SmallCaliberCentral

Bought a new remmy 17 Fireball and need a scope. I have VX lll's on the 204 & 22-250, and thought I might try something different. Any of you guys had experience with the 6-24x50 Burris Black Diamond w/side focus and fine crosshires. And I was also looking at the Nikon Monarch with the same specifications. Both are in the $650 range from SWFA optics (about $200 cheaper than comp. VXlll). Any comments?

PS. I finially found the right round for the 204 XR-100. It's the 39gr. SBK and 24.8 grs. of RE10X in rem brass and cci. For some reason the accurcy was better at 2.60 col than anything longer. Thanks to all for the tip on RE 10X.

2.60??? Any chance you meant 2.260?

The Monarch is very clear and a great scope for the money. It has lots of MOA adjustment so you can use it real long range especially with the burris signature ring inserts with built in MOA. All 3 scopes you mentioned are very very nice scopes. I really like my nikons!

Stick with the Leupold at those prices.

+1 for Hotshot's advice. Not only that, nobody, and I mean nobody comes close to the warranty and service that Leupold offers. Even a few bucks more at purchase is forgotton in a year, five years or more if/when you ever need factory service. Not to mention their custom shop now, the mods and changes are boundless with no hassle.

I also don't think any other maker comes close to the many models Lupy offers these days.

VarMitt, I have both the 6-24x50 Black Diamond and a 6.5-20x44 Nikon Monarch. The clarity of both scopes is very close. The Burris is a bit bulkier than the Nikon, but I like the side focus on the Burris alot. Have you checked the prices on those scopes on (theopticzone.com)? They are quite reasonable.

I like the fast focus eyepiece, and locking side focus knob on the Monarch. The clarity s also quite amazing. My Monarch is 4-16x and my Leupie is 4.5-14x. I can see the holes in the paper quite clearly at 100 yds with the Nikon. Not so much with the Leupie.

I want a Zeiss or Swaro eventually, but for $399 the Nikon works well...

WrzWaldo, I stand corrected; the 204 col was 2.260.

I have to agree with Rick; Leupold's warrenty and customer service is tops and I know from personal experience that Leupold's are awesome. On the other hand I'm always open to new ideas and equipment, so I thought I would see what other fellow shooters have tried. Thanks guys for all you comments and recomendations.

i am also in agreement with the leupold fans. have owned a few of the other brands, except swaro and zeiss, can't afford them, and not one of the others i have tried compares to my leupolds. if you buy right, you can find good deals on them. try opticsplanet.com . i did a lot of shopping around and could not beat their prices anywhere. 3 mos. ago i picked up a VXII, 6-18x40mm AO for 439.00 and did not pay .01 cent for freight.

This may be the time and place to mention something not so obvious, and also something that some here seem not to be aware of....

I see guys post "my Leupold (or Nikon, or "good scope brand") is not as clear as my "whatever" scope. This brings up the point of FOCUS.

All decent scopes, Leupold being one, has a lock ring at the back end (ocular eyepiece). To properly focus the scope for YOUR eyesight, take the scope outside, on or off the rifle, turn down to the lowest power (assuming it's a variable), look up into a clear blue sky, and back off the lock ring and turn out the ocular eyepiece a few turns. Keep doing this until the reticle appears clear and crisp against the sky. When it is, re-lock the lock ring, and the scope will now have the reticle focused perfectly for YOUR eyes.

You'll still need to use the parallax adjustment for various ranges if so equipped. It pains me to hear guys say that their Leupold (or whatever) is blurry, as these scopes, as well as Nikon, Nightforce, USO, etc., are about as optically perfect (for the money) as they can be compared to only a few years ago.

Many times in the field when I hear someone complain about this, I ask if they ever focused their scope since buying it. The usual answer is "huh, focus"? 'Nuff said.

Thanks for the tip. Mine was focused fine. For the record, my eyes like to have it screwed all the way in. The Nikon fast focus is quite nice in this regard. I can move it rapidly in and out to verify.

I should add that while shooting with my B-I-L a while back I couldn't see well thru his scope. He commented the same so I adjusted it. He wasn't aware of this ability. The scope was an old B&L? tube with windage and elevation adjustments being made to the base. Pull hard rearward and you can lift the scope out of the base.

TD-Max wrote:I like the fast focus eyepiece, and locking side focus knob on the Monarch. The clarity s also quite amazing. My Monarch is 4-16x and my Leupie is 4.5-14x. I can see the holes in the paper quite clearly at 100 yds with the Nikon. Not so much with the Leupie.

I want a Zeiss or Swaro eventually, but for $399 the Nikon works well...

Had Leupies for many years then I decided to try the Nikon, had the same experience you did. Better scope for less. I don't care about customer service as in 40 years I've never had to send one back. Most makers now have super warranties so that's a moot point.

Rick in Oregon wrote:This may be the time and place to mention something not so obvious, and also something that some here seem not to be aware of....

I see guys post "my Leupold (or Nikon, or "good scope brand") is not as clear as my "whatever" scope. This brings up the point of FOCUS.

Rick,

You make some very valid points, especially with paralax adjustments. I learned my lesson with that years ago on a 1000 yd rifle range.

Also, it seems to me to get a true indication of glass-quality between manufactures is to;

1. Compare scopes within the same class. For example, a Leupold VARI-X-III is-not in the same catagory as a NightForce NXS. Comparing a NightForce NXS vs a Leupod MK4, with like featues, objective opening, maganification and tube diameter is fair.

2. When comparing scopes for light gathering ability it would seem (although I may be wrong) that the scopes would have to be adjusted to have the same exit pupil if thats possible.

For me, I have Leupold VARI-X-III, Zeiss Conquest, Burris Fullfield II and Nikon Monarch scopes. They're all good. I'm thinking about one of those Bushnell Elite 6500's for a new 204.

Jim