new rifle?

[alextm33]

hello, im looking at getting a new rifle for both moose and caribou.i usually walk all day so it needs to be a light but durably gun. preferably synthetic and stainless or corrosion resistant .i have my eyes set on 2 rifles.the browning x bolt stainless stalker in 300 wsm and the weatherby vanguard 2 backcountry in 300 win mag.any suggestion on other guns.my price range is to $1300 and i shoot factory ammo.i normally shoot from o to 400 yards and will probably practice at father ranges if capable.thanks

 

[Barrelnut]

Of the two, I would pick the Weatherby Vanguard 2.

 

[FEENIX]

Of the two, I would pick the Weatherby Vanguard 2.

Another vote for the WV2!

 

[Dosh]

Go with the 300 Win Mag. with a synthetic stock other than plastic ( carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass type). 300 Win Mag will handle the heavier projectiles. Pick several scopes in your price range and look at the specs for their weight. There are light weight rings (Talley) which are strong and reliable. You should end up with around 7 lbs. good luck

 

[alextm33]

ok.i think i will stick to the wv2 backcountry . whats the best scope for around 500 for the 300 win mag.i have a buddy who tried a buckmaster on his 300 wsm and after about 200 rds it went wacko.

 

[Barrelnut]

Some Vortex scopes are in that range. They have a lifetime warranty and highly regarded for scopes in their price range.

Vortex® Viper® HS 30mm Riflescopes : Cabela's

 

[FearNoWind]

I don't own one of these but I got the chance to play with one at the range last week.
A Flawless Flyweight: Kimber Model 84M Mountain Ascent Review - Shooting Times
The muzzle break takes the sting out of recoil on this light weight rifle and if I could find any way to justify purchasing it I'd have one. You could carry this beautiful and accurate hunting rifle for a week and never know it was on your shoulder.

 

[alextm33]

how about the nikon monarchs 3's. theres one at my local store a 2.5x10x42 BDC for $350.how accurate is the BDC along with the spot on technology or wold a standard crosshair be better.so many to choose from.the only vortex vipers i can find are the bdc also.

 

[Barrelnut]

Nikon Monarch 3's are very good. I have two with BDC and my wife uses a Prostaff with BDC. Have a 6-24x50 Monarch 3 with BDC on a 300 WSM. I don't use the DBC so much though. I dial the scope for long range shooting. The scope dials perfectly. Have shot it with great accuracy out to 867 yards. I have the older Monarchs that came with three sets of dials: short, tall covered, and large knob uncovered. This was a great option they had. Not sure if it is still available with the newer ones. Also, the SpotOn technology works very well, but usually requires fine tuning for each rifles load and elevation.

All that said, they do have their drawbacks. The big one is there is no way to compensate for windage with the BDC reticle, you have to dial for wind just like a regular scope. This is a huge problem if you shoot in the wind. (And I bet in Newfoundland, it can get windy.) It is always better to dial for elevation and hold for wind, Nikon seems to have this backwards. Also, not a big fan of the circles for hash marks on the BDC. The crosshairs are also too heavy for me on the Monarchs. SpotOn definitely does work though.

Have not used a Vortex DBC yet but have a brand new on the shelf that I plan to setup this summer. I like the Vortex BDC better as it has windage marks on the horizontal crosshair that are in 2 MOA. This would allow you to dial for range on long shots and use the MOA references for wind or use the DBC for both range and wind. Kind of the best of both worlds.

 

[alextm33]

got the vanguard 2 backcountry in 300 win mag ordered along with the Talley one peice base and rings.now to wait a couple of weeks to order a new scope after some further reviewing.going to be hard to have the gun in my hand with no scope for a couple weeks.thanks for the help guys.

 

[firstcoueswas80]

I'd save another $100 for a scope and get a Zeiss 3.5-10 or a 4.5-14x44. They are not the lightest of scopes, but of very high quality at the price point.

 

[Dosh]

Alex, don't forget a good bore guide and cleaning rod. There are lots of threads on bore guides. Maybe even align hone the rings too. Good luck

 

[alextm33]

any one have any experience with the zeiss terra 3x 4x12x42 with the rz8 reticle. i can get one for 500 plus tax here in Newfoundland. i had a terra 2x7x32 that seemed to be great quality but i just didn't have any guns for it when it was given as a gift so i sold it and never got any gun time with it.

 

[Barrelnut]

I have a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x44 with RZ800. GREAT class. Better than Nikon Monarch and Vortex PST for sure. I don't have a Terra, so I am not sure if its glass is better or the same as the Conquest line.

As for the RZ800 reticule. I think it is great for faster long range shots where you don't have time to setup your weather station.
I have shot the RZ800 out to 500 yards with good accuracy. One issue though is to make the RZ reticle match your rifles ballistics, you have to adjust as per their web sites calculations. These calculations mean that you will be dialing down power on the scope to match the rifles ballistics. Meaning that with 4-12x42 scope, you could end up dialing down to 9x power to match the reticle to your rifle. I dial mine down to 10.5x to match my 300 WSM.

The RZ800 might be great for your application. If the Terra class is as good as the Conquest, you will love it.