I am putting together a deer rifle that I plan on using forever. I have a Remington 700 sps tactical in .308 and I am looking for a great scope to put on it. Somethin in the 4.5 x 14, 4 X 12, 6 X 20 range. I have used Leupold all my life and have never had any problems with them. The Nikons appear to be a little cheaper ($ wise). I was wondering how you guys feel regarding one over the other or could recommend another scope that works well. 1 in v. 30 mm tubes, 30, 40 , 50 mm objectives etc. I really don't want an AO. My ceiling would be about $800.

Leupold!

Nikons customer service is probably the worst in the buisness and therefore I refuse to buy thier products anymore.

I have both and I would recommend Leupold. I like my Nikon Monarch, but it's just not at the same level as my Leupold. I haven't dealt with Nikon's customer service, but I've dealt with Leupold's and it's top notch.

just put a vx3L 4.5-14x56 30 mm tube on my 700 sps and love it , it lets a world of light in and can see till it aint legal to shoot , I put leupold two piece to make room for ejecting case , i put low rings , might have gotten away with ultra low but nobody had them and all wanted to argue that a 56 mm objective has to have high or ultra high , but that is the reason for the shape of the 3L

David... thats what I was leaning toward. Do you remember what rings you used on there?

There is no comparison here. It's the same as trying to compare a BMW to a Ford. One is luxury, one is nice.

I would do leupold, and I own a Nikon Buckmaster and it is awesome.

Leupold by far.

nikon by far,just as good both are good in low light and pull in the same amount of light.I got both and cant see no difference but the price.

Leupold

Leupold and its not even close. Nikons customer service is the worst in the business. Leupolds is one of the best. I had a leupold scope on a rifle I let a buddy borrow and he dropped it out of a 15ft deer stand and crushed the scope. I sent it to leupold and about a week later they called me and asked if it was ok if they just sent me a new scope or if I wanted them to fix the one I sent in. Now thats customer service!!

I deal with them daily, Nion sucks... riflescopes are better than bino's or others, but customer service or the lack there of kills them....

Leupold... well in 24 years we have had to use customer service twice, fast, replaced, both times....

Go Leupold.

I'm a huge Nikon fan. Never had to deal with their customer service so I can't speak to that.

Just bought a new Monarch last week and the optics are incredible.

drop a nikon and it wouldnt have been crushed,not really laffin but hey try it then send it in and see what they say.

I won't throw rocks at Leupold, but if you truly want a "great" scope like you said and for under $800, you can get a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14. I have (3) Conquest 4.5-14x44mm scopes, and they have served me well for about 8 years.

Leupold hands down. They just stand by their product so well and I haven't ever had a problem with any of their stuff. Nikon on the other hand I have had problems with a Monarch I bought about 4 years ago and I had trouble with getting it fixed. It took 2 1/2 months to get them to follow up on their warranty work and they just fixed what was wrong and sent it back. The one time I have ever had a problem with Leupold was with a pair of binoculars I had for only 2 months. I got a new pair sent to me and in my hands in less than a week from the time they received my original that I shipped back to them. I was very pleased with their service and that is the only Leupold product I have ever had a problem with. They are worth every penny IMO.

I have both as well. If cost is not that big of a deal, then I go for Leupold without hesitation. My "spare no expense (within reason)" main deer rifle has a Leupold VX3 on it. If I want a value and price matters, then I will buy Nikon. One of my cheaper play rifles has a nikon.

Nikon, definitely. I've been using Leupold and Nikon both since about '92. I've never had to deal with Nikon's customer service, and I've had to deal with Leupold's on numerous occasions. I've also had to deal with some very high-end scopes customer services because scopes wouldn't box properly. Customer service reps don't seem to grasp the return to zero concept. Anyway, Leupold's customer service was indeed top-shelf, as were a couple others, but I've never had to use Nikon's. just sayin'

for the price of the Luppy III, i'd get a Conquest or Vortex viper instead. in fact for 800 you could get the Vortex Viper scope and bino's

Didnt see hte 800$ ceiling. Go with zeiss!!!! Much better scope than the 2 mentioned and also great customer service

Leupold Fixed (FXII or III)

Nikon Variable (Monarch and higher)

I think that they are both excellent scopes as well as Zeiss and several others. I would consider the application and your price range before making a decision.
You can't go wrong with either brand.
Adios,
Gary

Check this Out!!
http://www.opticsplanet.net/leupold-vx3-45-14x50mm-rifle-scope.html
And you can 1 stop shop for mounts and any thing else, no tax or shipping, and they are FAST.

I own 3 rifles I hunt with. 1 has the Zeiss Conquest and 2 have Leupold. Go with the Leupold, can't beat thier customer service.

I lost 10 leupold scopes in a house fire, sent them in to leupold and they said they were beyond repair. They did say I could buy them at employee prices, saved quite a few bucks. Thank you LEUPOLD.