I agree with everyone else. I have had Sightrons, B&L's, Weavers, Tasco's, Bushnel's, and 1 Burris. Compared to a Leupold they dont compare. I have sold all of my "other" scope but one Tasco and replaced them with Leupold's. I have close to 30 of them now and wouldn't buy another unless their quality goes to hell. Besides I think they are in the same town as Nike so "Just Do it"

 

well you have heard the masses and it looks like LEUPOLD They are great optics and I have hunted Montana Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico All with Leupolds 22-250, 270, 338 and 50cal smoke pole I do however like the 2.5-8 variable except the 22-250 where I like 4-12 I have never had a problem with these scopes except those that I created.

 

Shepherd puts out a nice scope. Std 1" tube, very good optics.
What sold us on them was the ability to match trajectory data to a particular round. Across the top and right side of the field of view is a stadia line in minutes of angle (1 moa = 1" at 100 yards, etc) that gives you the ability to do range estimation. The aim points are from 100 yards to 1000 yards with a aiming circle equaling 18" at that range. Zeroing is a piece of cake.
The reason I mentioned Shepherd is that many of the tactical scopes use a mil dot reticle system. Since most folks here in the US use yards instead of mils, the moa works best. 1 mil (milliradian) equals approximately 1 meter at 1000 meters. Some of our farm boys had to have three hands and a calculator to do range conversions.
The Shepherd scope was so easy for them to use. An example is that an AK-47 rifle is approximately 37 inches long. If the rifle covered 10 tick marks on the stadia line, it was 370 yards away. Simple.
There are lots of good scopes out there. For the most part, all the optics are more than adequate for 90% of hunting. It's up to the individual as to what they want and how much money they want to spend.
I recently outfitted 161 M-14 rifles with Shepherd P2 scopes and Smith mounts and rings. Why? I'm a firm believer in KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Since these weapons were attached to guys that were going in harms way, the least sophistication the better. A proven weapon with proven accessories that will allow that individual to better perform his job. There is no need for that individual to require a degree in mathematics just to be able to get good range data on a target. Especially when every second may count. Technology is great but Murphy still lurks behind every corner, thus insuring that the only time that piece of equipment will fail is when you need it the most.
Sorry about the rambling. I don't sell these scopes, just like them 'cause they do what they are supposed to.

Shortround out

 

Gawd, I love M-14's Good stuff. Good everything! I even like the tankers.
Don~

 

Concerning your fogging issue.

Unless you put some anti-fog on your lenses you will fog them up if you breath on the glass or go between large temperature differences.(ie Gun in house to outside cold weather) All scopes fog in this situation but most importantly is that the scope is sealed completely so that no moister builds in the internals.

Leupold, Swarovski and Zeiss, what other manufacture's compete with them? Especially Swarovski. You get what you pay for.

-CM

 

Nightforce NXS... one of the best in the business. I own leupold's though, for the money, they are excellent as well.

www.nightforceoptics.com

 

Just a little tip. To keep my optics from fogging up I leave my rifle in the car when hunting when practical. Make sure you get the grease out of the actions before going and use a light oil. when I hunt with an outfitter and in a secure location I will leave the rifle outside. No optics problem and no condensation problems.