Recommend a scope power..
- Thread starter Kwattro
- Start date
Those are all good questions. Hunting will be in both wooded areas, fields, and hilly terrain 
I won't target shoot out past the effectiveness of the projectile.
On a side note, I'm entirely impressed with the quality of the Stevens 200. Only the stock is a little downmarket, but that's really a non-issue.
I won't target shoot out past the effectiveness of the projectile.On a side note, I'm entirely impressed with the quality of the Stevens 200. Only the stock is a little downmarket, but that's really a non-issue.
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i don't think you've understood WHAT MPBR means- MAXIMUM POINT BLANK RANGE- the range at which a certain projectile will vary no more than 6 inches above or below the aimed point- this not to say the 308 winchester will not be effective beyond that yardage, only that the bullet drop falls outside that circle if you will beyond that yardage- you can round it to 300 and still be within mpbr- however,when you get to 400 yards, your bullet has dropped 14.3 inches from your 300 yard zero , and you're out of that vital 6 inch area- you will have sufficent energy for a kill in some cases, but you have to COMPENSATE for that bullet drop- THE 308 is often used as a long range competition outfit as well as by snipers, but they're equipped with far better optics and know how to figure windage, elevation and the like
If you are going to be hunting in wooded areas, think about variable scopes starting at about 1.5x to 2x especially if you are going to be shooting offhand. If you are shooting from a rest, then a slightly higher magnification is OK.
$300ish. I was considering the Bushnell 3200 series.
Kwattro -
If you are considering that price range, I would suggest looking at the Leupold VX-1 2-7x33. It is similar quality, if not slightly better optics than the 3200, in my opinion. The real benefit of the Leupold though is their product support. If you have a problem, it will be fixed for free, no hastles, no need for warranty cards - if it is a Leupold they'll fix it, and in my limited experience (only one problem) it was handled very quickly.
The 2-7 power range is really useful. For most hunting (I mostly still-hunt), I keep it on 2 power, the the 7 is really useful at the range for load accuracy evaluation.
More important than magnification, though, is clarity and brightness. You won't be disappointed by either the VX-1 or the 3200. I feel that they serve me very well even at first legal light in dark heavy woods.
RG
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If you are considering that price range, I would suggest looking at the Leupold VX-1 2-7x33. It is similar quality, if not slightly better optics than the 3200, in my opinion. The real benefit of the Leupold though is their product support. If you have a problem, it will be fixed for free, no hastles, no need for warranty cards - if it is a Leupold they'll fix it, and in my limited experience (only one problem) it was handled very quickly.
The 2-7 power range is really useful. For most hunting (I mostly still-hunt), I keep it on 2 power, the the 7 is really useful at the range for load accuracy evaluation.
More important than magnification, though, is clarity and brightness. You won't be disappointed by either the VX-1 or the 3200. I feel that they serve me very well even at first legal light in dark heavy woods.
RG
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notice he's from calgary- that means OPEN country, mountain ranges- not dark heavy woods- well, i'm in calgary too, and i use a 4x12x40 scopechief or banner dusk and dawn on all of my rifles, granted, it's a big heavy scope, ( the 3x9 ( add about a half pound) and more often than not, a harris bipod- the only time i use a 3-9x32 is when i need to cowitness the irons as the bell typically drops into the iron sight picture with the 40mm- and my eyes aren't as good as they used to be so that's WHY i went to 4x12- i lost one power on the bottom end but gained 3 on the top- very useful for picking out the BIG animal in the herd and looking at what's BEYOND THE TARGET IN THE BACKGROUND- just starting out, with this rifle, in this situation . i'd definately go 3x9x40 - and the leupold service centre is in okotoks, so you can drive there, but not have to ship it to richmond hill like bushnell,pay the 10 buck inspection fee, and the shipping costs- my last "return " was 11bucks and change in shipping via canada post- it was a 2.5x20 compact fixed that had blown its reticle- it normally sits on my 44 mag trapper- they sent me back a 1.5x4x32 , saying they no longer make the compact, and it's a more expensive scope, but it makes the trapper look like one of those sighting tube winchesters - the ones where the scope is as long as the rifle- and it's built on the 3x9 frame, so i've got a 150 yard scope in a riflle that's supposedly good to 100 yards- it's my backup gun anyway, but i like a smaller scope on a lever
The first terrain that he listed in his answer was wooded areas, and still, 7x is a lot of magnification for the ranges at which most shooters should attempt to take game, regardless of what part of the country they are in. Though Kwattro seems interested in target shooting so he may be one of the minority who will practice enough to humanely shoot at longer ranges. I still think that shelling out for extra clarity and light transmission is a good idea regardless of terrain – the deep woods was just an extreme example. IMHO the image quality at 200 yards through most entry level scopes might often be poor enough to hinder effective use.
RG
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RG
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I was going to post some more comments but I'm in total agreement with what Ruffed Grouse said. I prefer the 1.5-5x or the 2-7x on big game, and in a decent quality scope. I usually leave them on the lowest power in case I get an unexpected close shot. I would never get a fixed 6x unless it was on a .22 Hornet or something like that. If I was getting a fixed power for big game it'd likely be a 2.75x wide angle and certainly no more then 4x.
Watch the EE forums. Every now and then you see a Bushnell Elite 3200 2x-7x, or it's predecessor the B&L Elite 3000 in the same magnification. Given the preference between the two, I would take the used B&L. I have one on my .270 Win. Excellent optics, very clear.
Stay away from TASCO.
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according to rule of thumb, that 7x is a 210 yard scope- just barely meets the MINIMUM yardage- typically, i shoot the east rockies- shots are rarely under 250 yards, and i'm on horseback, shooting across valleys, downhill, whatever- but i'm also after elk,moose and bear- mulies just east of brooks, which is a lot of open terrain, and there's pronghorn around medicine hat- again, open country-i've been shooting that savage 99 with the 3x9 on it since 71, and use 180s for everything- just my experience, and they've all been either banner or scopechief scopes- i just can't afford a leupold, never seen the need for better-
for my longer ranged guns it's the 4x12 b/c i have time to set up, extend the bipod, and get set "settled in" before making the shot- and the 4x doesn't fit in the scabbard
for target i use an 18x banner , but that's b/c i want to see those tiny holes on the paper without walking up
for my longer ranged guns it's the 4x12 b/c i have time to set up, extend the bipod, and get set "settled in" before making the shot- and the 4x doesn't fit in the scabbard
for target i use an 18x banner , but that's b/c i want to see those tiny holes on the paper without walking up
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HyeProfile
Member
- Location
- Montreal, Canada
I'd hate to hijack this thread, but I also bought a Stevens 200 in .308 just before deer season last autumns. I bought the Stevens because I needed an entry-level-yet-upgradable rig for 2 things:
1) medium and heavy game hunting (mostly deer, potentially black bear and moose)
2) long range "precision" target shooting (think F-Class, mostly F/M).
Since I was on a budget, I put on my old Tasco Varmint 6-24x42 MilDot (took it off from my 22LR) on top of TPS 7075 Alu 20MOA Picatinny Rail using TPS 7075 Alu Med Rings. Now before you chew me out for skimping out on the Tasco, bear in mind that I preferred dishing out the money on the rails and rings since I knew I'd be upgrading optics as soon as budget (and the boss allowed) to allow for precision work. The Stevens in .308 is a good and cheap option for precision work up to 1000 yrds, especially since I reload my own ammo (yes, budgets are tight)... The rail and rings are good, although the Tasco has a 1" tube so I might have to get 30mm rings for my next set of optics.
The problem: the first 100 shots I've put through it can't group anything better than 6MOA! I shot exactly 60 South African 7.62 FMJ through it to break in the barrel, and around 40 handloads of 165GR Hornady SSTs, but the latter are just going everywhere on a 30'×18' target @ 100 yrds! That's a 12 inch group at 200 yrds!!! I tried various loads, and I even tried a load that's working well on someone else's Stevens in .308, to no avail. I'm sure it's not my loads, but I'll ask someone else with a .308 @ the range to try them, just to make sure. So everyone is telling me it's the Tasco that's shifting it's POA due to recoil, but despite it's lack of clarity @ high magnificaiton, it was keeping it's POA when I was driving tacks @ 100yrs using it on my .22LR. Does anyone have this much problems with the Tasco? Does it really shift it's POA that much, even with the mild-to-medium recoil of a .308? I fail to understand how anyone can sell a product they know will now work on any decent caliber...
Ok, on to the obvious question. I definately need new optics, but what would you suggest with the following constraints:
-Budget is $400.
-Brand name isn't important, but ability to keep POA in harsh conditions is a must.
-Needs to fulfill my hunting and LR target needs, so I need variable magnification with parrallax adjustment [or more commonly, adjustable objective (AO)], preferably 24x or more at the high end, 15x as a minimum. I will be shooting alot of LR (up to 900m) this year, so the higher the better. Low end can be 6x or less, doesn't really make much of a difference for deer.
-MilDot reticle is a must for ranging work. Willing to consider alternative reticles that are suitable for ranging or a BDC for .308.
-Did I mention, it must not shift it's POA due to recoil or harsh use!
Some features that I would consider pluses:
-Illuminated reticle would be nice, especially for hunting in low-light conditions.
-AO adjustment on the side is preferrable.
-Target turrets is preferrable.
Am I dreaming, or can I get some decent optics for that $400 range?
1) medium and heavy game hunting (mostly deer, potentially black bear and moose)
2) long range "precision" target shooting (think F-Class, mostly F/M).
Since I was on a budget, I put on my old Tasco Varmint 6-24x42 MilDot (took it off from my 22LR) on top of TPS 7075 Alu 20MOA Picatinny Rail using TPS 7075 Alu Med Rings. Now before you chew me out for skimping out on the Tasco, bear in mind that I preferred dishing out the money on the rails and rings since I knew I'd be upgrading optics as soon as budget (and the boss allowed) to allow for precision work. The Stevens in .308 is a good and cheap option for precision work up to 1000 yrds, especially since I reload my own ammo (yes, budgets are tight)... The rail and rings are good, although the Tasco has a 1" tube so I might have to get 30mm rings for my next set of optics.
The problem: the first 100 shots I've put through it can't group anything better than 6MOA! I shot exactly 60 South African 7.62 FMJ through it to break in the barrel, and around 40 handloads of 165GR Hornady SSTs, but the latter are just going everywhere on a 30'×18' target @ 100 yrds! That's a 12 inch group at 200 yrds!!! I tried various loads, and I even tried a load that's working well on someone else's Stevens in .308, to no avail. I'm sure it's not my loads, but I'll ask someone else with a .308 @ the range to try them, just to make sure. So everyone is telling me it's the Tasco that's shifting it's POA due to recoil, but despite it's lack of clarity @ high magnificaiton, it was keeping it's POA when I was driving tacks @ 100yrs using it on my .22LR. Does anyone have this much problems with the Tasco? Does it really shift it's POA that much, even with the mild-to-medium recoil of a .308? I fail to understand how anyone can sell a product they know will now work on any decent caliber...
Ok, on to the obvious question. I definately need new optics, but what would you suggest with the following constraints:
-Budget is $400.
-Brand name isn't important, but ability to keep POA in harsh conditions is a must.
-Needs to fulfill my hunting and LR target needs, so I need variable magnification with parrallax adjustment [or more commonly, adjustable objective (AO)], preferably 24x or more at the high end, 15x as a minimum. I will be shooting alot of LR (up to 900m) this year, so the higher the better. Low end can be 6x or less, doesn't really make much of a difference for deer.
-MilDot reticle is a must for ranging work. Willing to consider alternative reticles that are suitable for ranging or a BDC for .308.
-Did I mention, it must not shift it's POA due to recoil or harsh use!
Some features that I would consider pluses:
-Illuminated reticle would be nice, especially for hunting in low-light conditions.
-AO adjustment on the side is preferrable.
-Target turrets is preferrable.
Am I dreaming, or can I get some decent optics for that $400 range?
