Posted on 10/20/2015 1:50:25 PM PDT by w1n1
When is the last time you saw a deer rifle without a scope on it? I am betting it has been quite a few deer seasons ago. I think it has been 1970 since I saw a deer rifle in the woods using only open sights. I remember this because it was my first deer rifle, a Winchester Model 94 in 30-30. I bought the rifle at J.C. Penney for $66.
I killed my first buck with that rifle at a whopping range of 20 yards. I hardly needed an optical scope to make that shot. Truth is though in those days not one deer rifle in camp had a glass lens scope on it. That was long ago.
Those early deer hunting days were in Missouri when I was in college. By the time I moved to Mississippi in 1983, virtually every deer rifle I saw sported an optical scope of some description. Today a riflescope is considered essential, not a custom accessory or a luxury item. Everybody uses them.
One question arises though. Are most of the scopes on rifles used by deer hunters these days the right ones or the best choices? Is there really such a practical thing as an ideal scope for a deer rifle? Let’s examine these parameters to profile what the best recommendations are for an optical scope to mount on your deer rifle.
Keep in perspective too that the factory offerings and options for today’s riflescopes can be mind boggling and are getting more confusing all the time. The market is congested with many high quality scopes at some fairly reasonable prices, but there are also plenty of low quality scopes out there with dubious reputations for long lasting quality, optical clarity, waterproofing, and over all reliability. Read the rest of the story here.
Leupold M3 10x mil-dot.
...but I guess that’s not really for hunting deer...
I don’t know much about scopes but I got one recently with a red dot inside that LOOKS like a laser pointer, but its really just optics inside the scope (no real laser red dot hits the target)
But once you have it sighted-in, that red dot is where you will hit. I love it
you can even get a magnifier for it
I’ve been very happy with the Nikon BDC line. Coupled with their Spot On app you can pretty much dial it in at any reasonable distance.
They’re reasonably priced and have a lifetime warranty.
L
Hunters are like fishermen, they can really stretch distances and sizes.
OK, I’ll admit, I 3X9 on my dear rifle and I rarely crank it up past 4x. I’ve taken a few long shots over the years, but most of my deer, pig, etc. are under 200yds, many closer to a 100.
We’re not talking prairie dogs at 500yds here (I have a gun and glass for this).
I’m guessing the vast majority of deer kills don’t even require a scope.
Fixed it for you.
OK, I scored a very nice little 3x9 Nikon that goes on the .308 but I do NOT need it. OK? I am NOT getting old.
OK, well, I meant to shoot that cow...
well duh...
You really needed to add that?
You sight it for the range you want. That’s true for every scope. there is no magical scope that works at every range.
There is also a range adjustment on it that works very well.
That barn needed killin’!
I love my Monarch BDC. Goes on my Rock River in .308. I also have a Buckamaster on my .270. And a Leupold on my frontstuffer.
Yes, maybe not for you, but a lot of newbies seem to read these threads. Too many seem to have the idea that a scope is some magical device like a laser, with no concept of ballistics.
I’ll never forget the day I went to the gun club with my brand new Remington 700 with Vortex scope to dial it in. Only to be told by some jackass that to be considered a member of the “shooting community” it would take nothing less than putting a $1,500 Nightforce scope on it.
When somebody tells you that your scope has to be twice the price of your rifle is when you know they are full of s**t. As are many in the “shooting community.”
Having said that Rule #1 for buying rifle scopes: don’t worry about getting the latest and greatest. Whatever perceived features or gains you would receive from picking a more expensive scope over another are probably so minimal that they probably don’t pertain to you. Most people can’t outshoot their scopes.
Rule #2: Don’t fall for analysis paralysis. Everybody is an expert these days or wants to be one. It’s easy to get suckered in to analyzing every aspect of a scope so that it becomes a religious obsession. When you find yourself becoming a materials scientists on the matter of scope housings, optics coatings etc. it’s time to stop and make a decision.
Yikes. Didn’t answer the BIG question...MOA or MIL-DOT.
Ran Leupold glass for along time but have slowly switched to Zeiss. The Conquest line is damn fine glass for a reasonable price.
I would suggest never going cheap on a scope.
But I refuse to pay 3x the price of the rifle for a scope.
Rule for first riflescope, buy what you can afford today.
You can always get a bigger, better, badder scope down the road, once you are accustomed to using a scope, AND NOT USING IT FOR WHAT YOU BUY BINOCULARS FOR, you might get shot at.
I have used Tasco, Bushnell, Redfield, and Simmons as starter scopes.
I have always opted for, in low vegetation with hills and fairly flat terrain, the old 3x - 9x variable scope.
For those with lever actions, the standard was a 4x, or possibly a 2x - 6x with a little more terrain,.
The objective lens was a 30mm, and with a long eye relief, or long distance between exit pupil and eyeball, as would be placed on a bolt action rifle.
My Nikon 3-9 is a great scope. Clear, gathers light in low-light conditions.
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