

Consequently, it is not at all certain that we will see the illuminated reticle here in Canada right away. However, it does look as if an August delivery is anticipated.

 

[tddeangelo]

Consequently, it is not at all certain that we will see the illuminated reticle here in Canada right away. However, it does look as if an August delivery is anticipated.

Leupold told me to expect them in the stores during the 1st week of August. What that means for online sales, I have no idea. Also no idea if that is going to be longer of a wait for you folk north of the border.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I never will begin to understand the technology transfer laws of the US? Despite having done Medical Device technology transfer for a living for 12 years, these laws are really arcane when it comes to anything having to do with military technology. Even when it has been on the market for several years, it takes forever to get it approved to export, even to Canada.

 

[tddeangelo]

I never will begin to understand the technology transfer laws of the US? Despite having done Medical Device technology transfer for a living for 12 years, these laws are really arcane when it comes to anything having to do with military technology. Even when it has been on the market for several years, it takes forever to get it approved to export, even to Canada.

I've never understood the tight restrictions on scopes. It's not like they're THAT hard to obtain. How many companies IMPORT scopes to the US????

 

[DrMike]

I never will begin to understand the technology transfer laws of the US? Despite having done Medical Device technology transfer for a living for 12 years, these laws are really arcane when it comes to anything having to do with military technology. Even when it has been on the market for several years, it takes forever to get it approved to export, even to Canada.

9-11 changed a lot of things. There had been tightening of restrictions under the Clinton administration, but the creation of Homeland Security changed a lot of things. I suppose I can understand such restrictions as those on powder, primers and ammunition, but brass, bullets, scopes, stocks and magazines have been a bit harder to figure out. It is not as if we can't get them, it is just a hassle without paying a middleman to broker the deal. Tom is correct that a large number of firms import assembled rifles, components and scopes into the USA.

 

[LzquierdoMadeleyn]

Have a new Model 70 on layaway at the moment.....now I'm thinking about optics.

Some that I'm considering (in no particular order):

Zeiss Conquest (currently own one in 3-9x40)

Leupold VX-3 (Currently own a Leupold Vari-X II, but none of the VX era)

Meopta MeoStar R1 4-12x40 (I have a pair of 7x42 Meostar binos that I absolutely LOVE)

Thoughts?

It'll sit on an M70 Extreme Weather in 300WSM.

Thanks!

If I was in your shoes I probably wouldn’t overthink it too much. All three you listed are solid and plenty of guys are killing deer every fall with scopes in that same class. For the kind of ranges you mentioned, a simple 3-9x or 3.5-10x with a 40mm objective is about as practical as it gets. Good glass and reliable tracking matter a lot more than squeezing out a little more magnification. This thread about who wants to spend some of my money got me thinking why not throw it at some online gambling for a change and see if you hit the jackpot? I've been hooked on slots lately with all those wild themes and big wins plus blackjack where strategy pays off against the house roulette spinning those numbers for crazy payouts poker nights with friends online and betting on games to keep the excitement going. Nothing beats the rush when that money multiplies. The trick is finding trustworthy spots and that's where I scored big by using this top resource for checking out all the licensed Belgian casinos safely. I mean this https://belgeenligne.casino/ site shows you the real deals with huge bonuses up to hundreds of euros plus free spins on slots live dealer games for roulette and blackjack fast secure payouts so you never worry.

 

[Vince]

Tough call, Tom. The reach of that 300 just begs for something in a 4-12/4-14/4-16 range, but most of those will be longer than the short action really justifies and may throw off the balance on that rifle. Do you care if the scope is black or silver?

I've heard very good things about the Meopta scopes, but I've also seen the specs on their scopes a few years ago and eye relief was shorter (3") than everything else you've listed, and weight was half a pound heavier than anything else in the same size class. Looking at their specs, it appears they have about 3.5" eye relief for the new MeoPro, and the scopes are now only about 3-6oz heavier than other comparably sized scopes. Pricing is excellent, with a 4-12x50 running $499 for the 4-12, and $399 for the 3-9x42. I am not sure I'd want a 50mm objective on this rifle though, so that limits you to the 3-9x42. A fine scope, no doubt, but do you want more power?

The Zeiss Conquest you already know, and it's my highest recommendation. Tracking is true, glass is superb, and if you shop around, you can find them for reasonable prices, still. The one I have is my favorite glass. It's a 4.5-14x44, on a 300Wby. Perfect match, as far as power of the optics and power of the rifle. For the 300WSM, you'd be well served with the same scope. Only issue is that it's going to be a tad long, but not much. This scope runs 14" long, and right at 17oz (compared to nearly 20oz for the MeoPro). I think it would fit the short action, but it's really going to be your call on whether it looks good to you or not. It's also going to run something like $600-700 at the lowest prices I've seen them lately, and you'll have to find one on sale to get that price. $750-800 is the going rate most places right now.

I'm not a huge Leupold fan as of late. I've seen a high number of failures, as have several folks I know across the country. I know these get fixed by customer service, but the QC in manufacturing has dropped dramatically in the Leupold lines, based on what I've seen. And, frankly, I think you pay more and get less scope, comparably. That's just my opinion, but I won't buy a Leupold at this point.

About the only other thing I'd consider in your position is one of the new Minox scopes. There's a review on this forum you should read. I've looked through them in the store and they appear to have glass comparable to the Conquest. You won't have the selection of powers and objective sizes with them, yet, though, and as such won't be able to get a 40-44mm scope in anything with an adjustable parallax. They do have a 3-15x42, though, and other than not having a parallax adjustment, it's a remarkable set of specs. Length is 12.4" and weight is 14.4oz, so it's short enough and light enough to be a good fit on the short mags. It will have the reach you may want for longer ranges, though you may have a little parallax on higher magnifications at 300-500yds and beyond. This shouldn't be a huge problem, though, as we're not talking about ultra-long distances at ultra-high powers. It could be a problem, though. If you don't mind a 50mm objective, they make this same scope in a 3-15x50 Side Focus model that is the same length, and somehow manages to be only 13.8oz in weight. It's a little shorter on the mounting length, but with a short action it should fit.

That's my opinion - Zeiss Conquest first, Minox second, Meopta third. If you just want a 3-9x40 class scope, any of these is going to run about $350-400 street price, so the pecking order holds for me there, still.

I’ve got Minox binoculars and they are way better than any other manufacturer for the money spent.

Vince