Thread: What Scope are People Using for Medium Range

[QUOTE=GWH;1251869]Each to their own i guess, but for me when shooting deer at 500 yards or more i like to have every bit of precision I can


I personally think any hunter (if I can use that term)
That makes a decision to take an animal needs to consider the animal also

To attempt a "clean Kill" shot at 400 - 500m + meters is not called for - IMO
Yes - it appears to be the fad of late on U-Tuber's etc
But they will never show the F - ups
Even if a slight back in gut shot is retrieved and dispatched - what timeframe to get to it and find it ???

No
Just walk a bit closer ah
Want to be a Sniper - go join that brigade in Middle East

bog std 3x9x40-50mm it is what has worked for me for years,the fixed 4x is awesome scope and comes up very well BUT even I have to admit the 3x bottom end slightly edges it for field of view up close...not by much but it is there.I can count on one hand the deer Ive shot past 300 yards..but all have dropped to single shot.

Originally Posted by GWH

Each to their own i guess, but for me when shooting deer at 500 yards or more i like to have every bit of precision I can, that means a reasonable amount of magnification, and I like to dial the elevation turret to allow for the drop.

Trying to use holdover subtentions at 500 yards is just too vague for me. You are always guessing trying to hold halfway between two hash marks etc, then you have the confusion in the heat of the moment about which hash mark you are supposed to be holding on, it's just too messy for my liking. Dialing for distance really isnt that hard to setup and perform, when shooting at that distance you normally have well enough time to range, check dope chart or Ballistic app and dial the correction onto the turret and then hold the cross hair where you want to hit, either holding or dialing on a wind correction as well.

Trying to hold over for elevation and hold off for wind at the same time is just double messy.

The red yearling I shot at 597 yards on Friday evening, i had my scope wound up to the max of 20x and even thou the ret has a lovely little fine floating dot in the centre, i tell ya what the animal is still fairly small in the scope. I use to use a 16x scope on the 7mm Saum, and that extra mag up to 20x sure helps place that crosshair where you want it when out around 500 yd plus.

This is what I have found to work very well for me anyway.

I quite like the Sightron S-Tac 4-20 that im running on my 7mm SAUM, fantastic value/performance for the money. So much so that i have another two of them in transit. CameraLand NY have them on special currently for USD $299.99 each. Crazy cheap.

My father inlaw runs a couple of these on his rifles that he's competing in 1000 Target shooting with and hes right up there with the top shooters with gear that's worth WAY more.

If you think 4-20x50 is too much scope, they are also doing the 4-16x42 S-tac at the same price. It has the MOA-3 ret, so subtentions in moa which you can use to hold over with on the closer stuff and maybe dial for the longer stuff. These scope dial rock solid.

https://cameralandny.com/shop/sightr...iation=3072538

They also do a FFP S-Tac in 4-16 with mil ret, but its a little more $, but not much more.

Trying to order from camerlandny at the moment but having issues with their website and getting it to accept my card. Any clues appreciated!

In my little experience I have found a ffp scope rubbish for everyday hunting unless you are shooting past 100m all the time. The crosshsirs are too fine for me to see.

[QUOTE=Sarvo;1251953]

Originally Posted by GWH

Each to their own i guess, but for me when shooting deer at 500 yards or more i like to have every bit of precision I can


I personally think any hunter (if I can use that term)
That makes a decision to take an animal needs to consider the animal also

To attempt a "clean Kill" shot at 400 - 500m + meters is not called for - IMO
Yes - it appears to be the fad of late on U-Tuber's etc
But they will never show the F - ups
Even if a slight back in gut shot is retrieved and dispatched - what timeframe to get to it and find it ???

No
Just walk a bit closer ah
Want to be a Sniper - go join that brigade in Middle East

The original poster asked about scopes for shooting deer to a max range of 500m, and was talking about using holdover marks on a reticle to do that - Hence my reply talking about shooting deer at that kind of distance.

He didn't ask for info on scopes for shooting deer at short ranges in the bush, yet most of the answers/recommendations he's getting are more suited to that in my opinion.

Too many people 'talk' about shooting animals at these types of extended ranges, when in reality they cannot even hit a 500mm x 500mm steel plate at 300 yards. I've lost count of the number of times I've witnessed guys trying to shoot my gongs at the range.

Once you go beyond the PBR of any centrefire, so many people have no idea what the trajectory/drop is doing. Accurately hitting something at 400 to 500 yards is a lot harder than many 'normal hunters' think it is. In reality, if you have a good understanding of trajectory and how to use even average gear, the elevation drop side of it really isn't that hard.

LR hunting may not be for you, thats fine. We all have our choice. I spent plenty of time in the bush shooting deer up close inside 30 yards when i first started. Nowadays, i prefer to sit on a vantage point, let my eyes do the walking so to speak, and I enjoy the science and challenge of making a shot that the average hunter cannot.

Over the last few years, I've been doing this, I've seen an awful lot more animals and been able to shoot them in places that you would normally struggle too if you had tried to stalk in close to them, ie when you are down in the scrub with them you wouldn't see them, or they would have heard or smelt you coming long before you laid eyes on them. So basically im shooting them in places that you cannot walk closer too.

As i said eariler 'each to their own'.

I wouldn't worry about getting a FFP scope either, with most variable scopes I find in practice that I only ever use the top and bottom end of the range. i.e. for a 3-9 I leave it on 3 when walking and stumbling onto game and push it up to 9 when I see game before the game sees me and I am shooting at distance.

I can say almost to a certainty that there will never be a time where you are using subtension holdover and a lower setting at the same time. So if you want to use a ballistic reticle it can be RFP and just use it at highest magnification and be done with it.


As an aside, below is a photo of how I put on a dial chart on the scope on my .22
Just set the chart up in Excel and make the cell fill colour black, text colour orange,yellow or white. print out the chart (it may take some trial and error to get the cell size and text size right) and cut it out and then put clear sellotape over top of it to hold it in place and keep the weather off it.

I use a 2.5-10 power SFP for my medium range rifle and serves me well for wind holds on the reticle at max power. Also do like FFP for 100m+ shots if you need pin point accuracy because the reticle finer and a wide field of view on a lower magnification setting, plus the wind holds on the reticle can be used on any magnification which makes things simple.

After 3-5k S&B PM2,T96,Z8i,NF ATACR seen the light and use a Leupold 3.5-10 with CDS easy
fast and light and no herrendous 34mm tube or in excess of 30 ounces. Rifle in my hand not dragging on the ground or slung on back.
Many deer and the odd pig are not liking the combination this year

Hi Grandpamac

I have had a few, spent thousands on Schmidt Bender PMII, Nightforce NXS (nice glass but make better boat anchors)

I wanted the same as you but found the ffp cross hair was too big at distance and covered the target.

Average glass at 10 power is half as effective as good glass at 10 power

I settled on a Leica ERi 2-10x42. Very clear on animals out to 500, it has a very simple elevation turret, and practically light. I have had similar experiences looking through mates Swarovski glass. In my opinion you would need 14+ power in a leupold to get the effective clarity on target as 10x of the Leica or Swarovski.

Doing the research is half the fun, enjoy the process.

Greetings and thankyou one and all,
Your replies have been most useful. I note that a lot of the preferences are for lower power ranges than I was expecting with a lot of votes going for 2.5 to 8 power. Scrambling through thick bush is currently, and will likely remain beyond me but being able to drop down magnification from my 6 and 10 power scopes would be an advantage. Please keep the suggestions coming.
Many thanks Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings and thankyou one and all,
Your replies have been most useful. I note that a lot of the preferences are for lower power ranges than I was expecting with a lot of votes going for 2.5 to 8 power. Scrambling through thick bush is currently, and will likely remain beyond me but being able to drop down magnification from my 6 and 10 power scopes would be an advantage. Please keep the suggestions coming.
Many thanks Grandpamac.

@grandpamac I would take a good look at the Schmidt & Bender 4-16x50 with BDC (names have changed, called 'Precision Hunter'/'Long Range' and 'Varmint' at different times, now just called the 'Klassik'). They are FFP with side focus and usually have either the P3 (Mil-Dot) or A7 (German Post) reticles.

Downsides are long length, tunnels from 4-6 power (I only ever leave mine down on 6 power and turn up from there) and probably a bit expensive if buying new.

Plus sides are build quality, good glass clarity and light transmission, reliable yet low profile single turn turret with 0.05mil clicks for super precise adjustments which will get you out to 500m (with a cartridge/rifle combo that has over 3,000 fps at the muzzle) and very good factory service.

https://www.schmidtundbender.de/en/p...0-klassik.html

The 2.5-10 NXS with Velocity 600 reticle might suit you. There were three models released, LV MV and HV but I’ve only ever seen MV here. I had one on a 300WM and with a 200m zero, the holdovers were pretty much bang on out to 600. There’s one for sale, unclear if it’s MV.

https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....-scopes-77866/

$$$ but I've had a scope or two in the past and this thing just does everything and does it very well. Don't miss the extra mag of a 15x or 18x Leupold etc as the glass is just so much better, was shoulder shooting hares at 400m+ the other evening with longest one being 538m. Mine has the 4A-IF reticle but you can also get them with a ballistic reticle if you want to shoot out far without the turret

I love my Nikon Monarch 3, 2-8x35 BDC. I use Strelok for the drops, if I go out for a day I write the major drops on my arm/wrist in sharpie. The only dial setting I use is when switching to subs.

Far be it from a relative newbie like me to give you advice, but I'm with @GWH and the others who have recommended higher magnification ranges. I remember reading a couple of articles recently advocating for running variable scopes at around 70% of max. I found my old VIII 3.5-10 to be on the low side at longer ranges. Perfect for an all-purpose rig, but if you've got other rifles for this and you're setting this one up for longer ranges then I'd go higher.

I also personally wouldn't use holdover for anything over 300m - dialling is not difficult and you usually have plenty of time to range, check drops and dial. Something like the CDS system may be a good way to simplify this even more, but personally I want the flexibility to change loads and then you need the charts anyway.

With the above in mind, I put a Meopta Meopro 6-18 x 50 on my 7mmWSM and I love it. Glass and build quality is fantastic for the price-point. There's one on here for the same price I paid for mine - can't believe no one has snapped it up yet: https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....e-scope-77563/ Someone mentioned light-gathering, and this scope is awesome at first & last light. I don't find it too bulky, but then I have a laminate stock so my rifle is pretty heavy anyway and I have the .243 for other situations.