I have had the Vortex Diamondback and this Leupold. Nothing wrong with the Diamondback, but the Leupold, IMO, and I speak from experience, is a much better scope as it offers you the ability to go down to the gun store and pick up a CDS Turret for $40 that is designed for the ballistics of common 30-06 ammunition. It works very well.
Planning My First Rifle Purchase - feedback welcome!
- Thread starter Schikk
- Start date
I have had the Vortex Diamondback and this Leupold. Nothing wrong with the Diamondback, but the Leupold, IMO, and I speak from experience, is a much better scope as it offers you the ability to go down to the gun store and pick up a CDS Turret for $40 that is designed for the ballistics of common 30-06 ammunition. It works very well.
I'll have to respectfully disagree with your advice to get a CDS turret on a budget scope on a beginners rifle. For the hunter who isn't going to be shooting long range, it's much easier to sight a 30-06 at about 240 yards (depending on bullet weight and velocity) and know that you can just hold dead on out to about 275 on whitetail size animals. That being said, that's a long shot without alot of practice and a solid shooting position. When you advance to the point where you're shooting beyond that, I would, and have, purchased a scope with target turrets.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Not necessarily. While the adjustments to correct for wind and range seem simple enough in theory, in reality its dependent on the accuracy and repeatability of the values in your turret adjustments. The adjustments on my Smidt and Bender are very precise and allows me to shoot a box pretty much on demand. This is where you fire a round, adjust 6 minutes right shoot again, adjust 6 minutes down, shoot again, adjust 6 minutes left shoot again, and adjust 6 minutes up and fire your final shot. The last shot should hit your first bullet hole, and if your rifle is accurate and your adjustments good, the remaining 3 bullet holes form a nearly perfect square, with each leg being precisely 6" long. That test is very demanding for a budget prices scope, and doesn't really prove much, as a hunting scope is not adjusted on the fly. You normally sight it in, and hold off for any necessary correction of range or wind. However on a long range rifle, the test is useful to ensure the accuracy of the adjustments over time.
Just completed a first rifle for one of my friend son... A Wheatherby S2 in 308, a Redfield 3X9X40, EGW rail, Burris Zee rings, sling, rifle case, all in for south of one K and he wont have to upgrade in a couples of years... Just sayin... JP.
Nothing wrong in showing them the best caliber of the bat, i seldom have critisizims when they send me pictures, of their first deer, bear or moose, this is the prerogative of being the rifles guru in my circles, peoples listen... JP.
Just gearing you JP... I'm a .308 case fan also... As a matter of fact I, just yesterday, found the .358 Ruger MKII Hawkeye All-Weather that I have been looking for... I now just need the .260 to fill out the whole .308 family in Ruger M77 Stainless rifles...
My only Ruger 77 SS, i bought a couple of years back is in 338 Federal... and still unfired, from the 308 family, my wife big game rifle is a Sako Fin in 243... 358 never got to shoot one and the 260 is kind of the one that let me indefferent but 308 i have a couple... dozens.... JP.
I recently got the .338 Federal also... I shoot all of the .308 family cartridges in other platforms also... I tend to load the to Max... The case just shoots best loaded hot, I have found best accuracy with all of them at max load levels...
