What do you recommend at 500+ yards? Yeah flak jacket attached.

Leupold 4.5x-14xAO.

While I am not willing to shoot unwounded game at that distance, I believe that scope can help you pull off the shot.

George

quote:

Originally posted by muygrande:
What do you recommend at 500+ yards? Yeah flak jacket attached.

Well, what you are doing is target shooting, so use a target shooting scope.

You won't be able to hunt at dawn and dusk, because of the magnification you'll probably be using, and so the important features of the scope you will use will be precise and repeatable tracking and fineness of graticule.

I don't think a tarted-up hunting leupold is the ideal choice.

It does not have target turrets for easy dialling, having the parallax focussing on the objective is a pain in the arse as you will be shooting from the prone position at that distance and the optical quality isn't up to very much IMO. their CDS system is not much better than the hunting turrets in my view because you can only quickly dial elevation changes; as anyone who has done any long range shooting knows elevation is the easy bit, it's the windage that'll get you.

I had a VX3 4-15x50 LR model on my 600 yard rifle and quickly found it not up to scratch.

I replaced it with a Bushnell 6500 4.5-30x50 with proper target turrets and much better glass than the leupold. the trade off is that the Bushnell has about half the adjustment range of the leupy, but for 600 yard work it has plenty. I appreciate the better glass because we can hunt from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset in the UK and turned down to about 6-7 it will do in a pinch for a stalking rifle.

Best luck,

Personally I would use a Nightforce 5.5-22 x 50 or 56

Fantastic Opics and rugged too.

I did a review of the Euro Forum a while back, using a one of the above Nightforce scopes will no compromise your dawn and dusk shooting whilst at the same time giving you sufficient magnification for shooting at 500+ yards.

I prefer the Burris Signature 4X16.

Leupold VX III 2.5-8.Certainly more than enough for an elk at any range plus if the shot just happens to come up close and personal you're not screwed.

Leica 2.5-10 x40 with target turret, or the 3.5-14x40 if you like higher magnification. Not too bulky or heavy, 4" eye relief, not silly in price and excellent German optics. Leica "bought" a couple of S&B riflescope engineers a few years back so they should be up to par.

Most Elk hunting I have done is physically demanding. I would not advise using over a 15 oz scope. Many of these long range target type scopes are over 20 oz.
Perhaps a Swar AV (I think they call them a Z3 now) 4 X 12 X 50. Under 15 Oz and very bright. Do not know if they will withstand a 340 repeated recoil??? But light and bright!

Thanks to all of you for the interesting posts and such varied recommendations. I will be doing some work on this it appears.

quote:

Originally posted by Ed Scarboro:
I prefer the Burris Signature 4X16.

Another one for the Burris.

It all depends how serious you are about the 500 yard bit.

Were I to hunt elk I would simply use my zeiss 7x50 IR on something like a 30.06.

this would because I would expect to spend all day walking and shoot somewhere closer than 400 yards, probably within 200 yards.

If you intend to set out to shoot elk at long range I am assuming you will be set up somewhere with a heavy prone rifle and waiting for them.

In the case of the former then a lightweight hunting scope with some sort of ballistic reticule and lots of practice is the answer; in the case of the former then something like DJM (If money is no object) or I suggested is the way forward.

How do you plan on hunting these elk exactly?

I put a Burris 4 X 16 Signature on mine and it has served me very well. It has got me a Huge Moose, several Elk and Deer. I am a Ziess man now but would never change the .340 because it has been so good to me with the Burris. Good shooting.

Ghubert, I hunt NM and have found it all but impossible to "draw" NR (harder now even) during the bugling times so most of my elk seem to come in the last season after the rut when the big ones are in the roughest stuff to be found. Do not want to have to take 500+ but have seen a couple of 360+ that were cross canyon and never able to close the deal. Would have been on the wall had I been able to take longer shot with confidence. FYI!

Nightforce 5.5 X 22 is a good scope for the task. Only problem with NF is they are rather heavy.

BigB

quote:

Originally posted by BigB:
Nightforce 5.5 X 22 is a good scope for the task. Only problem with NF is they are rather heavy.

BigB

Yup, and they get heavier when they're mounted on something like a Sendero. We used a MKIV Leupold on a Sendero in 300 Win mag for that exact purpose.

a Swarovski Z6i 2,5-15x44 or a 3-18x50...

With Ballistic Turrent!

quote:

Originally posted by muygrande:
Ghubert, I hunt NM and have found it all but impossible to "draw" NR (harder now even) during the bugling times so most of my elk seem to come in the last season after the rut when the big ones are in the roughest stuff to be found. Do not want to have to take 500+ but have seen a couple of 360+ that were cross canyon and never able to close the deal. Would have been on the wall had I been able to take longer shot with confidence. FYI!

Hi Muygrande,

Sir it sounds like you need a stalking rifle and not some big, heavy tactical rifle. This would imply that the glass needs also to be fairly trim and rugged to match.

Perhaps the issue is something else, perhaps an analysis of why you think you couldn't make the 360 yard shot with your existing equipment might be a good place to start?

I have shot big game out to 400 yards ( Not through choice I hasten to add, it's more fun getting close) and find that with most big game cartridges the reticule itself has all the aim points you need to that sort of distance. For instance the 7x50 zeiss I have on my 30.06 happens to put 180 grain bullets right on the junction of the thick and thin lines of the No.4 reticule with a zero of 1.5" high at 100 yards. Plenty good enough for shooting at 400 yards, If I can get steady enough. My previous scope on this rifle was a Meopta with a ballistic reticule that was even better for this sort of work.

That last is a big "if" from field positions which is why I won't shoot at an animal further away than that fortuitous-imposed limit without the full on target rifle style kit.

In the London I'm quite lucky to 40 minutes drive (assuming no traffic of course...) from Bisley shooting ranges where we can go from 100-1000 yards on the same complex and manage to get down there on average once a month. I shoot my primary hunting rifle out to about 600 yards in all weather conditions as a result and so gain experience of holding off for wind and elevation in whatever the conditions of the day of the club meet happens to be. Due to ribbing from the Target Rifle boys ( The rest of call them fetishists because of the outfits they wear ) I will occasionally shoot with a sling, with a bipod, sandbag, or just off my elbows. It's all good fun and excellent practice because you're "forced" almost out of your comfort zone and into shooting more closely resembling field conditions.

I think that more practice out to those ranges will make more difference than the choice of the scope in the conditions you hunt in.

are you guys really bitching about weight of a scope on a long range rifle? its a joke right.... i carry a 15.5 pound 338 edge with the nf 5.5-25x50 on it all day long with no effectsand im 30 years old i suggest if any 1 here has a problem carrying a 12 pound rifle maybe they start spending a little less time behind the computer and more time at the gym.

not trying to be a pric but come on man 14-16 pounds is nothing just make shure what ever you buy it has a life time warrenty and it made for the task at hand if money is a factor the vx-lll 6.5-20 leupold should work great it has quick adjustment target turrents.

Look at the Vortex Viper lineup. I have one on my 300 Weatherby and love the scope. The company does offer ballistic drop turrets that'll take you well behond the 500 yard mark and they have an unconditional lifetime waranty.

I've been on numerous elk hunts and believe that a hunter needs to be comfortable at shooting long distances. My sister killed a 5x5 bull elk with my 30-06 at 465 yards! There are times when you can stalk in close to an elk, but there are other times when the closest that you can get is the next ridge over and need to be comfortable with a long shot. Practice is the key.

Enjoy and let us know what scope you end up with.

I have a 3X9 Leupold Vari-X III on my 340 WBY and have made that shot on Elk before. I really don't see the need for anything more and I don't consider hitting an Elk in the vitals to be any real problem at that range. It's a pretty large target. That said, I prefer to keep my shots under 300 if possible.

I have been looking at acquiring a 340 for Elk myself. My thoughts were running along the lines of a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14.

Take a look at the Zeiss Conquest deals in the classified offered by gr8fuldoug at Camera Land posted Feb 15. For $699 they are offering some great scopes for a 340. For what its worth I have a Swarovski Z3 4x12 on my 340. If I needed a scope, I would probably buy the Zeiss Conquest 6.5x20 with a multi range reticle. I actually prefer the varmint reticle for big bores.

The 4.5x14x50 Leupold with the ILL Dot is my go-to scope.

700 Nitro,

Enjoy your 30 year old legs and wind and 15 Lb rifles. I was just complaining to my youngest of 4 adult children how much I miss being able to climb hills all day and bury less fit guys on the very first climb. I can still haul out over 80 Lbs of boned out elk meat on my back (when you get older carrying bones out loses its appeal too) but have no desire to haul around an extra 6 or 7 lbs of rifle and scope than is needed to get the job done.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:

quote:

Originally posted by muygrande:
Ghubert, I hunt NM and have found it all but impossible to "draw" NR (harder now even) during the bugling times so most of my elk seem to come in the last season after the rut when the big ones are in the roughest stuff to be found. Do not want to have to take 500+ but have seen a couple of 360+ that were cross canyon and never able to close the deal. Would have been on the wall had I been able to take longer shot with confidence. FYI!

Hi Muygrande,

Sir it sounds like you need a stalking rifle and not some big, heavy tactical rifle. This would imply that the glass needs also to be fairly trim and rugged to match.

Perhaps the issue is something else, perhaps an analysis of why you think you couldn't make the 360 yard shot with your existing equipment might be a good place to start?

He said he saw bulls of the 360" Class further then he felt confident shooting, not 360 yards away that he couldn't shoot.

NF 2.5-10x32mm with NP-R1 reticle; 19 oz.

Alan

quote:

Originally posted by DJM:
Personally I would use a Nightforce 5.5-22 x 50 or 56

Fantastic Opics and rugged too.

I did a review of the Euro Forum a while back, using a one of the above Nightforce scopes will no compromise your dawn and dusk shooting whilst at the same time giving you sufficient magnification for shooting at 500+ yards.

Not going to pass judgement on the distance as if you are capable, then it's not inhumane. But seriously, make sure you can dope wind like a gold winning competitor before you think you can hunt at that distance.

Anyway, I'm + 1 to the Nightforce in this situation, BUT I say 56mm bell as you will need all the light gathering possible. I have the NP2 retice 56mm on my 308 AR-10 sniper rig. BUT ITS HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are pragmatic you could choose a fixed scope and spend the extra $ on higher quality glass. A 6x would be quite versatile. A simple, rugged and reliable choice.

For a variable a 2-8x would be versatile and a 4.5-14 would be the max magnification IMO to be practical. The brand is your preference but choose the best you can afford.