Long Range Rifle Scopes

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Ok..... I've been a "smart apple" all morning, but now I have a serious question...........................

 

 

I am looking to put a really good long range scope on my 300 Wby Mag. I like the Swaro TDS & TDS4 reticles, Swaro has a PV-S scope that has turrets...... Leupold has some good stuff out, but not as bright as the Swaro..... I have also been recomended to the Night Force scopes by several people that would should know what they are talking about.

 

 

Does anyone have any personal experiance with long range shooting and what scopes arer you using for it??? How do they match up?

 

Thanks,

 

Gino

[coues7]

I have also been recomended to the Night Force scopes by several people that would should know what they are talking about.

 

If money is not necessarily a concern.....go with night force or US Optics HANDS DOWN!!! NO MORE DISCUSSION.

 

I personally have the Leupold Mark IV LR/T M1 (4.5-14x50) scope.....it is awesome and has been a great scope. I would recommend it to anyone.....and it's below $900

 

Scott

[TAM]

Gino,

 

You may want to take a look at the Ziess Conquest line up. They have a 4-14x50 and a 6-20x50 that are both priced under a grand. Also you may want to look into the Kenton Industries Tuned Tragectry Compensator (TTC). If you send them the info on the loads you're shooting they'll make you a knob for your scope that will allow you to adjust your scope to your desired target range. That way there is no hold over or TDS type reticle's to mess with. Here's a link to the website.

 

http://www.kentonindustries.com/

 

 

Good luck!

[firstcoueswas80]

i have the scope TAM talked about. 4.5-14x50 Zeiss with target turrets. havent shot anything super far out, killed my buck at 280 witht he turrets and put the bullet right where i wanted it. its super bright and clear, i paid $600 for mine used but in brand new shape. i highly reccomend it!

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

i have the scope TAM talked about. 4.5-14x50 Zeiss with target turrets. havent shot anything super far out, killed my buck at 280 witht he turrets and put the bullet right where i wanted it. its super bright and clear, i paid $600 for mine used but in brand new shape. i highly reccomend it!

 

 

Thanks guys.

 

How about the durability of the Zeiss? I have heard that it is... maybe not as tough as some of the others? And price wise it and the Leupold are pretty close..... The Swaro is of course the most expensive (except for US Optics....OUCH!).... and I can't beleive it but the Night Force is cheaper than the Swaro.... and has a lot of possitives....

 

The line, between enough.....and too much....... .... here in the real question lies.......

[Red Rabbit]

I'd run with the turrets, rather than a TDS/B&C reticle that is power ring specific and stops at 500-600 yards. The Kenton BDC are load specific and also set for one altitude. Turrets can be used for diff loads and conditions.

 

The Nightforce NXS gets a lot of comment as a top scope. I have Leupolds and a Conquest with turrets. I think the Conquest has sharper image. A 30mm tube will give you more adjustment range than a 1" tube. Be concerned with the tracking and repeatability of the scope adjustments in your choice.

 

Some sites for you:

http://longrangehunting.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php

http://precisionlongrangehunter.com/groupee

http://www.6mmbr.com/optics.html

http://www.snipershide.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi

 

 

RR

[firstcoueswas80]

carried mine for the whole November hunt either on my back hiking or on my back while riding on the quad and id held its zero. ive never heard anything bad bout the Zeiss.

[Coues Sniper]

I have a Leupold VXL with the turrets on my 300 ultra and love it. However, i grew up on Leupold and haven't had the joy of using the likes of Swaro and US. I've only shot out to 800 with it, but have had really good results at all yardages. And it holds it's zero great. The VXL lets you put big glass on your gun and still mount it low. My scope is a 56mm and mounts as low as a 40mm.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

I'd run with the turrets, rather than a TDS/B&C reticle that is power ring specific and stops at 500-600 yards. The Kenton BDC are load specific and also set for one altitude. Turrets can be used for diff loads and conditions.

 

The Nightforce NXS gets a lot of comment as a top scope. I have Leupolds and a Conquest with turrets. I think the Conquest has sharper image. A 30mm tube will give you more adjustment range than a 1" tube. Be concerned with the tracking and repeatability of the scope adjustments in your choice.

 

Some sites for you:

http://longrangehunting.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php

http://precisionlongrangehunter.com/groupee

http://www.6mmbr.com/optics.html

http://www.snipershide.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi

 

 

RR

 

Thanks RR! Wow that is a lot of info..... those are some great sites.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

I have a Leupold VXL with the turrets on my 300 ultra and love it. However, i grew up on Leupold and haven't had the joy of using the likes of Swaro and US. I've only shot out to 800 with it, but have had really good results at all yardages. And it holds it's zero great. The VXL lets you put big glass on your gun and still mount it low. My scope is a 56mm and mounts as low as a 40mm.

 

 

So I've been checking out this VX-L...... the 6.5-20x 56 is available with varmint lines and turrets. That low mounting is great, , but how is its brightnes?? I have a Vari-X III on a 22-250 and does not even compare to the Swaro that I have.....

[Coues Sniper]

The VX-L does have some improvements over the older models so it is brighter. Also, even with the cut out, the 56mm scope has the brightness of a 53mm scope. So there are some definite gains there. As far as a comparison to the swaro, I don't own one so i honestly couldn't say. I will say that i have been surprised how long into the evening i was able to shoot out at the range i go to with mine. Hope that helped.

 

kevin

[TAM]

In my opinion the Zeiss is brighter than the Leupold's, and I've heard that they hold up very well.

 

Red Rabbit, I'm trying to understand your comment about the Kenton BDC. You mention that a couple of it's faults are that it's load specific, and altitude specific. I agree that it has both of these limitations, but wouldn't a turret suffer from these same issues as well? Most people that go with the turrets use some sort of ballistic calculator to figure the ballistics for a specific load, bullet, altitude, etc. Then they tape a drop chart to the stock to refer to in the field. While in the field ready to shoot they may still have to make some adjustments for altitude won't they? For example: if there drop chart was based on shooting at 5,000 foot elevation and they are about to shoot at a 6,000 foot elevation, then there drop chart is off? It's not off by much, but at a long distance it could be enough to miss the animal. Right?

 

The BDC's are basicly a drop chart built into a turrent aren't they? In most cases 1 click still equals 1/4" MOA. So isn't it reasonable to think that if you were shooting at a different elevation than either your drop chart or your BDC that you could add or subtract a click or two to adjust for your elevation? Seems like having all the drop info built into your turret would be quicker and easier than looking at a drop chart on your stock and counting clicks etc? Especially if your heart is racing?

 

It just seems to me that which ever style you chose to shoot with that either way you may still have to account for elevation adjustments in the field. If a person understands how the BDC works those adjustments are still possible under field conditions aren't they?

 

Thanks,

Tim

[firstcoueswas80]

Tam, you are correct. but when you plug the numbers into the ballistic calulator (speed, bullet weight, BC,) instead of putting the altitude you are shooting at, simply put the altitude to where you are going to hunt at. Doug and i worked out my loads for my 270wsm at 7,000 feet. where i shot my buck was about 3500 ft. we plugged all the info in his ballistics cacluator, used 3500 or 4000ft as the alititude. shot was only 280 yards, but the buck rolled at the shot. and from 5,000 to 6,000 feet, i dont think you would notice enough elevtion difference to make a differnce, even out to long long ranges. ( not 100% sure, just dont think so)

 

 

Nice thing about turrets with the ballistic calculator, i can go from hunting elk at 8000+ ft, to hunting coues at 3500-4000 ft. all ya gotta do is change the elevation on the ballistic calculator on ur set to go! but with the lines put in the scope, ya might have to go out and shoot to see if there is a difference. all the long rage shooters use turrets as it is the most consistent and accurate way to do it.

[TAM]

Casey, I agree with what you're saying about the elevation. I'm not sure what lines you are talking about though? Are you thinking of a TDS Reticle? The extra cross hairs they put in the scope?

 

The Kenton Industries knobs are machined knobs that fit onto the target turrets of your scope. You send them all of your ballistic data and load information and they custom build the knob to your loads. Now instead of looking at the drop chart taped to your rifle stock, the yardages are built into the knobs of your scope. Are we talking about the same thing? Look at this website.

 

http://www.kentonindustries.com/

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Well I can't tell you all how much I have enjoyed chasing down all the leads that you guys have given me....... .... It has been very educational. I ruled out Swaro...cost + not much selection. I kinda ruled out Zeiss..... but mustly cuz my guts told me to.... not for any one reason.... just because. If you go to the forms that RR directed me to.... those guys don't even talk about the kind of scopes we use... ... .... very educational. Oh... and BTW...... people are as choosy & opinionated about scopes as they are bows or rifles.... ......

 

I have come down to two scopes in two different "classes"..... based on their cost and perspective quality:

 

Leupold VX-L 6.5-20x56 V&H......

 

Pros: Cost, low profile, very bright for a Leupold, lighter weight (24 oz)

Cons: 20 power.... V&H reticle only effective at 20 power, no available zero stopper, repetitve zero.... will it always come back to a perfect zero?

 

Night Force 3.5-15x50 NXS.......

 

Pros: Many different reticle designs, available zero stopper (military and police personel only), severe toughness rating, lower power, Boasts to be "nearly" as bright as a Swaro... whatever that means......

Cons: Cost, weight (30 oz)

 

Well.... that is my current status...... Because of different available programs..... I estimate that the Night Force would cost me nearly double what I might be able to obtain the Leupold (not retail) for.

 

Any other Ideas....... ........ Anyone?