I have a Sako Hunter in 17 Rem. This is to be used as a walk-around varmint rifle. I have a Leupold 4.5-14 but I think it looks too big for the rifle. Any suggestions?

Dr. Lou,
I like the 6X-42 Leupold for walking varmint rifle.

Rem. 222

I have a 2.5-8 Leupold on the Sako .17 Rem. I use for cats and coyotes, and it stays on 4x most of the time. I've shot a hell of a lot of ground squirrels with it and it seems to work fine there.

Gentleman, thanks for the input. I have both an M8 6x42 and vari XIII 2.5-8 in addition to my 4.5-14. I will try all three and choose one. I sure forgot how small those holes look at 100 yds. Lou

As long as the scope is not unbalancing the rifle or it is not too heavy to hold; I wouldn't worry about it. It's how good you can see and shoot that matters. I have a 6-20 Vari-XII on a 45-70 in a Ruger No 1. Enjoy Shooting 405 grains of Lead at a Hanging Saw Blade @ 500 yards. Fire; gun settles back; then see where the bullet hits.

The .17HMR has ballistics that call for its own scope. The round has what one site called a "parabolic" curvature to its flight. I thought all bullets had parabolic curvature to their flight as imparted by that mean, old bugger, Mr. Gravity. BSA makes a scope called the "Sweet 17" just for this round. Maybe other, super-high quality scope companies make one as well.

He said 17 Rem (centerfire) not HMR.

Dr. Lou, I would go with the higher powered scope that you have. Mine wears a straight 24 powered Leupold that comes in quite handy at times. It's a little much, I admit, but when you get it for free you can't complain. Here's why I like the higher power on this rifle.

1. It's nice when target shooting to see the tiny holes. Not much of a factor in your case since this is going to be a walk around rifle, but if you do both you may want to consider it.

2. The one thing I've noticed with my 17 Rem is that when hunting ground hogs in PA/MD, an upper chest/head shot is almost always necessary. They are pretty tough varmints, so if I pulled a shot slightly at long range or underestimated bullet drop and hit them mid to rear body, they usually made it back to their hole. I'm sure they probably probably died, but this isn't a practice I enjoy doing. The higher powered scopes allow me to more finely place my bullet at long range and make those chest/head shots. When the bullet hits in one of those 2 areas, it's lights out. Not sure what varmints you hunt out there, so my comments may not apply if there's no need to make the head/chest shots.

So, my recommendation is go with the 4.5-14. If you are going to buy another scope, I would even consider a tad higher power.

I use a Leupold straight 12 power.Works fine for gophers,prairie dogs and coyotes.

Gentlemen, I really appreciate your exchange of knowledge and experience, it's been very helpful.

I ended up going with the 4.5-14. It actually does not look too out of place on my rifle and it sure helps seeing the holes at 100 yds, and ground squirrels/jack rabbits out to 300. I hope to find a coyote later today. Lou