Short Version: Buying rifle for Elk hunt in Idaho this fall. Need to keep total for rifle, scope, mounts, dies, etc. under $1000 because I am just poor student.

Long version in thread under Medium Bores.

Question. Need 1.5-6 to 2-8 power scope of best quality that 250-400 can buy. Looking at Pentax, Burris, Nikon, and Leupold. Going on medium bore, most likely 338 Win. I want all the quality I can afford. Spending less on a scope will allow me to spend more money on a rifle and vice versa, but don't want a cheap scope either.

Thank in advance for you advice;

A.

Save a cow, eat a vegetarian!

go with a 1.5x5 weaver. Quality scope and elk are pretty big animals.

go with a remington stainless and synthetic in a 338 or 300 win mag. get a leupold 3.5 to 10 or a 3 to 9 what ever you can afford.adjust the trigger down to 3 pounds buy some good huntin boots . do lots of walking to be in shape and go find a 350 point bruiser. its that easy. well maybe. lots of luck

You're certainly on the right track putting your money in a good scope.

Many scopes offer good features, but it is hard to beat a Leupold for the best combination of optics, eye relief, field of view, dependability, compactness, weight, and value.

The lower-cost Vari X II line (recently phased out) and the new VX-I line offer very good scopes at less than $200. Their 2-7X would fit your parameters perfectly. As for dependability, I have one on a light-weight .375 H & H, and it performs perfectly.

If you want to spend $150 to $250 more, you can upgrade to their Vari-X III line, but for elk hunting, it won't be any more waterproof or dependable, and you'd have to have a laboratory to discern the difference in optical quality.

Leupold's factory support and forever (not just lifetime) guarantee makes a used Leupold a good buy. But come to think of it, I've bought dozens of used Leupolds and never had to send one back to the factory.

Whatever you choose, good luck with your project and your elk hunt.

I would buy the Leupold 1.5 x 6 in a Vari X 2 (old style) or the one that took it's place and not worry one bit.

Say, have you ever tried to put a rifle scope on 7,8,9 power and tried to hit something 14 x 14 inches at 250 yards? Well it is a heart pounding task to say the least.

An animal the size of an elk is not going to be hard to see through the scope on 4 power, so hitting is not a problem there. While on 2 power you can pick them up real quick in the dark timber area also. You don't need all that magnification to bag an elk or deer in my book. My vote is for the 1.5 x 6power Ok.

Arturis --
For that application and considering your $$ constraints, I would suggest a fixed power 4X, either Burris compact (probably best for the money), Leupold M-8, or Nikon Monarch. Look at those three and pick the one you like. 4x IMHO is all you need. Again, IMHO, if he's too far away to shoot with a 4X, he's too far away to shoot(period). If he's so close that you can't find him in your 4X, then you just need more practice in mounting and pointing your rifle. The fixed power will be less expensive than the variables, but not less quality, and they will be lighter and less prone to internal damage from recoil and hard knocks. Again, with a fixed power, you will save a lot of money without sacrificing quality or utility. For mounts, I would go with Burris. Maybe they are all more or less the same but the Burris mounts seem to be a little sturdier to me. I would cruise the gunshows for a good, used rifle and I would ask around a lot. You'd be surprised what will turn up if you dig a little. And, finally, as a previous poster said, get a good pair of boots.
-- Doc

Another vote for the Vari X11 2-7 it performs well on my .416 Rigby and my mates .416 as well.

The VariX 11 range is great value for money.

Vari X 111 range as Stone Creek states is subject to the "law of diminishing returns".

Regards PC

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[This message has been edited by PC (edited 03-23-2002).]

i have always been a leupold man but last year i bought one of the new Burris 3-9x40 Fullfield II scopes with the Bal-Plex. i like it so well that have bought 2 more for other rifles. i rate it above the Leupold VX II scopes but not as good as the VX III.
price runs around $225 sometimes less.

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Death Before Dishonor

Look in Natchez Shooter Supply( www.natchezss.com ) they have refurbished Burris scopes at a considerable savings and carry the same warranty as their new scopes. My brother and I have bought several and never had a problem that wasn't our fault.

Jim

on sale right now for $190 - great deal
http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-7002&category=Optics&maxhits=20&keywords=BU200162

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Death Before Dishonor

Buy a CZ in 30 06 0r .300 and a Leupold 6x and go hunting.

Does anyone know what the price is on Weatherby's ultra-light in .338-06?

My .338WM has had a Leupold Vary-X III 2.5-8x for over seven years, and without any problems whatsoever. The rifle is a Ruger M77 MK-II (CRF). Winchester Classic rifles are CRF if that's a feature you desire.

Those who hunt in Alaska already know how difficult hunting conditions can be, and how tough on the rifle and scope that can be. A low-power scope such as a Leupold 1.75-6E or a 2.5-8x is ideal if there is the need to take a shot at close range, and far out (depending on game size). You should be able to purchase a new Leupold Vary-X III for $400.00. The rifle is just a tool, so money saved there can be used to buy the best scope you can afford.

Check out the Burris Signature 1.5-6x. They are not the lightest scopes around but the 2-8x Signature I have is razor sharp and bright.

For $325 D&R will put you on to one with a lighted reticle.

I simply don't believe that one needs a Leupold Vari X-3 for 98% of most hunting needs. I have never shot an animal 5 minutes after legal time start the morning or 5 minutes before legal time is over for the day. So the added bit of light transfer is not worth the extra kick in thea wallet to me. Aside from that your paying for those 1/4 click adjustments on the Vari X-3 that don't work have the time.

Several of the gentlemen at the gun club have sent theirs back because of this problem. So you will get the same quality scope or around $140 dollars less money. The warranty is still the same, best on the market.

I like the savage 116 SS with or with out brake. As far as scopes, Leupold or another that is way over looked I think is Cabelas alaskan guide series. Very good optics and great warranty! Good shooting!

Arturis,

For a scope, go with the Leupold. Quality and guarantee.

same trigger, same feel, same results.

Single*Shot

Consider the Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 also. You can pick one up for ~ $399. Pair it with burris signature mounts and your choice CZ,Wichester,Ruger 77 or Rem 700. Should meet your budget.

A Ruger Allweather SS in 7mm or 30/06 can be had for 359.00 out of the week's Shotgun News. A Leupold 2.5x8 VX III or a 1.75x6 will run about 400.00 from SWFA or Natchez. Ruger comes with rings--

Or, I like this one better, get the same rifle and a fixed four power, M8-4x, and buy a medium quality pair of binoculars. This s a tough, quality, scope and the binos will help reign in the urge for a 400 yard shot at anything. I am still using a 40 year old 4x (it has been in the family that long) on a .300 H&H and it will kill Elk at ranges longer than I care to pack them.

I am from Idaho and my "student days" elk gun was a Parker Hale 30/06, an M8-4x in Weaver mounts shooting 180 gr. Hornady round nose bullets ~2750 FPS. Salmon River Wilderness to Island Park was all I ever needed until I started buying gun magazines and learned that .30/06's were under powered an rarely used by real big game hunters

Heck a Savage, a Leupold and a pair of binoculars may give you enough to buy some ammo and some food.

Fish

[This message has been edited by Fish Springs (edited 03-29-2002).]

If you have $1000 to spend here's my suggestion...spend $200 on your dies and components for lots of practice and then with the other $800 I would go out looking for a good used rifle/scope combination that you liked that I could find for around $600 to $650. I would spend the rest on a trigger job, having the barrel recrowned if it needed it and I would have the rifle glass-bedded.

Find a rifle that fits--without trying to decide before you try them out. My 32 year old Leupold 2X7 has been used on 3 rifles. It has been fallen on more times than I can count--I live in and hunt steep, seriously brushy, and wet country. The scope has ben so wet, so often, that I wore all the coatings off the lenses 15 years ago doing the thumb swipe--poor technique, for sure, but When it poors in Oregon soon everything is wet and the deer start moving around, and ya gotta see! I sent it to Leupold, explained why the coating was absent, and that I wanted it fixed. $25 and 4 weeks later, I got back what appeared to be a brand new scope with a long list of what was fixed or updated. I called and asked if they had given me a new scope, they said no; they had just "cleaned up" the old one. GREAT SERVICE. Here in western Oregon, you replace a lot of scopes due to internal fogging, or you buy a Leupold.