Yes, hunting is the purpose for this rifle. The max range that I will be shooting is 400 yards, and I will be hunting pronghorn, whitetail, mule deer, and elk with this rifle. Thanks for the reply!
This doesn't answer your question but I thought I might make a couple comments to give you something to consider when making your choice. 12, 16 or 18 power is a fair bit of magnification for shots up to 400 yards. Magnification is definitely a personal preference thing but there are certain aspects to a lot of magnification that can be a drawback to a hunting scope. At high magnification the field of view gets real small, the eye box on some scopes can be a little tight at high power and most ranging reticle only work at max power. These can be drawbacks at times. To put things in perspective I shot my deer last year at 503 yards with a rifle fitted with a vx5 2-10 power scope with cds dial. I dialed for 500 yards and it worked great. The other aspect to high power scopes is that they generally cost more. You can do a 400 yard shot with 6 or 8x scope without a problem. Personally I would get a smaller scope and get a better quality scope with better glass and lens coatings. Much more valuable in my opinion. Now, if I was setting up some type of canyon buster rifle where I knew I would be shooting over 500 yards I would take that extra magnification. Also, don't discount the dials. I have several scopes with dials as well as ranging reticle scopes from different companies and I think the dials are better. I find them to me more accurate so 'long as you send in accurate Info and they work at any magnification. Just some thoughts. Good luck..
Thanks, that is some really good info! That definitely gives me some things to think about! Thanks for the reply!
This is a good point about dials assuming you are using a load specific dial which you don't have too. You can you use the standard dial but you need to know the drops which isn't too hard to figure out. I shoot the same bullet regardless so I use a custom dial that i don't have too switch out . You can also have more than one dial made. Lots of choices.
Thanks for the reply and info. So if I bought less magnification, I could probably buy a Swarovski 4-12 for the same money as a lesser brand with more magnification. Is that what you would recommend?
I've upgraded from Vortex Crossfires, Diamondbacks and Vipers to Vortex Razor HD LH scopes on my rifles, 1.5-8 for WI whitetail woods, 2-10 for all around and 3-15 for open country. It's a second focal plane scope so to use the hold-over marks of the BDC reticle you need to have it dialed all the way up, and it's way easier to maintain your sight picture on target with lower magnification than a higher magnification - I have to be careful not to dial up the 3-15 all the way up if I'm not using the hold-over marks which for my set up is any shot within 300 yds, yet I don't expect to ever shoot beyond 400 yds. If I had only one rifle and one scope I'd use my 2-10 as it would work from the woods to 400+. Honestly, being able to go up to 15 power instead of only 10 power creates a more challenging shot based on my experience.
There are a lot of good scopes In the 3-9, 2-10, 4-12 range. Swarovski has very nice glass. I do question their durability in the z3 line. I have a 3x9 z3 that I put on a 30-06 and I could never get it sighted in properly. I took it to the range several times but it was all over the place. Made me start questioning my shooting. Since I have been working less recently I have been trying to figure it out and it seems the scope is out of wack. I just sent it off to swarovski on fridsy to have it looked at. Based on my testing and correspondence with swarovski it had too much adjustment available so I suspect the erector assembly is broken. This surprised me as I've haven't shot it that much and never took it hunting. Some people have complained about similar issues while others have had no issue. Maybe i just got a lemon. I will say my favorite scope so far has been my leupold vx5 2-10 with cds and zero lock. I have found that scope to be the best for a general purpose rifle where short and long shorts (upto around 500 yards) may present themselves. I have also heard good things about those swfa scopes. I have a knowledgeable friend who swears by them and hates leupold. Lots of opinions on this topic.
Wouldn't be what I'd buy, but if that checks off boxes for you, then go for it. You've said you want a mil-dot/BDC reticle. Find the one you like, then get the scope in the 3-9X range with that.
Heard that!
Thanks, for the info and knowledge. Will definitely consider all options!It's all a matter of personal preference. Getting a sound quality scope is the most important part of the decision. But one needs to understand the pros and cons of magnification and how it applies your particular style of hunting.
Magnification is not always your friend, and in some cases can be a handicap. The higher you go in magnification, the harder it will be for you to hold steady. Also, the higher you turn your magnification ring, the less light transmission you will have which will impact the last minute of daylight opportunities such finding the buck edging in a field at the edge of dark with your reticle. Also, when you get above 10x, parallax comes into play, which is another variable that can throw you off the inteneded target when things get exciting.
The point of being able to see a target to hit it is certainly valid. For long range target shooting, higher magnification is certainly warranted. I like higher magnification when shooting prairie dogs. I would often choose more, but typically the magnification is limited by mirage. Looking at a target 500 yards away on 9x is equivalent to looking at a target 55 yards away on 1x. With the OPs maximum range of 400 yards, thats the equivalent of 44 yards on 1x, which is easily obtainable on big game if the shooter can shoot straight enough. Just think how many turkey hunters are shooting 45 yards by use of the bead on a shotgun barrel.
The power ring on my big game variable scopes are always set on 5 or 6x, and typically only go higher when I am at the bench checking my zero. A majority of my shots are also under 200 yards, but occasionally reach out to beyond 400. Your style of hunting may require a completely different setup, or you may simply prefer more magnification.
