I stopped hunting years ago. I've got nothing against it, but fell out of it and haven't returned. I sold most of my hunting guns, guns I once loved, and got into the AR game. Now I miss the beauty of my old guns and have sold a number of ARs and bought back some of the guns I had in my youth that I regret ever getting rid of. Luckily, most of them are still made. What isn't made anymore are the scopes I loved. And I think the AR culture killed them.

Gone are Redfields. Gone are Weavers. Owning a new glosse Weaver K-4 is no longer really an option. In fact, owning a new glosse-finished anything is no longer and option. Leupold doesn't offer anything in glosse. Neither does Burris. It seems 90% of scope options are marketed towards AR owners. Gawdy tall turrets and illumination switches.

It's a sad state of affairs. And I contributed to it. I regret that.

I understand what you mean, "sleek" is gone, replaced by either "tactical" or "blocky and cheap looking" in large part.

(or just junk you don't want to buy)

The upside of course is the resale value on most scopes isn't great, and what you used to have can probably be found for a lot less than if it were being sold new.

Do the used thing. I paid $150 for a perfect gloss black Leopold VX II 3-9x40. It's mounted on a Winchester 70 in .300 Mag. High polish blue and walnut.

I think the scopes we have today are infinitely better than even a decade ago, let alone 2 decades ago. The glass alone is worth leaving glossy finishes behind.

I don’t think it has anything to do with AR’s. I think it’s simply evolution. Illuminated reticles are fantastic for hunting and my preference by mile. A knob for illumination doesn’t bother me at all.

As for gloss vs matte...cycles man. Gloss will be back in style in the future.

My deer rifle has a Vortex PST Gen 2 2-10 FFP on it and I wouldn’t even consider changing it out for anything you mentioned.

Take a look at the Leupold VX Freedom series scopes...not “tactical” but more “old school” (no exposed turrets, etc)...I’ve got the 4-12x40 and I really like it.

https://www.amazon.com/Leupold...l%2Caps%2C209&sr=8-1

Redfield Revolution series are still made in the USA (Leupold)...I have the 2X7 on a Ruger American and it's a solid scope...no gloss finish though (the only gloss finish scope I own is my 1970s Weaver K4W).

https://www.amazon.com/Redfiel...f%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-3

quote:

Originally posted by Bisleyblackhawk:
Leupold VX Freedom series

No offense but those are what I had in mind when I said blocky and cheap looking (compared to all the Leupolds that came before them)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cas,

Vortex Razor HDLH. If it had an illuminated dot it would be perfect.
Trijicon Accupoint, Accupower.
I think the VX3i still has some glossy models.

I’m surprised leupold doesnt have anything nice in gloss.

Believe it or not, look at garage sales and estate auctions. I have bought older Weavers and Redfields dirt cheap this way.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
What isn't made anymore are the scopes I loved. And I think the AR culture killed them.
Gone are Redfields. Gone are Weavers.
It seems 90% of scope options are marketed towards AR owners.

Times change, tools change, and if we're adaptable enough -- people change.

I had Redfields and Weavers in my early years of shooting, on centerfire and rimfire rifles. They were good scopes for that era. Reasonably priced and way better for my eyes than iron sights.

Compared to modern scopes those old Redfields and Weavers....suck. Their glass wasn't all that clear. Modern glass is simply outstanding when compared to the old scopes. Even cheap Chinese-made glass can be quite bright and clear. And we sure didn't have ED glass back in the day.

Reticles were simple wires that could shift when the scope took a good bump. Reticles are now etched in the glass. We now have multiple options of reticle types, with subtentions for wind and elevation holds. Reticles now can be illuminated or made of different colors. We now have first and second focal planes. Thick or thin reticles -- we now have a choice.

The old Redfields and Weavers were meant to zero at a given distance -- then don't even think of changing elevation or windage. The reticle "scale" had a sorta-kinda-maybe-ish 1/4 MOA line marks in the top of the dial, which we turned with a dime or a penny. Back then, when you needed to come up a couple inches, you added 2 MOA and hoped the POI would be a little closer to the intended zero. Then you kept fiddling until the POI was finally good enough.

Turrets now actually work. Scales are calibrated well, there are positive clicks in the elevation and windage dials. Turret adjustment is accurate and repeatable. We have zero stops. And if we don't like exposed turrets, some scopes have caps to cover the dials.

I feel the AR shooters were behind the development of LPV scopes. Many of these scopes don't have tall turrets or all that much in the way of doo-dads -- especially in the beginning of LPV optics. But I suspect you aren't considering 1-6x scopes for hunting rifles. AR shooters don't generally use 2-8x or 3-9x type scopes. Or truly high power scopes.

I feel the long range shooters are the ones behind the changes away from the Redfields and Weavers of old. Target shooters kept pushing the limits of cartridges, rifles, and optics in pursuit of ever greater accuracy. New divisions of long range shooting arose -- for instance, the tactical/precision/steel competitors. Hunters realized that rifle/cartridge/optics systems allowed for longer distance hunting, and embraced many of the scope features used by target shooters.

If you want an old-school scope from decades, look in garage sales. Look in pawn shops. Maybe ebay.

Long live the scope developments over the past few decades. I can hardly wait for what the next decade brings.

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
I think the VX3i still has some glossy models.

No glosse models anymore. But I think I may have settled on the VX-3i. Leupold VX-3i 1.5-5x20mm for my .45-70 and 2.5-8x36mm for my .30-30 and .35 Remington.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
I can hardly wait for what the next decade brings.

What do you think that might be?
Besides various electronic features other than illumination—?

I realize that “smart” scopes are the wave of the future, but automatic ranging and POA adjustments aren’t the advancements I’m wondering about. I don’t know enough about the technical aspects of scopesights to even question what might be improved, so I’m curious what the experts might anticipate.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:

Gawdy tall turrets and illumination switches.

It's a sad state of affairs. And I contributed to it. I regret that.

https://vortexoptics.com/vorte...r-hd-lh-3-15x42.html

So I guess Y'all are going to make fun of me over my BalVar 8 scope on the very early prewar M70 in the obsolete caliber of .30-06? Still works. No not bright and as clear as the other new scopes.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:
I can hardly wait for what the next decade brings.

What do you think that might be?
Besides various electronic features other than illumination—?

I realize that “smart” scopes are the wave of the future, but automatic ranging and POA adjustments aren’t the advancements I’m wondering about. I don’t know enough about the technical aspects of scopesights to even question what might be improved, so I’m curious what the experts might anticipate.

Not an expert, but a guy interested in nanotech advancements. You might want to look into GRIN technology to glimpse what may lie in the future. Though I expect it to become part of science, medical, and photography optics before it gets to the scope industry.

Basically, it stands for Gradient Index optics, done with advances in nanotech. Think of it as having a flat piece of glass that is built of nanoscopic layers that could (theoretically) perform all the functions of a scope full of lenses. Though I don't expect it to quite work that way. More likely a nice piece of flat glass that acts to concentrate an image onto a photosensor that handles everthing else. If nothing else, scopes should get a lot shorter and lighter.

Ken

Dosent leupold Ofer gloss finishes through their custom shop?

I do see where you are coming from, leupold
Dropped the vx2 line. I like the meopta meopro and the leupold vx3i for all around hunting scopes. Nightforce shv 3-10 sort of meets the middle between normal hunting scopes and modern tactical scopes.

I’ve never been a Burris fan but it’s probably about time I give them a look.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
I think the VX3i still has some glossy models.

No glosse models anymore. But I think I may have settled on the VX-3i. Leupold VX-3i 1.5-5x20mm for my .45-70 and 2.5-8x36mm for my .30-30 and .35 Remington.

I’ve used the vx3i in 2.5-8 and 1.5-5 on a lot of rifles and I think they are a great choice. I had the 1.5-5 on one of my 375s and the only reason I ditched it was to go with a 2-5-8.

I have another 375HH coming into my possession in the next few weeks and I’ll probably go with a vx3i 3.5-10.

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
Leica Glossy

This product has been discontinued.

I went through the same search about one year ago when I bought a gorgeous Walnut stocked Weatherby Mark V Lazar Mark in 257 Weatherby. I wanted a "shinny" blued, gloss scope to match the magnificent deep blueing on the barrel and receiver. I wanted modern tech.
No luck.
Had to go with black matte.
I would jump all over that Leica scope listed in a previous post.