I am getting the rifle built up for long range shooting mostly hunting and wanted to know what scope would be the best to use. Had thought about a unertl if I could find one but am open to suggestions

I'm itching for a leupold 6-18 ao vx2 varmint recticle for my 25-06. But I want a leica rangefinder even worse.

I put a 4.5-14 mil dot on mine (6.5x55). Haven't had a chance to use it yet, but think the power range will work just fine!

I have a Leupold 6.5x20 on my .300 Win. mag and love it.

B&L 8-32X anyone?

Rich
DRSS

How long range you talking about? I have a Nightforce 12x42x56mm on my 260.

for me long range would be 500-600 yards but I would like to be able to see clearly at that range

Varmints or big game?

Don

For a big game scope hunting at unknown ranges with a known game animal like deer. My 1st choice is a Shepherd. Built in range finding and bullet drop. I have one the P2 retical on my .260Rem. also the 22LR on my 22rf I love them.

The Leupold 8.5 x 25 LRT with the 30mm tube... works for me.

Swarowski 6-18x50 AO with a TDC-reticle.

/C

is curious as to WHAT he's gonna hunt?
you all are just spitting out #'s.
if your hunting deer sized game and above i cant imagine you would need anything bigger than 10x. at 600 yards a 10x scope will give you the same relation to target size as 60 yards w/ iron sights.

What is anyone hunting at 600 Yd. or more ??.

Power is not a driving force while hunting , Light gathering and crystal clear optics are !.

For a " Real World " hunting situation I would suggest staying 500 Yd. or less !.

Scope 4 X 14 , 3 X 12 2.5 X 10 in either Ziess ,Swarowski , Night Force , Leupold in that order !.

Just another mans opinion who lives it .

The trouble with setting a rifle up for "long range" hunting is that even though you may yearn for those 350 to 600 yard shots but what do you do when that buck of a lifetime jumps out of a ravine at 35 yards slow trotting and you are standing there looking like a fool trying to "find him" in your 8.5 to 25 power scope that is set down to its lowest ( 8.5 power ) setting.
I personnaly can't imagine scoping a game rifle with anything bigger than a 3.5 to 10 power scope. Mostly because I cannot envision tramping around with my scope set on anything greater than 3.5 power, like my dad always told me "son keep your scope on its lowest power possible, if you see something a long ways off you'll have time to turn the power up, if something is real close you may not have time to turn the power down". Sage advice.

Your Dad gave you some really good advice. Thanks for sharing that wisdom with us.

I just got a new, to me, scope, an IOR 4-14X50 IR. I compared it alongside a S&B 3-12x56 and on the day I preferred the IOR. Which surprised me as I am a long time fan and user of S&B's. Anyway I tried a photo of it. Good it is not but it gives you an idea. The house is about 8-900 yards away and it is set on 10X magnification. I've never had one of these before but, I never heard a bad word against them. They use Schott glass and are heavily involve with zeiss I do believe.



John

that IOR #4 dot is a great reticle. i'd like the pickets to be a little thicker for low light but it does good as an all-round hunting reticle.

Shoot with booth eyes open!

I always have my scope at medium power, that usualy means between 3 and 8 X, even at 8X I have none what so ever problem with finding a target or tracking the very same.

It´s in all just a question of training.

I like a lot of X when I shoot.

/Chris

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
The trouble with setting a rifle up for "long range" hunting is that even though you may yearn for those 350 to 600 yard shots but what do you do when that buck of a lifetime jumps out of a ravine at 35 yards slow trotting and you are standing there looking like a fool trying to "find him" in your 8.5 to 25 power scope that is set down to its lowest ( 8.5 power ) setting.
I personnaly can't imagine scoping a game rifle with anything bigger than a 3.5 to 10 power scope. Mostly because I cannot envision tramping around with my scope set on anything greater than 3.5 power, like my dad always told me "son keep your scope on its lowest power possible, if you see something a long ways off you'll have time to turn the power up, if something is real close you may not have time to turn the power down". Sage advice.

Chris I partially agree with you as I track game with both eyes open and almost always shoot animals on 9x, but (there's always a big but isn't there) how many times have you heard the stories of someone missing an animal or an opportunity because when they looked through the scope all they could see was a blur or "hair" because they forgot to turn down the scope?
How well would you shoot a long range rifle with a minimum 8x scope at a running buck 25 to 35 yards away? Not very well I imagine.
I'll still teach my kids and any beginner to leave that scope on a low power and turn it up if you need to, I still feel most people would be severely handicapped by having too much scope rather than not enough and I've never felt like I didn't have enough scope with a 3-9 variable. Although I haven't ever seen a reason to shoot an animal past 425 yards yet and I wouldn't condone anyone shooting those distances or beyond unless you regularly practice at that distance.

The higher the magnification the more solid your rest is going to have to be or the reticle will float all over the place everytime you breathe.. or any other movement...

I shoot at obstacles up the mountainside's slope that is the backstop for our local range..

They are about the size of file cabinet at 700 yds or there is a pig silhouette target at 850 yds...

I shoot these all the time with the scope set on 4 power to 8 power...from a rest of course..

But practicing at those distances.. I don't see a need for a higher mag scope particularly for deer sized game...

Even on varmints the size of a soda bottle at 300 yds, the most magnification that I can make use out of.. and not "chase" the reticle around...is about 10 to 12 power...

on my 260 Rem VLS, I have a 5 x 15 Bushnell Elite on it...the closest thing to what I consider the ideal scope Max Magnification range that is usable.. the 4.5 x 14...

Even on the rifles that I have that are 6 x 24... I never go above 12 to 14 power with them...

I shoot that rock at 725 yds and the pig at 850 yds with a 4 power scope setting all the time...
6 power is about ideal for field work...

The key to most shooters is to be able to use the equipment you have! And I can't use those big spendy high magnification scopes.. and envy the guys who can...

But I do just fine on lower magnification powers...

I went through all of the variable scope buisness some years ago, and have settled on fixed powers now. I always had my variables set low, and never bothered to change the power setting when a shot came along. So, I said, why a variable when I always leave it set at a low setting? This is for big game hunting, not varmints.
I ask earlier what the guy intended to shoot, varmints or big game. If varmints, where you sit, or are prone, a higher powered variable would work, as you're not lugging the rifle around. But, if for big game, carrying a rifle long distance, a big variable will add weight and bulk, and anything over 6x really isn't needed. A Deer at 600 yards, using a 6x scope, is like shooting with irons at 100 yards.
Being a varmint loony, I like higher power scopes when I'm shooting small targets prone, and I only carry the rifle to the shooting location.
Even though you equip yourself for those once in a lifetime 500-600 yard shots, 99% of the shots will be at around 300 or less. And, it depends on where you live and hunt. I'm from PA, where the shots I described above took place.
If you're out west, with a higher percentage of real long shots, a scope choice would be different from mine.
It's difficult answering a question about what scope to buy without knowing some details of location, game size, etc.

Don

quote:

Originally posted by Argolee:
I am getting the rifle built up for long range shooting...

Hey Argolee, You sure are receiving some interesting responses. Obviously a lot of folks think differently about this issue. The great thing about this is that you are also receiving some excellent examples about "Why" the folks like whatever Power they are mentioning.

As Seafire said,

quote:

...I do just fine on lower magnification powers.

Good for him, but I prefer as much Power as I can get. And Seafire told "Why" that was so for him.

quote:

Originally posted by seafire/B17G:
The higher the magnification the more solid your rest is going to have to be or the reticle will float all over the place everytime you breathe.. or any other movement. ...

This reason that Seafire dislikes high Power scopes is one of the main reasons I prefer them. Even with the smaller power scopes the "movement" that Seafire mentions is still there but it is much more difficult to see. And for me, I've found that in order to get small groups at distance, the extra Power allows me to aim at a smaller spot on the intended Target(Paper or Game). If my reticle is "floating all over the place" as Seafire mentioned, then I know I'm not in a steady enough position for the shots I will take. And to me, that is a serious advantage.

I also mentioned on the Big Game Board about being in a lot of Doe Culls where folks were dragging small Spike Deer in. They thought they were Doe when viewed through their smaller Power scopes. The yearling Spikes standing next to their twin Doe sisters actually looked like a Doe that was 1.5yr old, instead of a yearling Spike. Small Spikes can be difficult to see if covered by an ear and if the background is a picked corn field. Small Scopes are a huge handicap in this situation.

So, adding a bit more Power to the folks using the smaller scopes pretty much eliminated the unintentional, but illegal killing of Spikes under 3".
---

Power also allows me to "read the mirage" and see the haze at distance. With a larger Variable, I just crank it back until the clarity is where I want it. And on those nice days where I can use it all, my opportunity for precision placement is enhanced.

I do agree there are times when a Deer pops up rather close and too much power can be a concern. That is one reason why I carry a Revolver as well as the Rifle. But, when they are REALLY close, you can't be moving around anyhow.
---

What ever you choose, make sure you create your own Drop Chart for your specific rifle and cartridge by actually shooting it at the actual distances you intend to Hunt.

Good Hunting and clean 1-shot Kills.

I am with Hot Core on this one. With higher power I can work more on being steady and that improves my shooting.

i own a vx3 4.5-14 and only once was i annoyed that it was a 4.5 and not something a lot lower! i probably needed a 2x or something was about 10 yards away couldnt make out a thing.

but in saying that there have been far more times when i was glad i had the extra power over a 3-9. we spotted a red stag and 3 hinds moving up a clear face around 600yards away, i could count the points he had while my brothers 3-9 could only make out that he had a set of antlers.

even at 300 i use it to determin just how big that stag is, at 14x you get a fairly good idea of his trophy potential, whether you should leave him for another year or two or to harvest him now is a big thing to me.


You might want a new Swarovski Z6 2-12X50. 19-50% greater eye relief too.

what im waiting for is a 3-18 or a 3.5-21. i hope they come out with one

on steyrs i have higher magnification because they are very accurate. on less accurate rifles i own i have lower top magnification.
size also plays a roll. i'm not gonna put a 6020 on top of a BLR.

I'm with HC on this one also with one caveat; I will not go lower than 4X on the low end of a variable because I have seen many cases where FOV matters (running shots, heavy cover, side of a hill where the background is all the same, etc.). So I usually end up with a 3x10 or a 4x12 power. I do have one scope that is a 4x16 but it is huge and only looks right on a heavy varmint barrel long gun.

This is what I chose for my 280AI and I can highly recommend it.

I use a Meopta 3-12x56 on my 6.5x55 and it´s interchageable with my 8x68S. I haven´t used it for anything over 200m but it should work just fine.

Can´t go wrong with a Kahles either...or a Luepy...or etc etc

I will just say this . I favor 4X14 3X12 2.5X10 power hunting scopes in Quality optics .

If one wants to make out detail on a possible trophy shot , that is further away than say a 4 or 8 power can see then they are very useful . I know I carry glasses also but some times it's just more convenient to look through the scope .

I absolutely agree all scopes should be set on there lowest magnification while looking for ones quarry or while hunting in a dense brush forest setting .

Open Range animals are another story altogether . Or ambush hunting from a considerable distance .

Before any real world problems can be solved , the issues of greed religion and population must be addressed !. ...

You mentioned a Unertl. Excellant optics and, with the external mounts, highly reliable too. I got an old one in excellant shape on Ebay, a 1 1/2 target model in 24x that would be fine for deliberate shooting at long ranges. ???

quote:

Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
You mentioned a Unertl. Excellant optics and, with the external mounts, highly reliable too. I got an old one in excellant shape on Ebay, a 1 1/2 target model in 24x that would be fine for deliberate shooting at long ranges. ???

Interesting that you have a 1 1/2" Unertl Target scope in 24x. I also have the same scope in 24x. It was not a cataloged item by Unertl (24x), so I have been wondering how many more 24x's are out there.

Don

4-12x or 4.5-14x unless you ever hunt in the woods.

Another vote for the Swarovski 6x18 with the TDS reticle. Not too heavy and is crystal clear. The TDS reticle is really slick if used properly.

I'm with JayB on this. If you want German Schott glass, the same as used by Zeiss, look into IOR. Zeiss came into the IOR factory more than a decade ago and got them up to modern manufacuring techniques which has paid big dividends for IOR and subsequently thier customers. IOR has been listening to their American customer base and changing their product line to suit our tastes in optics. I recently obtained directly from the US distributor in Littleton, Colo, a 3-18x42mm; 35mm tube, illum MP8 reticle is absolutely fantastic. Their FOV is HUGE! I own Zeiss and Swaro glass and I'll put the IOR Schott glass against their stuff any day but without having to pay the high cost.

Here is mine on a Rem 700IOR 3-18x4xmm on Rem 700
IOR 3-18x42mm right rear w/out turret caps
IOR from top

Big Al