When I originally conceived this comparison I set out to determine the following: what can you get for under $200 if you are looking for a basic hunting scope. To me a basic hunting scope is a variable scope of 3-9×40 or similar configuration. The catch is that there are quite a few such scopes out there and I was not sure which ones to go for. Hence, I set up a poll on the forum and counted votes. I ended up with the following scopes:
After some consideration, I also asked SWFA to loan me Barska SWAT 3.5-10×40 scope. While it is aimed at a different audience, I have been told that it is a better scope than the typical cheap chinese scopes that flood Wally world. I am primarily interested in the five scopes above since they compete with each other directly, but I will also add some commentary on how Barska SWAT stacks up. For the duration of this review, if you see me saying “all the scopes” I mean the five main contenders. If I mean to include Barska with the bunch, I will specifically mention it.
http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=77
- Burris Fullfield II 3-9×40 (supplied by SWFA)
- Redfield Revolution 3-9×40 (supplied by Leupold/Redfield)
- Vortex Diamondback 3-9×40 (supplied by Vortex)
- Nikon ProStaff 3-9×40 (supplied by SWFA)
- Bushnell Elite 3-9×40 (supplied by SWFA)
After some consideration, I also asked SWFA to loan me Barska SWAT 3.5-10×40 scope. While it is aimed at a different audience, I have been told that it is a better scope than the typical cheap chinese scopes that flood Wally world. I am primarily interested in the five scopes above since they compete with each other directly, but I will also add some commentary on how Barska SWAT stacks up. For the duration of this review, if you see me saying “all the scopes” I mean the five main contenders. If I mean to include Barska with the bunch, I will specifically mention it.
http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=77
