I recently ordered a Blaser R93 and several barrels as my big game retirement battery. This is the first of several posts I will make asking for advice on the scopes for the various hunting applications. All scopes will be Leupold VX-III’s - unless you can suggest something better with no higher new street price.

I’m outfitting the .270 Blaser R93 barrel for hunting white tails, antelope, & mulies. I’ve always only hunted whitetail deer in Texas & Oklahoma, but plan to have the time and funds to branch out when I retire. I will be sticking with Leupold glass as its never let me down. But I need help from those more experienced at antelope and mule deer hunting in various terrain from close to long. I plan to use Federal or Winchester factory loads with 130gr Nosler Ballistic Tip or equivalent hand loads. I plan to use a 2.5-8x36 VX-III but need help choosing which reticle.

I am a fairly good known distance shot, having competed in National Match Course to 600yds and BPCR Silhouette to 500 meters. I have so far confined game shooting to the MPBR (Max Point Blank Range) of the cartridge involved. If I continue that then I can just use the standard reticle like the Duplex and stay within about 300yds. But I keep reading of 350 to 400yd shots on deer & antelope here and wonder if I should consider some sort of ranging reticle like a Boone & Crocket or a Custom Ballistically Matched Reticle.

I hope some of the experienced deer & antelope slayers here will weigh in on this

Brazos Jack

I think a standard plex will take you where you want to go. I've hunted CO and WY for mulies and antelopes for over 15 years and have only made one shot over 300 yards and that was cause I wanted to not cause I had to. I am a good shot, but I also pride myself on my stalking ability.
Using the plex in a scope, you can do a pretty good job of ranging an animal. The shot I made that was greater than 300 yards was an antelope that I had figured at 400 yards. It was slightly over 380.
Perhaps a single stadia line wouldn't be bad but I find the ones with all the crosses and dots and such, just a bit too busy for my taste.

Brazos,
First of all, welcome to the Blaser family. I have an R93 & a K95. You will not be dissappointed in their performance.
I sent a VXIII 2.5-8x36 back to Leupold and had a #4 reticle put in it. I don't know if that reticle would work for you but the point is you can have Leupold's custom shop replace your reticle with one you want for little cost. I will consider the new B&C reticle on my next scope but haven't seen how if would perform on the smaller ocular lens of the 2.5-8. Good luck with your decisions. Keep us posted.

I bought several of the Leupold Century limited editions models a year or two ago and have them on deer-to-elk calibers. They are a 3-9X VX-II with a "long range duplex reticle". This reticle is simply a Duplex with two small dots on the lower thin wire. When most "modern" hunting calibers are zeroed with the center crosshair at 200 yards, the two dots represent approximately 300 and 400 yards, respectively, and the top of the duplex post is 500 yards. I have found them to be very accurate and useful. With my .25-06, they actually come closer to being 300, 400, and 500 meters, due to its high velocity and the slick Ballistic Tip I use in it. But with my other calibers the indeces are almost right on (my .300 H&H with 180 grain bullet @ 2960 fps calculates to be no more than .1" off at any of the distances.)

This reticle does basically the same thing as the Boone and Crockett, but without the windage ticks. In my opinion, the windage ticks clutter the sight picture, so I like the LRDR better. I believe this reticle is also available in the VX-III (or VX-3, now).

There are few choices in a hunting scope better adapted or more versatile in terms of size, weight, magnification, and eye relief than the Leupold 2.5-8x36. Great choice!

I have much the same reticles as Stonecreek - except they were installed by Leupold's Custom Shop and set up to (approximately) match my specified trajectory. For long range shooting, I find the extra holdover points useful.

In the past, regular hold-over (as in: hold on the line of the back of the antelope) has worked well. It breaks down a bit when you can't hold on hair any longer, then the holdover becomes quite a bit more difficult. The additional holdover points help in this situation.

- mike

I like the reticle that Stonecreek mentions, but if it weren't an option I would go with the old duplex. Lou

I personally would recommend the Leupold 3.5 X 10 VX-3 for your 270 Winchester.

The 3.5 X 10 is very compact, has very good light transmission, and with the Boone and Crockett reticle is a great long range scope.

This particular scope has no AO to mess with and will serve you well, I have had two of them and they were great scopes.

I have to admit I sold both the ones I had. However, not everyone would like the scope I went to. I like high magnification and moved to the Leupold 4.5X14X40 LR scopes. These are 30mm scopes with a side focus. For me, they are the best thing on the market today. (I own five of the darned things.)

So, depending on the power of scope you want, I have to recommend a Leupold with the B&C reticle for your new rifle. I have shot these scopes a LOT at the range and at distant targets and the B&C just plains works!

Leupold VX III 1.75-6 or 2.5-8. I shoot most of my deer around 100-200yds and can't hit anything I'd need 10x for anyway.

3x9x40 VX III will work great. I like the Std Duplex reticle but some like the dot. If you want to step up a notch, try the Swarovski AV series, same size.

I have many useing mutli reticle scopes for some time now they just plan work for making hitting out there a heck of a lot easier.

I like mil dots but the B@C now the Long range duplex reticle sounds like the tits. I been saying for years this is what most hunters need.

Some range time a good laser range finder and making shots out past 300 yard very easy.

Its the guessing the range that give people the trouble then guessing the hold over. If you take away both guesses then dropping the bullet becomes much easier.

I know you said you wanted to stick with Leupold, but I would like to throw this your way as well.

A few years back a friend and I switched to Burris Fullfield II in 3.5x10x50 with the ballistic plex. Great early and late for light. The only issue we have is looking into the setting or rising sun they get a little whited out at the top power. This however is only an issue when looking almost directly at the horizon. At the lower power setting this isn't an issue at all.

The loads we were shooting easily duplicated the ballistic chart supplied with the scopes. We have shot them out to 600yds as sighted in using the calibrated drops with little issues hitting within sub MOA groups. Taking feral hogs out to these ranges has been a hoot, simply range them then set the proper dot on the shoulder and let them have it.

I would see no issues with easily hitting a deer or antelope, under proper condtions, out to as far as your comfortable with, using an accurate load. I know the brand isn't a Leupy, but they are worth a look and comparrison, and for the money saved, in our opinion they are well worth it.