Just picked up a 250-3000 Savage 99 for my son to use this year. What would be a proper scope for such a beast? How about a red dot since this is basically a short-medium range rifle?

Hoss101 - short medium range rifle? In August I dropped a Springbok at near on 400 yards in the Kalahari with my 250-3000. Didn't recover the bullet either.

The scope is a Bushnell Banner 4x with a duplex reticle that I borrowed from my elder brother something like 30 years back. It stays sighted in year after year with no problems. Unfortunately his memory is still good and he checks it out every time that we go hunting - just to make sure that I remember whose it is.

I have a couple of variables but find that they tend to stay in one position - 4x. Anything higher than that and I find the loss of field of view a disadvantage.

cheers edi

hoss my all time favorite scope is the one I have on my 99 250, its a 2x7 with cross hairs and dot, the ole man set it up that way for me, and I never changed it, most of my shots have been under 200 yards with it and has worked great

I have a 3X Leupold on my 250 Sav. and on my 308 Savage...Couldn't ask for a better combination, especially for a young shooter who can use that extra field of view....I would also recommend the 4X Leupold or 1x4X Leupold....

I think red dots and battery run scopes and stuff like that is gimmicky and have no use for such crap...They sure don't have the accuracy of a conventional scope..I tried them and seemed to me they didn't work worth a hoot beyond about 75 yards max, and then the groups were big.....

Well, after Ray speaks... guess I'll put in my 2 cents anyway (actually, it's not worth that since its free).

I prefer the lower power scopes. That might be because I've been using aperture sights all my life (many years). The higher power scopes seem, well, limited in field of view and deceiving as to distance. To me, the biggest improvement over the aperture sights is that the target and sighting reference are in one plane.

That said, the .25-3000 is not a short range cartridge, here in VA it really reaches out there! I'd compromise and put a 1.5-5X Leupold on there and call it good. Low power for use in brush and short range circumstances and 5X is plenty for the longer ranges of which the system is capable. In addition, the scope will look good and balanced on this particular rifle.

I've got early (smaller objective than current ones) 2-7X Leupold's on my boy's 250's and it seems to be just right. I found with my guys (ages 10 and 12) that the ability to crank up to 7x at the range helped to tighten groups and build confidence. When we hunt they are set at 4x.

My last 250 Savage was a Ruger M77 RSI (18.5" bbl) and wore a Leupold compact 2x7... for a svelt rifle I don't think you can do better than that and I really believe the 250 is plently flat shooting to take advantage of a 2x7 compact or standard or 3x9 compact (I despise hulking scopes on hunting rifles)... nothing wrong with a 1x4 or fixed 4 either, I just think a little more X is useful on small targets.

BA

I think I`ve decided on a Weaver 1-3x20. The Savage 99 I picked up is a 20 inch carbine, and I will not let my son shoot much past 150 yards, so I think this may be the right scope for this rifle. I`ve never owned a Weaver, but it only seems appropriate for a 99 Savage!

hoss101,

Don't think you've done badly. Of course you're establishing a pattern he'll follow the rest of his life (like my Dad did with apertures)! Good luck and good shooting to you both!

Hoss 101

The 20mm objective lens might be a bit too small in poor light conditions. What's the price comparison between the 1 - 3x and a fixed power 4x?

I agree with keeping the range shortish. I managed to stay 120m or less for about 18 years - then I increased it to 160m for the next 10 and now I have moved it out to 400m - good rifle - good cartridge. Pity about the short barrel though - buy him a pair of ear-plugs :-)

cheeers edi

I put a Bushnell Elite 3200 2-7x33 on my Model 99 (.358 Win). This scope looks very good on this rifle, fairly short, no huge objective lens and a very good power range for the cartridge. On my .250 Savage Encore barrel I put a Bushnell 3-9 Mil-Dot that works very well. The Mil-Dot for me allows me to shoot 100 gr Ballistic Tips and 75 gr V-Max's with out resighting. Holding the cross hairs on point of aim puts the 100's 2" high @ 100 yds and holding down one dot (the first dot above the cross hairs) puts the 75 grain V-Max's 2" high @ 100 yds. It is very handy.
I agree that the 20mm objectiv may be to small. I have on on my Muzzleloader and I can see the barrle through the scope. It causes no problems except being annoying to me. Sean

[ 03-07-2003, 10:34: Message edited by: LoneEagle ]

hoss101,
I grew up with a Mauser98 that my grandad had built into a 250-3000. It had a 4x leupold. I shot my first 6 deer with that rifle. Then I moved to the 300 Savage that he had also built on another Mauser 98 (that one had the Zeiss 6x
He built both of those rifles in the late 40s. They were both in custom bedded pecan stocks with custom barrels. Both were stolen from my grandparents house when they were out of state on vacation. Damn thieves...

sure do miss them and the rifles

My 250-300 is presently wearing a 12x Leupold, but most of its life has been under a 6-24x B&L. It has accounted for over 40 deer and more prairie dogs than I can remember- any deer closer than 450 yards is in danger and the longest consistent shots on PD's ends around 550-600 yards. Don't sell the cartridge short it performs a little larger th life.