Which scope for a 7mm mag and Aoudad

[8W8]

I'm trying to decide between putting my 3.5 to 10 AO leupold or my 6.5 to 20 AO on a 7mm Mag for an aoudad hunt where the shots are likely to be in the 200 to 450 yard range. I had both scopes off of the 700BDL and before picking one and running to the range to mount, square and sight it in I thought I would ask for any suggestions. I like the "ranging capabilities" of the 3.5 to 10 but my older eyes are leaninng towards the higher mag. I have checked what the duples reticle subtends with the 6.5x20 out to 200 and 300 yds and was thinking that I could come up with my own range tables for the higher mag scope.
Thanks in advance

 

[liltank]

What kind of budget are looking at? Do want affordable ($300-$600) or expensive ($800-$2000).

For an fordable good scope, I would look at Sightron, Nikon Buckmaster and Monarch series, Bushnell Elites 3200 and 4200 Tactical's, Vortex, and SWFA Super Snipers.

If you want the more expensive then look into the Leupold's, Zeiss, Night Force, IOR, and Schmidt and Bender.

I personally own the Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40 and the 6-18x40 w/Target Dot. Both of these scopes are under $350 and work wonderfully. The target dot is good for seeing and sighting on groundhog or woodchucks at 1000+yards. The 4.5-14 is a 1/4" click value and the 6-18 is a 1/8" click value. Both have adjustable turrets with side focus for parallax. I have also used the Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x50 Tactical which also works very well. It is a little more expensive ($575).

Just looked at what you are hunting. Wasn't sure what they were, but now that I see what they are, you will not have any problems with a scope in the 14 to 24 power range at 250 to 450 yards.

Tank

 

[8W8]

Thanks for the reply liltank. I guess my original post was not clear but I already own both of these Leupold scopes. I just had them both off of their respective rifles, on a 7mm Mag and the other on a 220 Swift AI. Since I would have to get to the range no matter which I chose I thought I would ask if there were any other considerations before I picked the 6.5 to 20X jsut for the higher magnification. Most of these animals would be across a canyon and according to Goggle Earth most of the canyons are around 250 to 500 yds across. I don't think feld of view considerations should be too much of a concern at shorter ranges. Anything closer than 150 yards probably has wings.

 

[liltank]

If I understand you correctly, the 6.5-20 will be plenty. Put it on and go shoot something.

Tank

 

[Kalashnikov]

I hunted free range Aoudad this past fall and took a beauty 31" ram. We certainly hiked a fair bit, so having a 'handy' rifle was a consideration. I used a 300 Win Mag A-bolt with a Leupie 3-9x40 (guides rifle) to make a reasonable 350 yard cross canyon shot. The terrain they live in provides good cover for stalking, but it also offers great opportunites for extreme long shots if that is what you wanted. However, mirage is a major factor in that country, and the higher magnification scopes can pose serious problems during typical hunting hours. At 6x, no problem, but I found 10x (my binos) to be almost unusable. As such, the 3.5-10 is more than ample, and probably a better overall scope for that hunt, especially if your ballistic reticle/subtension calculation is calibrated to the scope's highest magnification.

Here are some teasers:

 

[johnnyk]

8W8,
I have the 6.5-20X50 LR/T on my 700P in 7mmRemMag. My eyes are getting older by the second and none better. I thinking has always been, "if I can't see it, I can't hit it". I can always turn the 6.5-20 down to 10X but can never turn the 3.5-10 up to 20X if I need it. Hope this helps. JohnnyK.