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Here's my story on scopes for what it's worth. Years ago bought my first bolt gun it was a used win. mod. 70 in 3006. My brother had an old weaver 4 power scope laying around so i slapped it on, and sighted it in. Money was tight so I figured I would save up and buy a good scope later. I got so used to that little scope that I never changed it. My friends would show up at the hunting camp with the latest and greatest on their rifles and tell me I needed to upgrade. Well where we hunted was mostly woods ,a 100 yard shot was rare. There was a fence about 50 yards in front of our camp, sitting on the porch of the camp I would tell them to point their scope at a post and holding on that post count how many posts they could see on ether side. I would hand them my rifle and tell them to do the same. Now remember we hunted in fairly thick woods It never failed with their expensive high magnification scopes they only had 1 or 2 posts in their field of view, When they looked through mine you could count 6 or 7. When I shouldered that gun I didn't have to search for my target. That was over 45 years ago I still have that little weaver on my rifle and wouldn't change it for anything

Loved your motto - "I'd rather cry once when buying than cry every time I use it" - rare wisdom these days. You probably know of a similar theme by John Ruskin (8 February 1819 - 20 January 1900), the English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era who said - "Buy cheap and you will have to buy twice so it's not cheap at all" and also - "A thing is worth what it can do for you, not what you choose to pay for it". cheers Joe, Mike in the UK

Just a novice .22 shooter for fun but Jesus be this guy is straight to the point with simple explanation and no BS. Worth a new sub Sir from Scotland.

Your my go to guy on everything scope related. I have bought scopes solely because of your videos and haven't been lead wrong yet. Air gun Scopes bit me to many times in the past and you got me pointed in the right direction. You talk the talk and walk the walk. Keep up the good work and keep making videos. I know its more work than most people give credit for but I for one realltyy appreciyate it. You've saved me a lot of money. If I can ever get over to Bryan Texas again to see family I'll buy you a beer. Or a root beer whatever you like.

I'm getting more into long range shooting and started watching scope videos... Straight to the point, funny, and no BS.. lol.. Thank You

You always give sound and honest advice! I really appreciate that! You turned me on to Arken scopes. I really like those scopes! I would have never tried them, if I hadn’t seen your reviews of them! Thank you!!

I got myself a Bushnell Banner II 4-12x40 for my AR10 that I've set up for deer hunting. It's been good for me so far. Has a good DoF, and I can adjust the focus so I can use it with or without my prescription glasses.

Joe, another great Video, they're always informative and entertaining. Your delivery is perfect. I'm subscribed and always leave a 👍because your work deserves one. Unfortunately, scope selection has become very complicated for me of late. Since 2020 I've only had the use of one eye and the "good one" is compromised. Clarity, generous eye relief and a forgiving eye box have become very important to me. A well defined Reticle that isn't too "busy" is also a must or I'll simply lose it. Things tend to run together now more than they did 50 years ago.(I'm past 70) I'm trying to finish a lightweight 6.5 for Winter Coyote hunting and due to a limited budget my options are equally limited. I need to stay close to $300. I prefer mils to any BDC and would like to have no less than 10X, nor more than 44mm; for the reasons you've mentioned, although I can easily mount a 50mm Illumination isn't a big issue but the idea of side parallax adjustment is something I like but not sure I actually need. Really, it's all about putting a good scope on what has turned out to be a very precise rifle, staying within the budget and helping my remaining eye as much as possible I'm considering the Bushnell 2.5x10 in either 1"or 30mm, (I'm conflicted) the Athlon 6-24x50 (I can get a great deal on one but that's a lot of magnification for the intended purpose) and the Black Hound Genesis.(don't particularly care for the Reticle in this scope but would probably get accustomed to it) I ruled out the SWFA only because it isn't a variable and with our mix of dark woods and large open fields I thought a straight 10x or higher might prove unsuitable. (Things already look a bit darker than they should these days). I will continue to watch and learn. Thanks for all your hard work and brutally honest evaluations. It's nice to have someone share their expertise with ZERO B.S. I have made purchases based upon your recommendations in the past and will continue to so without fear of being disappointed. Best Wishes

For me as an airgunner shooting .22 and .25 calibers both at 900 fps or a touch under and seldom shooting past 150 yards…a 4-16X44 SF or FFP with side parallax works for the bench and hunting. When hunting just turn the magnification down to 4-6 power and you should be golden if the parallax has been set at 25-30 yards on 16X …you shouldn’t have to bother your focus at all. Most shots when hunting are under 60 yards and more often even closer. Great video bud as always very useful information. Stay blessed and twisted big guy.

My fellow Texan you rock! Straightforward and honest information that makes sense.

Great advice as always. I just did somthing I never would have. I bought a Vortex. A Vortex Razor LHT 3-15×50. I was worried about being happy with the choice. The scope checked all the boxes 20oz, for a 7 rem mag Fierce carbon rival at 6.5lbs. By using q lot of what I've learned from Joe over the years, I made the right choice for me.

I was in Academy Sports, a kid behind the counter was telling a customer "The bigger tube and objective lets more light in......blah...blah...." I felt the need to be a jerk and became one, and I call him out. I'm not too welcome in that particular store any more. But he had minimal experience, I found out through somebody who actually knew him, he had been hunting ONCE in his life! Hope he watches this video........

Your channel is so underrated. Thank you so much for your great work!

Joe’s speaking the truth on hunters not needing so much magnification for hunting! The average deer is shot at under 100yds east of the Mississippi and under 200yds to the west! A 1-4, 1-6, 2-7, or 3-9x40 will all work fine. A fixed 4x is always a good option also! Joe mentioned glass clarity and that’s the most important thing to consider when deciding on a scope, not the highest magnification or an illuminated reticle!!! Great video!

Joe, another top notch video. Thanks. As you point out every scope is designed to meet a specific purpose, just like every gun should be purchased for a specific need. It pays to do your homework (i.e., watch your videos) and think through what the scope will be used for before you spend the money. Match the scope with the gun.

After looking around on youtube for various rifle related topics, you keep popping up, I really enjoy your videos, so you gained another sub, thank you for covering what seems to be everything I need to know and things I didn't think I needed to know, always informative, keep up the great work

Fantastic video Joe. Love the awesome tips Joe, thanks mate.

Great video! This was so much needed! I don't know how many times I have to correct people that say that the bigger the tube more light! :) Thanks for sharing Joe!

Always a great watch Joe, you caunt fault your down to earth honest reviews and info, Thanks so much Cheers 😁😁👌👌👌👍👍👍👍

He is honest and tells it like it is. He offers excellent advice.

I like my 6-18 on my .270 partially because you can see the shots on a 100 yard target when sighting in. Of course a spotting scope would accomplish the same thing. Thanks for sharing.

I enjoy the way you tell the story. It's truth and to the point with alittle humor in there. I too have the same problem as you looking in a mirror...just the right one. Thanks for all the infor.

am loving the feedback, mine is bit different. I bought a 454 casull pistol at an auction. It had a (to be unnamed) scope on it. Took it to the range and after a few shots, the scope literally fell apart. So I made sure to get a scope made just for a large caliber pistol and it works great! Set up for 100 yards.

Great to see you back on the optics again, Cyclops mate. Cheers from Australia. Saw a well-to-do farmer out here trying to sell back to the country gunstore out here, the ridiculously large VX6 variable that has some 34mm tube and a 45x upper magnification, it was the size of a coke bottle and he reckoned it was completely useless on the farm as an everyday gun. The shop recommended it to him and as he had a fistful of cash, he thought it would buy a better scope for that task! Now he's going to lose BIG money...

Haven't seen you in a while, good video, good information. When I was just new to the Airforce and buying my first hunting rifle around 1983 I bought a used 700 Remington in 280 Rem. Took all the fancy finish off it, applied some Tung Oil and free floated the barrel from the recoil lug forward. Basically it's a 7mm -06, I mounted a 4 power wide angle Redfield scope on that rifle, ran some bore cleaning compound through that baby and hand loaded 140 gr. bevel base hollow points for her. I could just cant that rifle follow the game then flip it up, fire it with both eyes open and drop anything from 50 to 300 yards point of aim. First three deer I hit were in the spine one was at a full run. Wide angle, big field and medium magnification is the juice for sure. Of course I was 22 at the time and had excellent reflexes and good eye sight. Wonderful video here thanks for sharing.

Very good example of “Hitting the nail on the head”! Spot on mate! Great vid for new scope buyers. You just left of out it’s ok to buy a 6-24x50 34mm if it’s for a bench rig.

Rite on Braddah Joe it’s always a pleasure watching ur videos it’s always informative and fun to watch have a blessed weekend 🤙

Absolutely spot on brother! I get asked a lot of these same questions from folks looking to pick up a new scope. I kinda consider my self an optics nerd. Love trying out new optics and such. I’m gonna share the heck out of this! One you didn’t touch on was FFP vs SFP. So many folks get hung up on that especially on a hunting scope. Really not worth the extra expense for a hunting scope to get FFP unless you’re hunting mountain goat at crazy distances and need more accurate holdovers at various ranges. Majority of us hunters are the set and forget.

Locking turrets are very useful for long range elk hunting. But that only applies to certain hunters. Anyone east of the Mississipi isn't going to be shooting 6, 7, 800yds like we do here in Montana.

Learn something new every time! Thanks Joe!

Outstanding video. I appreciate the detail you provided.

Excellent, straightforward video. You cleared up a lot of questions I had deciding on my first scope.

Another great entertaining and educational video! Been with you for a short while- I wish that I would have found you before I started my collection! BTW, I haven’t searched, but do you have any suggestions or videos on best budget scope rings and or mounts? Great to see you back in form!

I'm your orime audience for this video. I need like 3 scopes and boy have I been confused and I'm glad I waited and am still researching. Thanks for all the insight!

As usual you do a great job and couldn't agree more..... As a general set up on all of my scopes.... I set it and forget it at 6 power...... Never fails me.

I've had my eye on this Arlen optics for a long time. Thanks for the review

Nother kickazz vid bud,,,,,gonna backtrack and watch some of your budget friendly scope vids,,,,,i LOVE those

Great Information Joe. Thanks for the video.

I absolutely agree with that, UNLESS you know exactly what your needs are along with exactly what that particular scope provides. These were hard-learned lessons when I stopped hunting and switched to 1500+ yards target shooting. In such an application money doesn’t enter the equation...

Outstanding video. You do excellent work my friend and you cracked me up. Keep up the good work.

I like this video! I use 6-24× for long range shooting, and 4-16x for hunting.

Again Joe good stuff I think everybody that shoots a lot has been guilty of some of the stuff sometime or another but it's always good to be reminded keep your head in check

Great show and you always save me money 💸💸 thanks again Joe 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏

Another job well done keep up the good work I love watching your videos have a good one and be safe

Thank you so much for all the effort and work you do. Another great video.

I have an older Simmons Atec 2.8-10x44 made in the Philippines that has been one of the best scopes I have ever owned. I have taken many deer during the 20+ years of owning it and holds zero extremely well. I found out that the newer ones were made in China and used poorer quality springs than those made in the Philippines. I've had good results with my Nikon scope as well. It's been the best. 22 LR scope I have used over the years.

Very high quality amazing video! Great work

Really great video, I really learned a lot in a short time. Thank you!

I like this channel and the sheer honesty . Refreshing

I started deer hunting later in life at about age 42 when I was stationed in AK. I picked up a nice Rem .30-06 that had a Bushnell scope on it and I was ok with it. MOA at 100 yds with Rem 180 CL PSP factory loads was acceptable groups for hunting IMO. Was out shooting with a friend at the range one day and he let me shoot his Rem .308 with a really nice Nikon scope on it, and I realized I needed better glass. Went to my gun dealer and looked at many scopes, and settled on a Leupold VX-2 3-9x40. I really wanted a Nikon but when I looked thru the VX-2 my search was over. No fancy bells & whistles, beautifully clear optics, a set & forget setup. It got me sub-MOA with the same ammo, which was a plus. Tough piece of equipment too, I was hunting in the mountains with that same friend one day & lost my footing. Rifle was slung and I rode that Leupold about 20 yards down that mountain before I got traction and was able to stop myself. Didn’t want to take a shot that day so I just enjoyed the hike. At the range a few days later the scope was still dead on. I was impressed. That was 20 years ago and I just transferred that same scope to my new (to me) Rem .243 for hunting in Alabama. The ‘06 went with its original Bushnell, the trusty Leupold stayed with me for what will hopefully be another 20 yrs. Don’t know if I’ll still be hunting at 82, but we’ll see. Excellent video, liked & subbed! 👍

Now you tell me😉. Wise words from the scope master. Thanks Joe. Good luck.

Where I hunt in Saskatchewan, Canada, shots on game vary from 10 yards to as far as you can ethically shoot (often on the same day). We also have very short sunlight days in November, which means that on cloudy days in the timber it is dark by end of legal hunting hours. I went the cheap scope route for years and was always disappointed. I started spending a bit more money on scopes and it greatly added to my hunting success. After I learned to shoot competently out to 500 yards (under ideal conditions) I began buying scopes that have a broad zoom range (10 yrd to 500yrd shots) and good low light capability. My favorite scope ended up being a Steiner Predator 4 (4-16x50). I have used it for shots on game from 20 to 400 yards and some in low light conditions. It's reasonably priced and IMO has the best glass in its price point. I used to go for light weight, but have found that slightly heavier rifle/scope combos suit me better. And finally, I am 66 and find better glass just that much less straining on the eyes.

Hi from U.K. I'm a proper novice, your advice has set me on the right trajectory, no pun intended! Great content! Subscribed 👍🏻

Love your videos man, great content

I got into long lang shooting a few years back... I took your advice on the swfa-ss and I love it.... Although i wanted the 10x I they didnt have one in stock so I went with 12x and Im glad I did.. My vision as an older man just isnt as great as it used to be... This is definitely the place to be for reviews and advice. Thanks for all that you do Joe

Good general principles. Obviously particular application will trump some of the criteria you’ve set (e.g. parallax to 15-25 yds is almost mandatory for NRL22, etc.) but for a general use scope what you’ve said will be perfect.

I think a lot of us, acknowledge the same issues, but to have them all compiled and fired at us one after another really hits home. As always a great job on the review thanks for doing these.

Just learning about scopes and have Subscribed it is the best thing I could have done. THANKS

Yep, exactly right. My current favourite scope is my MTC Viper Pro 10x44 but in the store I came so close to spending "only" an extra £50 to get a 4-16X50. But then I reminded myself that I was actually there to buy a fixed magnification scope for woodland squirrel shooting, it's all about depth of field and brightness of image. The 10x44 is what I needed and it is superb.

I did a lot of this, I’m on my third scope for my current hunting rifle and I’m going back to the vx3 4.5-14 that I had on my previous rifle that I sold. It’s a good scope,decent power,light and nice glass.

I don't think I've ever chuckled at a rifle scope video before... you earned my subscription friend XD Can't wait to watch more of your videos.

Your reviews are as informative as they are entertaining. Great sound advise.

Solid advice! Have a good one Boss👍🏻🍻🍻

You've taken away my excuses for buying bells & whistles! Actually, this is much more practical. Thank you and God bless, Miles

Informative and entertaining, great job!

Alway appreciate your time and effort put into your videos.. thxs

Best scope advice on the Planet from the one and only Scope Master! Thanks. Just one small recommendation on the financial bit: I really liked the quote on the other video… ;)

Good stuff! Thanks Cyclops!

Priceless, thank you sir.

The absolute best magnification I've ever had was a 4-14x44 blackout optics. I sent back the 24 magnification for a parallax issue and I begged and begged for them to send another x44 and they did.

This is all really good advice. Thanks

Thanks Cyclops, I'm new to the shooting game and your videos have taught me a lot. I've settled on a Tikka Super varmint in 223 with a Zeiss conquest V4 3-12 x 56. Hello from Australia by the way.

As always, great info.

Great VDO Joseph...as always.

Very sound advice Joe, hell knows how much money i have spent on scopes, only to come full back circle to a 10x32, light, optics are as sharp hell, light to carry, why oh why, do we all sucked in with big is better.

Excellent video keep up the good work.

One of the biggest challenges for most shooters is understanding that for the most part if you are not professionally trained or a competitive shooter, every rifle in the store with a few exceptions will outperform you. The best way to get the most out of your rifle is buy good optics and practice practice practice.

That's all pretty much true when it comes to a hunting scope but when target , bench rest or long range scopes come into play then you go for the high mag , bigger tube, zero stop etc oh and glass quality one of my scopes is a Delta Stryker HD 5-50 and that thing kicks ass

Outstanding video brother, I appreciate it your humbleness!!!

First time here and this guy's pretty funny. Appreciate the giggles.

Great video Joe Keep it coming!

Great advice! Thanks for sharing.

Great points on buying a scope. If you have low to mid tier glass, don't go over to your buddies badass rifle and look thru his 3K+ dollar scope, wait until you have the finances to buy one, then look through theirs, yea, its worth it. Most guys buy many low end scopes then their tastes mature, do research and get a scope that has a good record for scope tracking, it can have all the bells and whistles but if it don't track, its crap

Thanks You, I learn a lot from this video.

Good solid advice,thanks.

So right about quality glass. and simplicity. I used to stalk deer professionally, and never troubled with clever turrets, zoom etc. Top grade (Sako) locking mounts, and a 6x42 Schmidt & Bender on the M695 Tikka 6.5, and an 8x56 Schmidt on the .270 M695. Never drifted, and one could see properly from one hour before dawn to one hour after sunset - our legal limits. Schmidt, Zeiss and Swarovski make gunsights. It's like turning a light on.

Good info for us scope newbies!

Excellent guidance Joe, thank you. Shopping for optics is much like shopping for an automobile. Take time and do your homework or you'll end up being disappointed sitting on the side of the road.

Great and compact information!

Spot on brother, keep up your common sense explanations on scopes.

Great advise Joe👍👍👍

Dang Right. Excellent! Thank You Very Much!!!

Excellent advice 👍 Keep up the great reviews please Regards to all from the UK

Great advice as always 👍

Well done, great tips!

Concise, rational advice Joe.

Thanks, For The Fantastic Video. Very Informative. Be Safe, And Stay Healthy.

Best video you ever posted, JOE!

I have watched this video about 10 times - I keep on coming back because I have followed this advice and bought exactly what I need and want to get another scope for a different application.