05-05-2020, 04:30 PM
I haven't read through every comment, but here's my two cents. You're going to have a really hard time getting anything remotely decent for your goals (I'm assuming you're like me and that ELR = 1500+ Meters) in the sub 1K price range. That's just how it is. Might you get lucky and find something used out there that fits your needs? Sure. But you're in competition with every other LR/ELR shooter out there, and they all know the market. If you find something that might be what you want but it's 400 more than you want to spend- better snap that up because there's a list of guys thinking the same thing you are...
The thing is, when you start getting out to these distances (1K plus) you're not moving in clicks anymore. You're between. Sometimes, 21.43 is a hard call. If your scope doesn't click right on the gnat's ass, you're off by enough to miss. The expense in a scope is usually in the glass until you get to about $1k. Then the construction becomes more expensive to machine and assemble. Beyond $2k, turrets and erector are by far the highest expense, followed by glass, then coatings. At the level of precision required for repeatable performance and longevity, usually with the no questions asked warranty offered to entice the big ticket prices, these optics are on a totally different level of design and time in manufacture. The level of finite tolerances and designed precision is outrageous. The friction between the detents and springs has to be engineered to several decimal places, - then it has to be built! The glass has to be mounted, sealed, and epoxy bedded (most of the time by hand) in order to ensure things absolutely don't move or flex. There is ZERO room for error. It cannot be great. It HAS to be perfect. I honestly don't know how they do it.
These aren't rifle scopes, they're more attuned to interstellar telescopes with precision machined mechanisms to move an included reticle around inside. All while being able to withstand a drop down the professors stairs as he clumsily carried it home...
If you're really wanting to be going ELR (1500+) you're going to be entering a new game. The cartridges get much, much larger. The barrels get much much larger. The glass follows. The expense increases exponentially, as the gadgets and gear are so much more precise. It's a wealthy mans game, really. The market hasn't caught up to demand, and there are lots of lost men seeking the next big stick. The gear, travel, facilities, and components are almost funny expensive, and the rewards are few... like atta'boys... Look up a box of 408CT. >
If I've gone too far down the ELR rabbit hole, and you're just wanting to stretch your CMs legs, then a 30X will do it well. A Bushnell DMRII PRO, Bushnell Elite 6500 4.5-30, Burris XTR II, Steiner PX5i, Vortex Razor Gen II(beat to hell, unicorn), Athlon Cronus/Ares ETR, PA Elite, may all be good places to start. There's a list over on the EE/SH that gets rummaged daily by the re-sale trolls and beggars, but has good deals weekly on most of the optics you're looking for. Above 30x, the cost changes. The Athlon guys won't like this, but I'd stay away from Athlons above their 27x. They just don't have the punch, and I don't know if their turrets are truly up to snuff beyond what you're shooting now. Upping your budget to $1500-2k in the used section opens doors into the 3k-4k retail optic window, and that really is a different world, equipment wise. Keep warranty in mind, Khales, Swaro, and some others don't always play well when you send in equipment you didn't buy... On the other hand, considering what the quality is, sending in something you get discounted, then paying for repair, you can find great deals on top of the world glass if you're willing to wait for the mailman to do his thing...
The thing is, when you start getting out to these distances (1K plus) you're not moving in clicks anymore. You're between. Sometimes, 21.43 is a hard call. If your scope doesn't click right on the gnat's ass, you're off by enough to miss. The expense in a scope is usually in the glass until you get to about $1k. Then the construction becomes more expensive to machine and assemble. Beyond $2k, turrets and erector are by far the highest expense, followed by glass, then coatings. At the level of precision required for repeatable performance and longevity, usually with the no questions asked warranty offered to entice the big ticket prices, these optics are on a totally different level of design and time in manufacture. The level of finite tolerances and designed precision is outrageous. The friction between the detents and springs has to be engineered to several decimal places, - then it has to be built! The glass has to be mounted, sealed, and epoxy bedded (most of the time by hand) in order to ensure things absolutely don't move or flex. There is ZERO room for error. It cannot be great. It HAS to be perfect. I honestly don't know how they do it.
These aren't rifle scopes, they're more attuned to interstellar telescopes with precision machined mechanisms to move an included reticle around inside. All while being able to withstand a drop down the professors stairs as he clumsily carried it home...
If you're really wanting to be going ELR (1500+) you're going to be entering a new game. The cartridges get much, much larger. The barrels get much much larger. The glass follows. The expense increases exponentially, as the gadgets and gear are so much more precise. It's a wealthy mans game, really. The market hasn't caught up to demand, and there are lots of lost men seeking the next big stick. The gear, travel, facilities, and components are almost funny expensive, and the rewards are few... like atta'boys... Look up a box of 408CT. >
If I've gone too far down the ELR rabbit hole, and you're just wanting to stretch your CMs legs, then a 30X will do it well. A Bushnell DMRII PRO, Bushnell Elite 6500 4.5-30, Burris XTR II, Steiner PX5i, Vortex Razor Gen II(beat to hell, unicorn), Athlon Cronus/Ares ETR, PA Elite, may all be good places to start. There's a list over on the EE/SH that gets rummaged daily by the re-sale trolls and beggars, but has good deals weekly on most of the optics you're looking for. Above 30x, the cost changes. The Athlon guys won't like this, but I'd stay away from Athlons above their 27x. They just don't have the punch, and I don't know if their turrets are truly up to snuff beyond what you're shooting now. Upping your budget to $1500-2k in the used section opens doors into the 3k-4k retail optic window, and that really is a different world, equipment wise. Keep warranty in mind, Khales, Swaro, and some others don't always play well when you send in equipment you didn't buy... On the other hand, considering what the quality is, sending in something you get discounted, then paying for repair, you can find great deals on top of the world glass if you're willing to wait for the mailman to do his thing...
Nothing kills the incentive of men faster than a healthy sense of entitlement. Nothing kills entitlement faster than a healthy sense of achievement.