The problem with SWFA is that they're in Texas, so if I order from them I get nicked for 8.25% sales tax.
I've bought 'scopes from Gander Mountain (back when they had a mail-order business), MVP.COM (now defunct), and OpticsPlanet.com. Right now, I'm looking at an Eotech sight from OpticsPlanet, but I'm waiting for them to send me one of their periodic email coupons, which are typically 5% off.
I have high regard for Leupold 'scopes - in fact,
all my centerfire 'scopes are Leupolds. I started with a Leupold Vari-X II 3x9 on a .30/06 hunting rifle my Dad bought me in the early '70s, when I was too young to buy it myself . . . since then I've hunted stateside and on three African safaris with it, and even though the barrel is starting to show signs of wear, the 'scope is still going strong.
I used to be a member of a gun club that opened to the public a couple of weeks before deer season, and when I was working as a range safety officer I saw a LOT of rifles and 'scopes come through the range - I saw what worked, and what didn't. By and large, all the "big name" 'scopes were OK, including Weaver, Redfield, Burris, Bushnell, Leupold, and European makes like Zeiss, Swarovski, etc. (Although I will note that many of the Euroscopes, despite their high prices, seemed to have a problem with glare if a bright light source was just outside the field of view.)
Conversely, I also DID see which equipment was prone to be troublesome, which is why I'll never buy a Remington 7-series autoloading rifle or a 'scope from Tasco.
