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$2,418; (bushnell.com) Tactical calls to mind Humvees, flak vests, and sharpshooters positioned on rooftops. But many hunters are concluding that if gear can stand up to places like the Korangal Valley, it’s built to take on the Brooks Range, too. And here is the spotting scope that big-game hunters in tough country will want.

LMSS is short for Lightweight Modular Spotting Scope, meaning this Elite is one piece without a separate ocular (eyepiece) to take off or put on. Its aluminum body is armored in olive-drab rubber (Bushnell calls the color sand), ribbed along the sides for a firm grip, with tight-feeling focus and power rings and a dull finish to prevent glare off the outer surfaces. And the ED glass is RainGuard coated.

This is made for the mountains; tester Leroy Van Buggenum noted that 8X-40X is the perfect range for sheep hunting. Its streamlined profile and relatively light weight (37 ounces) mean it will pack easily. A $2,400 price tag is not something you see every day on a Bushnell, but in this case it seems worth it–except for an underwhelming cloth cover. This scope is surely worthy of better. –Thomas McIntyre