Hello,

Looking for recommendations for a scope for my Winchester model 700 .243 - it will be used for antelope and smaller critters here in Wyoming. Would like to be at or under $300.

I’ve used google and was overwhelmed with options. Please comment if you have first-hand experience.

Thank you!

Jim

If you're looking for good quality and affordable, I would look towards Vortex's offerings. Specifically their Viper HS or Crossfire II line. They'll hold zero, do what you need and have a kickass warranty.

Another good option would be Leupold's VX-2 line, or similar.

3-9x40 or similar ought to do it.

Hope that helps.

There have been a few posts about Nikons on clearance.
A Buckmasters or Prostaff would serve well. Monarch is probably over your budget.

My brother in law has a Buckmasters on his 308 Rem700
My boss has a Prostaff on his 243 Tikka T3

Both are quite happy with them & the optical clarity is great on both, IMO.

I've got a Monarch on my 270 Tikka T3x & love it.

If I were you I would check out Burris brand of scopes. You get a LOT of scope for the money involved, specifically the Fullfield II line of products, not necessarily their premium lines. The optical clarity and physical construction is above their pay grade. imho 2 cents worth of speaking.

Look at the Leupolds, as well as the higher end scopes in the Vortex and Sightron lines.

Then add quality rings and bases, mounted properly.

So many folks buy an accurate rifle, then top it with junk optics. NOT a good idea.

curious as to what your max range would be with a .243 win on antelope ?

how far out would they have to be before you would NOT take the shot?

Hello!

Thank you for the input thus far. I am leaning towards a vortex crossfire 2 but with a higher magnification range ... like 6-24x50. These run about $280 at Amazon. Distances I want to shoot are out to around 500 yards.

Thank you again,

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
curious as to what your max range would be with a .243 win on antelope ?

how far out would they have to be before you would NOT take the shot?

243 will go the distance. They remain supersonic at 1k in the 100 grain weight. Most people can’t shoot that far accurately, much less hit an animal ethically.

Personally I know my limitations and I’d stay around 500. But I haven’t shot distance in a long long time. (I shot m14 in the service at 1k and irons are a young mans game.). /drift

WRT the op, I’d look at Leupold and get good rings. I no longer feel good recommending Nikon due to them getting out of the scope business.

Go to the rifle section and look at the first sticky which is a riflescope primer. Read it to get a foundation on scopes and then preview the several discussion topic on scopes in the rifle section. Once you have an understanding of what you want then look for scopes that might best fit your need. Or, you can spend a lot of money trying out other peoples' suggestions and end up reading the sticky and making an informed decision that is best for you.

This would be a good choice. I have 2 Redfield 2-7x33 scopes and they have been great for the cost. This is their 3-9x40 option.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1712565719

Jim

i would absolutely stay away from the lower end Vortex scopes. Yeah, I know about the warranty. They are just not a good quality unit imho

A Nikon would be a good choice. A Leupold is the best option. You can get a used VX-3 which is awesome. New you can get the VX-2 which is great as well.

Leupold all the way.

Great scopes and the service is super.
I collected about 6 older Leupolds from purchased Win Model 70 and Rem 721 rifles in the last couple years. One a VXII 2-7 had a rough power select ring. They replaced the whole scope. Second one an early VX 3-9 had a similar bad select ring. They repaired it and made it as new again. I am going to mount the VX 3-9 with a Buehler Micro-dial setup.

A lot of good options here, but it may be better posted here

I see your request as yet another internet "what should I buy" question. Not much different than stating "I want a car to drive on the road, my budget is $15k". Start by doing a little research and determining what kind of features your want:
- first or second focal plane
- fixed power or zoom
- what level of magnification you want
- type of reticle. Simple cross hairs, mil/MOA subtentions for holdovers, BDC
- capped or exposed turrets
- for shots longer than your zero distance, do you want to dial the elevation, use the reticle, or hold high and hope for the best?

You should look through the possible scopes you might purchase. Visit a local gun store, or three.

Understand that $300 doesn't buy the best scope out there. There will be issues with color correctness, color balance, image sharpness, and possibly a few others. This is why you should look through the scopes. You won't get high quality ED glass, and it likely won't be made in the USA, Germany, or Japan. OK, maybe Japan, if the glass builder offers value line glass to the scope builder. Expect glass from the Philippines or China. Understand that today's value line glass from overseas glass companies (like Philippines and China) is still head and shoulders above the value-line glass from USA scope companies many years ago.

If you buy on line, one option I recommend is SportOptics.com.

Brand options include Burris, Vortex, Nikon, and Leupold. Again, in their lower-tier product lines.

Nikon made some decent scopes for the money. Understand that they just pulled out of the scope business.

I've seen some pretty nice Burris scopes, especially for the money. Also seen some with some noticeable color issues, when looking through the scopes.

Leupold's higher-end scopes have some nice glass. Their value-line scopes have glass that is average, at best.

Vortex has an internet-based reputation for having scopes with QC issues. Possibly true, but Vortex's warranty is about as good as a warranty gets. Their value-line scopes can have some pretty clear glass for the money.

Consider the maximum magnification on your scope. The higher the power, the more you will see a cheaper scope's issues with color and clarity. I recommend keeping your maximum magnification to 10 or 12 power. Also go with a lower zoom factor to keep the glass quality up. You'll have better glass with a 4-12x, than a 3-12x or 2-12x scope, all other things being equal.

I recommend looking close at Vortex.
Nikon is an option, too. Prices are good with their discontinued scopes. You just need to be comfy that down-the-road support from Nikon will become more challenging with each passing year.

Fritz, do not over complicate every one of these requests.

It is a .243
He has $300 to spend
He wants to hunt in open country. That is enough info.

There only a few choices

Leupold
Redfield which is part of Leupold I believe.
Nikon
Vortex
A used Zeiss 3-9x40 Conquest would be another great choice along with used Nikon and Leupold.

Again, I personally will never buy a Vortex scope. I do think they make some decent bino and spotting scope options.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Fritz, do not over complicate every one of these requests.
Again, I personally will never buy a Vortex scope. I do think they make some decent bino and spotting scope options.

Don't generalize every one of these requests. If the OP doesn't have a good idea of what he wants in a scope, there's a good chance he won't buy the right scope for his needs.

I have a couple of Vortex scopes. Nope, they aren't Nightforce ATACR scopes with ED glass. But the Vortex scopes work. The guy who won the last three 2-rifle (carbine plus bolt action) competitions in New Mexico has a Vortex 2-10x PST on his AR15.

I just put a Vortex Crossfire II 4-12x on one of my AR's. It seems like a nice scope, very clear and sharp. It doesn't have a lot of rounds on it yet so time will tell as far as longevity and repeatability go. But so far I like it. My first choice is normally Leupold, but the rifle in question is a "used just sometimes" one so I didn't want to spend big $$$ on glass for it. The Vortex $190 at Primary Arms. The one thing I didn't really like about it is that the elevation and windage click detents are very soft, hard to feel as you turn the knobs.

Unsure if you can find it under budget, but we put a Leupold VXII CDS on my daughter's 700, and we really like it. We got all the info on the ammo and Leupold made her the custom dial for it, with automatic elevations based on things like the BC, muzzle velocity, elevation, bullet weight, etc. No, it doesn't do windage, but half the math is already done, and frankly with hers being a .243 also, she won't be making super long shots anyhow, and this dial goes out to 500 yards. Her capabilities probably dropped off the table around the 300 yard range...

I have a Leupold vari-X on mine and it's pretty good. I figured I could use the higher power for long varmint type shots and still have the low power for closer deer hits.

Turns out, I'm never using the higher powers, so would probably have been better off with something towards the lower end of the magnification spectrum. But it's a great scope.

Hello!

Thanks again for all the input!

Jim