i had purchased a ruger m77 .338 win mag a couple years back for a bear hunt. it came with a redfield 7 power scope. i would like to replace the scope soon to something of a higher magnification (im willing to spend in the area of 400-500) if anyone has any reccomendations that would be great. id like to be shooting long ranges. would it be able to shoot out to 500 yards with the proper scope, correct handloads, and the right shooter? sorry for all the questions but im just getting into rifle shooting ive been messing with my 700 .222 and want to try for some longer shots.
.338 win mag capabilities
- Thread starter ontario
- Start date
I think if you also want to use the gun (and new scope) for hunting and not just bench shooting I would recommend a good quality (like a leupold VX-II) in 4-12x40mm, I have a Burris signature series 3-9x40mm on my .338 WM, but I doubt any of my shots will ever be over 250yds so a maximum of 9x magnification seems enough for me. If you are doing 500yd shots 12x magnification might be nice, as long as you have a decent rest. Anything in a variable scope that start at a higher magnification then 4x (like a 6-18x40mm) for example takes away from having a scope that you can still use in cover while tracking something you shot, etc.
just my 2 cents.
Cheers,
Alex
just my 2 cents.
Cheers,
Alex
I have dropped several moose and elk at 400 yds(measured) with my 7600 chambered for 35 Whelen and my Leupold VX III 1.5-5 set at 3x.
I don't feel that I need any more magnification than that for big game hunting.
Good Luck and Happy New Year!
John
I don't feel that I need any more magnification than that for big game hunting.
Good Luck and Happy New Year!
John
JohnnyJ said:
I agree. I use the same size scope on my .338. The way I look at it everything I shoot with it is going to be bigger then deer sized so I don't see a use for more magnification like say a 12x or 16x. Though I think something in the range of a 2-7x is an ok choice too.
I shoot a 338 as well and I have yet to shoot an animal with the scope on anything but 3X, most shots have fallen within 30-150 yards but one memorable shot at a Barrenland caribou was around 300 yards and I never felt the need to crank up the scope. I plan to get rid of the 3-9 and replace it with a straight 4 power in the future.
I have that 3200 in 4-12 on my 308. I have found it thus far to be a pretty good scope. I have had about 500 rounds through the rifle with that scope.
The only issue that you might have for hunting is the min mag of 4x which in my opinion is a little to much for short shots. The eye relief at 12x I find to be a little tricky to get just right. You may want to be careful with that big 338 that you dont get your mellon to close to it and get scoped in the head.
The only issue that you might have for hunting is the min mag of 4x which in my opinion is a little to much for short shots. The eye relief at 12x I find to be a little tricky to get just right. You may want to be careful with that big 338 that you dont get your mellon to close to it and get scoped in the head.
hgeo33 said:
That's what I really like about the 1.5x setting. I've had animals jump up a few feet away from me (especially deer do this). You'd think for more dangerous animals like grizzlies the lower power would be preferable. Had a friend one time put a 10x fixed on his Browning 30-06, which I told him was a bad idea and of course he didn't listen. After seeing only brown in his scope when he tried to use it for deer hunting he rather quickly switched to a 3-9x.
