Hunting Scopes

[Kaliv]

So I'm in the market for buying my first rifle scope. Planning on putting this on a .308 to shoot some deer and possibly some small black bear in the New England states sans bait station. I'm looking at either a variable 3-9x or a 4-12x power. I'm assuming that for the most part you would use the scope mostly on max power. How close can the game be to where the scope is basically useless to me. Or conversly, how far away can the game be where I would really want more magnification? Main question: would I be better off to buy the 3-9x or the 4-12x? Thanks!

[vash]

all my rifle scopes are 3-9x. with the exception of one Leupold VX-3 which is 3.5-10x.

i think it is a perfect magnification range. i grew up using an old 3-9 weaver on a 30,06 shooting long range jackrabbits. 300 yard stuff. first time i looked at a deer 200 yards away, i gasped..it was HUGE! i still have that 30.06 but a new Leupold VX2 sits on it.

my furthest shot was 250ish..i could go further with the 3-9 easy. big game is HUGE..heck the first word is "big".

at 3 power i hit a running coyote at 80 yards.. a rancher offered me $50 if i hit it.

[aigel]

I shoot (and kill) up to about 400 yards with a 3x9 Bushnell Elite 3200 with the "multi-x" reticle. It is a very good bang for the buck scope and has served me well on dozens of big game animals. Any quality, water proof scope in the $200+ range will suffice, really. So, that covers the upper mag. range. IMHO for hunting anything over 9 is where I don't want to shoot anyway.

On the lower range mag, I often had it where I wished I had a 1.5, i.e. when you walk the grassy hillside and a sleeping pig jumps up in front of you at <20 yards. Then you just have to hold towards the front and see hair, before you pull the trigger. There is little you can do here though, as I don't think there is any 1.5x9 mag out there, at least not from the common go-to manufacturers.

If I go into close quarters on dangerous game, i.e. on a bear hunt in thick brush or a hound hunt on pigs, I do prefer open sights which are good out to 60 yards. If I can't take a shot then because it is too far, that's better than missing a shot when it comes running at you.

HTH. Have fun with your new rifle.

G

[yel911]

Hunting in New England, shot are usually close. In NH. the average shot is 40 yards. Do some research and you'll find most people are over-scoped. Too much magnification. You don't want to be on stand and have your scope turned up to the max. Just the opposite, stay at low mag. and turn up as needed. At high mag. you will have a problem finding your target. Optics are "get what you paid for". As mentioned, Leupold makes one of the best scopes, plus has a lifetime warranty. I have leupold binoculars and will not part with them!!! So, you need to know what distances you plan on shooting. For me, I have a 1.75 x 5 power Bushnell Trophy series scope on my rifled barrel shotgun. With sabots, I can shoot out to 100 yards accurately. My Ruger 300 Win mag rifle has a 2 x 10 power scope and is over-scoped, but I like the fact that I can dial as needed. At 10x, a rest is mandatory. If you had a 4x scope at 20 yards, you might have an issue finding your target. Good luck!!!

[HardDrive]

Save yourself some money, and get a Burris Fullfield II 3x9. Excellent scope. My father and I have killed many deer with them in tough conditions in Michigan. Excellent light gathering for those late in the day shots.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by yel911

Hunting in New England, shot are usually close. In NH. the average shot is 40 yards. Do some research and you'll find most people are over-scoped. Too much magnification. You don't want to be on stand and have your scope turned up to the max. Just the opposite, stay at low mag. and turn up as needed. At high mag. you will have a problem finding your target. Optics are "get what you paid for". As mentioned, Leupold makes one of the best scopes, plus has a lifetime warranty. I have leupold binoculars and will not part with them!!! So, you need to know what distances you plan on shooting. For me, I have a 1.75 x 5 power Bushnell Trophy series scope on my rifled barrel shotgun. With sabots, I can shoot out to 100 yards accurately. My Ruger 300 Win mag rifle has a 2 x 10 power scope and is over-scoped, but I like the fact that I can dial as needed. At 10x, a rest is mandatory. If you had a 4x scope at 20 yards, you might have an issue finding your target. Good luck!!!

Great advice.

Don't mistake to ability to see better with the ability to shoot better. I have used the ubiquitous 3x-9x variable up here in the Pacific Northwest in the past, reasoning that 3x would be o.k. in our dark woods and 9x o.k. in our open sagebrush. In the end, I found myself essentially over-scoped in either situation. I now use the little Leupold 1.5x-4x on those hunting rifles that actually wear a scope (most of mine don't).

The 1.5x is a godsend in the woods. The 4x is plenty for the longest range anyone has any business shooting at an unwounded big game animal. The added bonus for such a small scope is that, well - it's small. We spend a lot more time carrying them than shooting them.

Many shooters make the mistake of buying the scope that will help them shoot the best on the range. That's where the vast majority of shots are fired, and we all want to impress our buddies. The problem is, what works well on well defined, stationary targets at known ranges, firing under no time constaints or other pressures, does not always work in the field. These are two completely different sets of requirements. Many hunters have the mistaken impression that whatever helps them shoot better at the range will in turn help them shoot better in the field. That's hardly ever true.

[yel911]

Jeff H.,
that's the difference between a hunter and a target shooter. You got it right!!

Kaliv,
What state are you hunting bear?

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by yel911

Jeff H.,
that's the difference between a hunter and a target shooter. You got it right!!!

You both are quite right for the purposes of deer or small bear.

However, I must confess my sins.

I had a Bushmaster Varminter for years that I used for hunting ground hogs on the farm. I also had an old manlift with a 40ft boom. I used to make my self a high nest and make the ground hogs very uncomfortable.

I used a Bushnell Elite 6-24x40. I would have the rifle dialed in, get the manlift way up, turn off the motor and take in the view. I still have the scope if anyone is interested.









I know I should have not cheated, hunted them with a sharp stick, but so many ground hogs, so little time.

[BRPORSCHE]

I bought a Nikon 40mm 3-9x BDC Amazon for under $200 about 6 months ago and it has been great.

[sjf911]

I did most of my deer hunting in growing up in Texas with a 30-30 that had a 4X scope mounted on stand offs to preserve the iron sights. I thought you had to have a scope but ended up using the open sights more often. The scope really cuts down on your field of view and especially at high mag, it's easy to lose the target after the shot and have difficulty seeing the effect.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

The 1.5x is a godsend in the woods. The 4x is plenty for the longest range anyone has any business shooting at an unwounded big game animal.

I agree with the fact that most rifles are over-scoped. But before recommending a 4x max, we need to know a little more about the OP's hunting plans. I would not go on a pronghorn antelope or open country black tail / mule deer hunt with a 4x scope.

G

[vash]

seahawk owns a manlift?? damn..

that is just about the coolest thing ever..using it as a hunting stand, just checked the manual. found it under the chapter..EVEN MORE COOL!

i voted 3-9x, because the OP said he wasnt worried about the super close shots..

but for close encounters and rapid fire stuff..hard to beat that pig scope from leupold. 1-6x i think.

[yel911]

Seahawk,
Very cool..... I can't compete with your set-up. My only claim to fame is a groundhog taken at 220 yards with a 223. 4-12x scope benched.

[id10t]

Close in, for brush hunting, limited sight/shot distance, etc. then I'd look at the shotgun scopes by Nikon.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by aigel

I agree with the fact that most rifles are over-scoped. But before recommending a 4x max, we need to know a little more about the OP's hunting plans. I would not go on a pronghorn antelope or open country black tail / mule deer hunt with a 4x scope.

G

Why not? I have had absolutely no trouble using a 4x scope on our Eastern Washington mulies in very open sagebrush country. Nor have I had any trouble with it on many, many Wyoming pronghorn hunts. I've shot quite a few of each with this very setupt. Works great.

Seahawk, that setup is several degrees of awesome. That just had to be a real hoot. And a 6x-24x on a varmint rifle? Why not? This is a whole different ballgame as well. The more glass the better, so long as it can be turned down far enough to eliminate mirage on those hot days. My personal varmint rifles wear 6x-18x and 8x-32x glass. This is more "shooting" than "hunting", though. Although I suppose a fair number of "hunters" these days approach big game hunting the same way (sniping at extreme range), but that's a discussion for another day.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by yel911

Seahawk,
Very cool..... I can't compete with your set-up. My only claim to fame is a groundhog taken at 220 yards with a 223. 4-12x scope benched.

Both the gun and the lift are gone, either sold or traded. Like a lot of things I buy for the farm, I do a pretty thorough buy/rent analysis before I commit. The lift paid for itself a few times over when we first bought the farm but it was beginning to sit, so I sold it to a friend of mine.

Another buddy liked the BM Varminter more than I did (he is really good with it, I was average) so we traded a few things around, both happy.

Scope is available I roughly measured my longest kill at 400yds. It took three shots. The ground hog never even looked my way. Not bad for box ammo

To the OP, try and fit the scope to your rifle before you buy (hard, I know but your buds probably have a scope they recommend that you can borrow)...I have found that my most effective eye position on the rifle using iron sights drives my comfort with scopes. I know that sounds like a huge "duh" but if it is your first scope please give it a try.

[rusnak]

Forget 'scopes.

Seahawk, that manlift is the f'king bomb dude. Super cool!

[Buckterrier]

There aren't many rifle areas, if any, in southern New England. Talking about up in Maine, NH, Vt.?

3x9 would suffice.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Why not? I have had absolutely no trouble using a 4x scope on our Eastern Washington mulies in very open sagebrush country. Nor have I had any trouble with it on many, many Wyoming pronghorn hunts. I've shot quite a few of each with this very setupt. Works great.

How far was your farthest shot? I can't see too well past 300 yards if I keep it below 9x. I took a few antelopez (that's Oddjob's spelling LOL) that far out.

G

[mattdavis11]

I use a Leupold 3x9 vari-x II on a .270 Ruger M77.

My pop had a Zeiss 4x32mm laying around, so we bought him a .22 Benjamin air rifle and mounted it. He can only see out of one eye, and needed a lot of light. It's a squirrel killing machine.