Scopes for hunting - the proverbial can of worms

I base my scope choices on the intended use of the rifle. On my long range rifle I have a very expensive Leupold, on my walking around hunting rifle I have either Leupolds or Redfields or Nikons.

I'm a big fan of the new Redfield Revolution scopes. I have a 2-7x on my 280 Mountain rifle and have thought about getting more for all my light weight hunting rifles.

Doug /aka Flash
.................................................. ........................................
Sticks and stones may break my bones but hollow points expand on impact.

Taxidermists are cheaper than surgeons....keep shooting

?O?O? ????

I know where I come from
How 'bout you?

Ya what they said. Natchez got pretty good price on refurb Nikon. Hard to beat 4 the money.

Man o' man this is probably the most confusing topic for me. There are a plethora of scopes out there ... Redfield, Nikon, Bushnell, Weaver, Zeiss and the hundreds of other scope brands available. Narrowing down the scope selection to what I will be pleased with is hard to decide.

Lets start with the rifle ..... It 's the Remington 799 bolt action in 7.62x39. Not a rimfire, but not a hard kicking magnum rifle either. So a standard rifle scope is good. I want to stay away from BSA (Broken Scope Again) and other cheapo $20 dollar type scopes.

I like crosshairs that are thin. Thick on the outsides and thin in the center is fine, but I prefer thin hair lines left to right, top to bottom. .... I don't need them lighted, dotted, graduated or other gimmicks that are added to crosshairs to make them 'special'.

Eye relief ... minimum of 3 inches ...more is better. Years ago I had a .308 (remington 788) that would kick like a mule. Knocked the lens out of my glasses and put a cut in my eyebrow. I got rid of that gun and learned a lesson ......

Price ...whew ...this is the biggie ..... I want a really decent scope but I don't want to break the bank. $200 is too much for me ... I think I'd like to stay in the $100 to 150 range maybe. Cheaper is better. I also wonder about buying a used scope. It's hard to know what issues the scope went thru or even if the scope will work correctly. There is a current sale on at Midway for Blemished Burris's $50 off. The scope is $149. Never owned a Burris so I don't know how good that scope is.

I don't know if I want a fixed scope (4x32 maybe) or a 3x9. Fixed scopes can be shorter and that might be an advantage when it comes to the added weight to the rifle.

How do you select the scope you will be happy with ??

Ohio Rusty ><>

I have the Charles Daly version of that very gun. Mine wears a 6X Leupold, because I had the scope at the time. If I had to buy a new scope for it, I think I would go with a 2X-7X 32mm oblective of a quality brand.

It really depends on what you are planning to do with the rifle. If it is going to be a range and plinking queen, you can get by with less quality on the scope. IF you are planning to deer hunt deep in the timber at twilight, you need the best lenses you can buy.

Most scopes these days come with the duplex style crosshair unless it is special ordered. The standard duplex reticles work well for me, I don't like the very coarse ones.

I would get a scope that has clickable adjustments, unless you are a one gun one load type of guy. That was the only thing I didn't like about the less expensive Leupolds from yesteryear.

Robert

Refurbished Optics???? If the scope was quality, in the first place, this wouldn't be an option. Funny, one never sees refurbished Leupolds for sale!

Winelover

Just found Nikon 3-9x40 Pro-staff scopes at Cabelas on sale for $119, or $129 with the BDC rings in them, not a bad deal! And they have a 4.7 out of 5 rating, i am going to have to think about that deal!

Raisin' Black Angus cows, outta gas, outta money, outta tags, low on boolits, but full 'a hope on the Rocky Mountain Eastern Slope!
Alba an Aigh. Blessed are we few Armenians!
"If you ain't shootin', you should be reloadin' if you ain't reloadin' you should be movin', if you ain't movin', somebody's gonna come by and cut your head off and put it on a stick!" Words to fight by, from Clint Smith

Just found Nikon 3-9x40 Pro-staff scopes at Cabelas on sale for $119, or $129 with the BDC rings in them, not a bad deal! And they have a 4.7 out of 5 rating, i am going to have to think about that deal!I have a 3-9 Prostaff with a standard reticle its not a bad scope, thanks for the heads up also just ordered the Nikon 2-7x32 not a bad price for $99 with the promo code "clubfive" you also get $5 shipping. I personally stay away from the BDC rings, I feel they make a person a sloppy shooter, more so when they don't practice with them which seems to be the case with "hunters"

Last edited by dk17hmr; Today at 11:46 AM.

Doug /aka Flash
.................................................. ........................................
Sticks and stones may break my bones but hollow points expand on impact.

Taxidermists are cheaper than surgeons....keep shooting

?O?O? ????

I know where I come from
How 'bout you?

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Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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