Rifle Scopes New scope for my reliable hunting rifle

[KerDog77]

I am about to begin reloading for my browning Abolt in 7mag. This gun has produced under 1"inch groups at 200 from crappy sand bags shooting Winchester ballistic tips. I'm saying all of this because despite its factory form, I love this gun and I believe it's capable of becoming a great long range gun for audad, elk, or caribou. But now it's time for optics. I am just started shooting and reloading so I am not sure of my plan of attach. Im torn between getting a good rangefinder and dial in on all my shots(if time is allowed),or get good with a ranging reticle and try to not require electronics. I recently build 2 243 for my son and myself. I went with a weaver tac 3-15 in mil/mil for my sons gun and I went with a steiner military 4-16mil/mil. I have pretty much committed to learn mil vs moa despite my military or long range background. I am only taking these 243's out to 600yds but I want to take this 7mag as far as I can successfully. What I have in mind is around 20x.

Zeiss hd5 - moa reticle may screw me up since I'm new to both and have mil scopes

Weaver 4-20 mil/mil in mildot- I much prefer the emdr or g2 mil dot though

Vortex pst 6-24 in. Mil/mil non ill- held it and liked it

Swarovski

Bushnell elite tactical

SS- don't care much for the diamonds in reticle

Sightron-not a fan of the center dot

I want to stay under $1500 but have no problem buy good

Good glass is first priority, before zero stops and illumination.

 

[jeffersonv]

I get it that you are thinking of making this your long range rig but for audad, elk, or caribou I'd be thinking about saving some weight.
It's not just about hitting the gym which is such a popular suggestion on this site, it's about throwing off the handling of your hunting rig. Putting a heavy scope on your a-bolt is going to be a mismatch and will make it feel weird and turn it into a misfit. The a-bolts I've known have been pretty handy.

I like your idea of staying with mils. Very small learning curve there.

As for the range finder, I think you will eventually need one which ever way you go. Ranging with your reticle gets too easy to make errors especially as the range gets longer which could lead to wounding an animal or making a less than a clean kill.

So, I'd look around some more or out of the ones you have listed I'd go with the lighter ones that are mil/mil. I'm thinking that could be the vortex and the Weaver? I haven't checked the weight of them all.

If it is between those two, from what I've seen I would guess the glass would be better on the Weaver, which is a priority of yours.

edit: the march 3-24x42 ffp scope with the nice low turrets and compact size/weight MIGHT just be the ticket on your a-bolt! It may be worth a look.

That being said I think the best solution is to use your a-bolt for hunting and get another rifle/scope for long range!
Who doesn't like that idea?

 

[KerDog77]

Thank you for your reply. I do like the idea of keeping the weight down. I keep getting drawn to the zeiss hd5. It's got the perfect weight and glass for my price range bug the only reticle I would consider would be the duplex. I just don't think I want to cross over from mils either. The pst is nice but I tend to be pretty hard on stuff and it just doesn't feel as rugged as it should be despot me loving their reticle. What is your thoughts on the mil dot on a hunting rig? I would also like to keep the 50 mm objective. Any more ideas/opinions ?

 

[jake_c02]

The leupold vx-6 they have 3-18 and 4-24 models.

 

[Crosshair]

I was going to mention the VX6 too, the 3-18x42 is a nice light weight scope with broad magnification range.

If you are considering the Zeiss HD5 (which are great), you really should take a look at some of the Swaro deals around the interweb. A Swaro Z5 is among some of the best glass out there and they are very durable and light weight: 3.5-18x44 Swarovski - Camera Land NY

Lots of awesome optics under $1500 these days.

On edit; the Swaro BRH and BRX reticles are mil-based and have a christmas tree style reticle that is super fast for doing holdovers. I think the BRH is an ideal longish range hunting reticle that is usable at long distance but still is visible in low light.

http://swfa.com/Swarovski-5-25x52-Z5-Riflescope-P47246.aspx

 

[jdpenterprises]

I was in a similar situation as you. I have a new abolt II in 300wm and needed a scope mainly for Colorado elk. I thought I wanted a FFP ranging scope, so a ss3-15x42 was mounted. I was never happy with the tall turrets for this application, or weight of the scope for that matter. My whitetail rig is an older abolt I in 30-06 with a leupold vxii 3-9x40 and is nothing short of a hammer. The scope turrets have not been touched since sight in several years back and has made one trip to Colorado and numerous four wheeler rides in and out of my deer lease. Given the reliability of that scope, I chose to buy an new vx6 3-18x44 with an ill. b&c reticle for my 300wm. In the end, the short turrets and relatively light weight won me over. I guess there is always a compromise, but it does include one free CDS dial if you ever feel the need to dial your shots. To me in a hunting scenerio, MPBR is more useful as there is not always enough time to range and dial. This of course is only the case for short to medium range shots. I personally don't take long range shots on game.

Just received the new scope last week, so no range report as of yet. It is mounted and feels "handy" FWIW.

 

[jakelly]

You, like many of us, have found this large abyss in the optics offerings. The March 3-24 and Premier LT are great options, but over $2000. Thankfully Bushnell turned the drawing board over to GAP and let them design a longrange hunting scope. There is a thread here in this section about the scope, so you can check it out. It is perfect for what you want to do and it will be less than $1500 dollars. The only problem is it won't be released until after SHOT. If it were me, I would buy a used Bushnell tactical 3-12 with a similar reticle to serve as a fill-in that won't hurt me when I get rid of it and has the added benefit of familiarizing me with the reticle and the basic platform.

 

[Opticsspecialist]

for a hunting scope, it would be tough to beat that swarovski Z5 with ballistic turret.
Swarovski Z5 Rifle Scopes - Swarovski Z5 Rifle Scopes 5-25X52 Ballistic Turret 4W Reticle