New hunting scope suggestions

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TheCarpenter

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Hey folks. Heading to the gun dealer in macadam in a few weeks to pick up my rifle, I see they have a sale on a vortex viper 3-9x40. they also have a sale on vortex diamondback 4-12x44 I believe.

Now, typically I have close shots, but my eyes aren't great and I do rely on a scope a bit. I normally have see through mounts with back up irons as I hunt a mix of brush and open field or choppings.

Most game is taken 40-75 yards. This year i'm trying shots 100-200 yards with a .243

3-9 I think should be enough, but the diamondback can get me out to 4-12 zoom. I'm a bit worried that 8 or 9 zoom with the viper won't quite be enough and I don't want to drop viper money on something that may not be quite enough for my bad eyes.

Do I just need more practice with my setup when I get it and 3-9 should be more than adequate? is the viper THAT much better than a diamondback?

Like I say I hunt closer ranges mostly and run fiber optic irons a lot, or a low power scope so i'm getting into a little longer shooting ( for me) and am a little bit at a loss for scopes, what's best value, best quality, etc.

thanks in advance folks, appreciate the advice of more experienced shooters.
 
I much prefer either a fixed 4 or 6 power fir ranges out to 300 yards and have taken deer out to just over 370 yards with a 1.25-4x variable , but a 3-9x variable will work and is a tremendously popular option.
Most people I know prefer the Viper to the Diamondback, yes.
Personally, between the two choices I would go with the 3-9x Viper if it were me
Cat
 
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I have no experience with either vortex but where I hunt I have made shots from anywhere between 5 to 300 yards so similar to your situation and there's nothing that bugs me more than too much magnification when something is close and moving quick. It's all personal preference but none of my scopes have a low end higher than 2x for that reason
 
No experience with the Diamondbacks but I have played with a Viper and it seemed good and IIRC in the quality tree of Vortex the Viper is the better scope, whether that’s just marketing and price point or actually better glass and reliability is someone else’s call as I haven’t touched a Diamondback and used neither in the field.
Personally out of all the scopes I've used in the field I value reliability first, glass second and magnification third. And my priority on magnification is the low end. I've hunted with 4.5 but prefer 3 and definitely wouldn't want more than 4.5.
The difference between the two on the upper end IMO isn't going to make or break an apples to apples shot, at the ranges you are hunting it just won't matter. But better glass in a more reliable scope might.
Of the 2 you suggested: 3-9x40 Viper for the win.
I would buy something else, likely on the used market but that's me.
 
Go with bigger magnification. If you need it, it's there. If you don't, then no need to turn it up to max.
 
Out of the two you’re considering, the 3-9 viper is the better choice…you can dial it down to 3 and maintain great FOV, which still leaves a bit if shooting out to couple hundred yards…viper bit better quality than diamondback as well. 3-9 might be fairly cost effective with ability to reach out little further with that caliber ‘when/if’.
 
I'm a huge fan of my Trijicon Accupoint TR20R, it's a 3-9 with a Red triangle. The scope is 20 years old so the Tritium is weak but it still gathers light. It's meant to be used with both eyes open (Bindon Aiming Concept). When I spot game I want to shoot I focus on the animal and bring the rifle up to my eye to acquire the sight picture. I keep the optic on 3X and I've had no trouble shooting game at close distance (25 meters) and up to 75 meters If game is further out I find there is enough time to increase the magnification.

I tried carrying a Vortex 1-4 and liked the illuminated reticle which made for slightly quicker target acquisition at close distance. I used it for a while and while it was great at close distances I wasn't a fan when I spotted game further away. I find 3-9 is a good compromise and went back to my Trijicon.

If Trijicons are out of your price range there are decent illuminated reticle scopes out there including Low Power Variable Optics (1-4, 1-6, 1-8, and 1-10). I don't think more maginfication is the solution at the distances you are talking about (under 200 yards).
 
I was out yesterday with my Tikka T3x in 7mm Rem Mag which has a Bushnell 2.5-10x40 scope mounted on it. I find the 2.5x plenty in most hunting situations & rarely turn the power up to make a shot on game animals, sometimes you just don't have time...

On my Marlin 336 I've mounted a Bushnell Elite 3200 2-7x32 and it is plenty of scope for that 35 Rem bush rifle. Similarly, I have a CZ600 Alpha in 7.62x39 and I also put a Bushnell Elite 3200 2-7x32 on it. That power range is all I need for magnification on those rifles & the scope suits those light compact rifles...

Moving over to my Ruger RSM in 375 H&H, I went with a Leupold 1.5-5x20 scope... Again, it's all I need for that particular setup & I'm not 'all about' Bushnell, although it's hard to beat the value for money with them...

Further on power range... I just bought a Bushnell Nitro in 3-12x44 to replace a 5-20x44 Nitro that I find is just too much scope on the compact Savage 10p-SR 308 bolt that I have it on... Yes depending on application, you can have too much 'power' lol!

I'll close by saying I don't have any Vortex. Lots of folks like them but I'm not sure I'd go that route unless it was one of their higher end scopes...
 
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Here's a few examples of shots taken with my rifle with a 1.5-4X Leupold .
150 grain TSX bullet at 2774 FPS muzzle velocity
12 yards, went about 30 feet
372 yards across the valley,heart shot . Went about 20 or 25 sliding down a slope.
Never had an issue shooting a 4X scope
Cat
 

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Suther said:
I've got a viper 3-9x40 and I'm very happy with it. Given your stated purpose (200yds being a long shot) a 3-9x is plenty. Better glass is a bigger advantage than higher magnification.
Click to expand...

This is what I was kind of wondering as I was reading the advice. Would it be better to have less zoom and clearer/better glass of the viper, or a little more zoom for me.

Sounds like good glass and more practice is the answer. Now I just have to pony up the dough.

Thanks gunners!
 
Better glass is more important than zoom to me. Poor glass just gets worse with magnification. 4x at 200 should be equal to 50yds with open sights but even better because everything is in focus.
 
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