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Most common query received by Scopelist is the suggestion on best available long range hunting scopes. Now, answering this particular question is a bit tricky as there are various kinds of high quality scopes in accordance with the budget. Considering the reader is not bothered about price of the optical device, 5 high quality riflescopes are suggested. All the long range scopes are absolute winners in brightness as well as optical clarity and come with price tags above the US$ 2,000 threshold. If you are an avid long range hunter or tactical shooter, you will love these 5 riflescopes:
i. Schmidt and Bender 5-25×56 PMII
ii. Zeiss VICTORY V8 4.8–35×60
iii. Swarovski Z6i 5-30×50 P
iv. Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20×50
v. Nightforce B.E.A.S.T. 5-25×56 F1
Now, let’s check out these scopes closely so that it helps you to make the right choice:
i. Schmidt and Bender 5-25×56 PMII
Schmidt Bender PMII 5-25×56 is a proven long range riflescope that has been revered by almost all the pro shooters. Whether it is long range tactical shooting, F-class competition, or long range hunting, everyone in the shooting community considers this scope to be one of the best available in the market. This Generation 2 scope in the Police Marksman series of Schmidt & Bender weighs around 2.3lb and comes with a magnification range from 5x to 25x. It comes with a 34mm body tube that helps in incorporation of vertical adjustment up to 90MOA. Therefore, shooters can shoot targets located more than 2,000 yards away. In fact, this is one of the reasons why Schmidt & Bender PMII 5-25×56 is the preferred choice of long range shooters, using large calibers.
This scope can be used with .243 RPA Thumbhole Hunter for culling fallow deer and foxing for 2 years continuously without facing the slightest of problems or even glitches. The adjustments are absolutely precise and the clicks are distinct. Whether it is windage turret or elevation turret, they are absolutely stiff and can be turned precisely. Users will get “double turn” facility in this device, which helps shooters by pointing out whether they have gone beyond a complete turn. If you have gone beyond a single turn, this means it has already crossed the 800 yards distance and is not the usual situation of hunting. That’s why the double turn feature comes handy in hunting situations. Once a shooter has zeroed the riflescope, the turret can be reset to move in one direction only, which is upwards and back to zero.
The parallax wheel can be adjusted from 50 meters to infinity. This is the perfect companion for long range shooters who prefer to bring down animals in the 1,000 to 2,000 yards range or sometimes beyond that. Brightness and clarity are the best in class and the 34mm mounts give specialists get more adjustment room so that they can take the perfect shot. If you are looking for a long range riflescope that helps in universal usage, Schmidt Bender PM II/LP 5-25×56 will be more helpful for you.
ii. Zeiss VICTORY V8 4.8–35×60
Zeiss Victory V8 4.8–35×60 is the newest kid in the long range shooting category. The magnification range varies from 4.8x to 35x and therefore enable users to take even the longest shots with ease. Brilliance of optical quality and crystal clear lens (60mm) enables more light to pass through, thereby enabling brighter image production and amazing 92 per cent light transmission. Zeiss has unveiled this VICTORY V8 line long range scope at a price point between US$ 2,500 and US$ 3,000. If you are looking for ultimate long-range shot excellence, Zeiss VICTORY V8 4.8–35×60 having BDC Competition bullet drop compensator is surely serve your purpose.
The best aspect about this scope is the ability to check out targets clearly even in the darkness at extreme long ranges. It is the perfect scope for all kinds of hunting and shooting situations including sports and long range shooting, hide day, and hide night hunting. This scope can also be used for stalking as well as safari. Zeiss Victory V8 4.8–35×60 comes with a fine illuminated dot, which helps in precisely targeting the smallest objects located at a distance of 1,000 meters. Important specifications of this new Zeiss scope are 48.1 mm to 60 mm effective lens diameter, 9.9 mm to 1.4 mm effective pupil diameter, 8.6m-1.2m FOV at 100m, +-3.5 | 2 dpt diopter adjustment range, 95mm eye relief, 130 cm at 100m adjustment range height, 0.5 cm at 100m adjustment per click, 67mm objective tube diameter, nitrogen filling in the body, 400 mbar water resistance, LotuTec, -25 | +50 °C functional temperature, and many more. This scope has the potential to give Schmidt Bender PMII 5-25×56 some serious competition.
iii. Swarovski Z6i 5-30×50 P
Swarovski Z6i 5-30×50 P is a coveted long range scope in the Z6i series and is perfect for hunting purpose. Swarovski has come up with the standard 30mm tube that enables enough light to pass through. Parallax adjustment knob is located in the left and comes with 1/8inch per click windage/elevation adjustments. Hunters can opt for an extra ballistic turret that can help them with quick elevation adjustment. Per the range requirement, a shooter can make quick elevations as there are 4 incremental settings present in the scope. BR-1 ladder reticle can be availed by the users. This reticle comes with central illuminated dot. You will also find switch over the ocular lens where you will find two pads through which illumination intensity of the dot can be adjusted. Day and night settings can be found on the switch. Swarovski Z6i 5-30×50 P is perfect for usage in the 100 yards to 800 yards range. Accurate hold values can be obtained by the shooter with the help of ladder reticle. Hunters love this Swarovski scope because it is extremely light weighted, when compared with others in the long range category. When compared with one of the best long range scopes – say, Schmidt Bender PMII 5-25×56 – this device weighs just 1.4lb instead of Schmidt & Bender PMII’s 2.3lb weight. This high quality hunter scope can be bought at a price around $3,000.
iv. Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20×50
This long range scope is among the very few optical devices that are fully manufactured in the US. Though it is manufactured especially for the tactical shooters, hunters too find this scope handy and effective. This high quality scope costs more than US$ 3,500 but can be availed at below $3,000 price from reputed dealers. Leopold has incorporated index matched lens system that allows shooters to get the brightest image production due to amazing light transmission. The adjustments come with extreme precision and the tactical clicks are clearly audible, which helps in achieving accurate adjustment. You will get ¼ MOA click adjustments on the M1 dials. The mil dot reticle is fully illuminated and therefore you can nail the target even in low light conditions. You will get Butler Creek Flip-Open Lens Cover as standard. Important specifications of Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20×50 are 6.5x to 20x magnification range, 50mm objective lens diameter size, 70 inch at 100 yards maximum adjustment, 14.3 feet to 5.5 feet at 100 yards field of view (FOV), 6.5 inch maximum mount ring spacing, and many more. Its weight is 22 oz., which is quite similar to that of Schmidt Bender PMII 5-25×56.
v. Nightforce B.E.A.S.T. 5-25×56 F1
Nightforce BEAST F1 riflescope is one of the best long range riflescopes, loved by the benchrest and competition shooters. It is one of the costliest high quality long range scopes in the category which costs around US$ 4,000. BEAST F1 scope comes with radical new technologies and reticle placement in the first focal plane. BEAST stands for Best Example of Advanced Scope Technology. With this scope in hand, shooters can take accurate shot at high stress environment. This is the reason why US military loves this scope. Some of the important features of this Nightforce scope are 34mm tube, XtremeSpeed adjustments, over 90 per cent true-to-eye light transmission, outstanding effective range, i4F intelligent four-function elevation control, new 360 degree brake control, patented Nightforce ZeroStop system, Nightforce DigIllum digital illuminated reticle technology, availability of TReMoR 3 reticle, and many more. Experts take name of Nightforce BEAST F1 5-25×56 in the same breath as Schmidt Bender PMII 5-25×56.
Final Words
All these 5 scopes are great and are recommended for long distance shooting. However, personal preferences may place one scope over another. Schmidt Bender PMII 5-25×56 is surely one of the best and proven scopes in the long range shooting category but the others from Leopold and Zeiss have the potential of giving S&B tough times. While Swarovski Z6i 5-30×50 P is best for long range hunting, Nightforce BEAST F1 is meant for the competition and tactical long range shooters who like it rough.
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