Recommendations on Hunting Scope

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  • BossmanPJ

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 22, 2013
    7,057
    Cecil County
    MDS,

    I need recommendations for a good general hunting scope for my muzzleloader and Ruger 77. All of my shots are 100 yards or so max so nothing huge is needed. I have a Leupold VX1 on one of my rifles and it has been great. My first thought is to get two more for my other rifles and call it a day.

    Does anyone have good experience with Vortex or other scopes I am not thinking of in the woods? Any bad experiences to be aware of? I am trying to keep my budget for each around $225 - $250 max.

    Thoughts?
     

    newmuzzleloader

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 14, 2009
    4,765
    joppa
    I have a Leupold VX II 3-9×40 on one muzzleloader I like a lot. Light transmission and clarity are good. I have a cabela's scope on another ( can't remember which one, it came with used gun) that works well. I also have a Redfield Revolution 3-9×40 on a mini 14 that I have no complaints about. Redfield is made in the same factory as Leupold. Or they were when I bought them.
     
    Last edited:

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,564
    Harford County, Maryland
    I have an old Simmons 4-12 x 50 Whitetailer on my Ruger M77 MkII 30-06. Has never shifted POI and never an issue getting a good sight picture. It spends most of its time on 4X unless set up to shoot across a large opening. I have been debating putting a 2 x 7 Leupold VX I on it....can't see where it would help much. This was purchased before Simmons went low grade.
     

    StantonCree

    Watch your beer
    Jan 23, 2011
    23,932
    Bass pro currently has the vortex diamondback 3X9 on sale. I just order one for my Ruger ranch but it isn’t in yet. Love my strike eagle and sparc.

    They also have a Leupold and a Nikon 3X9 on sale. I’m not 100% sure on model as they are on the shore but i have a Nikon 3X9 on my 30-30 and it does good.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,179
    Sun City West, AZ
    Leupold, Burris, Weaver, Redfield and so many others have plenty of scope to choose from that will suit your needs. Choices within the 3-9X variables is dizzying. It's like cameras and lenses...don't cheap out on the glass. Buy the best you can afford within your price range. Lots to choose from.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,667
    Not Far Enough from the City
    Sooo many variables and different ways to lean with preferences in hunting scopes.

    At 20 bucks above your stated price point, I’d look hard at this scope for your Model 77. Weaver is revamping their product offering, and Natchez over the past year has deeply discounted their Grand Slam series. I have several Weaver Grand Slam scopes, and I think they represent real value at this price point. Most of the different offerings have sold out now. So while I’m not sure I’d personally seek out this exact reticle, given familiarity with the Grand Slams, it wouldn’t make me avoid this scope at this price point either.

    While you can still find examples of the VX-1, Leupold as you may be aware has dropped both the VX-1 and the VX-2 series scopes in favor of their new Freedom line. I’ve not yet seen any of the new Freedoms. I’ve never personally owned a VX-1, so I can’t speak to those. I have owned several VX-2’s, and I think 3 different generations now of the Vari-X...then the VX...now the VXi 3 series. I would personally rate the Weaver Grand Slam as superior to the VX-2, and on a par with the VX-3.

    To me, at this price, the Weaver Grand Slam is an outright steal. These are manufactured at Light Optical Works in Japan. There’s a lot of quality brand names supposedly coming out of that factory.

    Good luck with your search!


    https://www.natchezss.com/weaver-re...cope-1-tube-3-12x50mm-eb-x-reticle-matte.html
     

    Mt Airy

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 28, 2010
    1,444
    Frederick county
    I have 2 of the Leupold 2X7 shotgun/ muzzleloader scopes. I think they are pouposes built to withstand a hevy recoil of a slug gun or muzzle loader. I think the eye relife is longer too.
     

    onedash

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 24, 2016
    1,026
    Calvert County
    I say get the brightest glass you can afford. Something clear in mid day light isn't the same as being able to see in the woods the last 15 minutes of legal shooting light. My crossbow scope fits that bill. Looks pretty great in daylight. The last 20ish minutes of light in the woods it's damn near useless.
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,564
    Harford County, Maryland
    Sooo many variables and different ways to lean with preferences in hunting scopes.

    At 20 bucks above your stated price point, I’d look hard at this scope for your Model 77. Weaver is revamping their product offering, and Natchez over the past year has deeply discounted their Grand Slam series. I have several Weaver Grand Slam scopes, and I think they represent real value at this price point. Most of the different offerings have sold out now. So while I’m not sure I’d personally seek out this exact reticle, given familiarity with the Grand Slams, it wouldn’t make me avoid this scope at this price point either.

    While you can still find examples of the VX-1, Leupold as you may be aware has dropped both the VX-1 and the VX-2 series scopes in favor of their new Freedom line. I’ve not yet seen any of the new Freedoms. I’ve never personally owned a VX-1, so I can’t speak to those. I have owned several VX-2’s, and I think 3 different generations now of the Vari-X...then the VX...now the VXi 3 series. I would personally rate the Weaver Grand Slam as superior to the VX-2, and on a par with the VX-3.

    To me, at this price, the Weaver Grand Slam is an outright steal. These are manufactured at Light Optical Works in Japan. There’s a lot of quality brand names supposedly coming out of that factory.

    Good luck with your search!


    https://www.natchezss.com/weaver-re...cope-1-tube-3-12x50mm-eb-x-reticle-matte.html

    ^^^ This. The approach is sensible.
    I have shot steadily for 39 years. Probably most of that with iron sights, which I enjoy most. Some scoped shooting, not much in comparison. So scope selection for me can be bewildering beyond the basic needs with all the available possiblities. I have been trying to sort all the possibilities out the past couple of years to equip specific firearms. I havedetermined it boils down to what do I need/want in a scope for a given application firearm, then what scope will handle the task in a given range.

    Reading about it isn't everything. I had to get my feet wet and just take a couple "see how it works plunges". Feet are still wet but I am getting a clue. I did start on the inexpensive end of experimentation and as I gained scope experience I have been able to assess what I am looking for based on the experience with certain pattern scopes, some technical reading, and threads such as these.
     

    BossmanPJ

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 22, 2013
    7,057
    Cecil County
    I say get the brightest glass you can afford. Something clear in mid day light isn't the same as being able to see in the woods the last 15 minutes of legal shooting light. My crossbow scope fits that bill. Looks pretty great in daylight. The last 20ish minutes of light in the woods it's damn near useless.

    This is the issue with the Leatherwood muzzleloader scope on my new rifle. It was really grainy and dark when I had a doe sighted the other night.

    Fixed 4X .

    That’s an interesting thought.

    I have an old Simmons 4-12 x 50 Whitetailer on my Ruger M77 MkII 30-06. Has never shifted POI and never an issue getting a good sight picture. It spends most of its time on 4X unless set up to shoot across a large opening. I have been debating putting a 2 x 7 Leupold VX I on it....can't see where it would help much. This was purchased before Simmons went low grade.

    I too have a Simmons from that era. Good scope but it’s on a .22 and shoots too well to remove it.

    All responses appreciated in this thread. I have been doing a lot of research lately and maybe it’s the perfectionist in me, but I want the same glass on all 3 of my hunting rifles. To me it just makes sense. I’m thinking that picking up 2 Leupold VX1 scopes at discounted prices is my best bet. The only other things to consider are that the freedom VX line looks nice and finally has finger turn turrets, and that I loved my Vortex when I had it on a few of my target rifles.
     

    BossmanPJ

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 22, 2013
    7,057
    Cecil County
    Another thought I had was to move to a 50mm lens on the muzzleloader and my other rifle. This should let in a bit more light and my rings should already accept the bigger size.

    My woods are heavy with tree cover and get dark quickly. Even another two minutes of clarity in the scope could help.
     

    Moorvogi

    Firearm Advocate
    Dec 28, 2014
    855
    3-9... most things between $80-200 are going to be fine for 200 yards or less. the most important thing is.. zero it.. and PRACTICE with it. a scope, only helps you see your misses/hits better.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    ... I would personally rate the Weaver Grand Slam as superior to the VX-2, and on a par with the VX-3.

    To me, at this price, the Weaver Grand Slam is an outright steal. These are manufactured at Light Optical Works in Japan. There’s a lot of quality brand names supposedly coming out of that factory.

    Good luck with your search!


    https://www.natchezss.com/weaver-re...cope-1-tube-3-12x50mm-eb-x-reticle-matte.html

    Agree with Uncle Duke. I think I've got 4 of these Grand Slam scopes now, 3-12x and 4-16x. The glass is fantastic. Great at low light, and better than my Leupold VX-2 scopes. Having 12x magnification at 100 yards is also nice. One can dial up magnification quickly with gloves given the well considered design. Finally, they have adjustable parallax (and on the side vs front objective, so much faster). Most scopes with this decent glass in the mid $200 price range are fixed parallax. Please note that other than the one that Uncle Duke listed for $270 (they're clearing them out) that these are typically $450-550 scopes.

    Downsides to consider. (1) They have a smaller MOA elevation adjustment range than the comparable Leupold scopes. For distance shooting, one can get a rail or Burris Zee rings to get more vertical MOA. (2) They are slightly heavier than comparable Leupold scopes. They're not bad though. Lighter than my Vortex scopes. (3) The 50mm front objective could create an issue with the rear iron sight on a rifle if you're using low rings to mount.

    Pictures of a few Grand slam scopes below.
    95b5b923b5898d8cd0a65354f9c71c97.jpg
    6799d37f7196556215a41caaf18cc409.jpg
    705d542b9db96a45ccb1833e5cbfc1c7.jpg
    fc28a90eef8ea3071476116ecf3ac324.jpg


    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    I have several older Simmons scopes. They were very nice scopes for seriously cheap prices. I am not sure about the newer ones.

    Best thing is to go to a big store with lots of choices and handle and look through them. You will find ones that just seem to be better fit to you and your style.

    I just did this for a scope for a 10/22 TDLite. I ended up with the Leupold. It was more than the Vortex I planned on getting, but I liked it enough more to pay the extra.
     

    Virgil Co.C

    Active Member
    Aug 10, 2018
    615
    Leopold , Nikon , Hawke, Vortex all descent scopes for the money. Have all these brands on different things and happy with them all. more Nikon and leupold . Price you probably find Nikon the best . Had a pro staff on my inline muzzle loader for well hell 20 years I’m guessing ,it’s been along time holds never have adjusted since originally sighting it in.
     

    atblis

    Ultimate Member
    May 23, 2010
    2,011
    One thing to consider with scopes is the mounting

    1) Too big of a front objective is detrimental and unneeded. The scope will need to be mounted high, and your cheek weld to the stock will suffer. A 50mm objective is unnecessary for the magnification ranges that would be appropriate for you applications. Stay at 40mm or less.

    2) The size of the eyepiece is important. Many newer scopes have outrageously large eyepieces making them awkward to mount and use.

    I also have the opinion that the design of these newer scopes with 5x and up magnification ranges is less than ideal. 3x and 4x ranges are better IMO. Too many trade offs trying to design an optical system with that magnification range. This is also part of the reason for gigantic eyepieces.

    That being said, my three favorite scopes for hunting rifles are
    1) The original Zeiss Conquest line (not the newer ones). The 3-9x40mm was a best buy for hunting rifle scopes. Discontinued.
    2) The Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36mm (also discontinued). Is the perfect deer rifle scope IMO. Classy looking, and does everything you need it to.
    3) The Light Optics Works based scopes. Japanese Weavers, the Bushnell Elite 3200/4200 series.
     

    BossmanPJ

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 22, 2013
    7,057
    Cecil County
    All good information. Thanks guys. If anyone has a decent 3-9x40 laying around PM me. We may be able to work a trade or cash deal. I will also post this same response in the WTB thread in case the mods do not find this acceptable.
     

    kingfish

    Active Member
    Jan 15, 2008
    779
    For hunting, I’ve recently converted to the church of illuminated dot scopes. They’ll give you a huge advantage if a quick shot is needed. In your price range there might be some Chinese stuff available but durability will be dictated by your caliber
     

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