Best scope under $250.00 - Leapers UTG 8-32x56 Rifle Scope

Let's compare Apples with Apples NightForce 8-32x56mm NXS Riflescope $2 179.00 ---- Leapers UTG 8-32x56 Rifle Scope $249.00 with mounts. So you can nearly buy 9 Leapers UTG 8-32x56 Rifle Scopes for the price of one NightForce 8-32x56mm NXS Riflescope at $2 179.00. Bottom line is the NightForce 8-32x56mm NXS Riflescope at $2 179.00 --- 8.7 times better? I am sorry I cannot answer that question.

But what I will say is that for $249.00 Us dollars and a life time warranty, you would be hard press to find a better scope period! I have own this scope for 9 months now and I mounted it on 22 -250 Ruger American $379.00 Us Dollars, Total package price $628.00 Us dollars. Amazing budget set up; once again I am here to review the Leapers UTG 8-32x56 Rifle Scope at $249.00 Us dollars.

To be fair, I was not expecting much from this scope at that sort of price point, so had no expectation how good it should be. I am in my 50s now and may hunt once a month, back in my 20s as a young shepherd in New Zealand, I was hunting every weekend and more, so could not justify spending thousands on a rifle and scope combination, like I use to in the old days when I was hunting all the time.

In the last 9 months this scope has been amazingly pin sharp optically up to 28 times, then after that a little Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration problems can show fringing around objects throughout the image, even in the center. Red, Green, Blue or a combination of these colors can appear around objects at 32 times though they are slight they are there. Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration can be dramatically reduced by stopping down the lens of a camera or reducing magnification, re - a scope/telescope. Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration does not affect accuracy. I have tack driven rounds at 32 times with this scope. This is where your NightForce 8-32x56mm NXS Riflescope at
$2 179.00 Us, should not have these types of chromatic issues; but in saying that I have seen Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration problems in top end scopes. I sometime wonder whether a lot of scope optical correctness is reliant on technician who is assembling scope. Only a scope manufacture could answer that.

Now let's look at this scope in a real world hunting situation in New Zealand. First of all a scope has to be tough, actually bloody tough, as the terrain we can hunt on is steep and you are going to fall over a lot and knock both rifle and scope, which I have done many times, and this scope still holds true if a scope cannot handle impact, it is about as much use as a ashtray on a motorbike. This scope also handles adjustment and will zero back every time, I cannot believe how consistent this scope is for $249 Us dollars, it never ceases to amaze me.

What can you say about the 56mm objective for light gathering it gives you a 60 minute window either side of dawn and dusk at 8 power. You also have the illuminated reticle as well, I must say being and old school hunter when reticle illumination first came out in scopes I scoffed at it, but now would not be without it especially shooting through bush.

I know you Americans see a 22-250 as a varmint rifle, but here in New Zealand we also use them on deer, goats and any other game. Where I am going with this is that even my hunting friends in New Zealand say the caliber is to light for bush hunting, as if it hits a twig, projectile is deflected. When you have a tack driving scope you can shoot through most clear channels and get a kill. To summarize I would highly recommend this scope to anyone. There are a lot of reviewers out there that suffer from rifle and scope snobbery and say this scope is not a Leupold, or Schmidt Bender. Of course it is not, but what it is for and old New Zealand Hunter, is one of the best all rounders you could purchase for under $250.00 Us, you can knock over a rabbit at 400 yards or knock over a goat at 50 yards it does the job with little fuss.