Hunting scope what factors to consider?

Jdiep

Jdiep

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Alberta!
Hiya,

So just looking for a decent hunting scope,

What are some factors to look for other than:

Magnification ( was thinking 12x max)

Weight

Durability

I currently have a 7 rem mag I'm going to scope.

Looking to get one for a 308.

I rather have a smaller, lighter scope for hunting, and maybe 7x max, not looking to shoot extremely long distances. But im still learning so I'm trying to gather enough info before the season starts.
 
What are you hunting and what terrain are you hunting ?

Depending on this you can use anywhere from a LPVO up a 15/18 power.

Personally my sweet spoke is in the 2-12 range or a 3-15. I like having a lower power just due to hunting the west coast I can be in timber which is usually very view obstructive. A 4-12, 4-16, 3-9 or anything in those ranges will work as well.

Currently I’m looking to try a 1-8 or 1-10 LPVO. There is also a 2-10 on the market I think.

B
 
C & L

Clarity and longevity.

Leupold is the first werd that fabricates t'ween me ears.

And lifetime warranty..............in Canada.

As far as power range on it, your eyes would dictate what you need.

20-20, then a 3-9 should be 'nuff.
 
A big factor in my opinion is what degree of precision, you, your rifle and ammo are realistically capable of. If your ensemble is consistently capable of say only 3 MOA than shooting at game beyond 300 yds could be a big challenge and over scoping the rifle is a waste of time and money since getting a bullet reliably within a kill zone of 8 inches or less is going to be an issue.

If this is the case something like a 2X7 or maybe a 3X9 or even a 1X4 will be plenty adequate. On the other hand if the collective rig including you is a reliable 1 and a half MOA performer then a variable having 10 or 12 power max magnification could be of use.

I would personally much rather have a light compact variable of lower magnification that will still exploit the capabilities of my rig than a larger heavier variable that is of little use that I have to lug around.

As an aside getting a larger magnification scope for the purposes of glassing and spotting game is a bad idea that your fellow hunters are going to be very annoyed at.
 
All depends on your budget. I really like my vortex, but it's a viper (a cheap viper mind you, was $350ish about 5 years ago) and I have no experience with their lesser models. Can't go wrong with Leupold but they start north of $500 these days IIRC.

I saw some Redfield scopes made by leupold for very reasonable prices in the last year. They would be a good option if your limited to $200-300.

I like a 3-9x40, anything over 3x is too high for short distance while anything less than 9x feels like not enough to be for 200+. I would love a 3-15x Leupold, but $$$.
 
Hard to beat the reliability and clarity of a leupold. I have a vx3i and it's been solid for years. At dusk you will be amazed.
 
On my 6.5x55 I have a Burris Fullfield IV 4.5-14X and on my .375 I have a 2.5-10X of the same. I really like them but the magnification dials are stiff. Only complaint. They have no BS lifetime warranties as well.

My 7m rem mag has a Swarovski Z3 3-10X and it's very nice, but 2-3 times the cost.

I have 3-9X Weaver Kaspas on a few smaller random rifles and they are the best cheap scope I've found so far.

Of all of them, I want really no more than 3X on the bottom end and as much as I can up top. Obviously the bigger magnification factors come with more cost and weight. One of my favourite hunting scopes was a B&L 2-7x 32. On a light rifle it was amazing, it just wasn't water proof when the basement flooded. Neither was a Vortex Viper HSLR, but Vortex sent me a new one without the turrets and I like it better. It was also 2.5 ounces of feature that I rarely used.

Too many variables, but try to figure out where the quality cost curve suites you. It is a market with very diminishing returns.
 
Suther said:
I've got a few Weaver Kaspas too. Magnification dial is real stiff on both of mine, but for the $60 each I paid they're not bad.
Click to expand...

I won a Savage Axis II in a raffle and I got to pick from the common calibres. I chose .243 win and it came with a Kasper. I never bothered changing it because it was better than the 1980's/90's bushnell 3-9's that seemed to be on everything back in the day.

I saw a company from here with them on sale for that ~$60 and bought 2-3 more, just so I'd have an extra or two immediately if I needed a working scope without stealing one off something else.
 
When I started to hunt I thought I’d need more magnification and bought a 4-12x40, it worked well enough but I found it overkill. My shots on deer were between 20-100m for the first few years, I never went over x6 while shooting at an animal and any quick up close close shots I was left wanting lower magnification to be honest.

I then switched to 2-7x32 and 2.5-10x40 on two new .308’s, night and day difference for me. Smaller more compact scope, plenty of magnification for the ranges I take shots at, which has been in the 75-165m the last couple years. In my area a 300m shot would be a long shot and not at all common and I’m fine to shoot that distance with a 2-7 or 2.5-10.

At the range I like more and have that original 4-12 on a different .308 rifle that I hunt and target shoot with, something 2-12 would be a nice do it all in a lot of ways if it was a hunting/target shooting gun but I really find the lower power scopes fit my style of hunting more. I like to sit and wait or spot and stalk, if I see something 300 plus m away my first instinct is to try and quietly get closer and not zoom in and shoot.

I don’t notice any weight difference in optics I own but none of the rifles I hunt with are super lightweight to begin with. I would pick something based on what and where your hunting, will you have to take longer shots over more open ground or will you be in timber or less open terrain? 3-9 is popular for a reason, it works in lots of different situations. Next scope I buy I would like to be in the 1-4.5 range, small compact, low to the rifle.
 
On my 7mm Weatherby Magnum I have a 2-7x40 scope. My dad has taken two moose with it and now it's my moose gun.

A couple of years ago sitting in a tree with my 12g shotgun with a 3-9x40 Leupold I had a deer walk in from behind me and I shot it about 7 yards away (wrong handed!). Definitely wish I had a 2-7 or a 1-4 on my gun that day!

To me, low weight, clear glass, able to take a drop from a treestand with no worries, and the proper magnification for where you are hunting.

To me, the 4-12 or high power scopes might be good for the prairies where you might have a long shot, but for Ontario or other heavily forested areas I say 2-7 or 1-5 is best for the hunting that I do (deer, moose, bear)

YMMV.
 
You can't go wrong with a Leupold. I have no problem shooting 200 meters with a 1.5-5x20. Plenty of magnification for that.
The 2.5-8x36 is probably the perfect scope for everything.
In the low power common hunting rifle scopes you are considering, the focal plane is likely not a concern as they are likely all SFP. If you decide to go with something more powerful, I would make sure it is SFP as well. Lately we have been playing around with Nightforce scopes. I bought the SFP reticle and my friend bought the FFP reticle. On his lowest setting (5X), the reticle is so skinny it would be useless for hunting. Something to consider.
 
Leupold, Bushnell 3200-4200 series, old B&L! 1.5-5, 2-7, fix 4x, 2.5-8 are my favorite because they are light, compact and simple!
 
OP specified this was for hunting, NOT for target shooting - two different requirements. When hunting most Big Game animals you are looking to put your bullet into or through a circa 10" circle - you do not have to hit a particular hair, but usually has to be done with your first cold barrel shot - up to you to establish how far away you can do that, under field shooting conditions. You will not normally get "warm-up" shots, nor will you shoot "groups", when you are hunting. High magnification scopes are NOT likely to make you a better shot, for hunting. I used 165 grain in a 308 Win and 150 grain in a 7x57 for about 35 plus years of deer hunting - 2-7 power was fine for me, also fixed 3 power, fixed 4 power and then fixed 6 power - I think the longest deer shot was circa 300 yards - ever - many deer taken inside 200 yards; probably most within 100 yards. And I shot a lot at targets, to learn to shoot with both eyes open - as a result, my second last elk was with a Leupold M8-6x scope at about 125 yards - my last elk taken at about 15 feet, with same scope. I had the identical scope on my 7x57 deer rifle, as I had on my 338 Win Mag elk rifle - a Leupold M8-6X - the smaller Objective version - not the 42 mm front lens. A third one of those is on the 308 Norma Mag.
 
2-7, 4-12 covers off most everyone.

With that said there's probably more 3-9's sitting on rifles than anything else.

I have a sweetspot for my 2.5-10 4200 though.
 
As many have said depends on your hunting conditions but personally I would not have anything higher than 4x on the low end, in close you need field of view more than magnification and 9x or 10x on the top end should suffice out to 500 yards with ease. Leupold are as good as they come
 
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