Scopeing the .458 Lott

17 September 2003, 11:04

I am planning to purchase a scope for the rugerM77 magnum rifle in .458 Lott. I was thinking on the Leupold 1.5-5 20mm or there1.75-6 32mm. These scopes go for around $450-500.Will they stand up? are they good enough scopes , or should I start saving up for a S&B a Kahles or a swarovski. the swarovshi goes for around$1,100. What is it that brings the price up $700 ? What does swarovski put into that scope that leupold does not? Thanks Tanoose

17 September 2003, 11:34

Q-Optics

Have you concidered the IOR 1.1-4x26. Very dependable scope with excellent clarity and field of view. They go for about $550 in a 30mm tube and illuminated reticule.

18 September 2003, 11:46

allfoden

Tanoose,

I sent you an email on my scope problems with the Lott.

Ed

18 September 2003, 13:19

fredj338

I'ld go Leup. 2.5 fixed. Very tough & you really don't need a bunch of magnification. The 1.5x5 VXIII is going on my .404.

18 September 2003, 15:40

475Guy

You betcha!! I had a Leupold give out and while getting it repaired, I had a Burris 1 3/4 X 5 put on to sight in my 458 Lott for loads and accuracy and it has held up to several hundred full loads. It has kept its zero and hasn't given up its ghost like the Leupold did. Luck of the draw.
[Cool]

19 September 2003, 01:34

I would opt for the 2.5x compact that is what I have purchased for my own .458 Lott(getting built). There the toughest scope going around, I have 4 of them now and I reckon there the ducks nuts. [Big Grin]

19 September 2003, 02:55

David W

Tanoose,

I had a 1.75x6 Leupold on my Lott for a few hundred rounds and it did fine. Carried it on a couple of buffalo hunts and seldom moved it off of the lowest magnification. I've since switched to a 2.5 fixed Leupold, which I like better. Eye relief is great and I think it's the most magnification you're likely to need on a stopper.

19 September 2003, 07:02

Andrea Sandri-Boriani

I would like to understand why so many Americans (and not only Americans) put scopes on their DG rifles.

In my opinion the only time that a DG rifle need a scope is when testing at the range a new load for accuracy.

When the animal is too far for shooting his vitals without a scope one should get closer, as the shooting DG from a safe distance is something that has little to do with big game African hunting.

In addition any scope fitted on a rifle is a real nuisance in the bush and may have you killed if you ever will have to face a charge, as it make more difficult to find the target, will give a wrong perception of the distance, will slow down shooting, will make reloading more difficult and finally will shoot low at close distance.

The above is not fully applicable to non magnifying LER scopes mounted on the barrel, Jeff Cooper style.

Consequently a "scout" type of configuration represent a viable compromise for people that cannot really hunt without a scope.

Still, when ageing eyesight is preventing to properly focus the rear sight it is possible to have it moved forward and modified by a good gunsmith in to a wide half circle.

The lower part of the front side will be then positioned in the centre of the half circle.

This arrangement it is very fast in target acquisition, reasonably accurate and work in almost any light condition.

Many years ago I was shooting practical pistol shooting and I had fancy sights fitted on all my guns.

The first time I had to use a pistol in self defence was against a charging gang of armed robbers.

I shot from about four meters and it was no time to even consider that I had sigts.

The second time I shot one ear off to one guy that wanted to stab me. It was dark and I herd the footsteps of somebody running behind me. I turned while I was pulling out the gun, saw the knife and fired one shot. No time even to think. The distance was less than two metres and I did not intend to shoot the ear.

In the last accident I shot one guy that wanted to stab me in the neck while is accomplice was pinning my arms against my body to prevent me from drawing.

I shot him trough the pocket of my jacket, cutting my thumb because I had no time to grip the gun (a 9mm para).

After that I relocated to Phalaborwa and I do not carry a pistol any more.

Why I'm telling that? Because three practical experiences changed radically my believes on desirable feature in a self defence pistol.

Likewise, if now I think to what kind of new sights I would like to have fitted on my 458 Lott, I'm tinking of a rib and a bright front sight, as in a shotgun.

In my opinion it will be all that I will be able to use in the fraction of a second that will be available in a real emergency.

On a second tought, the money saved on the scope I will invest in a stock to fit me well.

19 September 2003, 10:15

Michael Robinson

quote:
Originally posted by Andrea Sandri-Boriani:
I would like to understand why so many Americans (and not only Americans) put scopes on their DG rifles.

Craig Boddington and Finn Aagaard have been two of the most articulate proponents of scope use on DGRs. I believe that they are correct in their opinions. In a nutshell, here are the reasons behind this position.

Given a reasonable minimum, such as .375 H&H Mag., the caliber of a DGR pales in importance to the placement of the shot. Shot placement is paramount. Scopes of low power (4x or less) permit much more precise shot placement than iron sights.

Many shots on dangerous game are taken at 75 or more yards, and a scope is better than irons for such shots. Shot placement, again.

Scopes gather light, which is often critically important, especially when shooting big cats over bait at dawn or dusk, when there is little to no light. Shot placement, again.

Good, wide field of view, low-powered scopes are faster than iron sights--Aagaard proved it with time trials shooting at a target he had set up to charge the shooters. The reason for this somewhat counterintuitive result are that, with a scope, the target and reticle are in the same focal plane. With irons, the eyes must focus, intermittently, on two separate sights (or center the front in the rear, in the case of an aperture rear sight) and focus on the target, as well, which Aagaard found inevitably slows things down.

With a scope, as compared with iron sights, when shooting in the field, one can much more easily spot and avoid intervening brush, branches, etc.

I may have forgotten or missed a couple of other reasons, but those cited should be enough. At least, they're enough for me. My experience has proven them true.

By the way, I use a Swarovski 1.25-4x24 with the No. 24 reticle on my .458 Lott, backed up with express style irons--wide V rear with gold center line, 3/32 fiber optic bead front. Mounts are modified CZ rings on the double square bridge CZ 550 Magnum action.

[ 09-19-2003, 01:17: Message edited by: mrlexma ]

20 September 2003, 09:02

Andrea Sandri-Boriani

Shooting cats over a bait in my opinion is just shooting.

I do not hunt DG because I'm a dedicated meat hunter but, as a wildlife guide or when hunting antelopes in big five areas, I often managed to come close enough to all big five to make any scoped rifle totally reduntant.

I recently sold a 9.5 x 57 Mannlicher Schoenauer because the barrel had almost no rifling left.

The previous owner (an old Rodesian farmer)used over the years to shoot 53 elephants and over one thousand buffalos,plus a number of lions and several thousand antelopes of all sizes.

He bought the gun in 1937 and sold it to me in 1982. It has been the only rifle that he owned in his life and he told me that he never found the use for a scope.

With the rifle he sold me some boxes of old Kynoch ammunition and told me that the solids where for the elephants and the soft for everything else.

We all know that for DG hunting an accuracy of 2" at 50 yards it is all that is needed, and iron sights are more than adequate to achieve that.

On a different angle, if scopes are so good on DG, why so few PH's uses them? There must be a valid reason.

20 September 2003, 01:24

Bryan W

Back to the scope issue. Maybe we can get D'Arcy Echols to comment on scoping a 458 Lott. He's had plenty of experience building and shooting 458 Lott rifles. I know he is a fan of Leupold scopes for their durability. Both of my Echols rifles are scoped with Leupold scopes (300 Weatherby and 416 Rem). In 458 Lott it is a whole different story due to rifle acceleration/ recoil.

I'll give him a call and see if he'll give his story.