Have a 340 Wby barrel for my M03 set up and am struggling with which scope to use. It will be a TDS reticle. Just not sure on whether to use the 3-12 or the 4-16. I intend it for larger stuff but not dangerous. Eland, Elk, possibly stag. Based on the reticle it looks like a 225 grain North Fork is about Ideal for a 200 yd zero with hold over working well at 3,4,5, and 600 yards on the additional lines.

Your thoughts? - I'm leaning toward the 3-12 due to the larger animal sizes.

I put a Swarovski Z5 3.5x18 scope on my 340 and love it! The Z5 is quite a bit lighter than the 30MM tubed scopes. A pal who hunts all over the world just put the same scope on his 7 STW.

I've never found a variable with a high end above 10X to be helpful on a game rifle. If you can't see it well enough to shoot it when magnified 10 times, then it's too far away to shoot.

I don't see the point of anything over about a 3-9x. In fact, I think 3-9x is even too much & I have 2-7's on most of my rifles and a 1-5x on my .338 WM. Have never had a problem with the power offered by these scopes.
BTW, I'm sure you'll like the 225 gr. NF. Good choice IMHO. I use it in my .338. It's a moose devastator.
Good luck with whatever you do.
Bear in Fairbanks

2.5-10 or 3-12 is just perfect for this rifle.
I have a 3-12 on my .338WM

IMO a good high end magnification is just as important as the low end magnification when there are multiple animals milling around at the same time. I am assuming you will be able to hunt and shoot out to 300 yards or better.

I have personally had several instances where a buck was with another similiar looking deer. The one I intended to shoot would walk in the brush or lower his head behind another animal and the other lesser animal would walk out or raise it's head almost on que. If it weren't for the 12X plus magnification of my scope, I might never have noticed the broken, shorter or lesser tines since the switch took place while I was lowering my binoculars and raising my rifle. (these situations were out appox. 225 to 250 yards)
The same is very possible with just about any game animal. I've seen this happen with elk also.
I don't always use the highest setting on my scope but at least the option is there and it is a quick and effective alternative to fumbling around with binoculars when you are about to shoot.
I do use a 3-10 but prefer 4.5-14.
There are alot of good scopes out there these days that give the best of both worlds as for low magnification as well as high end.
Why cut yourself short with a good cartidge like that?

I just put a 4-12 redfield on my .340.... I like the ability to see stuff at higher power, then turn down to around 9 to shoot... unless at paper,,, then high all the time...

quote:

Originally posted by Bear in Fairbanks:
I don't see the point of anything over about a 3-9x. In fact, I think 3-9x is even too much & I have 2-7's on most of my rifles and a 1-5x on my .338 WM. Have never had a problem with the power offered by these scopes.
BTW, I'm sure you'll like the 225 gr. NF. Good choice IMHO. I use it in my .338. It's a moose devastator.
Good luck with whatever you do.
Bear in Fairbanks

That's all I've put on all my rifles in the last twenty years including my .340.

I use the higher magnification for load development and shooting groups at 500 plus yards. Its fun for me. Remeber a 4x16 can be used like a 3x9 but you can't get the 3x9 to 16 power. I shot a lot of metallic silhouettes and those guys all used big variables for a reason. The 340 is a long range hammer with a 225 grain bullet. Why limit yourself? Remember at long range parallax is an issue. Not many 3x9s have parallax adjustments!

Lou, I'm with you. The Leupold LR 4 1/2 x 14 x 50 with ILL reticle is my go-to scope...I have 6 of them. Precise shot placement sometimes requires higher magnification at distance.