Help Me Choose a Hunting Rifle Scope

[B-P-UU]

why don't you list your build specs.. that might help. (action, barrel contour, stock, etc)

I hope you're planning to have a muzzle brake on that 7.25 pound win mag? that is a really light magnum caliber rifle - especially if you're expecting to be accurate out to 1000-1200 yards. In my experience, it is difficult to shoot that light of a rifle accurately at those distances. It can certainly be done, but it'll take some practice.

Back to optics.. if the gun only weighs 7-ish pounds, I wouldn't recommend a 5-25 ATACR or Gen II Razor.. those are seriously heavy scopes and will throw the balance of such a light rifle way off (will be top heavy).

If lightweight and performance are top priority, Swaro comes to mind.

 

[406precision]

If weight is an issue the kahles 3x12 is pretty hard to beat my second would be the 4x16 atac

 

[Good Times]

What B-P-UU said

I shoot a lightweight 300 Ackley built on a #1 Shilen 26" barrel, Rem 700 action
and Brown Precision stock. 200 grain nosler accubond at 3150 fps. Very light rifle for backpack hunting.
Have both a brake and a threaded cap to use without the brake.
Only way to see bullet impact is with the brake. Brake makes it easier to shoot at longer distances.

I have used the Leupold Varix III 3.5-10x40 and Varix III 4.5-14x40 Long Range scopes. Both have had the factory leupold target turret installed and have
a laser engraved cap for the exact load. Zero is at 300 yards and hold on the top of the shoulder at 400 yards and click after 400 yards.

If you are backpack hunting and working hard, holding the scope steady with
tons of magnification may be tough. The 3.5-10x40 has been a great scope
with a low profile that doesn't dig into your body when you carry the rifle.
I like the Leupold eye relief so you don't get tagged in the head with the
lightweight magnum. They are tough scopes and have held up 100% to
many years of 300 ackley thumping.

My choice would be a Leupold 3.5 -10x40, 4.5-14x40 or the VX6 3-18x44.
Would get the Leupold Target turret installed and have a laser engraved turret for your load made by Leupold or Kenton industries. Get the Leupold Wind Plex reticle so you can click past 400 yards and use the wind plex for wind.
Get 3 turrets made, one for sea level, one for 5,000 feet and one for 10,000 feet. I like the target turrets because they have a cap and will not turn while you are carrying the rifle. If the shot is over 400 yards you have time to remove the cap.

If you are hunting out of a truck then that is another story and I would not start off with a lightweight rifle to begin with.

why don't you list your build specs.. that might help. (action, barrel contour, stock, etc)

I hope you're planning to have a muzzle brake on that 7.25 pound win mag? that is a really light magnum caliber rifle - especially if you're expecting to be accurate out to 1000-1200 yards. In my experience, it is difficult to shoot that light of a rifle accurately at those distances. It can certainly be done, but it'll take some practice.

Back to optics.. if the gun only weighs 7-ish pounds, I wouldn't recommend a 5-25 ATACR or Gen II Razor.. those are seriously heavy scopes and will throw the balance of such a light rifle way off (will be top heavy).

If lightweight and performance are top priority, Swaro comes to mind.

 

[treillw]

why don't you list your build specs.. that might help. (action, barrel contour, stock, etc)

I hope you're planning to have a muzzle brake on that 7.25 pound win mag? that is a really light magnum caliber rifle - especially if you're expecting to be accurate out to 1000-1200 yards. In my experience, it is difficult to shoot that light of a rifle accurately at those distances. It can certainly be done, but it'll take some practice.

Build Specs:
Ultimate

Yes, it will have a brake.

I'm basing my scope setup on what I've been told the rifle is capable of killing elk at, 1200 yards, and praying that I can shoot that good. What range I am capable of killing an elk at is to be determined, but I don't want the scope/rifle holding me back.

 

[treillw]

What B-P-UU said
If you are hunting out of a truck then that is another story and I would not start off with a lightweight rifle to begin with.

Definitely not hunting out of a truck. We do a ton of hiking.

 

[treillw]

I found a good deal on a Schmidt & Bender 3-20 x 50mm. It has the H2CMR reticle. I've seen that a lot of people like this reticle for various reasons. I was wondering if any of you have experience with it? How is the visibility of the reticle on 3x? Does it get too thick at 20x? It is illuminated, but I prefer to not have to rely on that. I have plans to go check it out in person soon – just wondering if there is a general consensus on it in the meantime.

Thanks!

 

[B-P-UU]

Build Specs:
Ultimate

Yes, it will have a brake.

I'm basing my scope setup on what I've been told the rifle is capable of killing elk at, 1200 yards, and praying that I can shoot that good. What range I am capable of killing an elk at is to be determined, but I don't want the scope/rifle holding me back.

Very nice! From everything I've seen and read, Dallas makes one heck of a rifle. You're on the right track for sure.
Sounds like you do a fair amount of hiking/packing; I still think a 4-16 ATACR would be a good fit, but it's 30 oz. Shooting game or steel out to 1k isn't an issue on 16x and as others have indicated, optical quality trumps magnification. I've ran the 4-16 out to 1k and centering/sectioning a ~2MOA (24x24") target at that range was really easy.

You still need to decide if you want FFP or SFP reticle as well.

Here's a link to Dallas' facebook page with lots of pics. Looks like he runs a lot of Nightforce scopes.
https://www.facebook.com/LanePrecisionRifles/

 

[treillw]

Well I made a trip this weekend to check out some scopes. I looked at a bunch from Nightforce, S&B, Swarovski, US optics, etc.I figured I'd summarize my findings to help anybody else out who may use this thread in the future.

I had high hopes for the S&B 3-20 with the H2CMR reticle. The field of view on the scope is awesome – better than the others I compared it to.I would have and wanted to take it home with me, but the H2CMR reticle was just way too fine on 3 power.It looked like a spider web.Even with the illumination turned on, the aiming point was still very faint.The illumination isn't very bright for the day time on low power.I looked at a 3-12 S&B scope with a reticle similar to the P3 (not sure which one it was exactly).I liked that one for low power.The thicker lines at the sides come into the middle of the scope at lower magnification and do a much better job of drawing your eye to the center of the reticle.On high power, the thicker side lines go outward and better reveal the fine inner crosshairs, but they do cover up a bit of the target.I think I would be able to work with a reticle of this type.

The US optics LR-17 3.2-17 seemed to have a small eye box. The field of view is pretty much the same as the Nightforce ATACR 4-16, but the ATACR eye box felt much more forgiving.I would choose the NF over the USO.

March scopes are out of the lineup, because of their 5 year warranty.

Right now my thoughts are to keep looking for a FFP with a reticle that I can deal with at low and high magnifications (Similar to the S&B P3 – I need to check one out in their 3-20 in person), or just start over and go second focal plane.

Hope this helps somebody and additional suggestions are always welcomed!

Thanks

 

[treillw]

Has anybody ever side mounted a red dot on a hunting rifle (similar to what is done with ARs)? This would help the field of view issue. It would probably get caught on everything and shooting a .300 win mag quickly held sideways may end badly. It would certainly be awkward and take some getting used to. Just a crazy idea.

Setup Picture:
http://www.smithandwessonforums.com...969269-trijicon-rmr-red-dots-ar-15-offset.jpg