What scope do you trust? Most rugged, dependable rifle scope?

The easy answer is Swarovski. I like the Z6 1-6x reticle much better than the Z8. Clear and bright with nice illumination features that make sense to hunters. One of my DG rifles wears one.
  • Like day bright and low-light illumination settings that switch back and forth instantly.
  • +/- adjustment of reticle illumination that stays the way you set it.
  • The illumination turns off when you sling the rifle muzzle up or down and automatically turns on when you shoulder the rifle (if the switch is turned on) - this is a battery saver and it is faster than you are. Love that feature when stalking in dense cover.
My choice for DG was Kahles K16i, 1-6x. Same quality of glass as the Swaro (they are owned by the same outfit) and a better reticle for my needs, better illumination and better turrets. Just lacks the cool on-off illumination feature. Batteries last a long time so it is not an issue for me. The Kahles is on my #1 DG rifle.

My last option is blasphemy to some. Arken Optics EP-8, 1-8x LPVO. This is a FFP optic with stunning clarity for about 12% the price of the Swaro or Kahles (~315 +tx) has at least 80-90% the clarity, I cannot usually tell any difference. It has better turrets and better illumination and a better reticle than both and is a 34mm tube with FFP. I have used them a lot on smaller rifles such as 7mm/08, and 30/06 with good results. Recently, I began torture testing a pair of them by fitting one onto a Ruger M77 Compact in 338rcm. This is a 6lb rifle that shoots a 225g projectile at 2750fps. Felt recoil is only slightly less than my 375HH. I also have one a Sako M85 in 338wm. I want to see how the Arken holds up to the recoil. They claim it is rated for up to 50BMG but rifles that shoot the big 50 are usually 20-30lb things with muzzle brakes and really do not kick as much as the 338's do. Jury is still out on how it holds up. But I am up to 60rds on the 338rcm with no issues. Holds zero and works fine so far. I would want to test it longer to trust it for a DG rifle but for regular PG hunting,,, no sweat. I took one to Africa on my little 7mm/08 this year and it preformed like a champ. Made some 300y+ shots with it. Honestly, the EP-8 has become my favorite hunting scope because of its clarity, very functional, easy to use reticle, great illumination, and wide field of view and yet possesses enough zoom to shoot with precision out to any reasonable hunting shot distance for me. That limit for me is about 400y. I have tgt rifles that I shoot further but they wear larger scopes with more magnification and my hunting does not require such. If I was out West or in a Texas Bean field, it might be different but I am not.

For $315 ea you can try one and if you don't like it, it still makes a great squirrel rifle optic. BTW - I have no business connection to Arken at all. I am just a customer that knows what he likes. I have put their larger target scopes up against Vortex GenIII Razors and NF ATACR top tier optics. Both are about as good as it gets and the Arken stands up well in that company. It is better? I cannot say that and who knows which will last the longest. But the small issues with the Arken are so small as to be nearly impossible to quantify and would count as nit picking.
 
I've owned more than 2 dozen Leupolds. Still have a few. They're OK, if you don't know better. I've sent 6 Leupold scopes back for their excellent lifetime warranty. Four had problems with the adjustment turrets, one had a bad magnification ring seal, one had a faulty illuminated reticle that was off-centre. They refused to fix the off - centre reticle light. I think Leupold scopes are made for a market that demands "just good enough" and are built as cheap as possible. I like their warranty. They usually work.
I've owned 8 or 10 Swarovski scopes. I've sent one Swarovski scope back for repairs. It was 40 years old, and abused, and something came loose inside. They fixed it for free anyway.
I believe I have 8 Zeiss scopes. I've never had a Zeiss scope fail in any way.
And 7 Kahles scopes. One did have a seal fail, but it was 50 years old. It was fitted with expensive Suhler claw mounts, so repair was an attractive option vs. replacement. When I sent it for repairs and asked if they fix such old scopes, I was told "Of course! last week we had one in for repairs that was 80 years old. We don't expect them to break, but we service what we sell." It was completely refurbished for a small portion of the cost of new claw mounts.
Never owned a Nightforce scope, but if I could get past their military heritage and style, they'd likely serve very well.
 

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Thank you for the bookings Gents August is now fully booked!

Updated available dates for 2026!

1-27 feb is open
5-31March is open
1-10 April is open
17-30 April is open
1-6 May is open
24-31 May is open
12-18 June is open
24-30 June is open
1-17 July is open
August is now fully booked
from September onwards is wide open!
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We are very excited to come to Salzburg for the first time.
Should you at all have any interest in hunting with me and want to discuss different options please do not hesitate to contact me and we can set something up.
 
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