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Low power options?

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jetwrnch View Drop Down
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    Posted: July/09/2006 at 21:54
Hello all. I'd hoped to answer this question just by searching the forums, but it ain't hapnin'. I have a Browning BLR Lightning in .308. Very light and compact rifle. I hunt the East Tennessee mountains, so shots are between 10 feet and 300 yards with dense thickets opening up to ridge to ridge hardwoods. I'm either scrambling uphill or falling downhill.  I hunt in all weather, the worse the better. Soooo.....I need a scope with Rainguard, that's great in low light, has a power range of 1.5 to at least 6, can take a beating, weighs less than 12 ounces, is less than 11 inches long, and looks good on a Browning levergun. (vanity) I bought a 1.5-6 4200, but dang it's big. Feels like the rifle wants to flip over.  I'm considering a VX-lll 1.5-5x20, but I really like that rainguard. The 4200 also has a goofy reticle that doesn't have a lot of contrast. It seems to be anything BUT black. I need to resolve this so that I can move on to the next crisis. Suggestions?
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Urimaginaryfrnd View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/10/2006 at 11:43
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Now the only thing that looks good on a lever gun is iron sights and you should already have those. Rainguard is a Bushnell thing but these scopes will kill in the rain or sun so by taking size and weight into account on something that is great in low light --- you have no power and low power tactical scopes.  The MR/T is the big brother of the VXIII

While we didn't make it to at least 6x the&n


"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
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koshkin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/10/2006 at 13:40
Rainguard is a Bushnell trademark, so if you want that you have to get a Bushnell.  Unfortunately Elite 4200 scopes are bigger and heavier than what you want.  You can try the Bushnell Holosight XLP which has Rainguard.  I've got one and it works well, but it is not a magnified optic so long shots may be a bit difficult.

I'd probably go with a low magnification variable of some sort.

http://www.riflescopes.com/products/200123/burris_2-7x35_ful lfield_ii_rifle_scope.htm

and a Burris 1.75-5x20 are excellent choices if you want to stay under $200.  The 2-7x35 is available with a range compensating reticle for longer shots (although I doubt you need that for a 308 within 300 yards).  I've got one and it is a great little scope.

http://www.riflescopes.com/products/200713/burris_1.75-5x32_ signature_safari_rifle_scope.htm

Signature Select is a better scope than Fulllfield II and I prefer it to the Leupold VX-3 as well, but that is a close call. 

Weaver Grand Slam 1.5-5x32 is a bit cheaper than Signature Select and Leupold, but has comparable glass.

http://www.riflescopes.com/products/800471/weaver_1.5-5x32_g rand_slam_rifle_scope.htm

From Leupold lineup VX-3 1.5-5x20 and a 1.75-6x32 would both work well, although they cost more.  I think that going with MR/T over a VX-3 would be a waste of money for you.  It has a fancy reticle, 30mm tube and fancy adjustment knobs which you absolutely do not need for hunting within 300 yards.

ILya



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jetwrnch View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jetwrnch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/10/2006 at 22:26
Thanks for the advice. I noticed that Leupold has a Raincote lenscover kit available. This looks interesting as it would also protect the lenses and is replaceable. Any thought or experiences? I wonder about fogging between the cover and the lens. Can't figure out how I would nitrogen purge that setup. I really want the 4200 to work, but I feel like I'm balancing the scope on the rifle when I shoulder it. I'm new to scopes as I have been using Aimpoints until now. 40 year old eyes ain't what they used to be. Maybe it's supposed to feel this way! The rifle only weighs a little over 6 pounds.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/11/2006 at 16:00
Personally, I would not worry about Rainguard too much.  I think the balance of the rifle is more important.

If you are really concerned with your lenses fogging up you can use Fog Eliminator wipes (I think Nikon sells them, and I've also seen them sold as "Clarity Fog Eliminator").  These are dry wipes that leave an anti-fog layer on the glass for about a day or so.  Each wipe can be used several times and they cost about five bucks for a pack of three.

http://www.riflescopes.com/products/8073/nikon_fog_eliminato r.htm


ILya
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Longhunter View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Longhunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/12/2006 at 02:53

I'm not sure anyone is making the perfect woods hunting scope at this time.

 

Based on experience, I would like to have:

 

1.  A wide field of view (55 to 70 feet) at low power for close shots where the deer is standing right there in front of you;

2.  Enough magnification (6x to 7x) to shoot a deer on the far hillside or off in a field;

3.  A big enough objective (32 to 40) to see well at dusk and dawn;  and

4.  A scope that's not so heavy (over 13 to14 ounces) that it turns your nicely balanced rifle into a club.

 

The Burris Signature Select 1.5-6x40mm would be perfect, if it weren't so heavy.  (The catalog says 12 ounces; actual weight is more like 17.)

 

Cabela's Pine Ridge 2-7x32 met these criteria and worked pretty well, but the overall quality just wasn't there.  Leupold's older Vari-X III 2.5-8 came up short on field of view, as does the current VX-III  version. (Only 37 feet.  In a side-by-side comparison, the Leupold's "37" foot field looked pretty much the same as the Burris FFII 3-9's "33" foot field.) 

 

Possible choices that won't turn your rifle upside down with weight include Bushnell's Legend 2x7 (56-16 field, but not a high end scope) and Leupold's VX-III 1.75-6x32mm  (47 ft. field is a little small).

 

I would recommend against the 20mm objective models.  You will probably find they don't let in enough light for hunting early and late in the day.

 

I'm currently using the Burris FFII 3-9, and the Weaver Grand Slam 1.5-5 for woods hunting.  Both work fine, but neither is perfect for the job.

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koshkin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/12/2006 at 15:40
Longhunter, Sightron S2 1.5-6x42 is pretty close to your requirements.

Also, Kahles 2-7x36 is close.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Urimaginaryfrnd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/12/2006 at 22:14

Weaver Grand Slam 1.5-5x32  might be a possible, I actually think you will find all of them awkward on that gun. 

I think that I'd work with the scope you have for a little while and try to look at the other scopes in person if that is possible. You could always buy a heavier rifle - I have a Savage 10FP with a 20 in barrel and accutrigger in .308 that I just love, it would work well with the scope you have and you could keep the lever gun with open sights for a brush gun.

 

Any reason to buy a new rifle is a good one.


"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Longhunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/14/2006 at 23:32

Koshkin:  Thanks for your thoughts!  Both of these scopes look good and come close.

 

On the Sightron:  Does this scope have a fairly fast focus adjustment (like the new Leupold VX-III), or is it a long, slow "lot-of-turns" process (like the older Leupold Vari-X III)?  [No fast-focus eyepiece, apparently.]

 

Your recommendation of the Burris FFII 2-7x35 for Jetwrnch's BLR is a good one.  We used a Leupold Vari-X II 2-7on one of our BLR .308s.  It balanced and worked very well.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/15/2006 at 09:18
Sightron has the old styl eye-piece focus adjustment.

ILya
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