Thread: Dual purpose scopes

Yes, I did this about 10 years ago, too.

If it's your Go To hunting rifle then you need to prioritise hunting features. ie brand quality, ruggedness, easy to see reticle.

For some daft reason, there were no mid price mil click/mil reticle FFP scopes available then but fortunately I wasn't limited to $1500 and I got a 3-12x50 PM II. It has been a great scope for go to 7mm08 hunting and GPRE field target shooting. The 5-20 ultra compact is virtually the same dimensions and I think would be ideal for tahr hunting but perhaps not so "Go To" for all roundering. If your eyes are young (less than 30 years old) you should be OK without focus (parallax) adjustment and could look at the S&B Klassik 3-12x50 with P3 reticle (FFP & mil dots); I think they are about $2000.

For hunting up to 300m and targets to 700m 12x is plenty, even with dodgy eyes. If you are shooting at multiple targets with time limit, then 8x is better than 12x. Using a 25x S&B or Vortex Razor gives considerably better precision but is very expensive in $$$ and weight is measured in kg not ounces. Only really needed for high level competition or 1000m. Windage adjustment isn't essential but FFP makes shooting a lot easier. Typically windage holds at 500m can be 1-2 mil which would be difficult with SFP. A MOA click/MOA hash reticle would be fine and easier to obtain in an American brand like Leupold, Bushnell or Weaver.

A good condition second hand scope is worth looking at. The Weaver SuperSlam was well thought of a few years ago. If your budget doesn't run to a new Leupold VX5 HD then look at the older 4.5-14 Vx3i or its successor VX3HD or the Swaro Z5 3.5-18 (not so rugged but light and very classy). 4.5x low end is good for hunting if you have the stock set up well for your own face. Modest features in a quality scope will outmatch high spec numbers in a budget build.

No matter how much you spend, you'll need to compromise in some areas. There's some good advice earlier in this thread that will help you make your own choice.