I want to put a VX-R on a .458 B&M I think. I know about Michaels experience with vary-x 3's and nikons. But I want illumination. I would like to here from people who know personally about the success or failure of these scope on hard kickers. Thanks, Lance

A couple of my hunting pals have them on a 9.3x62 and .338WM and they seem to hold zero OK, so far.

However, last time we went hunting they both had flat batteries, which I thought was a hoot. So, if you get one, try not to use the light all the time, for fear of some obsessive melt-down if it goes out at the wrong time.

I like that scope on rifle up to a .416 Rem. and I have a couple of them, one on a .375 and the other was on my 35 Whelen .beyond that I wouldn't even consider any scope but a 2.5 Leupold compact..I used one of those scopes on my .458 Lott and the scope was rattleing like a BB in a box car after about 100 rounds..It also trashed two 3X, Leupold made them good and gave me a 2.5X compact and said try this one..It had somewhere around 1000 or more rounds of 458 Lott and 505 Gibbs IMP thru it plus probably another 1000 rounds of 375., 416 REM and 404. Its retired to my .375 now.

I've a Leupold Euro-30 1.25-4x on a 375 H&H. I believe that's the precursor to the VX-R series. It's held up fine to 4-5 hundred full tilt loads from that, including 100 350gr full tilt loads in the last month getting ready for a cape buff hunt later this year.

I also have one mounted on a 458 Lott, but haven't fired any full power loads through that rifle since mounting the scope, just light 300gr casts over some IMR-3031.

I have a VX-R 3X9 on a 416 Rigsby. So far its just fine. I am on my second or third box of 350 and 400 grain bullets.

His question was will it work on a 458 BM...and that's questionalble..It will work on anything up to a 416 and maybe a std. 458; beyond that is where trouble starts.

If you want to understand why Ray says what he does about modern scopes, google search and read the Background part of this:
US Patent 7,958,665

While Vortex seem only to employ the new technology in some enormous, high-powered scopes, the history they reveal shows what is wrong with most, if not all, modern scopes with constantly centred reticles: having a mini-me rocking around inside almost guarantees you'll have trouble sooner or later if there is enough recoil.

If you can't find one of those extra-tough 2.5x Leupold Compacts, you might consider a Swarovski Z6 1-6x (with its four helical springs behind the erector tube). Much cheaper and possibly even more reliable, if you can find the proper mounts and get them set up correctly, could be an old B&L Balvar 5 (with no clockwork inside) or perhaps a low-powered reticle-movement Zeiss/Hensoldt or Nickel, Marburg. If you get one with the heavy German #1 or #4 reticle, you shouldn't need the decadence of illumination.

The fixed-power Baltur B (2.5x) might be even more reliable than the Balvar 5 but I know the latter has a hell of a good, long-and-uncritical eye relief.