Need some help with a scope. I found what I hope to be a couple of good deals at my local gun shop and wanted to run it by all of you. There is a Leupold 6.5-20x40 Vari-X III for 385, but he said he'd give it to me for 335, or a Leupold 6.5-18x40 Vari-X III for 335 that he would let me have for 295. Both have the adjustable parallax with which i'm not too familiar. All scopes I've owned have been no more than 10 power and set (supposedly) parallax free to 100-150 yards. I'm getting ready to purchase a Ruger 77 in 220 Swift and was thinking one of these will sit nicely on top. I've never had experience with these scopes but am aware of their warranty and standard of quality in general. Both appear in new condition with no wear. Is this too expensive as I've never priced a Leupold and if so where should I look? Thanks a million!

If those scopes are in like new condition, that is a pretty good price on them. At least what I've seen up here.

If you are going to mount the scope on a target rig or rig for shooting a longish range, you definitely will want to use the Parallax adjustments. There's a pretty good article on parallax adjustments in this month's Rifle magazine.

Those are fantastic prices on Vari-X III scopes. I have the 8.5-25 LR on my .50 BMG and it is really a great scope (which I felt like I stole it at $600). I think you would like the 6.5-20 just as well. Also, that scope is parallax adjustable so you will not have parallax problems at any range. Since both scopes have the same size objective and same low end power, I would opt for the 20x scope. Fairly useless on a game rifle, but they are great on target and varmint rifles. At those prices you might want to get both in case you ever need another.

Those are good prices. The second one is a 6x18 Vari-X II (easy to get confused). AO is a real neat feature; put one on a .22 and watch the bullets hit at 50 yards. Without the AO the higher magnifications will give you a headache at shorter ranges (under 100 yards for sure).

The vari-X III will have slightly better lens coatings for more light at dawn/dusk. If it's strictly for targets / varmits in full daylight, no big deal.

I did have a 6.5x20 once, and honestly, above about 16 power the image quality wasn't as good. On a bright day, great, but on an indoor range, not so good. You'd need to step up to a 50mm to significantly improve either one at high magnification, but the 50mm versions will cost a lot more. I traded my 6.5x20 for a 1.5x5 plus Warne bases/rings for a Mark X mauser because I needed a scope for my .458 Win Mag.....

If you have the money, go for it.

Oh - and you may need higher rings for the AO, it makes for a larger objective. I could not fit a 4x12 VX-II with the AO on my Ruger 77 / .257 Roberts with the standard Ruger rings, so plan on spending a few bucks for the correct rings. It will depend on the barrel contour, but on a Swift, it's probably at least as thick of a barrel as my Roberts. Actually, I did make the scope work withsome 0.030" shims between the bottom ring and the scope tube, figuring the recoil wouldn't be too bad. Anyway traded it to another shooter who had a 3.5x10 on a .22 rimfire; told him that without AO his head would hurt. When he found out I was right, traded me straight up :) We had bought both scopes used at the same time, and had the same money in each, so it was a pretty fair trade. I think he eventually put the 4x12 on a single-shot .50 BMG (Serbu), which is a torture test of a scope if there is one.....

Thanks guys! I may as well get one as after looking I believe the price is right. MikeG I wasn't sure about the 18 power scope being II or III so sorry for confusion folks. I think I'll opt for the III that is 20 power. If I don't like it I'm relatively sure I could sell it for what I will pay.

Yes, useless on a game rifle. In fact I never used a scope until last year when I bought a .270, hence the scope question. I think it'll go nice with the swift. Thanks for the ring info so I'll expect it when time comes.

You all are great!

Regards,
EW

Now for a good rangefinder...........

A scope that is 6 x 18 or 6 x 20 is a lot of magnification! If on a real hot sunny day you won't get much higher than the 10 power before the mirage starts coming off that rifle barrel.

They are fine of the two or three shot afternoons you might spend waiting on a groundhog to pop out his den. I myself have learned to go with the Vari X - 3 in a 4 x 12 ( I think they refer to it as a 4.5 x 14 now) it is all the power I need for hitting coyotes or groundhogs way out to 400 yards.

The price on either of those scopes seems very reasonable indeed. However you must be in the market for such a scope and be able to have it work out for you. Good Luck!