Michman

I am taking my dad on a mule deer hunt in Idaho this fall and he desperately needs a new scope for his Win 300mag. I have been looking at three 1. Pentax Pioneer 3x9x40 2. Simmons aetec 2.8x10x44 and 3. Bushnell elite 3200 3x9x40mm. I am biased towards the Bushnell since i have the 4x12 on my rifle. any help would be appreciated or suggestions on other scopes in this range $150-200. I also looked at the nikon buckmaster 3x9x40. thanks

bigbulls

Of those three definetly the Bushnell.

Another excelent scope for the money is Burris fullfield II and Sightron.

In order of preferance for scopes with a price tag of about $200 are the........
1. Burris FF-II
2. Bushnell 3200
3. Nikon buckmaster
4. Simmons atec
5. Sightron S1

game4lunch

When I went to Cabella's to buy a scope for my .300 WM, I went to buy a Leupold. BUT! Cabella's has stocks that allow you to put two scopes on at the same time to shoulder them, and compare or A/B two scopes at once. I was shocked at how much clearer and brighter the Nikon was over the Leupold! I bought it, and have been very pleased for the past 4 years. It has not only withstood the recoil of the .300WM but also the riggors of "rough" hunting the Rocky Mountains. Try and compare two or more scopes this way at your local dealer before buying.
One last thing, I believe strongly in good optics. Doesn't make much sense to buy an &800.00 gun, and try and save money on a scope. I would prefer owning a $100.00 gun, and an $800.00 scope!

ShatoDavis

The best bargain on a quality scope that I've found is the Weaver Grand Slam. They are excellent scopeand can be bought for around $250 at Bruno's shooter Supply.

From your list I would pick the Bushnell Elite 3200. The others are junk, in my humble opinion. I also second the notion of putting good glass on your rifles. I hate to see folks put cheap scopes on hunting rigs. I would advise avoiding the simmons, tascos, low end bushnells and Nikons (the upper end scopes are a different story), BSA.....

I had always been a die hard Leupold man until recently. The VX line is a disappointment. They don't live up to the standards that the Vari-X III had set. I wish Leupold would bring back the Vari-x III line today exactly as it was when they discontinued it.

rather_be_huntin

From your list I would say the Bushnell Elite 3200. But I have looked through the Nikon Buckmaster and thought it was a good scope as well.

Duckbutter48

I agree the Bushnell is the best of the group but in no way are the Burris and NikonBuckmaster scopes junk. Bushnell just recently came out with a 3-10-40 3200 which is in your price rangeit has more eye relief than some of the other 3200'sand isunder 200$ at www.natchezss.com but you have to call to get a price smoe of the other places on the net have them also under 2. good luck with the hunt.

SILVERTIP-CO

Nothing larger than a 2.5-10 for sure. We have 5 big game rifles, all with Bushnell. Personally I use a 2.5x for elk, but my 243 has a 4-16x40 for varmints like antelopes and gophers.

bigiron

I liked all my nikon scopes. The buckmasters is a great scope for $200 also i like burris ff for the money to

BareBack Jack

The Bushnell 3200 would be the scope for the money,BUT I have always been a Burris fan and the Fullfeild II is a great scope for the price.Check out the www.theopticzone.com he has some good deals and prices.
BBJ

wyotimberghost

I had a Burris FF II on my rifle last year, and after some jackass broke into my truck and stole my gun I bought a new setup this year with a Leupold VX-II. I like the Leupold a lot better and the extra money was well worth it in my opinion. Having to turn the entire eyepiece to change the power on the Burris was inconvenient, and the rubber ring around the end of the eyepiece fell off after about ten trips into the field, pretty tacky for a $200 scope. If you can spare the money, go for a Leupold!