Heading to Tumbler Ridge BC for black bear later this month.

Looking for opinions on scopes. Do we go with something like 3-9x or 1.5-5x?

Do we sight in for 50 or 100 yards or something else?

Thanks,

It depends on what kind of hunt it is. If it's over bair I'd go for open sights or the 1.5x5 because it's gonna be close. Spot and stalk could be any range at all.

I shot them with 1.5x5 490 lbs and with 3x9s.

My daugher shot a 500 pounder at 20 feet with a 2.5x8.

Its hard to beat a 3x9 or the likes. I sight most of my rifles at 1.5 inchs high at 100.

Most calibers well be just low at 25 yards, .5 inch high at 50 1.5 100 dead on right around 200.

Its easy to pick up any of my rifles and take a dead on hold and make a killig shot out to 200 yards.

Even over bait I perfer a scope, low light picking holes, in the brush to shoot through.

Makes useing a scope superior to open sights

I should have said that, it is a spot & stalk hunt. Thanks,

I'd use the 1.5 to 5X scope. you're not gonna shoot a bear anywhere that will require a 9X scope. But, you may very well shoot one close enough that you'd wish you had no magnification at all so you could be certain what part of the bear you were looking at through the scope.

I would also sight-in so that my bullet was NO MORE than 2" low at 150 yards regardless what cartridge and bullet weight I was going to use.

Then I'd shoot the rifle at 50, 75, 100, and 125 yards to get an true idea of what my trajectory curve is. I strongly suspect that with any modern cartridge, you'll find you can sight dead on the point you want to hit on the bear without hold-over or hold-under all the way from the muzzle to 150 yards and strike within an inch or so of that point if you hold your tongue right.

Quit worrying and just go have fun! Shooting black bears in the woods is NOT rocket science.

You could split the difference, go with a 2-7x33 VX-R. Illuminated reticle shows up pretty well in low light, dark critters..
Or, what ever glass you happen to like, with an illuminated reticle, lower end of the power spectrum.

My marlin 45/70 has a bushnell 3200 Firefly 1.5 x5, the ruger 77 in .338wm has a leupold 3x9x40 and my turnbull .50 alaskan has a williams peep. All have been fine for black bear hunting out to 200 yards. The scopes do give about 20 minutes more hunting time at dusk and dawn.

Mounting a Vortex 3x9 lighted reticle for my daughter to use on spot and stalk bear this year in Idaho.

Thanks gents, traded the 1.5-4.5 for a Leupold 3-9x50 VXR. Ready to go now.

Good luck on your bear hunt! You will be about 1.5 hours south of where I live. You are in great bear country. Be sure to post a report!
All the best,
Graham

The perfect bear scope is a low power variable; 1-4x, 1.5-5x, 1.5-6x, etc...

I've killed a dozen black bears and hunt spot and stalk. Any scope for deer and elk hunting will work perfectly. 3x9, 3.5x10, 3x12 are about right for that type of hunting. I carry the rifle on a lower power and zoom up if the range is a bit longer and I have plenty of time to make a clean kill.
Good luck on your hunt!
Zeke

quote:

Originally posted by Demonical:
The perfect bear scope is a low power variable; 1-4x, 1.5-5x, 1.5-6x, etc...

Plus a 2 - 7X

+1

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

quote:

Originally posted by Muttly:
You could split the difference, go with a 2-7x33 VX-R. Illuminated reticle shows up pretty well in low light, dark critters..
Or, what ever glass you happen to like, with an illuminated reticle, lower end of the power spectrum.

I bought this scope last year for my 338 RCM, specifically for bear hunting and elk/deer in thick timber, etc. I am VERY impressed with it, and would definitely recommend it for those applications.

Paul, I've done BBs in BC 6 or 7 times. A sport & stalk hunt is great; running the logging roads, glassing clearcuts, and planning the stalk. A 3x9 will be great, as shots could be 150 yards or better.

I've used

Iron sights
1.5-5
2-7
2.5-8
3-9
2.5-10
3.5-10
4.5-14

They all worked fine!

3x9x40. Bring em on. Most flexibility there, whatever the situation. I've got in the habit of just leaving mine on 9 and never regretted it.

Grizz

I always sight in 2.5" high at 100 yards. I do this for our 270s, 375 Weatherby and 500 Jeffery. All three will be within 0.2" of dead on at 25 yards, no more than 3" high at any point and depending on caliber dead on again at 250 for the 270, 225 for the 375 Bee and 175 for the 500 Jeffery. I have a 2x7 Leupold on the 375 Weatherby and a 1.5 - 5x on the Jeffery, both with Talley QR mounts.

Thanks all for the advice. Just posted a hunt report with some photos.

For this particular hunt I think a 2-7 or 3-9 scope would have been just right; we used a Leupold 3-9x50 VX-R. Using an illuminated scope for us was key.

Thanks again!