Remington 770...

[Cr00zng]

New to the forum, please be patient; this is my first rifle and I am at the beginning of the learning curve. I have a Remington 770 .308 bolt action rifle with Bushnell 3x9 scope that had not been fired as of yet; at least not by me. The scope had been mounted by Remington and bore-sighted in the factory.

I did start buying accessories, like lens caps, bipods, slings, etc, pretty much just "shooting in the dark" type of impact purchase. That's not the best way spending my money...

The rifle will be used for deer hunting, brown/black bear, etc, probably in the 200 yards max range. Should I replace the scope it came with and if the answer is yes, what would you recommend?
TIA...

 

[rackchaser71]

Re: Remington 770...

im guessing its the rifle that comes on the gun. Depends on how much you like spending money. Personally i would go down to walmart and buy a nikon 3-9 40mm for 200$. The bushnell that came with it will do ok but your going to find that right at dark or right at daylight when most deer move your going to have a hard time having a clear view with the cheaper scope. Dont forget the rings are just as important, what goods a mud truck with street tires ya know. i was in walmart the other day and they had leaupolds and nikons 3-9x50 for 200$,thats a damn good price for a scope like that. You can leave the scope you have but i think having confidence in your rifle is one of the most important things, your going to hunt harder and longer with a rifle and scope that you know is going to perfrom no matter what the conditions are. If you were just shooting targets and learning lr shooting i would say keep the bushnell but you dont want to miss the buck of a lifetime because your cheapo scope keeps fogging up cus your breathing hard! just my .2

 

[Cr00zng]

Re: Remington 770...

I definitely don't want to miss the buck, lifetime size or not...
Yes, the scope did come with the rifle.

I am partial Leupold, despite the fact that I don't know much about them, other than it is made in the US; that's good enough for me.

My budget is around five hundred and is there any reason to get one beyond 3-9x40? Would the Leupold VX™-ll 6-18x40 be suitable for my needs, or it would be an "overkill"? The Bushnell Elite 3200 series is within my price range as well, 4-12x40, and I am partial to the DOA reticle.

I am pretty much lost when it comes to rings; maybe I should just talk to a local gunsmith...

 

[rackchaser71]

Re: Remington 770...

i dont think there is much need for a scope over 12 power in your case. i had a simmons aetec that was 3-12 and it worked really good for deer. Im not too sure about rings, i have always used weaver or leupold that i got from walmart and never had a problem. If you have a 500$ budget for a scope you have ALOT of really good options,i would even consider taking that 500 and buyings a 200$ nikon or leupold and using the rest for a new stock. just some ideas. You could even buy a 200$ scope then get a nikon prostaff 550 rangefinder for 200$. I just picked one up and love it.good luck

 

[DODGE268]

Re: Remington 770...

If your budget is $500.00, spend $389.99 on the Nikon 2.5x10 Monarch and the rest on good bases and rings. When you out grow the rifle you will not out grow the glass. I have them on a couple of my rifles and the are awsome scopes for the money. It will be like turning on the lights in a dark room compared to what you've got now.
Patrick
P.S. I replaced the VXIII 3.5x10 on my rifle with one after going "cheap" on my wifes rifle. It's a better scope.

 

[Cr00zng]

Re: Remington 770...

Thanks for the advise guys...

I've been looking online for scopes and the Nikon Monarch looks really nice; albeit I've opted for the 4-16x50 scope. The rings and the base will probably be Leupold Mark IV, if I can make it fit to the Remington 770. The Redfield® Revolution™ 3-12x40, made by Leupold, also looks good; at 200 bucks, it's really a steal. Does anyone have experience with the Redfield/Leupold scope?

Leupold also makes range finders in the two hundred bucks range, the RX-600 Compact Laser Rangefinder is good for about 600 yard. It's more than I'll ever need and I am partial to made in the US products, when all things are being equal.