How do you know a scope is good?

[Steyr]

An interesting thread. Something I have noticed though, unless I have not read everything in fine detail is that most comparisons are polarised. That's to say we seem to be discussing relatively simple air rifle / rim fire scopes such as Hawke or NS against high end manufacturers such as Zeiss, Swarovski, et al with not much mention of anything in between. Like I said, I may have missed something.

Now, the point of my post. Supposing that I have an itch for a step up myself and I fancy something "wallet relevant" mid or upper market, simple no frills and all the money in the construction and glass, low profile capped turrets, L4A or similar reticle, wide field of view and low mag 1.5 to 6.

I can opt for either Zeiss Victory HT 1.5-6x42 at £xxxx or Hawke Endurance 30 WA 1.5-6x44 at nearly a quarter the price of the Zeiss. Either scope will eventually be destined for a centre fire in .222Rem but for now it will be on a rim fire.

So, in this instance it's Hawke v Zeiss, there's nothing in the Swarovski, Steiner, or Leica stables that appeals by the way.

Hawke Vs Zeiss....chalk n cheese. !!!

There are plenty of makes out there now.
You seem to be after a fairly basic spec so look at the makers and see what line ups match your criteria.

Clearly you need to prioritise what features are a specofic requirement such as the ret style and what has a little movement.

Sad to say, scope selection can be a pain. My friend has a 6 series Bushnell. He thinks its magic.... I think its totally crap....

Vortex have some nice kit. I chose Vortex bins over Nikon.

There are many other brands to consider too.

Have a look at Ramsbottom, Utting, OPW, SGC........

Collate makes then look at potential contenders.

Legwork really

[Portzy]

Resurrecting a not so old thread, seems to be a trait of mine . Coming back to my earlier comments re Hawke v Zeiss and the op's original points.

The models and rifle destinations were chosen by me as an example of similar specification hardware but from different manufacturers and would I see a real world versus cost difference? In the current situation I/we are unable to make side by side make choices at an RFD so it's as advised earlier in the thread; consider your requirements and make a choice based on manufacturer, reviews, cost, quality etc then press the buy now button based on what ticks the boxes personally.

I don't want an out and out hunting scope.

I don't want illumination

I do want a simple open cross with either mil or moa hashes.

Side Focus was a requirement.

1" Maintube.

A decent cross over of mag extremes.

Proven manufacturer of optics and lenses.

Light weight.

Manufacturer backed ballistic programme if possible.

As much as I am a Hawke fan boy the Vantage SF, for some reason, had me hesitating so I ultimately went for complete change and pushed the button on this from Uttings.

Nikon Prostaff P5 4-16x42 SF with what Nikon refer to as "MK1 MOA" reticle.

Now, this is the best that I can justifiably go to.

Good? bad? indifferent? This is my personal "wallet buster" and it will sit on my CZ455 Varmint for now until my .222 variation comes through.