Need a hunting scope recommendation

[jtkratzer]

IMO,you WAY over scoped your rifle.You have a very good scope but w/ a 20''(carbine) barreled 260,a more compact scope would served the capabilities of that rifle just fine.Even a quality fix power scope like a 4x M8 would been a very good combo and weighed a bit less than your Nikon.

A 3-9x40 can't be that much smaller/lighter and that's why it seems a lot of people have even on .30-30 lever guns that people don't shoot beyond 200 yards with.

So what would you recommend for a scope to take shots from 0-500? There are 2-8x32 and 2.5-10x42 in the Monarch line. There are only 5.3 ounces between the 2-8 and the 3-12 I bought.

As is, the rifle is under 8 lbs. A sling and bipod would still be under 9 lbs if I even put a bipod on it. I do plan on another rifle for more range specific use and maybe I'll put that scope on that rifle some day. I obviously haven't had it out in the woods yet, but just handling the rifle around the property, it's balanced and comfortable. It can't be much (if any) heavier than the M4 and all the stuff hanging off that I haul around. Yeah, I know that has a fixed 4 and we shoot that out to 500 on the Table 1 qual, but a little more magnification wouldn't hurt at that range.

I intent to put a 22-24" barrel and stock on this rifle at some point, especially if I'm not satisfied with how the 20" pencil shoots.

All the Scopes recomended are of great quality no complaints here..
I have been using BURRIS for over 6 seasons and they have been great for the price.
They have never lost there zeros even setting for a few years in there cases.
This is my opinion, think long about the price and how often you shoot.
If I was shooting on days over 400yards just plinking my BURRIS has worked great.
or is this a week of Deer hunting and all you will be doing is one shot,
what is that one shot worth?
If you are shooting compition, I would say buy a NightForce and spend $2.000+
but you may be one of the guys that hunts one or two seasons. It the scope that
never looses it point of aim that you need. Mine have been beaten, droped,bumped and every night mare that nobody wants becaus they need to take a few shots just to see if it is still on.
Mine are still on, and will shoot just fine.

I plan on hunting with this rifle. I don't need a 4 digit scope to hunt with, not in the terrain I hunt. This rifle isn't going to be a match or competition rifle, but this will see more than a couple rounds to check zero and those fired at game.

 

[jtkratzer]

Does it look over-scoped?
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w121/jtkratzer/Model Seven/M7-1.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w121/jtkratzer/Model Seven/M7-2.jpg

 

[MHO]

Take a look at the Vortex line. I have Leupold, Nikon, Zeiss. For dollar for dollar the Vortex glass is hard to beat. Good luck.

 

[overbo]

Great looking rig but IMO it dose look over scoped.You have a packing rifle not a longrange rifle and to add a 24'' barrle to a 260 rem.,well you still don't have a GREAT long range rifle.You've got good scope for a better long range calibers,like a 7mm mag,300 mag,ect
Remington didn't make the mdle 7 in calibers like 260,243,7mm-08, because they wanted a long range rifle.They where targeting the women and youth market w/ light to mid recoil calibers.
If a long range rifle is what inspire to acheive.I would sell that 260 or either get another rifle w/ all the attributes that make it more of a long range rig.

 

[jtkratzer]

Take a look at the Vortex line. I have Leupold, Nikon, Zeiss. For dollar for dollar the Vortex glass is hard to beat. Good luck.

The Vortex scopes look great, but I got a deal on this Nikon.

Great looking rig but IMO it dose look over scoped.You have a packing rifle not a longrange rifle and to add a 24'' barrle to a 260 rem.,well you still don't have a GREAT long range rifle.You've got good scope for a better long range calibers,like a 7mm mag,300 mag,ect
Remington didn't make the mdle 7 in calibers like 260,243,7mm-08, because they wanted a long range rifle.They where targeting the women and youth market w/ light to mid recoil calibers.
If a long range rifle is what inspire to acheive.I would sell that 260 or either get another rifle w/ all the attributes that make it more of a long range rig.

Well, I don't consider 500 yards and in to be long range. I wanted something that would shoot flatter and farther than a .30-30 with enough energy to take deer out to 500 yards. Most will more than likely be within 300 yards. When I started looking for a rifle to hunt deer with, that was more capable than the Marlin lever gun, I wanted something that was going to be good for still hunting in addition to taking deer beyond 200 yards. This rifle suits that purpose very well, or at least the concept of how this rifle is built, since I haven't even shot it yet. I anticipate it to be a very capable rifle and caliber for what I want it to do. This isn't a match rifle. I'd be very happy with 3-4" groups out to 400-500 yards and I think with handloads, that should be within reach.

I have a 7.5x55 K31 with a steel butt plate that's a blast to shoot. Not that it's a heavy recoiling gun, but that, .30-06, .45-70, etc...never had trouble shooting them, just don't believe you need something that big or heavy to kill deer.

Even if I go to a 22-24" barrel, the .260 will still do fine on deer well beyond what I ever intend to hunt. I have no plans to go out west to hunt anything at ranges the .260 can't handle. If I do at some point, there are loads of caliber choices at that time. The barrel change would be for improved accuracy and velocity over the 20" pencil.

The longest range I have within a reasonable (an hour) drive is 600 yards. .260 will do fine for that range for paper and steel. I'm not second guessing my choice in caliber or rifle size/weight for the specific purpose that I bought it for.

Within reasonable range, it will take anything I could ever hunt in the region where I live/hunt from West Virginia to NY.

So, back to the original question, for the purposes of being a rifle that can take deer-sized game out to 500 yards while still being a fast handling, lightweight gun suitable for a day of walking/stalking/still hunting, what would you have mounted on this Model 7 in .260? Keep in mind that my previous scopes have been fixed four powers and 3-9x40 scopes on .30-30 lever guns. This is my first centerfire bolt action other than my K31, which I won't hunt with the way I deer hunt now. A manual safety is an absolute must, and while the K31 has a "safety," it requires manually cocking the firing pin to take it off safety and obviously fire the rifle, not suitable for still hunting or quick shots.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I feel the OP's pain on buying optics.

I liken buying a scope to taking a girl on a date. She may look good on the outside but underneath she may be a dud........

Living next door to a Cabelas store (literally), I would never take any sales associates recommendation on anything at Cabelas pertaining to any item in the gun department, especially optics. Most, if not all have no idea about the product you want to buy. Of all the personnel in the gun department of the Cabelas next door, exactly one is knowledgeable about optics and firearms and that's not a good percentage when the department has many 'associates'....

Practice due diligence and do your homework elsewhere, like here on this forum where you get pretty good feedback from shooters that already have the optics and guns you want to get..... and, there are much better prices to be had than from Cabelas.....

Having read the entire thread, I see numerous recommendations to Vortex optics and I too have one, a Viper PST on the ,338 Savage I bought a few months ago. It's heavy. I think 24 ounces is a lot, a pound and a half but then the firearm is heavy too, It's not something I want to carry all day and it's a PITA in Michigan woods as I found out hunting in late antlerless doe season here in the woods. An impressive firearm but it don't cut any cheese in the woods, I spent a good deal of time bent over looking like the old codger I'm becoming, trying to clear low hanging branches that the long .338's barrel wanted to snag....

Far as the Vortex is concerned, I've always been a Leupy person. At least in my eyes (not too good anymore), the Viper is just as clear as my VX4's and lots cheaper. I'm used to paying a buck for an optic, this Vortex was a refreshing change and I have money left over for 'other things'.....

The OP don't have a location with his signature line and states he's planning on deer hunting. If it's up here, his short barrel is the way to go and 14 power is almost too much, even a 6-9 would work. To that end (and because I'm old), I just bought a Savage 11-111 Lightweight hunter with a 20" barrel in 308 Winchester, a whopping 5.5 pounds and I'll add an optic but a lightweight one. I want the rig to come in under 7 pounds wet. I am eyeing a Vortex Viper HS with side parallelax 4.5-14 but weight less than 15 ounces. Lots less than the PST. That's extra granola bars......

Finally, unless you are out in the 'wide open spaces', a 308 or his caliber is just fine because the 'long shots' don't exist. If they do, I always have my cannon......

It does make a very satisfying bang.

 

[jtkratzer]

I'm in SE PA, and where I've hunted in the past has strictly been in the woods, and the .30-30 got the job done. I'm now hunting patches of woods and adjacent corn/bean fields. So, I'm still going to have woods hunting, but longer shots in the fields. I shot my deer this year still hunting thick stuff. Being this is the first time I bought myself a hunting gun and scope, I'll see how this goes and go from there.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'm in SE PA, and where I've hunted in the past has strictly been in the woods, and the .30-30 got the job done. I'm now hunting patches of woods and adjacent corn/bean fields. So, I'm still going to have woods hunting, but longer shots in the fields. I shot my deer this year still hunting thick stuff. Being this is the first time I bought myself a hunting gun and scope, I'll see how this goes and go from there.

..........and I hunt the same terrain as you but a bit more woods. I think you'll be fine. Go use your rig and find out.

I listed my shot in the longest kill on this forum but mine was 4 feet, not 400 feet or 400 yards. I used a handgun, 44 magnum N frame. Dang deer almost fell on top of me......

Amazing how close they come in the woods, especially when they don't wind you.......

 

[jtkratzer]

..........and I hunt the same terrain as you but a bit more woods. I think you'll be fine. Go use your rig and find out.

I listed my shot in the longest kill on this forum but mine was 4 feet, not 400 feet or 400 yards. I used a handgun, 44 magnum N frame. Dang deer almost fell on top of me......

Amazing how close they come in the woods, especially when they don't wind you.......

I'm using Google Maps/Satellite to scout some wooded areas to start asking permission to bow hunt. I'd love some shots that close, but not from the stand, you'd shoot straight down through the back.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'm a creeper. Was actually squatting next to a deadfall and the deer walked right up. I don't use a stand, I don't own one but then I don't bow hunt. Just happened to be using a sidearm. A rifle would have been no good anyway and actually, where I hunt, a handgun of sufficient caliber is really all that's needed.... and much easier to handle under trees as I found out with the .338 LRH. That barrel sticks up way too far....lol

My hunting buddies were all teasing me (about the .338). Their comment was if there was a tree in the way, I could just shoot through it.....

I'm used to squatting, I farm and all famers I know do it......

I like to scout the runs in the woods prior to (day prior) and then place myself off a well used run and wait. I try to get out before sun rise, hunt until about 11:30 am and then head in and go out again about 3 until dark or I can't see anymore (not that I see all that well in the first place......).

Going out west this fall so I'll have to change my approach I imagine.....

Planning on carrying the 308 (out west, New Mexico) but I'll take the cannon along just in case. I've long lusted for a long range target. Knowing my skill level, I'll probably miss anyway.

I'm leaning toward the Viper HS side parallelax 44mm objective in Warne rings on an EGW rail. Just got the 308 last week and it's in the closet right now. I'll have to break it in and sight it at 200.

Interestingly, where I live is the same Deer Management Unit as our property 'up north' with one exception. Here, you can't use a centerfire. It's bow, muzzleloader or handgun. Up there it's anything that goes bang and has a primer in the center. Needless to say, a magnum handgun is the firearm of choice.

 

[jtkratzer]

I like to get out before dark and get in a stand for a a couple hours. Then I get down and start moving through the thick stuff looking for the deer if they're not moving on their own or being pushed. That's for rifle.

Bow is much more typical, but I don't mind still hunting with a bow if the stands aren't working.

2007 was the last time I was out hunting before the couple days I managed this year. The Marine Corps will do that and I actually wasn't planning on being in the US for this past hunting season through this summer, but the deployment was cancelled due to the draw down.

I'm hoping to make a lot more time for scouting this year and having several spots to choose from.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I tend to stay in one spot or close to it. I take my day pack and granola bars and water and my plastic (bubble wrap) sitter-downer and get comfortable. Amazing how a sheet of bubble wrap insulates you from the damp-cold ground. Scouting prior gives me a good idea of the deer movement and the times.

My one lifesaver in the woods in the cold and snow is my Sorrell boots and wool mittens. I can't deal with cold hands or feet. Cold butt is one thing but not hands or feet.

I don't go looking, just let them come to me. Deer are creatures of habit and always take the route of least effort and resistance, unlike humans that make everything hard......

Why I like a handgun. It lays in my lap, always ready. My 44 double action has a hair trigger, typical of a 45 year old S&W..... I heard the one at 4 feet coming before I saw him. It's real still and silent and you hear their hooves on the forest floor breaking twigs and leaves...it's quite a rush when you hear them breathing....

Guess thats why I like to hunt. It really don't matter if I get a tag filled, it's being out there thats important, at least to me....

This New Mexico thing will be new to me. Not sure if I'll like it, but I want to try something different. I may go down south for wild boar too. I have some customers in Louisiana that want me to come down for a hunt. Sounds like fun. Besides, I like Cajun cuisine.

 

[Hunter12]

Looks good. Its your gun. You decide if it is over scoped or not. You know what you need it for. I think you did just right for the gun. Even better if you got a deal on it. I would never put a fixed 4x on nothing.

 

[jtkratzer]

I was gone for most of the summer last year in Africa, 5 weeks in Michigan, and recovering from eye surgery, and expecting a deployment, so there was literally no scouting last year. So I got in the woods with a buddy who knew his area and it worked out that I put meat in the freezer. I'll have time this year and I'm already starting.

I liked the fixed 4 on my still hunting .30-.30. There's just something nostalgic about hunting thick stuff in Pa with a lever .30-30, maybe it's because it's how everyone in my family hunted deer before me. Between my dad, grandparents, and uncles, I've only ever seen one hunt with a bolt gun. But that was hunting the sides of mountains and not edges of crop fields.