Scope for 7mm STW

[Beargrease]

I picked up a NIB Remington BDLSSDM-B in 7mm STW for a great price. I plan to use it for Elk hunting in Idaho this fall. I have never hunted for elk before but have taken whitetails in Minnsota a 200 yards with my .308 Remington Mountain Rifle. My cousin whom I am going with and whom has taken 12 elk tells me most shots are in the 300-400 yard range. He has taken two bulls at 500 yards and missed a 6x6 last year at 500 yards (shot over him). He took a nice bull last year at 350 yards after missing the big one at 500 yards. He shoots a Weatherby Accumark in 300 Weatherby. He has a 3X9 scope on this rifle and says he thinks this plenty magnification. I have a 3x9 Zeiss Conquest that I am not using which I could mount on this rifle. I was thinking maybe a 3.5 - 10 mildot might be a better option but am not sure. My cousin said that most shots are down hill at high angles so I wonder if a mildot would make any difference. I would appreciate any advice you more experienced folks could give me on selecting a scope for this rifle under the given hunting conditions.

 

[kmassaro]

Elk are big, you don't need much magnification. I've killed a bunch with a 2x7 Leupold on my 270. More important is that it be bright, because you may just see them only at first light or the end of the day.

 

[COBrad]

Like K2 I have killed a bunch of elk, and found that more magnification than your 3-9x is not needed. As a kid most of us used those old 4X Weaver K series and got along just fine. IMO that Zeiss you have is a great scope for elk chasing. I use an IOR 2.5-10 with the MP8 1/2 mil reticle, but find a laser rangefinder to be a superior tool for range estimation.

 

[lead foot]

Hey there! I'm going to offer an opinion contrary to the 3-9X shooters. I had a Sendero SF in 7mm STW. It shot well enough that I needed more X-s than that to extract the accuracy the rifle had in it.

Highly recommend the Leupold 4.5-14X. Also a _good_ trigger.

 

[mike464]

I think your Zeiss would be perfect for general elk hunting. Elk are big, they live on steep mountains, you do not have someone to tote your stick up the hill. Try it light this time, you can always go big on your next out west hunt. I use the low end of my magnification a lot more than the high end on elk. 9X is plenty at 500. Mike

 

[TOM H]

A 3x9 is plenty. Good Luck!

 

[Chilly Willy]

I think that more important than scope magnification is the importance of estimating range and having experience with the gun. The 7mm STW is a very flat shooter and you will likely have a 300 yard effective zero for minute of elk. As mentioned earlier, I'd get that rifle in for a serious trigger job and start shootin' it and gain experience and confidence.