Will an older Weaver 2.5x scope survive on a 458 WM? I have other options but the smaller ocular gives better clearance to the bolt handle.

It may but very well may not survive. A great scope with a small ocular is the 2-7 Leupold. I also have a 1-4 Leupold VX2 Matte that I would sell that would be fine on it as well.
.458 recoil isn't all that sharp so it may make it! (for awhile)

The dollar value is low, so shoot it until it either proves reliable or breaks.

Either way, you win.

quote:

Originally posted by analog_peninsula:
The dollar value is low, so shoot it until it either proves reliable or breaks.

Either way, you win.

As long as it doesn't break at a Very inconvenient time-------

as they are so fragile--I tend to use higher range optics---that said Burris is develo[ing a good rep on big bore hard kickers--and is reasonable on the pocketbook

Even 30 mil Leupolds and the European scopes can fail on a big bore. I've chewed up a few. But one thing to consider on an older scope is eye relief. Not a big deal on the range, but can be a consideration in the field.

With Leupold's no questions warranty and amazingly quick turnaround, I have gone back to them on all my big bores.

Another vote for leupold 2-7x33. Had one on 375 H&H for years no problem. Paul

The Nikons have a good rep for withstanding the recoil of the heavy-hitters. Michael458 does quite a bit of testing with his 45 and 50 caliber B&M line, and they're the scope he uses now.

On a 458 most any quality scope should work but the std. .458 is a border line scope crasher.

The only scope IMO for the real kickers is the Leupold 2.5X compact, it has the cross hairs set back under the adjustments for just that reason and it works...

I have seen many high dollar American and European scopes come apart on a .458 Lott and a 500 whatever..They tend to fail between 25 and 250 rounds based on some investigating I did for years with interviews with clients, friends, and others, over the years and my personal experience. It gets debatable mostly because most owners of these big bores seldom fire very many rounds thru their big kickers or so it seems to me.

On a standard.458 your Weaver, if in good condition, will "probably" withstand the recoil, but it won't stand the cold climate of Colorado for long..The Weavers historically have been popular in the South and warmer climates...I have seen them fog, cross hairs snap many times in the cold winters of Idaho.

A good scope if you can locate one is the Leupold 2x7x28, the forerunner of the 2x7x33, and I prefer the slim lines and low mounting also..

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:

The only scope IMO for the real kickers is the Leupold 2.5X compact

I second that! You can get a 3x through Leupolds custom shop as well.
Matt

I've got a VX3 2.5-8 on mine , and it has stood up to a stupid amount of shooting. I had a 2.5X Compact on a .416 Rigby for about a thousand shots worth. On the range in the middle of the day it seemed to be perfect for a big game rifle; but on its one and only trip to Africa it proved to be too dim in the bush in mornings and evenings and under powered for anything except the shortest distances. I took it off when
I got home, and replaced it with a 1.75-6 VX3 and never looked back. Turns out a big rifle is a hunting rifle first and a DGR second. Same with the scopes. I'll never paint myself into a corner like that again.

New vx2 1-4 leupy on my 458wm, works fine

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
I've got a VX3 2.5-8 on mine , and it has stood up to a stupid amount of shooting. I had a 2.5X Compact on a .416 Rigby for about a thousand shots worth. On the range in the middle of the day it seemed to be perfect for a big game rifle; but on its one and only trip to Africa it proved to be too dim in the bush in mornings and evenings and under powered for anything except the shortest distances. I took it off when
I got home, and replaced it with a 1.75-6 VX3 and never looked back. Turns out a big rifle is a hunting rifle first and a DGR second. Same with the scopes. I'll never paint myself into a corner like that again.

Very well said Doglegs..

gzig5

I agree with Dogleg. that 2.5 Compact may be tough but it is very dim in low light and the FOV is quite narrow. having tried a bunch of the low end magnification scopes including 2.5, 3, 1x4, 1.5x5, 1.75x6 Leupolds, Swarovski, Leica, Kahles and Trijicons I think the Trijicon 1x4x24 may be the best of the lot when you consider brightness, FOV, eye relief and cost. Lon Paul is refurbishing my old 458 and I expect that Trijicon to be just about perfect for it.

You may need a little bit taller rings to accommodate the larger Trijicon but there will be no comparison as far as field experience goes.

Mark

It would look pretty good with a Leupold 2-7X 33mm or a 1.75-6X.

I had a 2.5-8X on my 450 Dakota when I hunted Zim for Buffalo. It worked well.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:


I agree with Dogleg. that 2.5 Compact may be tough but it is very dim in low light and the FOV is quite narrow.



Mark

Mark, the little 2.5 Leupold may be a little dimmer and have a slightly smaller FOV but we are talking horses for courses here. I don't know anyone who snipes praire dogs at 300 yards with a 458. The animals you need to use a 458 on are typically large and close.
If your 458 fits like a glove, which every dangerous game rifle should, then the FOV is not as important and with a heavy duplex or German reticle they work just fine in poor light.

What so many folk don't consider is that on heavy kicking rifles, the heavier and taller the scope the more abuse the scope, rings and even bases suffer.
I have had a 2.5 Leupold on my 458 now for 33 years and never had a problem and, as anyone who knows me will attest, I don't baby my rifles.

Phil,

I expected this response from you knowing that you use the 2.5 and have for years. What you said of course is true but your 4-5-8 is an extension of your body. Us mere mortals need all the help our optics can give us. For the recreational hunter I think there are much better choices than the 2.5 Compact.

Mark

I suppose you are right Mark as there is obviously loads of recreation to be had in patching bloody half moon cuts over eyelids and removing and replacing expensive scopes with broken reticles.

I have Lyman Alaskans on both my .458 and my .450 Watts. Long eye relief, brilliant luminosity and post and crosshair reticle, my favorite combination. Both mounted as low as possible with Griffin & Howe side mounts. My .458 double rifle carries a 2 1/2X Lyman All American Perma Center in claw mounts.

However, on my .577 I have a 2 1/2 power Noske, with even a longer eye relief and the same reticle. No sign of failure on any of the scopes, despite a lot of punishment.

And the scars that come with them make better bar stories too; "I got this one in knife fight in the Forbidden City saving a Kitten from certain death..." Who want's to say they crawled the stock on a 458 whilst aiming at Paper at 9x and had to use a Thomas the Tank engine band aide to close the wound because that is what the wife had put into the First Aide Kit.

Thomas the Tank ? In this camp we issue Hello Kitty bandaids for scope cuts.

Phil,

I'll go with 1x4's 97.5 foot FOV and the 3.2" eye relief on a rifle with the proper LOP anytime. I'll let you know how the post with the amber triangle reticle works out. I have the 3x9 Trijicon with the same reticle on my 375 WBY and it has kind of been the cat's ass.

Mark

You Alaska guys are on the ball! Can't go wrong with a Hello Kitty. Always a classic. We had those through 3 girls. Then the boy came along.

Love it, I have a 1.5-5x Leupold on my 500 Jeffery, it hasn't "kissed me yet" after about 400 rounds. I'm a lab director in Colorado Springs one of the project leaders was complaining about their equipment not being tracked properly. We put "Dora the Explorer" stickers on all of his equipment. He's still tryin to get them off ...

The 2.5-8x32 vx3 is the perfect hunting scope, but the short tube usually requires offset rings mounting it on long actions. Leupold should make a long tube 2.5-8x32 imo as I personally dispise rings hanging over the ejection port.

Getting around this long action mounting issue, I'd compromise going down to a vx3 1.5-5x20 or up to a vx3 3.5-10.

Dora the Explorer satisfies the "Diversity" in all of us I think. Very Continental. High Class. Well done Chuck.

quote:

Originally posted by chuck375:
Love it, I have a 1.5-5x Leupold on my 500 Jeffery, it hasn't "kissed me yet" after about 400 rounds. I'm a lab director in Colorado Springs one of the project leaders was complaining about their equipment not being tracked properly. We put "Dora the Explorer" stickers on all of his equipment. He's still tryin to get them off ...

The same 2 scopes (1.5X5) have been on my 425 Express and 458 NW in Talley QD's for years and work perfectly.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
On a 458 most any quality scope should work but the std. .458 is a border line scope crasher.

The only scope IMO for the real kickers is the Leupold 2.5X compact, it has the cross hairs set back under the adjustments for just that reason and it works...

I have seen many high dollar American and European scopes come apart on a .458 Lott and a 500 whatever..They tend to fail between 25 and 250 rounds based on some investigating I did for years with interviews with clients, friends, and others, over the years and my personal experience. It gets debatable mostly because most owners of these big bores seldom fire very many rounds thru their big kickers or so it seems to me.

On a standard.458 your Weaver, if in good condition, will "probably" withstand the recoil, but it won't stand the cold climate of Colorado for long..The Weavers historically have been popular in the South and warmer climates...I have seen them fog, cross hairs snap many times in the cold winters of Idaho.

A good scope if you can locate one is the Leupold 2x7x28, the forerunner of the 2x7x33, and I prefer the slim lines and low mounting also..

+1 on the Leupold 2.5x compact. Actually I've had great results with all fixed power Leupolds on the hard kickers but prefer the 2.5x . For what it's worth I also have had no complaints with the Leupold 2-7x33 on a .458 Lott Ruger No.1 that I had throated to drive 500 grainers 2,400 plus (at reasonable pressures)and it has survived plenty of mean loads. I don't want to jinx myself but I've yet to wreck a Leupold. Most of my scoped rifles wear one and I recommend them with zero hesitation.

The problem I found with the 2.5 power Leupold was early season deer hunting. Wasn't enough magnification to tell a spike buck from a does @ 100 yards. . Used a 1-4×20 Vx ll for years on 416+458. It died, wouldn't hold zero. I've gone to Tactical scopes. Etched reticles. I would be interested to see which Burris is holding up to big bores. All mine crapped out fairly quickly.
I (Think) the Vortex Viper PST 1-4×24 with capped turrets would work very well. The SWFA SS Classic 1-4×24 I have on my 6.5 Creedmoor carbine is awesome. It has exposed turrets so may not be everyone's cup.of tea. And in point of fact exposed turrets are unnecessary on a tactical carbine scope. The reticle is awesome on this scope!!!

Almost every sporter scope I've owned has failed me in one way or other.

The Vortex has 4" of eye relief and their warrentee is 2nd to none.
I'm going to try a Vortex Crossfire ll 1-4×24 V Brite reticle on my wife's Ruger Compact. I've found center dot reticles are the fastest and easiest to use. The V Brite reticle is just an etched duplex with a floating center dot. Only the dot illuminates. She likes my SWFA. But I think capped turrets will be best for her.

I've used fixed 4X Burris's on very heavy kickers. 5" eye relief. Real tough and bright. Near ideal in my view. Also, a 2 - 7 X 33 Nikon.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

I haven't found what it is that I'm supposed to be able to do with a 2.5 fixed that I can't do with a variable set at 2.5. The opposite isn't true.

One of the benefits of a compact fixed Leupold is a short eyepiece that helps keep the scope out of the way of the forehead. But I still prefer a low powered tactical variable.

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
I haven't found what it is that I'm supposed to be able to do with a 2.5 fixed that I can't do with a variable set at 2.5. The opposite isn't true.

Finding a collapsed reticle and hitting your target when the more complex scope fails are a couple that immediately come to mind.

Being in tight bush with Cape buffslo on three sides and closing, with a scope that I struggled to see crosshairs in was real immediate and convincing. Invigorating and frustrating too. The 2.5-8 that is on my .458 has accounted for 123 buffslo on that rifle and hasn't broke yet, but I've never broken a Leupold fixed or variable. It's even done a bit of legal night hunting.

Dogleg; that is a very good reccomendation for a scope.
One of the things I consider a scope failure, tho some may not. If I can see the animal I want to shoot but can't see the reticle's poa on the animal. This has happened to me many times in southeast where "dark timber" is redilly available and its necessary to hunt in it or along the edges of it. The first lighted reticle scope I had was a Burris 1.5-6×40 Signature Select E Dot. That scope solved the problem of failing light. But the wire hung reticle went a little wonky after a couple years. And the electronics weren't 100% reliable after a while.

So far I haven't found anything wonky with the SWFA brand scopes.
Quite possibly the NightForce 1-4 or Vortex Razor ll 1-6 are better scopes and may be something I may need in the future. But at this point I'm very pleased with what I have in the 1-4×24 SWFA.

My Steyr in .458 Win Mag has had a Leupold Var-X III in 1.5-5 (heavy duplex) in Warne quick-detach rings on it for about 15 years.

I've probably put at least 300 rounds through that rifle, and the scope has never lost its zero or needed to be adjusted.

That includes a trip to Zimbabwe and back in 2002.

The 1-4×20 Vx ll I had on my current 458 lived for over 1,200 rounds. But when it crapped
out. That was that. Imo a scope should work at least as well as a barrel does, be similar priced and last at least as long.

I came about the 2.5X Leupold compact by trying a tub full of high dollar scopes out on my 458 Lott and 505 Gibbs Imp. They went thu all of the high dollar scopes like poop thu a goose..Actually the 458 Lott was the worse offender. Some scopes lasted up to 250 rounds, most lasted less than 100 rounds and many crashed at 25 to 50 rounds..It was a costly endeavor that became an obsession with me to find one that worked since so many shooters felt their scopes were just fine, but when questioned they usually admitted they had only fired a few rounds in those big kickers!! Therein lies the problem with these posts!! Add to that the nature of man is not to admit he is wrong when he just spent $2500. on a scope!!

After I trashed my 3X Leupold more than a few times, and Leupold graciously repaired it time after time, they sent me a then new 2.5X Leupold compact, no charge, stating out right it was modified to have the reticle located directly under the adjustments and was in there opinion bomb proof, as it turned out to be.

I sold both guns with those scopes on them some years later and those scopes had survived over 700 rounds fired thru one and 364 thru the other by me and anyone else I could get to shoot them.

Im a believer in that scope..That said today if I were to own a 458 Lott or 505 which I will not, I would probably opt of a receiver sight or barrel mounted shallow V, as I never shot a head of game with either the 458 Lott or the 505 over 100 yards and only a couple at that, mostly at 50 yards and under..

The only long shot I ever made on a buffalo for that matter was with the with a 416 Rem, 3X Leupold and also the only "instant" kill on a buffalo with a shoulder shot was 225 yards stepped off by PH A.J. Van Heerden..He called it the tea pot bull, as it just tipped over like a tea pot DRT.

NIB $230 Shipped

I broke my 1-3x Weaver this weekend on my 458, so don't use that damn scope!

30 years of being bashed around Alaska, many hundreds of rounds fired, numerous dead bears, moose and caribou and the little 2 1/2 Leupold is still working perfectly.