Going Back To Hunting, Opinions Please

Wayne9

Wayne9

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To make a long story not quite so long . . . 10 years ago I had my hunting rifles stolen. Due to the legal requirements involved, I decided to hang up my hat as a hunter (permits required, lottery draws, etc)
Truth is, I miss it a lot.

Ok, now down to the object of this post . . .
I am getting back into hunting. I only hunt young moose, some deer and am considering sheep. I believe I have found a configuration that I would be very happy with and am looking for opinions and testimonials.

- Winchester model 70 "ultimate shadow" in .270 - if you know, please write your opinion on the stock, as I have never owned or fired a synthetic before.
- Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50 mildot - please comment on both the scope and its reticle.

Many many thanks in advance for your time and expertise!
 
Wayne9 said:
To make a long story not quite so long . . . 10 years ago I had my hunting rifles stolen. Due to the legal requirements involved, I decided to hang up my hat as a hunter (permits required, lottery draws, etc)
Truth is, I miss it a lot.

Ok, now down to the object of this post . . .
I am getting back into hunting. I only hunt young moose, some deer and am considering sheep. I believe I have found a configuration that I would be very happy with and am looking for opinions and testimonials.

- Winchester model 70 "ultimate shadow" in .270 - if you know, please write your opinion on the stock, as I have never owned or fired a synthetic before.
- Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50 mildot - please comment on both the scope and its reticle.

Many many thanks in advance for your time and expertise!
Click to expand...

I am glad to hear you are picking it up again! I could never leave hunting, I am doing something everyday that is related to hunting, whether it is shooting my bows, rifles, or shotguns, or training and conditioning my hunting dogs, or working on new loads for the rifles and shotguns, or sometimes just enjoying the spoils of a great day in the field, I can not live with out hunting any more than I could live with out breathing.

I can not comment on the Winchester rifle as I have never owned that particular rifle. Synthetic stocks in general though can run from cheap tupperware crap right on up to thousands of dollars for a real good one. I think the one on the Winchester is probably fairly stable, but on the less expensive side of things.

Your choice in optics though I can comment on. I have been using Vortex exclusively now for several years and I think they offer great products for the cash invested. And the scope you mentioned is one of my personal favourites! I have seversl of these on my rifles and feel they are one of the best values available today. They offer very good clarity and brightness, good resolution and colour fidelity, and consistent repeatable movement of the reticle when doing tracking tests. Plus the warranty is awesome, buy and use it and don't worry about warranty as they will cover it no matter what! It is an unconditional, no fault, lifetime warranty.
 
The 270 is good for deer although I use a 308 or 30-06. The synthetic stock is practical for hunting, it doesnt get wet and is usually lighter than wood. More felt recoil maybe. I am not familar with the rifle you mention. The scope mentioned seems high powered for hunting, unless you're taking long shots at standing deer. For example I hunt in Ontario, shots are 20-150 yards, deer can be moving and I use a 1X4 scope or iron sights. Good luck.
 
I can't comment on the rifle, as I am not a fan of Winchester in the least. .270 is a great choice though. Pretty good choice on the scope as well. I have a Viper, in a lesser power than 6.5-20 though.

Mil-Dot reticles really serve their purpose when you get the hang of them. This could be a task if you are fluent with MOA lingo, since you are changing over to miliradians. If you also plan on acquiring a range finger, I would definately go with a ballistic plex reticle instead of the mil-dot, as any decent range finder with an angle compensating system will give you an MOA reading.
 
Rifle is fine for just about anything in North America (Grizzlies and Polar bears charging you may be the exception).

The scope is more of a varmint scope though. Look for something with less magnification on the low end. I wouldnt go any higher the 3x on the low end.
 
blasted_saber said:
Rifle is fine for just about anything in North America (Grizzlies and Polar bears charging you may be the exception).

The scope is more of a varmint scope though. Look for something with less magnification on the low end. I wouldnt go any higher the 3x on the low end.
Click to expand...

I agree on both points. I would not buy variable scope for general purpose hunting that doesn't go down lower than 6.5x
 
Nothing much new from me.
270, excellent calibre for you, but use premium, such as Nosler, bullets in 150 grain, for moose. Or, use them for all your hunting.
Not familiar with that rifle.
I now have my first synthetic, after a long string of good wood.
I can live with the plastic, but prefer wood.
Sounds like the Vortex is an excellent scope, but I am with the fellows who have been saying lower ower.
I even say a little less power than has been suggested. 1 to 1.5 is absolutely ideal for bush hunting and I say 6x is tops for any kind of normal hunting, including sheep or goats.
 
the rifle is good but i wouldn't saddle it with a varmit scope. 2x7 to 3x9 no larger than 40mm would be my max. i never hunt with a varitable turned up past 6x. most of the time 4x to 5x. the snthet is nice o the wet coast as is ss. if your going to pack for sheep you don't need the weight of a huge scope.
 
chappy said:
if your going to pack for sheep you don't need the weight of a huge scope.
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When I pack for sheep, a huge scope is EXACTLY what goes on my rifle. WHY carry an extra item, such as a spotting scope, or binoculars?! If shaking is why you like a lower powered scope to shoot, find a rest, or prone down. Glass is a big part of a mountain hunt, and if you can cut an item out of the picture, why not? I think you've picked out a great product.
 
I'd prefer not to use my scope in place of binos or a spotting scope, so I would say get the M70 rifle, but go with a 3-9 power.
 
If you want range in a scope, although I am not a Bushnell fan, they are good scopes and they have a 2.5 - 16 magnification in their I believe 6500 series, higher end of course.

Winchester M70, nothing wrong with it.
.270 Win chambering, nothing wrong with that either.
 
stubblejumper said:
Are you telling us that you use a riflescope instead of binoculars, to glass for sheep?
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Yes, the only thing I don't glass with my rifle scope are blaze orange jackets. I spent roughly 700 on a spotting scope, tripod, case, and a mount for a truck window, and its been 2 places; truck window, and the range. When I leave my truck I carry - weapon, range finder, hydration backpack, gps, outdoor edge knife set, game calls and a couple sandwiches. Bare essentials that I can easily carry leaving my hands free. When the morning stand becomes inactive, I walk around until its time to get situated for the evening. Then back to the truck a generous half hour after sun down. Sheep/goat hunting follows basically the same method, except there's a few more sandwiches.

Bow hunting I carry a pair of binos with a harness, as I have no scope on my bow.
 
I have the winchester all weather extreme in .270 with a zeiss 4.5-15 rapid z800 conquest on it. I love this setup! I used to have a mil dot scope but find I like the z800 reticle better. I would not want a more powerful scope on it that is for sure!
 
I'll echo the guys that are saying that you're lookign at too much scope. 3.5-10x is all the scope I would want to use for mountain hunting. Mildots are useless for most people and a scope that huge will end up a monstrous PITA.

I don't know anything about the Ultimate Shadow but it's a Model 70 which is pretty much good enough for me. I prefer the Classics with the old style M70 trigger but I can't see a good reason not to try one of these. The stock is kind of ugly (that's not really fair...it's a whole lot of ugly) but the only way to tell if it's good or not is to go down to the shop and fondle one. I have to say that I prefer the looks of the Extreme Weather to the Ultimate Shadow.
 
Again, many thanks for the replies and info from all of you. You have definitely given me some things to think about. My budget is pretty modest and some suggestions (model 70 extreme weather and zeiss scope work out to almost 2x the cost) are a little more than I can afford.
My biggest concern is the stock. Yes, I know I can go and feel one in the store, but that doesn't tell me what it feels like when it's wet and cold out, or how slippery it gets in the hand when either my hands or it are muddy , etc.
As far as looks go, . . . looks don't put food on the table :)
 
That stock should be fine in wet weather with the rubber grips. You're getting a lot of rifle for under $700, one of the best deals there is in new rifles, in my opinion. Don't cheap out on rings/bases is all I have to add.
 
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