First long range hunting rig

[KBHeiner7]

Which would you chose primarily for long range hunting, some rifle golf and a little range work - the Sendero or Sako A7? 7mm Rem Mag if it matters. Which is less likely to need the least work out of the box?

I see a lot of guys shooting 6.5 x 20 power scopes. Is there a serious downside to using a high magnification scope? Why do a number of you stick with lower power rigs like 3.5 x 10 or 4.5 x 14?

TIA

 

[johnnyk]

KB,
The Sendero is a good platform to start with for LR hunting and range work. Not sure of the rifle golf but it has to beat regular golf if you get to involve a rifle! I like the 7mmRemMag, I have other rifles in .300WinMag and .243Win, but the Seven is my GoTo rifle everytime. I do not have any experience with, and therefore can not comment on, Sako products. Hopefully, whichever one you choose, you'll get a dandy and it will be a pleasant experience.
As for the glass magnification, I guess it's a personal comfort thing. Some folks have better vision than others. My eyes aren't the best and I prefer the 6-18's and 6.5-20 power range of scopes, especially for range work, load development and varmint hunting. JohnnyK.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Your scope question involves field of view, paralax, weight and a few other factors. A hunting scope choice is give and take considering several key factors. You got to pick one that best suits your individual hunting style. Most of my hunting is in grizzly country where I may need to get on a close moving bear quick, or a moving elk in timber. Therefore I use a lightweight 2.5-10 mil dot with 42 feet field of veiw. It takes quite a bit of practice to be able to use a scope like this long range because there are no paralax adjustments on it. I can easily take big game at a half mile with it plus have the best opportunity to save my life with a grizzly encounter.

If you are shooting small targets at long range then a high power scope with a paralax adjustment is neccesary. With the high power scope you are limiting yourself to long range shooting at fixed (stationary) targets. I have seen many trophy animals walk away because the shooter couldn't get the high power, small field of veiw scope on it and adjust the clicks. Animals I would have taken with my 2-10 mil dot. So some people go with the in between powers like the 3-12, 4-14, 4-16. The Nikon Monarch has very good field of veiw for a 4-16 scope. About the same as a 3-10 Leupold. The Monarch is in a good price range with excellent glass also. Hunting brings many more factors into the equation to consider than just shooting tight groups at long range targets. Unfortunately it takes a lot of practice (money) to find out what is best for you or what you can shoot accurately. A book could be written here so I will stop.

 

[kcebcj]

Your scope question involves field of view, paralax, weight and a few other factors. A hunting scope choice is give and take considering several key factors. You got to pick one that best suits your individual hunting style. Most of my hunting is in grizzly country where I may need to get on a close moving bear quick, or a moving elk in timber. Therefore I use a lightweight 2.5-10 mil dot with 42 feet field of veiw. It takes quite a bit of practice to be able to use a scope like this long range because there are no paralax adjustments on it. I can easily take big game at a half mile with it plus have the best opportunity to save my life with a grizzly encounter.

If you are shooting small targets at long range then a high power scope with a paralax adjustment is neccesary. With the high power scope you are limiting yourself to long range shooting at fixed (stationary) targets. I have seen many trophy animals walk away because the shooter couldn't get the high power, small field of veiw scope on it and adjust the clicks. Animals I would have taken with my 2-10 mil dot. So some people go with the in between powers like the 3-12, 4-14, 4-16. The Nikon Monarch has very good field of veiw for a 4-16 scope. About the same as a 3-10 Leupold. The Monarch is in a good price range with excellent glass also. Hunting brings many more factors into the equation to consider than just shooting tight groups at long range targets. Unfortunately it takes a lot of practice (money) to find out what is best for you or what you can shoot accurately. A book could be written here so I will stop.

Good advice…..

I prefer scopes in the 3.5-10, 2.5-12 range for hunting. Elk in the timber at 50 yards moving or across the canyon at 800 yards all doable with the lower powered scopes but as Long Time Long Ranger says if you want to shoot a little bitty bull eye at long range then something with more power is necessary.

 

[USMC8531]

Hard to go wrong with a Sendero for starting out. I've become more of a fan of higher-powered scopes for trying to get every last little bit of accuracy out while the rifle is on a bench. For field use a scope with 10x is usually more than adequate. To shoot for groups (load development) I can do pretty well with a lower powered scope at 100yds, but when I move back past that to narrow down a load I found that I like to have a bit more power.

That being said trying to shoot a rifle with a scope on a higher power in the offhand position makes for some fits.