# Firearms and Shooting > Firearms, Optics and Accessories >  What scope for bush through to 500yd bunny's?

## LJP

This has probably been asked a million times  :XD:  but what scope would you use on a Kimber 308 to handle everything from bush to 500yd bunny's? I'm thinking 2-3x at the bottom end & at least 12x at the top & dialable. Scopes that come to mind Swaro 3-18x44BT, March 2.5-25x42, S&B 3-12x50 PMII maybe leupolds VX6 2-12x42 or 3-18x42 CDS. I think 10x at the top end won't be enough to clearly indentify a bunny or magpie around 500yds. I don't really want to drop a heavy scope on the trim rifle either & completly destroy the balance either. Before you ask yes 308's make great bunny guns  :Thumbsup:  Your thoughts gentlemen?

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## kiwijames

Was in the same boat Luke. Ended up with the Z5. The Z6 may be worth a look too, but if your spending coin the March has all the fruit. The Weaver Super Slam could be worth a look but nothing beats the Z5 for weight and compared against *baldbob*s Premier the glass was good.

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## Rushy

I am definitely a fan of Leupold.  I don't shoot bunnies with a centrefire but cranked down at 3 the Leupold is fine in short range bush and on the odd occassion that I have shot deer out beyond a couple of hundred metres the 12 setting gives enough of a view to knock the nuts of a gnat.  Impressed that you take on bunnies at 5 hundy with a 308.  The slug must drop a metre and a half over that distance.

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## Rock river arms hunter

nightforce 5.5-25x56 nxs with zerostop.... a tad on the heavy side but holy hell worth it!

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## R93

> nightforce 5.5-25x56 nxs with zerostop.... a tad on the heavy side but holy hell worth it!


Waste of time in the bush.
Have a look at the Bushnell Elite range. 2.5-16 and reasonably light and reliable.

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## veitnamcam

> nightforce 5.5-25x56 nxs with zerostop.... a tad on the heavy side but holy hell worth it!


Are you trying to sell one of these or what?

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## ARdave

Ive got a bushnell 6500 with target knobs in 2.5-16 , glass is as clear as my loopy vx3 . Be great out to 500 + ... Cheap off opticsplanet too (all relative i guess  :Grin:  )

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## veitnamcam

Im after almost the same LJP....I want light so prob 42 objective max and inch tube max 3x low end and 12x would be nice top end dialable.
Sounds like a swaro for me :36 1 5:  Geez that is gonna hurt

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## Kiwi Greg

I have a couple of 4.5-14 VX3 CDS with Alumina caps & really like them. 
Nice & light with good glass & enough mag.
I use 4-6 in the bush, but thats just how I like it. 
It's a waste of time having a lovely light little rifle & then sticking a bloody great scope or suppressor etc on it.......

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## veitnamcam

> I have a couple of 4.5-14 VX3 CDS with Alumina caps & really like them. 
> Nice & light with good glass & enough mag.
> I use 4-6 in the bush, but thats just how I like it. 
> It's a waste of time having a lovely light little rifle & then sticking a bloody great scope or suppressor etc on it.......


I rate mine too Greg but being a 50 its a bit bulky and heavy and 4.5 is doable in the bush but less is more.
Got it for the 08 to make it a bit more "do all" but its been to the detriment of my bush stalking enjoyment :36 1 53:

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## kiwijames

> nightforce 5.5-25x56 nxs with zerostop.... a tad on the heavy side but holy hell worth it!


Complete waste of time in the bush  :Psmiley:

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## LJP

> I have a couple of 4.5-14 VX3 CDS with Alumina caps & really like them. 
> Nice & light with good glass & enough mag.
> I use 4-6 in the bush, but thats just how I like it. 
> It's a waste of time having a lovely light little rifle & then sticking a bloody great scope or suppressor etc on it.......


Is that a 25 or 30mm tube? Did you bother with getting one with parallax adjustment?

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## 199p

I would go z5 
I have just got one for my 280ai which i plan to use from nothing to 600

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## sneeze

Id be thinking about glass quality and reticle sub tensions as well, low light in the bush you want the posts big enough to be easily visible but with a fine cross hair so that 500yd rabbit doesn't disappear behind it. I had the Bushnell 6500 2.5 -16 for a while and its a good  light option for the money , replaced it with the March. have a Z5 3.5-18 BT and even though the BT is a soft and lacks feel  I'm liking it a lot for an alrounder. Had a look at the vx6 2-12 but it was only a couple of hundred cheaper than the z5 and the turrets weren't any better. Going cheaper the clearidge XP5 looks pretty good with the 2.5-12. Around the $1000 mark id take the 6500 for the lower bottom end over a vx 3(4.5-14). The z3 4-12 BT is around $1600 but its a 50mm objective and another $400 gets you to the 2k mark and the Z5 is hard to beat there. Looking top end the March is probably the best on the market given the weight and compactness.

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## Normie

Nightforce 3.5-15?

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## DAF

Sightron are great value and work well

http://www.sightron.com/index.php?ac...16362&cat_id=6


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## leathel

watching with interest  :Have A Nice Day: 

 Might have a need soon

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## sneeze

> Sightron are great value and work well
> 
> Sightron Riflescopes / Binoculars / Sighting Scopes product pages. SIII Series -
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Id like to try a sightron,they get good raps. Iv got a few boxes of 230gr otms floating round maybe I need to build a big dirty thirty and try one :Angry:  
The scope  choices are almost endless  these days but when its all round performance some scopes stand out a little.The 3-15 nightforce for example is a 3k scope with a 50mm objective, for simmilar money the March has a far better mag range  a 42 mm objective  is over all more compact and and weighs 1/3 less.  Certainly you dont need much more than 12-14 power to shoot things at 500yds but if theres no down side then why not? The bottom end is more relevant in stalking situations though and getting down into the 2.5-3 x area is  good. You could do the job with a 3-10 x something but why when you can get 2.5-16 or better? Again though any real advantage isnt huge by any means.

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## leathel

> Sightron are great value and work well
> 
> Sightron Riflescopes / Binoculars / Sighting Scopes product pages. SIII Series -
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I think the SIII scopes are great (would like another 1 or 2), I had a 4.5-14 SF SII big sky and it was also pretty good but 4.5 at the low end was a tad high and it was 18-20 moa per turn which was a bit much on a small dial (half the size of the sIII dial) the clicks were very fine...good glass though...and lighter than the Weaver I have ATM.

Budget sure does cloud the options a little as the one to get for me is the March or Swaro...just to much $$$ for me ATM

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## kimjon

Weaver Superslam 3-15x42sf. 

Kinda does it all and at a reasonable price, but as with any one size fits all solution, its not going to be a perfect fit for everyone.

kj

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## sako75

That is a bit like saying you want an economical car for day to day city driving and easy parking yet also needs to take on the big boys down the motorway.
Have you thought of two scopes with quick release?

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## R93

> I have a couple of 4.5-14 VX3 CDS with Alumina caps & really like them. 
> Nice & light with good glass & enough mag.
> I use 4-6 in the bush, but thats just how I like it. 
> It's a waste of time having a lovely light little rifle & then sticking a bloody great scope or suppressor etc on it.......


You must hunt in Narnia Greg with a 4.5-6. Or is it bush you can see over the top of?

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## Kiwi Greg

> You must hunt in Narnia Greg with a 4.5-6. Or is it bush you can see over the top of?


Lol Narnia or Nadia ?  :Have A Nice Day: 
The bush I hunt is usually fairly open 15-70+metres.,
Not that crap on the coast when you turn around twice & wonder where the hell you are......god bless gps....
I used to have a 1.5-6 Kahles on one of my bush rifles & always ended up using 4-5+ power.
It was cool on 1.5, with the suppressor on it looked like a video game  :Have A Nice Day:

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## R93

> Lol Narnia or Nadia ? 
> The bush I hunt is usually fairly open 15-70+metres.,
> Not that crap on the coast when you turn around twice & wonder where the hell you are......god bless gps....
> I used to have a 1.5-6 Kahles on one of my bush rifles & always ended up using 4-5+ power.
> It was cool on 1.5, with the suppressor on it looked like a video game


I have too admit seeing my muzzle on low power is sometimes distracting. Who's Nadia you dog?

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## Kiwi Greg

> I have too admit seeing my muzzle on low power is sometimes distracting. Who's Nadia you dog?


You have got a short memory Dave....... Lol.......U have met her...

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## R93

> You have got a short memory Dave....... Lol.......U have met her...


True! I have too. Sorry mate, I do have a bad memory, especially with names. I can forget them 2 seconds after I am told them, very poor form on my part.

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## Kiwi Greg

> True! I have too. Sorry mate, I do have a bad memory, especially with names. I can forget them 2 seconds after I am told them, very poor form on my part.


I'm the same mate  :Grin:

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## Freezer

I'm about to go with a clearidge on my 243.  Once here will take some photos and try do a valuable comparison.

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## Gemini

Swaro Z3. BRX

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## outdoorlad

What about a 2.5-10x32 nightforce

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## LJP

> What about a 2.5-10x32 nightforce


Yip thought about one of those. Probably a great choice but I wonder if 10x is enough power to spot small game & get a good aiming point. Pretty compact scope but starting to get heavy. The swaro Z3 looks like not a bad choice. So many choices - probably come done to the best deal I can get a scope.

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## Proudkiwi

The Premier Light Tac is a very nice scope which meets your mag range requirements.

Although, while it's not very heavy (compared to NF, S&B etc) its still quite a large scope.

Ive come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as the perfect "all-rounder" scope  :Sad:

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## leathel

Premier Tactical vs. Light Tactical - YouTube

light is still 720gr on that but the tactical is plenty heavier...... But interesting with plenty of options available

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## Bagheera

How do you guys with the Z5 find the reticle ?  I've thought the gap between posts was a bit wide and the crosshairs too fine for in the dark bush.

I'm a bit concerned about the durablity. Swaro don't advertise it as a strong point but Leupold do.

ps:I've been waiting for this to come on the market Schmidt Bender PMII 3-20x50 L/P H2CMR MRAD Locking MTC CCW - EuroOptic.com  A little on the heavy side but it would surely do it all ...

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## Bagheera

> Weaver Superslam 3-15x42sf. 
> 
> Kinda does it all and at a reasonable price, but as with any one size fits all solution, its not going to be a perfect fit for everyone.
> 
> kj


Hi Kimjon, nice to see you posting here.  How have you found the Weaver in the bush, or is it mostly a long range gun and the low range is just in case ?

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## sneeze

> How do you guys with the Z5 find the reticle ?  I've thought the gap between posts was a bit wide and the crosshairs too fine for in the dark bush.
> 
> I'm a bit concerned about the durablity. Swaro don't advertise it as a strong point but Leupold do.
> 
> ps:I've been waiting for this to come on the market Schmidt Bender PMII 3-20x50 L/P H2CMR MRAD Locking MTC CCW - EuroOptic.com  A little on the heavy side but it would surely do it all ...


32oz its got some heft al right, personally I dont see the atraction,its to heavy and bulky to be a versitle scope,its definatly high end  for long range but then the low power   is of little  real value. Which reticle on the Z5 where  you looking at? I have the 4w and its ok but the whole scope is a compromise which is the price you pay for a having an allrounder at a svelt 16oz.. Im not aware of any durabilty issues with swaro anymore than any other, have seen a few failed leupolds.

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## Bagheera

> ... Which reticle on the Z5 where  you looking at? I have the 4w and its ok but the whole scope is a compromise which is the price you pay for a having an allrounder at a svelt 16oz.. ...


It was a #4 type of some sort that I didn't like.  I thought maybe the plex would be a bit more friendly.  I agree, the scope somehow should match the style of rifle, not get carried away by numbers.

Did you get the ballistic turret ?  If so, do you miss being able to dial for wind or is that just not what that gun is for ?

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## sneeze

Yes has the balistic turret and a custom cap may be in future, the 4w ret  has 2moa hash marks on the horizontal for holding windage and you can still remove the cap and dial. The balistic turret is reliable  but it lacks feel. Its on a 243ai and  Iv used it to 600+ a few times now and have given it a good work out over a grid, its reliable and repeatable so IMHO suits a hunting rifle that you dial a bit  far more than a dedicated LR situation.

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## outdoorlad

The Z5 BT seems to be pitched at hunters who may occasionally want to shoot out to 500, lot of money to be limited to 13Moa of elevation. I'm leaning towards the weaver.

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## Konev

looked at the vortex viper HS line?

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## crnkin

I want one of these for my short range gun (out to 500ish on game)

SWFA SS 1-6x24 Tactical 30mm Riflescope

Hummed and hatred about getting in on a group buy for one, waited too long and now regretting it. They come up once a year though.

Chria

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## crnkin

or this but its twice the price



1-10x26 IOR ffp, 35 mils adjustment, zero reset etc

Chris

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## LJP

Thanks for all the replies guys. Certainly given me plenty to think about. Its a great place to get some ideas  :Thumbsup:

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## sneeze

> looked at the vortex viper HS line?


Yes I had a 4-16x50 HS for a short time but the reticle was just to fine. Good scope and good value I thought but far better varmint scope  than general hunting.

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## Smiddy

im going to go 3-18  vx6 when i get the coin

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## crnkin

And an HRE suppressor...

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## crnkin

goddamn my typing is bad on my new computer. Apologies - can't edit them now.

Chris

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## sneeze

> I'm going to go 3-18  vx6 when i get the coin


Have you had a play with a VX6? I went along to NZ Asia pretty sure Id walk out with a 2-12 but the turrets where not flash at all, very disappointing.

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## Smiddy

> And an HRE suppressor...


yes not long now chris,   i keep getting invited on bloddy chopper trips,   there hard on this honki's wallet

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## crnkin

Maybe I could take one for the team and ride along one day haha!

Too much work though  :Sad: 

Chris

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## veitnamcam

> Have you had a play with a VX6? I went along to NZ Asia pretty sure Id walk out with a 2-12 but the turrets where not flash at all, very disappointing.


In what way were they disapointing sneeze? how do they compare to say vx3 turrets?

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## LJP

It seems a shame that Leupold may have cocked up the feel of the turrets on their VX7 range - they could be the closest thing to an affordable all round scope at a half resonable price. I haven't felt one yet so can't confirm that.

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## sneeze

> In what way were they disapointing sneeze? how do they compare to say vx3 turrets?


They were very soft,almost spongy in feel with no audible indication. Still useable but poor value for that money IMHO. I was surprised as leupold have been pretty consistant across the range with their turrets, never being top notch but always good. It was only one scope but a reference was made that a well knowen NZ shooter/writer had made the same comment.

Be interesting to hear other opinions on them,they may get better.

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