Newbie needing some optics advice

2

2legit

Member
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
Location
BC
Hey guys and gals. I am fairly new to this wicked ass sport. My first gun purchase was a 12" Grizzly Mag ..so effin rad. I have my dads 30-06. I dont know how old it is, its a winchester/cooey and was last fired(before i got it last year) in 86 or 87. It has a fixed lens scope, very basic and old. I was at the inlaws farm a few months back and was able to shoot at 200m. Found my self hitting the paper but aiming almost a foot and a half to the right. I have since then purchased a bore sighting laser, just havent gone out yet to sight the scope in. I have found many interesting articles on this website about the mildot system, so my questions are as follows.

1 - would you purchase a range finder, range a target and just zero the scope?

2 - would you purchase a new scope with a mildot reticle and set it all up brand spakin' new using the mildots and bore laser?

3 - Both the range finder and a new scope?

4 - what scope and what range finder would you recommend

I really dont wanna spend a s**t ton of money, as I am saving for a Savage 110 in .338 LM. I plan to hunt with both rifles but obviously the 30-06 is going to be the main rifle as I dont need to drop a black bear or deer with a 338 LM lol. I do plan to move up into elk and moose. I also like the idea of a long range shot for hunting, hence buying a LM. I just need to make the most of this Cooey and get a few more rounds down range till I'm comfortable at pulling the trigger for a one shot kill.

Don't know what else to ask right now, so I'll leave it at that. Thanks!
 
What is the scope you have on it now? A fixed 4x or 6x is enough for almost all the hunting most of us do. Of course it's nice to have variable power and more power, but if you really need to be saving money for the new gun and if the scope you have now can be made to work, that's the way to do it.

If you have to replace it, you can check the EE regularly and it won't be long before you will find a suitable scope eventually from someone with a good trader rating. If you have to buy new, a 3-9x40 is a very versatile scope and enough for any range at which you should shoot big game with a .30-06. The Redfield Revolution seems like a good starting point, with a warranty as good as a Leupold, because it is made by Leupold. The Bushnell Elite 3200 is of similar quality and around the same price.

A range finder can be useful but you can get along fine without one as generations have done, and that leaves more money for the scope and ammunition. More ammo for more practise is probably the biggest aid to accuracy, and the most overlooked.
 
Last edited:
You could get into a Vortex Crossfire or Diamondback and never have any complaints. A 3-9x40 or even a 4-12 would be ideal set ups on that rifle.

Before setting up your boresighter, be sure to check that the screws on your rings and bases are tight.
 
As long as it works, that 4x40 will do. Check that it is mounted properly - as gunpro suggested, it may be off because of loose fittings. Boresight it and then see if you can get it zeroed.
 
Fot the scope, i dont think you can do better for 200.00 than a Redfield Revolution 4X12X40, i always come back to them ,they are really clear and good... Cheers. JP.
 
Don't bother with the bore sighter. Your already on paper. Laser bore sighters don't sight you in perfect. They only get you on target. It is up to you to sight it on bullseye.

Mil-dots are not for hold overs. They are a ranging system for you to calculate distance with the spacing of the dots. Fair bit to learn on using the system effectively.

Also, if your gonna cheap out now on a scope I suggest you drop the idea of the 338LM as a box of 20 shells will run you well over $100.00. And no they don't come in smaller boxes.
 
Thanks for the reply's.

I'm not afraid of expensive shells. I know how much they will run. By the time I get the BA I will be more than able to hit what I'm aiming at. And about the mildot's, I'm aware there is a fair bit to learn. The wife watches too many bull#### ass lady gossip shows so I have more than enough internet and reading time on my hands lol

I don't want or need to put much money into my 30-06. I just want to make it easier for myself when I get out hunting and target shooting. So by the sounds of things I'm gonna try and stick it out with this Tasco I have now. The range finder idea is to aid in telling me how far away I am as I have little experience in judging distance aside from golfing but I usually have my beer goggles on so it doesn't matter.
 
Well - You've been watching too much Wild TV. Fundamentally,you need to establish how far you are likely to shoot when hunting. This establishes the particulars of the scope, and the sighting in methodology.
Where I am, the average shot is 50 y and the longest is 200. At these distances, there is no need for a range finder, boresighter, or scope for that matter. At these distances, 4x is the maximum I would consider.
At short distances such as above, you zero at 200, and every shot from zero to 200 will be within a 2 inch vertical band - more than enough accuracy for hunting. The trick is to learn how to sight in your rifle, and practice using it at the distances you intend to shoot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom