All my scopes are Leupold, but I am interested in a BDC reticle, and this seems to meet my needs. I would mount it on a 300 WSM and use it for hog hunting out to 500 yards with 130gr ammunition. Most reviews indicated good value for the price. Does anyone have any personal experience with Vortex scopes?

Hi Kensco,
From the research I have done, all the Vortex scopes are made in China, Phillipines, or Japan.
May or may not make a difference to you.

I have owned Vortex. They are good.

I do like Leupold better, however. They just seem to be a bit clearer for my eyes.

I've made up my mind. It is going to be a Vortex Crossfire II 6-24x50mm AO (Dead-Hold BDC reticle)

The question then becomes, should I get a 0MOA rail or the 20MOA? Ninety-five percent of my shooting is inside 500 yards. On rare occasions I might get a chance at a 1,000 yard range. Doesn't that make the 0MOA rail the obvious choice, or am I missing something?

I would mount the new scope on the Browning A-Bolt 300 WSM and move the Leupold 6x18 Vari-X II to the Remington 700 25.06 Rem.

I had never shot a BDC reticle scope until last week at Vermejo Park. The results were magic out to 1,000 yards. I don't consider myself a good shot with a deer rifle out past 250 yards on game. With the BDC reticle I was hitting the 500 yard target (the size of a mule deer's vital area) consistently. To me the BDC reticle would double my shooting range (confidence) for hogs.

Assuming a quality scope, you don't lose anything by mounting it to a 20MOA rail.

On the other hand, if the scope you chose has enough adjustment to get you out to your maximum range, then you don't gain anything by mounting it to a canted rail either.

I would say spend 10 minutes on a ballistic calculator (there are many on the net, and several apps for you phone). See how much you need to adjust for your maximum range with whatever ammo you would be using. If that is less than 40-45% of your scope's adjustment, put it on a parallel rail.

Thanks Peter, I'll give it a go.

FYI, I used https://shooterscalculator.com/