Generally speaking, I'm a budget scope guy. Not sure why but over the years I have found myself buying low end optics and giving them a fair shake. Overall, very few have really impressed me. Simmons scopes have always been sub par IMO as well as barska and pentax. I do have a Leupold mounted on my deer rifle, an older generation Vari X3. Since I originally purchased it, over a decade ago, it has been the scope by which all others have been judged.
Recently, I decided to get into another 7mm for hunting, specifically a Winchester Model 70 in 7mm WSM. I have been going back and forth between the Monarch 3 and the newer Vari X2s. I am looking for something in a 4-12x magnification and sticking to objectives under 44mm. The Vari X2 tops that list for me. The Monarch seems to have really good reviews and is priced at about the same.
Last night, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the Leupold. So, it may be a little late to post this thread but I am hoping I will feel better about the purchase and not pissed about passing on the monarch. If I had the cash for it, I would have bought both but since I had to pick just one, the Leupold won out for potential resale as well as brand/service quality. Let me know if I made a mistake !
Recently, I decided to get into another 7mm for hunting, specifically a Winchester Model 70 in 7mm WSM. I have been going back and forth between the Monarch 3 and the newer Vari X2s. I am looking for something in a 4-12x magnification and sticking to objectives under 44mm. The Vari X2 tops that list for me. The Monarch seems to have really good reviews and is priced at about the same.
Last night, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered the Leupold. So, it may be a little late to post this thread but I am hoping I will feel better about the purchase and not pissed about passing on the monarch. If I had the cash for it, I would have bought both but since I had to pick just one, the Leupold won out for potential resale as well as brand/service quality. Let me know if I made a mistake !
