What optic type to put on a "General" or "Ranch" Rifle.

Joel said:
Man, I'm surprised you've moved away from the Trijicons some!

Happy to hear the Droptine sounds like a winner. Been using one of their 4.5-14x42s on a 223 for a lil while now. Great glass for the money.
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I have about 5 accupoints still love them, I get bored and constantly play, on the 3-9’s eye relief gets a bit short at 9x for lightweight guns burning more than 40gr of powder and tossing over 160gr boolits.
 
blakeyboy said:
I have about 5 accupoints still love them, I get bored and constantly play, on the 3-9’s eye relief gets a bit short at 9x for lightweight guns burning more than 40gr of powder and tossing over 160gr boolits.
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Yeah I bet they do! Never had em on anything worse than a tame heavy 30-06. Must be a bit fun on your Sako and Tikka lol
 
For shooting around 100-300, I would suggest the strike Eagle 1-8, although it is a 2FP, not a FFP. Great optic. If you are planning on staying around the 400-600 mark though, then I'd go the vortex strike eagle 3-18. I'm looking to pick one up myself.
 
On your list I'd go with the PST gen 2 2-10. I have one on a .223 gas gun and quite like it. I do wish the turrets were locking (or at least capped windage) and the reticle isn't ideal (not a X-mas tree but busier than a straight up mil-hash reticle). I don't think an LPVO really suits your needs as you give up quite a bit in terms of clarity and eyebox at max mag even with the really high end LPVOs (Razor G3, NX8, ATACR, etc). For your uses I'd be going for something like a traditional 3-9 FFP but with an exposed elevation turret.
 
Had a Blurris 3x9 ballistic plex on my River ranch rifle. Accurate little gun and hits were easy to 700yds with 80gr Sierras over RL-15.
 
I am a fan of Schmidt & Bender, the 1.5-6x42 Klassik or Zenith would be my choice. Possibly with the hunter single turn turret. Could get you out to 450yds with 308. The better optics especially at bad light or dark forests will be a great bonus. Second hand they are affordable and bullet proof.
edi
 
I got my deer at 25 yards last year on 3x, you could still see the entire animal. I don't think a 1 or 2 on the bottom end is that much of a bonus.

I now have a 2-7 on my ruger american predator and a 3-9 on my muzzle loader.
 
Joel said:
Yeah I bet they do! Never had em on anything worse than a tame heavy 30-06. Must be a bit fun on your Sako and Tikka lol
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I like my guns, scopes are like shoes for them, never know when a you want a different pair lol. Got zero issue with regular duplex 3-9x accupoint and Kenton speed dial turret to match the load, the return to zero and track great, hold zero great too, and just never turn it up to 9x on 308 class or better, could easily live with one on 3x and maybe go up to 5-6x from time to time. But as loaners or handing to kids I don't want to forget to mention that if they go 9x they may get scoped so easier to just keep them on grendels or heavier rigs that don't hit with 20 ft/lbs recoil. A decal for drops would work just fine too, inches of hold over every 50 from 300-400. It's nothing to learn your drops for quick hold over also, for 308 168's from 20" going pretty slow 2592 fps around 9" for 300, 16" for 350 and 25" for 400 (from 200 zero)....a decal saying that is pretty cheap compared to a turret or a reticle, masking tape and a sharpie even cheaper. We have many ways to skin cat, the fastest way to 400 you'd just use hold over, very little practice, doesn't matter what magnification you're on (sfp scopes) and you'll see how easy it is, moa groups no prob. 400 and beyond by all means bring in the solutions, that's when you generally have time.

All of my guns could roll without solutions and just a decal to 400 maybe 450 (37"). 300 on a deer, spine, 350 on a deer have a little daylight between crosshair and his back, 400 about a foot over back will do, easy to explain that to someone else holding your gun in a hurry too, they don't need to understand much as long as you get it. All four ready to go rifles right now are rocking that solution and 3 tags filled now on fixed 2.5x (200), fixed 4x (215), fixed 6x (75). But I'd be limited to those ranges and 98% of what we do that's A ok. Steered my one kid onto a flushed whitetail that stopped for one last look with the old 'spine' hold last weekend and he couldn't have hit it any more perfect, no time to range but I knew the range close enough to make that call, he moved up to spine quick and folded that thing up chicken louie. Fixed 4x on a 6.5 Grendel zero'd 175 (I zero the 308 speeds at 200 and usually most everything else, just wanted tighter mpbr on the slow short barrel grendels and 175 for a 205 mpbr is the way), ranged after, 215 lol. Good shooting kid, good call Dad. ;) The other kid had a sub 100 yard gimmie so they're tagged up again this year, short hunt, brown it's down rules after day 1 as there was only 2 days for them to add to freezer, they're getting too old and busy to spend a ton of time right now. Just pumped they still wanna come fill a tag despite their shift to independence and chasing cars and trophy two-pointers lol.
 
Hahahaha nice!! Happy to hear you're all still gettin out there and getting it done. And interesting on the hold overs vs your Kenton turrets. Like you said, pretty cheap to write on a stock.

Is your 2.5 fixed one of those lil Leupold Ultralites?

BTW, saw a 6x fixed FX-II or FX-III for sale the other day. Dude changed the reticle thru Leupold custom shop for a USMC Mil Dot. Would that interest you at all?
 
On a scout rifle, I would either put the light 2-7 leupold many other have mentioned. Or this affordable 2-12x first focal plane scope that weighs only 16oz, and is super compact.
I have 3 different scopes by discovery optics, and they are actually very good. I have a 1-8x that goes through hell on my 375 Ruger, and the glass on the ED variants is better than the lower end leupolds.
https://airgunarcheryfun.ca/new-discovery-hd-2-12x24-sfir-ffp-compact-rifle-scope/
 
I would guess the reason Guntech wishes he had the Leupold VX-R 2-7x33mm Rifle Scope w/ FireDot Reticle years ago is due to the fire dot.

SFP with an illuminated dot for dark targets in low light, Leupold is hard to go wrong if you like traditional cross hair reticles, the fire dot works well, they are generally lighter then tactical style options.

For less money, I'd also look at the Vector Optics Continental 1-6X24i Fiber Tactical Riflescope, not sure why they call it Tactical other then it has some hold over hach marks underneath a traditional German #4 reticle with a nice crisp and bright fiber illuminated center dot.

https://global.vector2007.com/produ...02650&pr_ref_pid=8232332722426&pr_seq=uniform

Here is what the reticle looks like but the dot is small and crisp not blown out like in this diagram.... it's similar to the fire dot.

Continental1-6x24iFiberTacticalRiflescopereticle.webp

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They might also have a 1-8 version as well.

The non fiber illuminated model looks nice as well and is less expensive,

https://global.vector2007.com/colle...ucts/scoc-23-continental-1-6x24sfp-riflescope

This style reticle does not have ballistic hash marks, but the simple design does provide obvious aiming points at the dot, tip of the fine reticle, base of the fine reticle and mid points in between by eye.

1572350811_1066x.png
 
Dogleg said:
It’s hard to go wrong with a Leupold 3.5-10, for most any hunting rifle.
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Have used the cheaper version, one 3-9x40 Vx-Freedom, on a LOT of hunting rifles. Still getting the job done.

Lost count of how many its been on.

Only problem with the leupolds sometimes seems to be that on smaller or shorter stocked rifles, its hard to get it far enough forward for their longer eye relief. On a 13.75" or so LOP no issue.
 
So for those fallowing.
After spending some time looking through scopes. The 1x requirement, I dont think is a requirement. As some pointed out here, even up close 2x and 3x is still fine.

Short list!
Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10 Duplex ($840, 13 Oz weight)
Vortex Venom 3-15 FFP EBR 7C ($650, 28 Oz weight)
Vortex Strike eagle 3-18 FFP EBR 7C ($1100, 28 Oz weight)

The Leupold with the standard duplex is light, solid name. Good magnification and super light. Just seems like a general great work horse optic that doesn't weigh a ton.
The Venom, is that high because the price is right! For one extra pound I think I could deal with that price!
The VX with firedot, illumination isnt really a huge thing for me so im not really loving it.
The strike eagle is a 3-18 It could do it all! FFP also and locking turrets! I think it is a really good general purpose.

The leupold seems like the good middle of the road pick. I do like a nice solid cross hair to shoot critters with and in a place where I am dialing shots, I can just take turret caps off.
BUT
The strike eagle, Mo magnification mo betta right?! lol for one more pound. I could be fine, reticle might be a little busy but I dont think it will lose me a shot, plus the reticle and turrets will be easier to target shoot with.
 
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