You can get one at Cameraland for under $250 right now but its the MOA-3 reticle. Pretty thin for hunting. The DiamondBack HP is real good for a $200 scope. Nicer glass and eye relief than a standard DB. The STAC is a excellent scope for the money but it is a little heavy and the windage knob might get in the way on some rifles. Other than that i love my Sightrons.Id go with a second hand Nikon for that budget. Glass seems much clearer and brighter in low light than my comparable vortex scopes. If you go a tad higher the Sightron STAC is very nice for a little over $300 and the thing is built like a tank.
You're right about being heavy on the adjustment knobs. scope is kind of heavy all the way around, but I needed something that would hold up on my smokeless muzzleloader, and this thing has eaten hundreds of rounds now with zero hiccups.You can get one at Cameraland for under $250 right now but its the MOA-3 reticle. Pretty thin for hunting. The DiamondBack HP is real good for a $200 scope. Nicer glass and eye relief than a standard DB. The STAC is a excellent scope for the money but it is a little heavy and the windage knob might get in the way on some rifles. Other than that i love my Sightrons.
They are well known for being extremely durable. The discontinued 2.5-15x56 IR model had some reliability issues but the 3-16 and 4-20 are both solid scopes. If a 24oz scope is not too much then you probably wont find anything better for $350. Its a steal at $250 if you can deal with the fine MOA-3 reticle. I do like my SII Big Sky better as a hunting scope. Much lighter, toolless zero reset and still has excellent eye relief.You're right about being heavy on the adjustment knobs. scope is kind of heavy all the way around, but I needed something that would hold up on my smokeless muzzleloader, and this thing has eaten hundreds of rounds now with zero hiccups.
I agree. I've not owned any higher end Vortex scopes but theirs made in the Philippines are junk. Diamondback specificallyI would buy bushnell dusk and dawn before any vortex under 500! I just don't understand how they got such a following. With a 200 budget hold out for used nikon or leupold