Saskatchewan hunting, suitable optic for a .308?

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I'm looking for an optic for a .308 that will start out mostly being used at the range or informal target shooting but I hope to eventually take it hunting for deer/elk/moose. (No real history of hunting in the family, need to make contacts.)

Anyways, I'm looking for a suitable optic. I was originally thinking of a 2.5-8x36, but I found a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40 for under $500. My concern is whether the low end goes low enough or if I'll be kicking myself later.

I'm also eyeing the Vortex Viper 3-10x40, but I'm having a hard time justifying $420 new when I know they were $300 around Christmas.

The other contender is the Nikon Monarch 3 2.5-10x42, but it's 4oz heavier than the Leupold and 2.5oz heavier than the Viper.

Thoughts?
 
I think any of those scopes you have mentioned will work fine for your 308 for general range target shooting. More magnification is always nice at the range.
For hunting it depends on your area. If you have a lot of thick bush the 2.5-8x36 are great for that with the lower power but still let you turn up the magnification if needed.
If your area is more open you could use a 3.5-10 to hunt with and be just fine. There is always a bit of a compromise when choosing an rifle optical for multiple purposes.
 
Unless you are the size and condition of a fight-ready fly weight boxer, forget about what the scopes weigh.

Any of them will work fine!

Biggest problem I ever had with a scope out in the Prairies, was remembering to check that it had been dialed back to the lowest setting after being at the range, and getting busted by a deer withing a few steps of the truck, not being able to sort out what part of the deer I was looking at so close up at the high power setting! :)

Shoot lots, get comfortable with the gun, and you'll do welll.

Cheers
Trev
 
3x on the low end, will be low enough for close shots (3-9 has been popular for years). For the shooting you describe, i am a big fan of 3-12x optics. Gives enough extra magnification to reach out. 7x is enough for most field shots.

That said, glass quality and light gathering are FAR more important on a hunting optic.

In that regard, i have little good to say about Vortex (my experience) Leupold is ok, but i find them over priced for what you get nowadays (and i owned one for 20+ years).

I have used a bunch of really high end optics (spoiled) that I wish i could afford but unfortunately can't.

Depending on your budget, ($400ish?) i would highly recommend Bushnell (flame suit on) i have found the glass, even on the lower end Trophy XLT, excellent as well as the light gathering capabilities. If you can upgrade to the Elite Hunter line, you will not be disappointed (As close to a perfect crossover (hunting/target) scope as i have found), but you pay a chunk for those features.


A good scope does pay dividends in the end. Things like fixed eye relief are a boon to hunting situations. Last year i made a running 20yard shot on a nice buck, with my optic set on 12x (i was preparing a 300 yard shot when 2 bucks broke from cover and ran right by my stand).

Being able to shoot both eyes open, and without having to move my head all over the stock to see the full field of view (no tunneling) even at 12x is what makes the better optics worth the money.
 
Go with the VX-3 3.5-10X40... 3.5X is plenty low enough and 10X may come into play on the prairies... of course if you are an adamant <200 yard shooter, then the 2.5-8X36 is the way to go. Loads are another factor for your .308... flat land shooting with a .308 can be tweaked considerably over the standard 165-180 loads... for many years I used the Nosler 150 BTH for flat"ter" shooting out of my .308's... but just this week picked up ten boxes of the Barnes 130 TTSX to give them a good work out. If they prove to be accurate, I will use that load when I need a flatter trajectory. I have an M77 MKII RSI 308 with the VX-3 2.5-8 mounted and an KM77 MKII SS 308 with the 3.5-10X40 mounted. I shoot the RSI with a heavier load and use it in brush country, and the MKII SS with a lighter load when hunting more open locales.
 
you will notice very little difference between a 2.5- and a 3.5-
weight is not a issue you will not notice it.... its too small when you're holding a rifle.
any will be fine, you are kind of looking at the wrong aspects of the scope though,
you should want larger objective sizes and tube sizes for brightness in low light for hunting.
x40 should be minimum but would look more favourably on x50+
30mm tube size or larger is nice too.
 
hoytcanon said:
Go with the VX-3 3.5-10X40... 3.5X is plenty low enough and 10X may come into play on the prairies... of course if you are an adamant <200 yard shooter, then the 2.5-8X36 is the way to go. Loads are another factor for your .308... flat land shooting with a .308 can be tweaked considerably over the standard 165-180 loads... for many years I used the Nosler 150 BTH for flat"ter" shooting out of my .308's... but just this week picked up ten boxes of the Barnes 130 TTSX to give them a good work out. If they prove to be accurate, I will use that load when I need a flatter trajectory. I have an M77 MKII RSI 308 with the VX-3 2.5-8 mounted and an KM77 MKII SS 308 with the 3.5-10X40 mounted. I shoot the RSI with a heavier load and use it in brush country, and the MKII SS with a lighter load when hunting more open locales.
Click to expand...

There's some solid wisedom here.
I've found anything over 10x should have an AO adjustment to get the best out of the scope.

Keep us posted Gre..................Hoytz on how them 130's work out.
I've considered going lighter than the standard 150's I've been using for quite a while.
 
For what it's worth, in my 20 years of hunting in Sask, I've never shot an animal with the scope below 5 power. I would guess 90% of the animals I've shot, the scope was on the highest magnification.
 
I'm pretty much the opposite, I feel magnification is pretty much irrelevant for shots under 300 yards. Almost all of my animals were taken with magnification of between 2.5 and 6 power, almost never higher. I have two of the 3.5-10x Leupolds that the OP purchased, good scopes for both targets and hunting. Keep it dialled down for hunting in the bush, and about mid way in the open country and you won't have to worry about quickly aiming at a moving animal that took you by surprise.
 
I've never felt lacking in glass with a 3-9x40 scope for deer hunting out to 300 meters, but I suppose it depends how far away you like to shoot stuff, and your experience level. Up close with your scope turned down to 3 power will work fine for hunting.
 
First , drop Vortex off your list although i hear they have a great warranty , and i hear it , and i hear it , and i hear it ....
 
Longwalker said:
I'm pretty much the opposite, I feel magnification is pretty much irrelevant for shots under 300 yards. Almost all of my animals were taken with magnification of between 2.5 and 6 power, almost never higher. I have two of the 3.5-10x Leupolds that the OP purchased, good scopes for both targets and hunting. Keep it dialled down for hunting in the bush, and about mid way in the open country and you won't have to worry about quickly aiming at a moving animal that took you by surprise.
Click to expand...

I would recommend that whatever variable scope folks are using, they hunt with & carry it on the lowest power setting... even in flat country a buck could pop out of a coulee or patch of buckbrush and surprise you... you need to get on target fast. On the other hand if you really need the extra magnification, in all likelihood you will have plenty of time to dial it up... the opposite is often not true.

After four decades in the field, I have a number of stories where an animal was missed due to a shot "not taken" while the scope was being fumbled with to dial it down, because the animal was close and the scope was on the highest setting... I don’t know of a single incident where an opportunity was missed because the scope was set too low.
 
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