I've got a thread going over at the rifle forum about compact rifles. I'm looking mainly at the 7mm-08 cartridge.

The gun I get will likely have a 20" barrel. (The 16 1/2" Ruger Compact is just too short for me.) I want the scope finish to match the gun finish (I might be okay with a matte scope on a gloss blue receiver...)

Because of the size of the gun, I'm drawn to compact scopes, especially the Leupold 2-7x 28mm and 3-9x 33mm. I can get the 2-7x in gloss, while the 3-9x only comes in matte or silver.

Any other manufacturers to consider? Do folks agree with the compact rifle--->compact scope combination I'm pursuing?

You may want to consider Leupold's 1.5-5x 20mm VXIII. It's lightweight, extremely rugged, optical quality is unsurpassed, and... comes gloss or matte.

I've used one for the last several years on my 338's and it's a real winner. Leupold also makes a 1.75-6x that I believe has a 32mm objective (check Leupold's website for confirmation) that is excellent as well.

You may want to consider Leupold's 1.5-5x 20mm VXIII. It's lightweight, extremely rugged, optical quality is unsurpassed, and... comes gloss or matte.

I've used one for the last several years on my 338's and it's a real winner. Leupold also makes a 1.75-6x that I believe has a 32mm objective (check Leupold's website for confirmation) that is excellent as well.

Take a look at the Burris 3-9X Compact. I have two of them; one on a Ruger #1A, another on a Remington Model 600. They look great on the smaller rifles, and perform superbly.

gunwriter

Burris has a series of compact scopes in their line.
Burris makes an excellent scope, IME.

Hi Everyone,
I"m new to this forum but have been reading the replys for a while. I have a bit of a problem I hope I can get some opinions on. I have been out of shooting for about 30 years, still have all my rifles, etc. My main ones are a .243 Win. and 30-06 built on a FN mauser action. The 06 had an old Weaver K2.5 and the 243 had an old K4 Weaver. Both scopes servered me well over several years of hunting in Okla and Colo. I have now gotten interested in shooting again and am ugrading my equipment. I am no longer interested in hunting, just feel like I have killed about everything I have any need to. Don't have anything against those who do. I only shoot at paper and crows or pdogs. I recently rescoped my 243 with a Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40 and love the clarity of it. Can/t believe the imporvements of the new optics. My tired old eyes, (68) need all the help they can get. I am having my 06 rebarreled to 22-250 with a Shilen barrel and and planning on rescoping it also. To be honest I have compared in stores and gun shops, Simmons Aetec, Nikon and Leupold. Sorry to say I don't have access to Burris or any other of the "better" scopes. I know that most of the time guys recommend Leupold over all others. But to tell you the truth, I think the Nikon and Aetec have better clarity and features. For my eyes I think the Leupold comes in 3rd in this comparison. Now then if you are not going to lug a rifle around in the rain or mountains, etc, why should one spend the extra bucks for the leupold. I am beginning to suspect it has something to do with the gold ring around the object lens. OK, I have opened a vein, lets hear the comments. Be honest, no trash talk, OK. Thanks, Donald.

Most of my rifles have the Leupold 3x9 VXII's on them - that's because back when I first started scoping guns, Redfield and Leupold were the "go to" scopes. Over time the Redfield's bit the dust for the most part and got replaced with the Leupolds.

The one Nikon 3x9 Monarch is mounted on a 6.5x257 Rob'ts Ack Imp and works well. Not a big recoiling cartridge and is chambered in a fairly weighty rifle, so it would perform well on your .243 and 22-250.

Had to send a Simmons Atec back for warranty work when the crosshair disappeared - cost $10 plus my shipping to them for a new replacement scope. That one has worked well so far.

I would still give serious consideration to a Leupold or a Burris while looking at the others. Can't beat the lifetime warranty on either of them.

Hi Everyone,
I"m new to this forum but have been reading the replys for a while. I have a bit of a problem I hope I can get some opinions on. I have been out of shooting for about 30 years, still have all my rifles, etc. My main ones are a .243 Win. and 30-06 built on a FN mauser action. The 06 had an old Weaver K2.5 and the 243 had an old K4 Weaver. Both scopes servered me well over several years of hunting in Okla and Colo. I have now gotten interested in shooting again and am ugrading my equipment. I am no longer interested in hunting, just feel like I have killed about everything I have any need to. Don't have anything against those who do. I only shoot at paper and crows or pdogs. I recently rescoped my 243 with a Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40 and love the clarity of it. Can/t believe the imporvements of the new optics. My tired old eyes, (68) need all the help they can get. I am having my 06 rebarreled to 22-250 with a Shilen barrel and and planning on rescoping it also. To be honest I have compared in stores and gun shops, Simmons Aetec, Nikon and Leupold. Sorry to say I don't have access to Burris or any other of the "better" scopes. I know that most of the time guys recommend Leupold over all others. But to tell you the truth, I think the Nikon and Aetec have better clarity and features. For my eyes I think the Leupold comes in 3rd in this comparison. Now then if you are not going to lug a rifle around in the rain or mountains, etc, why should one spend the extra bucks for the leupold. I am beginning to suspect it has something to do with the gold ring around the object lens. OK, I have opened a vein, lets hear the comments. Be honest, no trash talk, OK. Thanks, Donald.

Donald,

Select a "name brand" scope that suits your fancy, mount it on your firearm, shoot it in, and enjoy it! The "REAL" difference between most of the modern, brand name scopes is so small that they cannot be discerned. All this slicing and dicing you read about from us gun nuts is because we're gun nuts and gear freaks and we get off on debating this stuff with each other. And, like belly buttons, we all have an opinion. Don't let all the verbal fluff confuse you or slow down your decision making process! If you like Nikons, go for 'em; they're wonderful scopes.

gunwriter

There are a bunch of really fine scope brands these days, IMO. Nikon is definitely one of them.
Again, IMO, Leupold, Nikon, Burris, Pentax, Weaver, the upper line Bushnell's......there's lotsa really fine glass out there. Another is the Zeiss Conquest line.
Pick one that you like the features of, or the power range, or looks best to your eye, (ideally all three) and don't look back.
BTW, often, if you're comparing scopes in a store, the one that looks clearest to you is the one that has the eyepiece diopter adjustment closest to what your eye needs. To do a fair comparison, adjust the eyepiece of the scopes you're comparing for your eyes before comparing.

Thanks guys. I have adjusted the ocular lens on Leupolds and almost screwed the lens off the barrel and still could not get it to focus. To tell you the truth the scope that impresses me the most is the Aetec 3.8-12. I'm not crazy about the idea that it is a Simmons but it is made in the Phillipeans and so are the nikons. Wish I could look thru a Burris Fullfied II. the specs seem very good. Am worried about the durability of the Simmons Aetec. Opinons welcome.

Have some very old Leupold's that are still serving w/o problem (of any sort) and have from 40 below zero to 105 above. I know people that say the same about Redfield, Nikon, etc. While i have my preferences, IIWY i'd buy a good name brand scope after looking through them at a dealer (if possible) and deciding which looked the best to you. Hard to go wrong with a good name brand scope, i think.

Donald, I think you are getting some good ideas and the responses to your post are good ones. On your last post you mentioned that you would like to see a Burris FFII. I just wanted to say that I bought one last year and it is a great scope. Unlike some scopes the fast focus ring is good and stiff and the ballistic plex reticle is wonderful. Plus the finish is a good durable matte that I prefer. It's optics are not quite as bright as some of the more costly scopes, but they are pretty darned good considering.

Charles