Hi all. I selected a Remington Model Six pump action in caliber 30-06. The
targeted game is central Virginia white tail deer and black bear. I'll be
walking around 45 private acres that are forested about two-thirds, and about
one-third open fields. I'll be in the woods well before dawn light, and I'll
stay in there till I need a flashlight while walking out. My budget is Fat for
my scope. What would you guys pick, and would you advise a lighted reticle,
and which reticle configuration?

Any quality 3x9 would do the trick. Leupold would always be my first choice. Good quality, outstanding warranty, reasonable price and lightweight.

Mark

Thank you for your input Mark

For that kind of hunting I'd be inclined to go for a bit less magnification and greater field of view. I like the Leupold 1 1/2 - 5 VXIII which has plenty of magnification for deer hunting and a truly awesome FOV for snap shots in the woods.

At least Leupold in quality.

A 3x9 or so. With a simple multicable aiming point reticle. Like a duplex with a couple dots below it.

It has seem to be it has always been better to buy a bit better scope right away then decide to up grade latter.

Sure he is hunting wooded land now but who knows in a few years.

I have 5 rifles with lower powered scopes 1x4 1.5x5s The rest have 3x9s or higher I have found the 3x9s to be the most versatile.

Even in thick cover I have use the higher end to thread bullets through tiny holes in the brush and kill my game.

Haven't been hampered using 3x for fast shots.

It comes down to proper scope set up and practice.

I am impressed with the brightness, clarity and reticle in my Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6X.

Vortex can be another consideration and so can Osprey

My favorite for deer from close range to 200 yards or so is a Leupold 2-7 with low Leupold mounts. A word about Leupold. This spring I sent them a Vari X II 3-9 from the early 1970s because after 50 years of use, the adjustments were becoming a little inconsistent. They wrote me within two weeks stating that they no longer had the parts to fix the scope and asked my permission to replace it with a new one. The new one arrived a couple weeks later. You cannot beat that kind of service and support. Buy a Leupold.

Leupold makes good stuff but don't over look Bushnell! I have a 2.5X10 Trophy 30 on my 416 Rigby. Climbing in and out of towers to hunt pigs under lights and a no questions ask guarantee.

I greatly appreciate everyone contributing their thoughtful responses.
No one suggested S&B nor Swarovski models, and I confess to being a little surprised.
If those companies or other European brands, are even better for those wonderful LOW
light periods, I'd spend the money on them.

The dark part indicates good glass.

While I’m partial to Swarovski, and if money is no object a 1.7-10 Z6i is a great scope, I think either a leupold 1.5-5 with the illuminated reticle or a Trijicon 3-9 would be better.

I don’t think the added weight and higher magnification of the Swaro buys you anything and the weight might well be an issue if you are doing any stalking as opposed to tree stands. A 3.5-10 swaro standard scope might be an option, but they don’t make the standard types with illumination. (Z3 scopes)

Honestly, if you are hunting 45 acres, the chance of a shot over 200 yards is almost nonexistent and the trajectory of a .30-06 doesn’t require a busy reticle until you start getting out to 300 or so.

The vortex I put on one of my rifles is probably one of the dimmer pieces of glass I have. It works, but reminds me why I buy others now. I have it on my .300 Blk deer gun, and still use it some.

There are lots of good scopes out there, like those others mentioned. I can't argue with any of the other members' recommendations. I have Swarovski binos that are great and I have Bushnell Trophy scopes on two rimfire rifles that work well. I first became partial to Leupold as a kid because my father had them on his rifles. In the 1970s, one of his scopes got crushed by an airline. He sent it back to Leupold and within a few weeks, they sent him a new one. Fast forward almost 50 years to my recent experience of Leupold replacing a 50 year-old scope wiht a new one and I am more partial to Leupold than ever. I have Leupolds on all my centerfire rifles. I also find Leupolds to be excellent low light quality. Whatever you choose, I hope you are happy with it. There are lots of experienced members here who give helful advice.

"my budget is fat for my scope" how fat? like March, Tangent theta?

i would avoid vortex at all costs unless you want to buy the very top of their line. even then there are better options for the money imo.

leupolds are ok if you step way up again, top of their line. everything else will not track correctly and most likely not hold zero if you drop the rifle.

Nightforce would be the top of my list. even their SHV line is tough as nails, the 2-10 NXS is a nice 20oz hunting scope and probably my next scope. I have 4 in the shv line that have performed flawlessly and tracked repeatedly.

Trijicons seem to hold up well to abuse, the credo line shouldn't be overlooked.

As funny as it sounds the SWFA SS scopes seem to be absolutely bombproof. the 3-9 or fixed 6 would do great if you can find one.

There's a guy on rokslide that puts scopes through some torture tests and it is pretty eye opening what many expensive scopes will not do. I will post a link to a search but it may not work. So you can search in the optics forum for "eval" and username "formidilosus" to see many scopes put to the test.
https://rokslide.com/forums/se...idilosus&o=relevance

I realize some of my statements may seem like fighting words to many, but imo first and foremost the scope you choose must not lose zero damn near no matter what you put it through. Stuff happens and sometimes you can't check zero so you need the confidence to know that your scope is as bulletproof as they come.

I todays day and age, majority of optics are great
I had Tasco for twenty years and never an issue
Have Osprey now with light reticle and it is awesome
Of course it is a lot cheaper then others so it can be looked down upon…

Your Remingtong pump is not a benchrest gun and 45 acres of wooded land in Virginia won't be offering you any "long range" shots. No need to spend money on either high magnification nor big bucks for a 1% improvement in light transmission. As frequently advised, get a Leupold of modest size, weight, and magnification (1.5-5, 2-7, 2.5-8). Mount it as low as possible. A 30mm tube does absolutely nothing for you in a hunting scope, nor will cluttered or lighted reticles, adjustable objectives, or snobbish European names.

Now, go shoot a deer.

I put a 1.5-6X42 Diavari on my 760 pump whgich is not a bench rest rifle, but it shoots well under an inch for the last 20 odd years. I have never regretted putting thatscope on that rifle. I have never wanted for more scope. I have never wanted for better low light performance. I woud put another one on it if this one died, and yes I have seen what the price of them is now!

A Zeiss Duralyt 2-8x42 is on my crossbow which gets used in very low light conditions and it meets my expectations. I could see using one of them on your 6. It will save you about half the price of the Diavari and not give up enough to be seen with your eyes.

Save your fat budget and get a Leupold 1-4 Pig Plex scope; has a nice heavy reticle for dark woods shooting. And 4 power is all you need up to 150 yards. Lighted reticle; no. If it is that dark, it is not legal to hunt anyway in most states. Remember, back in the dark ages, (up to 1966 when the 3-9 started to become popular) 4 power was de rigueur for most hunting. Now, everyone uses a 3-9; not me.
Anyway, use the money you saved over a European scope, which are not better than a Leupold and not worth the money, (of course they are great scopes, but like many German cars, mostly used for status symbols). They do impress the locals, and yes, I have a few of them too; S brand, Z brand and and one K brand and a Steiner, for ammo.
I have at least 15 Leupold of all varieties, and they all hold zero. Come on over and I'll let you shoot some of them; and I have a few pig flex too. Here is one; new made ones are slightly thinner.

My vote is for A 2x7 Leupold. it is good for a stand when you can up the power and /or use it for Still Hunting. And the 7x is good for shots to 300 yds. in open territory.

DON'T OVER SCOPE YOUR RIFLE !!!

Hip

I hunt the deep woods of northern Wis. where a 100 yard shot is a far one.

My 760 Remington in 270 carries a Leupold rifleman 3x9 with the long range duplex.

I haven't found it lacking.

My 99 savage in 300sav carries a 1.3/4x5 Burris. Every once in a great while I have wished for a bit more power. To be able to better pick holes out to tread bullets through. Or make out antlers on the head.

Owning several dozen big game rifles the vast majority wear 3x9s

3 x 9 means nothing unless you add the diameter of the objective lens, which may be 40mm, 42mm or 50mm.

In woods hunting till dark, a larger front (objective) lens is best. Mine have 3 - 9 x 40s. They are the most versatile for woods hunting early morning and after the sun goes down. I hunt bear a lot in tight quarters until the lights go out. A 40mm isn't too much, and sometimes 6x or more reveals details missed by 3x, so a versatile scope of 3-9 x 40 or 50 is most useful in tight, dark quarters. I also have a 2-7x32 on my .458. Light, but more than adequate. Name brands are like picking straws. That 2-7x32 is a Nikon and withstood hundreds of rounds at 60+ ft-lbs recoil.

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

quote:

Originally posted by StalkerJack:
I greatly appreciate everyone contributing their thoughtful responses.
No one suggested S&B nor Swarovski models, and I confess to being a little surprised.
If those companies or other European brands, are even better for those wonderful LOW
light periods, I'd spend the money on them.

Go for it! I tend to agree with most others and I think Stonecreek nailed it. But if a Euro scope is your hearts desire than do what makes you happy.
Next week I will be using a made in Japan Weaver 6X for my Mulie hunt and that suits me right down to the bone. No knobs to fiddle with, super reliable, great glass. Life is good.
You should consider posting this in the optics forum. You would probably get more input about the high dollar euro glass there. Personally I think they are grossly overpriced, but thats just my opinion.

As I said, I have most European scope makes, including Swarovski, Zeiss, Kahles, and Schmidt and Bender. Come on over and you can test them.
Even cheap modern optics are light years ahead of what we had in the old days. Meaning 1970!
NO, they aren't worth the money, but are like Mercedes convertibles, rich guys just like to look cool with them.
I do like the 2-7 Leupold, but you don't get the German reticle in most of those. Most guys tend to over scope their rifles. I had a friend center a 4 inch tree that was 20 yards in front of him, with a 9.3x62, shooting at a hog 75 yards away. He had his 4-12 set on 12 power and trees do not show up that close. I have it on video.

When nikon was making scopes, i would have recommended a monarch 5 -

with that in mind, since you are going to need all the light advantage you can get, then i would say a 30mm tube, with the lower the power the better, and a 42mm front - and set it at 6 power .. why 6? for maximum balance of mag vs light transmission -

the normal maximum pupil size is 8mm - if you take a 42mm front bell / 6 power, you get a focal diameter of 8mm - and as in low light conditions, your pupil will be dilated - this is the sweet spot where you get the max mag and max light

but with a lower minimum mag, you can set down to 2 or so, for target acquisition

Here is the link to the scope evals over on rokslide

https://rokslide.com/forums/fo...eld-evaluations.133/

this way you don't have to search.

If the scopes #1 job is to hold zero so you can hit what you're aiming at, S&B, NF, trijicon, aimpoint, swfa are getting close to your only options. Even the new leupold mk5's failed to hold zero from just riding in a truck seat.

If you listen to podcasts, Shoot2Hunt episode 34, from sep 5th, '23 "drop it like its hot" is a good one to listen to for scope testing. It's pure data driven with no personal opinions.

Tom, I was unaware of that Leupold pig plex. Looks mighty useful.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Any quality 3x9 would do the trick. Leupold would always be my first choice. Good quality, outstanding warranty, reasonable price and lightweight.

Mark[
+1

I've read all the responses very carefully.
I'll be reading rokslide too.
Wading through everyone's thoughts certainly gets me more and more excited about the upcoming week I'll spend in Virginia!
And the COOPERJD recommended podcast is going to be searched for tonight!
(Shoot2Hunt episode 34, from sep 5th, '23 "drop it like its hot")
Thanks again!

quote:

Originally posted by cooperjd:
Here is the link to the scope evals over on rokslide

https://rokslide.com/forums/fo...eld-evaluations.133/

this way you don't have to search.

If the scopes #1 job is to hold zero so you can hit what you're aiming at, S&B, NF, trijicon, aimpoint, swfa are getting close to your only options. Even the new leupold mk5's failed to hold zero from just riding in a truck seat.

If you listen to podcasts, Shoot2Hunt episode 34, from sep 5th, '23 "drop it like its hot" is a good one to listen to for scope testing. It's pure data driven with no personal opinions.

I just finished listening to the podcast that you recommended and WOW.
I really appreciate you providing that tip!
Next week I'll finalize my choice!

I have Leupolds on all my rifles. Not a single issue with any of them. Some of them 20 years old. I have a 1.5-5x on my 500 Jeffery, 400 plus full power rounds through that rifle, scope is still perfect. I have a Zeiss Conquest also seems pretty nice only had it a few years.

I like fixed powers 3X amd 4X mostly but the 2x7x28 is the same size as a 4X and is my variable pick if you can find one..I abhor big clumsy scopes on a hunting rifle.. All my scopes are Leupold.

I have owned Nightforce, Vortex, Swarovski, Leica and Redfield. I sold every one and bought Leupold.

I put Leupold VX-6’s on every gun that I can afford to. Pricey, but dang, you can’t beat that quality. The VX-5’s are also very good.

I like the VX-6HD 3-18x44mm or 50mm objective. I believe all Leupold VX6 comes with some sort of light. Fire dot in the center or lighted reticle. I have fire dots and lighted TMOA reticle.

I prefer TMOA, but I can see how some wouldn’t like the fine lines.

After all that, I never use the lighed reticle or fire dot. I don’t think they help, I can see how a lighted reticle could hinder your anbility under the right conditions. I may be in the minority here.

I recently bought a Leupold Patrol 6HD 1-6X24. Holy Cow! That is a nice scope. The eye relief is insane and very forgiving when it comes to eye position. For a kid, or someone who struggles to see through a scope properly, this scope is the answer.

I think Leopoldo’s “Freedom” line is not worth the money. The VX-3 is ok if that’s all your budget can afford.

Yesterday you could find Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals on VX-6 3-18x50 for $1600 normally $2000.

Or, buy a used Leupold. They have a lifetime warranty, so you can’t go wrong, even if it’s broken.