Opinions / Help with Schmidt & Bender Scope ??

[toader]

I am looking to put a S&B Classic 3-12X42 scope on my Sako rifle. I have a concern that the S&B will not have enough windage/elevation adjustment to work on my set-up.

I will be using the Opti-Lok scope mounts (until Near gets some rails finished) and they do not have any elevation/windage adjustment built into them. I have heard that the S&B scopes are limited in adjustment??

This is a hunting rifle and most shots will be 350 yds or less. I will probably zero the rifle at 200 yds - Will I have enough adjustment to do this with the Clssic scope? I would really like to keep the scope close to its optical center.

Please help or give me your opinions / experiences.

Thank you!!

 

[heatseekins]

The needed adjustment depends on your caliber and distance you want to shoot. You will be fine out to 400yds with a flat base and most any cal. S&B recommends a 25-30moa base to take advantage of ALL the elevation the scope has to offer and to get a .308 out to 1000yds you need all you can get. You will get the most out of your windage adjustment when the scope is centered as well. The further you shoot the more you will need to compensate for windage. Ideally if you were to shoot 1000yds you would want your scope close to center at that distance just incase you need to dial a bunch for wind. With a good base and ring setup and a shooting distance of 100-400 yds you could live with the scope not being optically centered if need be because you shouldn't need much windage.

What you need to do is figure out how much adjustment you will need for your shooting conditions (distance, caliber, windage) and see what the chosen optic has to offer. With a flat base you will more than likely be in the middle of the adjustment range for a 100yd zero. If the scope has 100 MOA of total adjustment you may end up with around 50 (+/-) moa of travel to play with from your 100yd zero.

Glen

 

[toader]

Glen,
Thanks for the great information!!

Here's what I will be shooting:

Sako 75 v action in .300 Win mag - 180 grain Triple Shock or Accubonds. I will be using the Sako Opti-Lok mounts until I can get something better. The bases fit the dovetail on the receiver, and the rings are squared to the bases. Scope will be leveled in the rings.

Will zero the rifle for 200 yds (2 inches high at 100 yds). Most shots I will take will be 350 yds max and some much less. The Classic 3-12X42 by S&B has 15.7 " of adjustment in either direction.

I just want to make sure that this scope will work on my hunting rifle - especially when they cost about $1600!!

Thanks again !!!

 

[Delta Hunter]

I've got a .300 Win mag Sako 75 and can assure you, you won't have any problems shooting out to 350 yards with the setup you're talking about. I do it with a 3-9x40 Zeiss Conquest on mine in Optilock mounts.

 

[heatseekins]

15" total movemnt at 100yds? thats only about 15moa. If i was going to spend that kind of money for a scope I would weigh my options and think into the future as far as i could see. Will you ever want to take that rifle past 600yds? or even to 1k? I know when i started that 300yds was a long ways and we never shot further than that. Within a couple years we were looking for targets past 600. S&B build quite a few scopes. I would look HERE and see if i could find another scope around the same price that has more adjustment. Even with a canted base you are only going to have very little adjustment.

 

[toader]

Glen,

That 15.7" would be doubled for a total of 31.4" of adjustment. Like I said before, this is a hunting rifle - I don't ever plan on taking the scope off, and most shots will be 350 yds and under.

I was told by S&B that I should have no problems, but they like to sell their products - as does every company/manufacturer in the world!!

I am looking for real experiences with this type of set-up.

Glen - Do you make any type of bases / rings for
Sako 75 actions?

 

[floyd]

300 MAG, have you already bought the scope??? If not I may have abetter alternative for you at asimilar price, the 3-12x50 precision hunter with optional windage turret. I am selling one currently, it is in fab condition, can email pics if necessary.

 

[toader]

Floyd - thanks for the offer, but I don't want a 50 mm objective. The Classic 3-12x42 is the one I got my eye on.

Any other help / experiences - PLEASE!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[heatseekins]

If S&B said you are good to go i would believe them. They do want to sell their products, but the scopes are good enough to sell themselves and i doubt they would lie to you just to get a sale. Some companies have more respect for their customer than others.

so you are saying 30in of movement (30moa). I have scopes like that (Nikon, Burris, and a tasco on my 10/22) With the Nikon i was good to almost 600yds (300wm) before ruining out of travel. Your setup with the S&B will be good to go at 350yds. If the scope doesnt work like they say S&B wouldnt sell it.

I dont currently have a base for a 75. I will be able to build some after hunting season if i can steal my friends rifle from him. US optics I believe has a 20moa base that will fit.

Let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[Old Goose]

What are you using this scope for? I am a Sako 75 owner, (7mm, 30-06), and hunt everything from White Tail deer to Moose. Most shots in the open at about 400y for the 7mm and 100y-200y with the 30-06, but the Sako 75 is still an out of the box "excellent" production hunting rifle, not a good target rifle. The high priced S&B at $1600??? I have used everything over the years. I believe the best gun to scope ratio for the Sako 75 is a Swarovski or Zeiss, there are others. They definitely have the best glass in the world. Zeiss uses Swarovski glass in there scopes. No one has been able to copy there process or make a more clear glass. This alone is worth some home work on your part. Your specifications in these scopes are around the $1000 range. These scopes are very competitive to the S&B, if not better. You will be hard pressed to beat a Swarovski at the $1600 range. The only way to pick the right one is to hold all three in you hand and look through each one several times. Especially looking into dark areas and/or from a low lighted hallway. Even crap scopes look good in the light. I have done my home work for your type of rifle and I have had more than one headache testing scopes. Don't get sucked in by how cool the scope looks or how much it costs. Any one of the above will be outstanding for your application.