which leupold scope?

[Timber338]

Originally Posted by Rem700

You should post a how-to with pics, i'd like to see how you did it!

slammed at work this week and packing to camping this weekend, but will definitely post some pics next week.

[Greyfox]

I have used both of the Leupolds you have described. For 500-600 yards either scope will work fine. I actually prefer the 4.5x14 and have no problem hitting coyotes at that range with this power. Because shots at deer and coyotes have to be rather quick, I prefer using the lower power which will be less sensitive to parallax adjustment. Also, reticle holds are a lot faster than turning turrets and can be very effective for the range and game you are hunting. Doing all that scope manipulation sounds nice on paper but these animals usually don't sit around while your playing with your scope. With minimal work you can determine the proper range/reticle holds with your varmint hunter reticle for both elevation and windage. I have used the Stony Point turrets on the short turret Leupolds and have had mixed success. They will certainly enable you to easily adjust your scope but you need to make sure that the adjustments within the scope are responding to turret change. These scopes were not designed with the intent of spinning turrets for every shot and I have found that some of the scopes do not accurately respond to quick and repeated changes. The scope will need to be tested if the used this way. iMHO.

[Timber338]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

I have used the Stony Point turrets on the short turret Leupolds and have had mixed success. They will certainly enable you to easily adjust your scope but you need to make sure that the adjustments within the scope are responding to turret change. These scopes were not designed with the intent of spinning turrets for every shot and I have found that some of the scopes do not accurately respond to quick and repeated changes. The scope will need to be tested if the used this way. iMHO.

I agree with greyfox on this. My scope with the stoney point turrets is mounted on my 22-250 and I obviously do not use it to hunt big game. I have tested the scope out to 500 yards and the clicks are usually 1 moa all the way out, sometimes 1.5 moa... so definitely not nearly as repeatable as scopes that are made to click. But 1 moa at 500 yards will still kill a coyote, and mostly I am plinking for fun with this gun so the scope works for what it's used for.

Also, I have found that even when I am coyote hunting, the 20 power is just too much magnification for me anywhere within 350 yards. It is nice to look at prairie dogs far away, but other than that I prefer a smaller magnification especially on a big game rifle. For a big game rifle I would go with the 4.5-14... just my preference.

[winmag]

I had Leupolds Custom Shop install every one of those reticles.
You may consider them a waste of time, but I find them more than adequate on my 338win with 225gr bullets (B&C reticle), 270WSM with 140gr Accubonds at 3100, & 300WSM with 180gr Accubonds at 3100, & used to have one on my old 300wby with 180gr Accubonds at around 3100 (varmint hunter reticles) for shots out to 5-600 I don't even bother wasting time dialing. Simply range, & shoot. Read up on the different ways adjust for propper MOA & you'll see they're almost tailor made for each of those cartriges. The elevation change while out hunting at those modest ranges, changes poi so little its not worth fussing over unless you go out of state from say almost sea level Georgia to Colorado at 8k +++++. Then you'd have some issues for sure, but none that couldn't be dialed in when checking zero.
I don't bother dialing unless its 700 plus, & even dialing changes from Georgia to Colorado....
Nah, ill keep my Reticles, & Turrets. They're way too handy where I go, & for what I hunt.
But I guess some folks have different styles of hunting, and see them as a waste of $money anyway. that's ok too. My way isn't perfect for everyone

I think greyfox worded it much better than I did, but "ditto on his post".