I am looking for opinions on what power scope to put on my new rifle. It is a Winchester M70 in 300 RUM. I will be using it on my first African trip next year, going to RSA near Port Elizabeth. Any help will be appreciated.

RobertJ

I would vote for a leupold or burris 3x9 or 10 with mil dots or ballistic plx. This should cover any thing you want to shoot and if you have to shoot any thing past 300 you have you hold over built in.

I have hunted twice in that area (up around Tarkastad), and the ranges are 300 yds plus. The species are the smaller animals (kudu or zebra are the largest). The weather can be cold (we've hunted twice in six inches of snow.) My suggestion is a Leupold 2.5x8 Vari X III. For what you get, it is a very nice scope. Regular duplex reticle will serve just fine.

If your scope budget is hurting (like the stock market), get the Vari X II instead. These are on close out right now and are a really good deal. Then shoot; Shoot; SHOOT. Be comfortable with a field position shot at 300 yds. A lot of shooting up hill, if you can practice that. Lot's of wind, so make and laminate a wind clock and tie it to your sling.

Take a very good pair of binoculars. You'll see a lot of game and you'll always have 'em. A pair of Kern's from that outfit that advertises in SCI Times with full page ads would be a good buy and they are good glasses. ($250 plus shipping and handling.)

Dress warm, it gets cold in the mountains. You'll have a great trip. Port Elizabeth is really a nice town. Lovely Holiday Inn in the south part of town (overlooks the beach and is about three blocks from the new casino area.) A must is dinner at Black Beard,s which is in walking distance across the street from the Holiday Inn. Really nice seafood. Have a good trip. Ku-dude

[This message has been edited by ku-dude (edited 11-01-2001).]

I shot Leup. on my trip to RSA, a 1.75x6 & a 2.5x8 VXIII. I don't think you need the 3x9's but I did on occasion want a bit more than the 6x (JMO).

Do like the Ku-Dude says - I shot a 1.25 - 4 Pecar in that area this year.I soon felt the need for more glass. 250 - 300yds was a common poke - and I found it quite challenging compared to the usual >150 here in southern England.

Got a Burris 3-9 with Ballistic plex as soon as I returned. Nice glass, and in Warne tipoff mounts, complements the low power Pecar scope. That now gives me a back up scope arrangement covering any situation I meet with my pet .375hh.

Eastern Cape is a lovely part of the world - do try and get across to Grahamstown while out there. Several good game ranches in the area and the old town has to be seen! I found the area much more 'civilized' than I expected. Certainly not 'wild' africa! Rgds Ian

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"Just taking my rifle for a walk!"........

This past spring I hunted about an hours drive NE of Port Elizabeth, and like the gentlemen above said, you will do well to use a Leupold 3x9 or 2.5x8 or 1.75x6. I used a 1.75x6 on by .378 and it worked well, if I was doing my part. The hard part is consistently making good shots at 300yrd. So, like it was emphasized above, practice shooting (a lot) at 250 to 300 yards using field positions...focus on tripod shooting sticks from a standing and sitting position.

The scopes being suggested are all good scopes but with a .30 burner like you have, why not step up a bit in scope power? Leupold has a 4.5x14 (I think), Zeiss Conquest(1") has one I believe is a 4x12, and Swarovski AV (1") has one that goes to 12x. These are all around the same price of $495 to $600 on the street. The new Weaver Grand Slam is a bit less expensive and I love my 6.5x20. I think if I knew the majority of my shots were going to be 250-300 yards I would put the Weaver on it...keep it set a 6.5X until I needed it and then crank it up. If you have time to set up with a bi-pod etc you will have time to twist the dial to a higher power....the Grand Slam is not a big, heavy scope.

I use a 3x, or 4x fixed Leupold, and 1x4 or 1.5 x 5 Leupold varibles....I want the 20 mm objective...These scopes will take a hard lick and not change POI on you. the big bells will not...The bigger the scope the more likely it is to get knocked out of whack in a Safari car...Been there too many times...

Trust me you can see a Kudu at 1000 yds with a 3 or 4 power scope just fine...A big power scope has nothing to do with accurate shooting except on targets and varmints that are very small and shot at long range....

the kiss principle rules in big game hunting and I therefore like a fixed power such as the 4X for plainsgame hunting, less to go wrong...

Granted we now live in a world of smart bombs and 2x24X scope monstrousities and I'm no doubt in the minority on this.....But I have hunted extensively all over the place and that where the dust settled with me on scope choice....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Plainsgame hunting scope? Leupold 2.5 x 8
with optional fine crosshairs.

I looked through a Zeiss "Conquest"
recently and I was favorably impressed.