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Choices for several rifles

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PaulDaisy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaulDaisy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Choices for several rifles
    Posted: August/20/2011 at 02:42
Hello OpticsTalk fellows! I am new here but have read quite a few of the posts. Since this forum tends to have a bit different lean than the widespread "buy Leupold" mindset, I decided to seek your opinion on my optics options.

Four rifles:
(1) 300 Wby Vanguard, 24". Until this year was my all-around gun for 100-300 yard elk hunting and has a 2-7x32 Weaver installed. After several years of no issues, last year gave me an unexplained 8" downward point of impact shift out of the blue; once re-sited, did not reoccur but made me leery. Recent Timney trigger. Now that I have (2), the 300 Wby is intended to become a 300-400 yard open country / glassing elk gun. Where I hunt, my longest shot at a bull so far was 350 yards uphill (a miss).
(2) 338 RCM Hawkeye 20" bbl. This one is new, will replace the 300 Wby as a carry-around 100-200 yard gun, as it is handier to tote around the hills and through aspens and dark timber. No glass on it now; irons are not very nice, stock buckhorns. I shoot a 3" group with them at 100 yards but not much better, partly due to the ball-in-divot sight picture and partly due to slight flinching (light 338 gun). So far the elk I took were at 25 to 90 yards. I know, a .44 Mag would have been sufficient but you never know if the next one will be at 300.
(3) 243 R-77 varminter, 24" bull barrel, great trigger, with a 6.5-20 Leupold Vari-X III. Intended as 300-400 yard coyote gun.
(4) 223 Bushy Varminter, 24", no scope on it yet. Intended for prairie dogs and coyotes out to 200 yards.

I was going to leave the (3) alone but a friend whom I chatted with said, why don't you throw that one in the optics upgrade mix. He didn't exactly help. But I did throw it in the mix. Budget? Not totally sure; quality preferred, and I would like to stay at the VX-3 or at least Monarch quality level.

I am leaning towards something like a 2.5-8x36 VX-3 for the (2) and a Burris Eliminator for the (1) but kind of torn on the varminters since I reload and a BDC reticle may or may not be accurate for one or another handload.

Read a lot about SS and Sightrons but so far don't feel very confident about these, I have no first hand experience with neither.

What scope options would you choose? Go ahead with "dream" sets and with "great" sets but I have no plans for BSA or Beeman class scopes. Thanks!


Edited by Kickboxer - August/20/2011 at 05:54
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PaulDaisy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaulDaisy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2011 at 02:49
Erroneous link in post copied over, sorry about that. And I can not edit it out, don't have permission to edit my own post. Perhaps moderator can kill it for me. Thanks!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2011 at 06:31
Paul, welcome to the OT.  You have some interesting questions.  I have not had time with a Burris Eliminator, yet, but if you get one, I would consider your (3) rifle for it.  Your (4) rifle, I would suggest one of the red dot/holo-type scopes.  Aimpoint (my favorite), ACOG, are possible choices.  For your Vanguard (1), you should take a look at Meopta Meostar, Zeiss Conquest, maybe IOR Valdada.  Your number (2), I would want something like a fixed 4x, a 1-4x, 2-8, or 2.5-10.   I like BDC reticles for quick shots at fairly close range (200 or so).  I also like the red dots, though I do not currently have one (a deficiency I will soon remedy, BTW), I gave my last one to a friend who wanted one for a pistol. 
Trying to scope 4 rifles at once, all with pretty different roles and characteristics, is a pretty heavy task.  You will get a lot of suggestions.  I would say do all you can to try out the scopes you are thinking of.  No matter how good some choices will seem, no one has YOUR eyes.  Clearly define to yourself the features you are most interested in and separate out the "must have" features from the "nice to have" features.  Then look at possibilities based on that. 
Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2011 at 07:13
Welcome Paul. Ah, the optics roulette game! Should be fun. I've been going round and round myself, trying to find the perfect set-ups that work for me. LOL.

I'd leave #3 alone as-is, and concur with what KB said regarding #4. That leaves #1 and / or #2. That short barreled Hawkeye would seem overwhelmed with a big old Hubble type scope on it. The 2.5-8 X 36 Leupy is a good choice there. I also personally like the Sightron BS line, so I would have no hesitation there. Additionally, the Minox ZA5 1.5-8 X 32, Meopta Meopro 3-9 42, and Nikon Monarch 2-8 X 32 deserve a look-see. For #1, the new Vortex HS might be a good start... the 4-16 X 44 with the BDC reticle looks interesting. Additionally, the Bushy Elite 6500 2.5-16 X 42 may be the bugs nuts. I personally have zero experience with the Burris Eliminator. I've heard good and bad.

Of course, you can always wait a bit and step up to a Kahles! Patience Grasshopper!

Just tons of choices out there. I'm sure others will chime in. Good luck to you Sir.   Big Grin


Edited by bugsNbows - August/20/2011 at 07:14
If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 300S&W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2011 at 09:02
 HEY,Paul.  WELCOME to OT.
 
 I'll address #1 and #2.  In general,for #1 I'd go with something in the 2 to 3.5 x 10 in one of the brands mentioned by Kb.  Specifically,for #2 I'd go with a Vortex Viper 2-7x32 w/C3 reticle.  I've got one on my 20"bbl'd  Mauser and use it to hunt in situations you describe you be using your .338 RCM for.  GREAT (almost constant) eye relief and FAST target aquisition w/ the C3 reticle.  One of the members here has one on his .375 H+H and recoils has been no problem for the scope. Mine is on a 9.3x62mm.
 
  These scopes sold at one time for close to $300 and are in the VX-3 class.
 
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PaulDaisy View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaulDaisy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2011 at 12:29
I like all the suggestions, thank you gents!
I have not seriously considered a red dot or holo for (4). Would it be as good for small varmint  shooting (prairie dogs) as a thin reticle classic scope of, say, a 4-14x44 variety? I am not into mildot / tactical much and don't plan to spin turrets (hence my thoughts of Eliminator). Besides, on all of (1)-(3) out to 200 or even 350 yards (with a 200 zero) the ballistics seems to be within the PBR, with the exception of maybe (4) for prairie dogs.
A small magnification for (2) was my idea too. I looked at a 1-4x24 VX-3 I think it was, and it had so much parallax at x1 at 50 yards that it looked like the image floats. I give it credit, the reticle has appeared to float with it and the crosshairs stayed in more or less one spot but the distortion at any degree of head movement was disturbing. It went away at x4 but I usually beep my walk-around scope at the lowest magnification, so that distortion might make me motion sick. I would like a Zeiss but there is no Conquest in that range, and a VariPoint is a bit on the steep side, plus with VX-3 available and seemingly adequate, that is hard to justify to myself.
I did last week look through a 3.5-10 VX-3 and a 3-9 Conquest, and the difference to my eyes was, the Zeiss was brighter and had a better (larger, no vignetting, no edge distortion, period) field of view; the Leupold had better color rendition and allowed to see more detail in the yellow-brown part of the color spectrum. The latter seems good for hunting. So neither won, in my opinion - both had pros and cons, and I was undecided. I did not look through a Sightron, Bushy 6500 or Monarch. I have looked through an Eliminator and think the optics are on par with VX-II or Fullfield, not VX-3 but for the rest of it, there simply is no competition and my thinking was, I can trade a bit of optical quality for instant, confident AND load adjustable bullet drop compensation.
For (3) I am a bit on the fence; the Vari-X III is not bad, but like you said, the Eliminator seems to fit right into that equation. Get two?..
More looking through scopes will be on my plate for sure once I am back home.
Sorry for the long winded lament. Thinking aloud gives a chance to hear criticisms of your beliefs, so keep them coming!
Thanks, -P
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/20/2011 at 15:13
Originally posted by 300S&W 300S&W wrote:

 HEY,Paul.  WELCOME to OT.
 
 I'll address #1 and #2.  In general,for #1 I'd go with something in the 2 to 3.5 x 10 in one of the brands mentioned by Kb.  Specifically,for #2 I'd go with a Vortex Viper 2-7x32 w/C3 reticle.  I've got one on my 20"bbl'd  Mauser and use it to hunt in situations you describe you be using your .338 RCM for.  GREAT (almost constant) eye relief and FAST target aquisition w/ the C3 reticle.  One of the members here has one on his .375 H+H and recoils has been no problem for the scope. Mine is on a 9.3x62mm.
 
  These scopes sold at one time for close to $300 and are in the VX-3 class.
 


That's a great recommendation that I forgot about. Have it on my wife's .308 Ruger compact with 16.5 inch BBL. Great combo!


If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
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