Looking for a scope
- Thread starter MMarshall
- Start date
BrentD
Well-known member
Unertl "Small Game" scope. Actually, nothing small game about it however. It's on a .38-72. It's probably not what you are looking for I suppose.
riv3rbanks
Active member
Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44. Clearest glass for the money in my eyes.
Which setup?
If you give us your rig, we can help. I've got scopes from 1.5x5 up to 4.5x14 on my hunting rigs. That includes fixed 4 power, etc. A lot depends on what cartridge you're shooting, expected distances, etc. My all purpose scopes are the Leupold VX3i 2.5x8 or 3.5x10. I'm confident out to about 400 yards with either of those. My 38 has the 4.5x14 and I have rifles with no optics that I like for timber hunting.
If you give us your rig, we can help. I've got scopes from 1.5x5 up to 4.5x14 on my hunting rigs. That includes fixed 4 power, etc. A lot depends on what cartridge you're shooting, expected distances, etc. My all purpose scopes are the Leupold VX3i 2.5x8 or 3.5x10. I'm confident out to about 400 yards with either of those. My 38 has the 4.5x14 and I have rifles with no optics that I like for timber hunting.
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
Like Ben said, depends on how you use a scope and what you expect from it and of course budget. If you're a turret twister (adjusting scope elevation for shots), I was shooting an Athlon Midas Tac scope this past weekend and was really impressed with its glass and turrets. It wasn't my scope, but I sure liked it.
BrentD
Well-known member
Does it matter?
I did not catch that. Thanks!
That being said, think lower on the magnification scale rather than higher. a good fixed 2X would be good, as would a 1-4 designed for muzzleloaders.
BrentD
Well-known member
I use 4 to 25x on my muzzleloader. All fixed magnifications however.
Wilson Daddy
New member
I'm running a Nikon P-RIMFIRE 2-7x32mm BDC 150. In my opinion and as others noted, it depends on the cartridge you're shooting, distance, and your goal. I originally found a scope while reading this .17 hmr scope guide. Optics planet guide is good, too IMO. There are a LOT of great tips on this forum as well and Google. I'd highly, highly recommend researching everything you can about your weapon then select a scope.
As the other veterans eloquently said -- it's all about what you've got.
Good luck!
belshawelk
Well-known member
Leupold. I have about 6 or 7 of them. If you buy something else, we cant be friends.
I have thousands and thousand of air miles on mine, been dropped, banged, wet, damn near frozen and and never , ever once have any of them lost zero. I quit re-sighting in my guns after flying because I got tied of wasting ammo.
I have thousands and thousand of air miles on mine, been dropped, banged, wet, damn near frozen and and never , ever once have any of them lost zero. I quit re-sighting in my guns after flying because I got tied of wasting ammo.
I'll go against the grain here. Considering your set-up and that you are likely new to muzzleloading, it's unlikely you will shoot at anything beyond 100 yards with less than 50 yards much more likely. A 300 yards shot is a very long poke unless you are really working with your loads (bullet/powder/primer) to fine tune them to be accurate out that far, and few would choose powerbelts as a long range projectile.
Assuming the above is correct, you will be perfectly serviced by any decent low power (max 8x) scope with good eye relief (at least 3.5"). My specific recommendation would be a fixed 4x Simmons ProHunter shotgun scope which would run you about $60. It has 4" of eye relief and is fine out to 150 feet. Yes, I can hear the screams about Simmons scopes being cr@p (most models likely are) but the Prohunter 4x seems to be an exception. If you do a little research on some of the online dedicated muzzleloader forums you will discover quite a bit of praise for this "cheap" scope. Many (myself included) have used the 4x Prohunter very successfully for many years. Perhaps because it is a fixed power scope, there is less to go wrong with it - less moving parts - so the $60 price tag is not much of a risk. Yes, there are many better scopes out there, for a lot more money, but if you need to get some glass on your muzzleloader fast and without a lot of hurt to your wallet, you can't really go wrong here. Then you can hunt and go to the range while you save up for your primo optics. That was my plan - I just never got around to upgrading because the ProHunter simply did the job.
Addicting
Well-known member
I have this scope. The reticle drop marks matches up almost perfect to my load at 100, 200, and 250. 250 is stretching the energy required to kill with a 250 FTX. I would recommend that with a 295 you stay under 200. At 300 your dropping like a rock with little to no energy.
AggieOutlaw
Active member
- Joined
- May 22, 2016
- Messages
- 534
I run the Leupold Ultimate Slam SABR Firedot 3-9x. I love it.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
I put vortex scopes on all my firearms... I have never been disappointed.
Eric.MN
Well-known member
My two main rifles have a vortex viper and the other has a leupold vx3I, both are great scopes and wouldn't disappoint
