Dreams are free - Ideal do it all riflescope for NZ

This would have been covered somewhere but still struggling with search function on here, so sorry.

I’ve got a 7mm08 with short barrel that will likely soon be my 1 dedicated hunting rifle.
It got me thinking, if I consolidated some gear into one really nice scope, what would it be?
Few things to consider:
• NI mainly bush hunting
• Want to still be able to shoot long distance if I have the opportunity or change areas.

The VX5 range comes to mind.
3-15 seems sensible but are there guys running 4-20 on this sort of setup (do it all bushpig)?

you have basically answered your question VX5 3-15 yup

I run a Swaro Z3 4x12x50 on my Sako 7mm08. Can use bush hunting or in the tops - which was pretty handy over the roar. Found the 4x perfectly useable up close.

But, a solo rifle in the cabinet tends to attract another. Accordingly, a Browning lever action with red dot moved in
for bush hunting only.
Because.

Both are awesome.

Above mentioned VX5 is a great all-round scope but for the price now has some stiff competition.
Personally I like a big FOV in the bush so 4x is too much power at the low end.
Depends on your budget too. I was talking to some contract hunters the other day and they are all into their 1-8x illuminated reticule scopes (Z8i, Nightforce). Nice if you have the coin.

The ideal scope would be something like a 2.5 to 10. Or something like the March 1.5 to 15 but with a 30 mm tube in first focal plane instead of 34mm tube. Also if Swarovski could have done their old 3x10x40 with a ballistic turret that would have a been the perfect lightweight scope .

Leupold 2-7.

VX5 2-10, excellent all round scope and still got plenty of power to shoot out a long ways if needed. Or a Kahles 1.5-6 if you can find one, but it doesnt dial, if thats what smokes your tyres. Before buying look through a selection of the scopes you think you might like, check out the field of view at low power, and whether you prefer ffp or sfp, ie are the cross hairs big enough at low power. A lot of ffp scope the crosshairs are way too fine on low power for spook and shoot.

Both my rifles have Swarovski Z5 2.4-12x50
One is illuminated with holdover reticle and the dials up.
I find them good in the bush, good in low light and 12power is plenty in the open stuff for me
They suit me perfectly being an eyeglass wearer.

Leupold VX3 3.5-10 didn’t suit my eyes at all. I would give a vote for an old VX2 2-7 as they were great bush scopes with more eye box flexibility than the VX3 in my experience.

@dannyb has a 2-12 that would cover what you want. If I had spare cash it would be going on my 223.

Swarovski Z6i 2,5-15x44 is my pick, pricey though

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Originally Posted by RUMPY

@dannyb has a 2-12 that would cover what you want. If I had spare cash it would be going on my 223.

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Had, it's sold pending currently.
If money was no object, I'd look at either vx6 2-12×42 or swaro z6 2-12×50, having owned a vx6 2-12 it was brilliant and I imagine the z6 would also be up there too.
The Athlon is a very nice scope with a versatile magnification range but at $850ish rrp it doesn't compare to alpha glass. It's very good but not swaro/vx6 good, also not swaro/vx6 cost either :cool:

I'd rather pack a bit more weight and it be reliable.

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Hi Dannyb, how did you find the vx6 on 2 power did you see the suppressor?

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Originally Posted by Blackmac

Hi Dannyb, how did you find the vx6 on 2 power did you see the suppressor?

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Did on mine with 18" barrel but it didn't matter.

I did this recently, Z5i 2.4x12

Great input so far thanks.
So no one’s doing 4-20? I thought it might be too much scope for bush but haven’t used one.

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Originally Posted by thatguy

Great input so far thanks.
So no one’s doing 4-20? I thought it might be too much scope for bush but haven’t used one.

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Yesh I had one, great scope but the 34mm tube is a bit dumb with the 52 front end, the Vx5 series seemed to of priced themselves way above the quality of glass your getting now.
I think there's better out there for the $ you can get a top spec z5 and still have 8 hundred in the bank.



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Originally Posted by Blackmac

Hi Dannyb, how did you find the vx6 on 2 power did you see the suppressor?

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yup it was a unsuppressed 22" barrel, I can still just see the suppressor on my 20" 308 @ 2 power but it's not by much and it's not an issue to me.

If you’re mostly bush hunting the last thing you need is a big heavy fat arse scope hanging off it. As others above have mentioned plenty of good options in 2-10x or 2-12x or 3-12x or 3-15x or a 3-9x will do the job nicely. With a short bbl 708 these will all get you to 4-500 yds, no problem. On my 308 bush rifle I run a Leupy VX-r Patrol 3-9x42 with firedot reticle & mil turrets, these were precursors to VX6 & VX5, and no problems hitting gongs at 550 yds. I prefer to stick with 40-44mm objectives for bush rifle and avoid the 50mm objective scopes. The exception here is Swaro Z5 or 6 2.4-12x50 or Z3 4-14x50 as they are pretty light weight and low light performance is brilliant. I run the Z5 2.4-12x50 on my 284 bush pig. If you are patient there are good deals to be had on 2nd hand optics.

There was a great thread a while back about a do it all rifle. My take home message was that one rifle can do a lot, but not everything well. The areas of compromise are extreme close range bush shooting and long range shooting. On balance, a VX-5 2-10x would be a nice scope that would cover most situations.

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Originally Posted by chainsaw

If you’re mostly bush hunting the last thing you need is a big heavy fat arse scope hanging off it. As others above have mentioned plenty of good options in 2-10x or 2-12x or 3-12x or 3-15x or a 3-9x will do the job nicely. With a short bbl 708 these will all get you to 4-500 yds, no problem. On my 308 bush rifle I run a Leupy VX-r Patrol 3-9x42 with firedot reticle & mil turrets, these were precursors to VX6 & VX5, and no problems hitting gongs at 550 yds. I prefer to stick with 40-44mm objectives for bush rifle and avoid the 50mm objective scopes. The exception here is Swaro Z5 or 6 2.4-12x50 or Z3 4-14x50 as they are pretty light weight and low light performance is brilliant. I run the Z5 2.4-12x50 on my 284 bush pig. If you are patient there are good deals to be had on 2nd hand optics.

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Appreciate that yes.
My thought was just if I’m gonna get something nice, get something that I’ll never need to replace, even if I change calibre and want to shoot long range.

Are the Z5 custom turrets as simple as Leupold’s CDS? I see it’s ordered after?

I reckon the Bushnell Elite 2.5-10x is the ideal all rounder. I've got one on the .223 and it's great. They till pop up new from time to time

Have you considered a compact 1-4x20 scope?

I ran one on my bush rifle and it was great, even took shots out to 300 mtrs on deer no worries but the majority of my then hunting was bush.

I also have some VX3 2.5-8 scopes and they fit the role of lightweight, compact yet have good magnification at both ends, I even sent those scopes over to NIOA in Oz to have Leupold CDS turrets installed

I've got the Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16 which goes pretty good. I like the 2.5 for close and can zoom it up to 16 for the longer shots ( only shooting at paper so far).

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Originally Posted by bumblefoot

I reckon the Bushnell Elite 2.5-10x is the ideal all rounder. I've got one on the .223 and it's great. They till pop up new from time to time

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Been using a couple of Vx6 3-18x44 on my .223 & .308 rifles for a while, enjoy having the clear glass, zoom range and light transmission at low light. Always recommend them if you have the coin.

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Originally Posted by rugerman

I've got the Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16 which goes pretty good. I like the 2.5 for close and can zoom it up to 16 for the longer shots ( only shooting at paper so far).

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I've been using this exact scope for over 10 years now and cant rate it highly enough. It's a pack horse especially with the rainguard feature. I abuse it, and it's going strong.

Holds zero and dials well (does over dial, but once you know... it's not an issue). 2.5-16 is a great zoom range IMO. Glass could always be better, but it's a hunting scope and is good enough for me.

Quite an underrated scope IMO.

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Originally Posted by thatguy

Appreciate that yes.
My thought was just if I’m gonna get something nice, get something that I’ll never need to replace, even if I change calibre and want to shoot long range.

Are the Z5 custom turrets as simple as Leupold’s CDS? I see it’s ordered after?

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Have never bothered with custom turrets.
Just get a moa turret then you can use it on any rifle.

What is your version of “ Longer Range “ when the need arises ?
Are you going to dial or use holdover guesstimation ?
The Leupold CDS system gives a little bit of “ reach out there “ without to much complication .
My own personal favourite scopes are 2-10 Meopta and 3-12 Zeiss because when I look through them they are Cristal clear and precise not matter what the ambient light is and time of day , but….. they don’t offer dial ability.
Once you go over about 12 power on most modern scopes you then have parallax to account for and the adjustment dial for that is an added complication in the heat and excitement of an animal engagement .
I have higher power scopes with all the Bells and Whistles, but for me if I think the majority of my encounters are going to be 275 m and in then 12 power is my upper limit.
Keep it Simple and easy .
It’s rare to have you Cake and eat it too :)

@Ground Control
Hard to say as I’m not doing open country hunting “yet”.
Going with approach of; “buy once, cry once.”
For argument sake, let’s say 500m as that’s likely the max I can achieve with my rifle and good loads.
I like the idea of dials.
Thanks

VX6 2-12 or 3-18 I have both......I normally turn the 2-12 up to 2.5-3x in the bush anyway so I would probably say go the 3-18

Zeiss do a 3-12x50 with dial up in mils. I just sold one recently. Very good glass.
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Mostly bush hunting you need minimum 3x or lower in the bottom end. You want good glass for low light and if practical, illumination is a nice to have. You've said you're mostly bush hunting which can be hard on gear so something tough is a good call. I've owned most brands and have recently bought a NF NXS 2.5-10 x 42. I think this is the best choice or something similar. I also have a Z6 1.7-10x42. This again is a fantastic scope but I'm on the fence for Swaro being robust enough for your average guy. The Z6 with a 30mm tube feels just more robust than the Z5. Mine went back and nearly everyone I know with a Swaro has sent one back too. Different hunting style in Europe to NZ. I'm not a Leupy fan but they are certainly on the improve. 10x top range is more than enough for 400m and your pulling yourself if you think the 7-08Rem is the right gun for anything further for the average kiwi hunter at that distance. 10ish x power also gives you a better field of view after the shot. No parallax is also a good thing, the last thing you want to be doing is fucking around with dials and knobs and anything else. KISS is where you want to be aiming. Anything larger than a 42m OBJ will mess with the rifles ability to quickly point. Check risers or other stick on shit just are a pain in the ass. Its pretty obvious you're from Auckland as soon as we see you in the bush cause you've got stupid shit like 20x scope for bush hunting. 2-12x42 with good glass that can dial elevation is where you want to be to cover the bases you are after. My 308 has a VX3i 3.5-10x40 with CDS. Its kinda shitty glass but its tough enough, it dials OK and I can shoot to far enough with it. It's also low and light. It's in the same camp for what you're after and does the job but, it's not my only rifle so i'm OK with the compromise in this instance.
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Attachment 249720

@kiwijames I know no one from Auckland with 20x scope and I’ve been hunting with red dot on my bush gun for years. But thanks anyways

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Originally Posted by Pop Shot

I've been using this exact scope for over 10 years now and cant rate it highly enough. It's a pack horse especially with the rainguard feature. I abuse it, and it's going strong.

Holds zero and dials well (does over dial, but once you know... it's not an issue). 2.5-16 is a great zoom range IMO. Glass could always be better, but it's a hunting scope and is good enough for me.

Quite an underrated scope IMO.

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Moreso the Bushnell LRHS/LRTS in 3-12 or 4.5-18

My dream scope would be if Swarovski bought out a Z5 3-10x40 BT with plex reticle. I would buy 3 of them tomorrow.

And if they did something like a Z6 2-12x42 BT I'd buy a couple of these too.

My dream scope would be a VX-6hd 3-18x44 w/mrad illum reticle but in FFP and MRAD (if they made such a model:redbullsmiley:).
I can quick calculate wind holds in my head with mrad but not moa, same with drops. However moa i have to draw on my turret cause i can never quickly work it out.

Im currently running the VX-6hd 3-18x50 w/t-moa illum reticle. However would prefer mrad(mil), 44mm obj lens and it is SFP which means the reticle is not so quick to use on less than max magnification (you have to know what magnification your on and calculate what each ret' hash mark now means). It not often you want to shoot on 18x when by yourself as it can be hard to get back on the animal fast after recoil and see where it went or take that fast follow up shot.

I did like the swaro z5 initially when i ran one but it just felt too fragile in the turrets for my hunting. Really it doesnt have to be a vx6 etc, just as long as it isnt too heavy, has a windage marked reticle, illum ret and low profile locking dial turrets for when your bush hunting and then pop out on the tops for that last light long shooting.

In the bush i use 3x or 4-5x in open bush. Ive shot deer at 4m & 5m with 4x mag on my other vortex scope. 2x mag on another scope just seemed not enough for picking out a deer head fast in the bush for me.

i was going to suggest having a look at the Burris range. I have a 2-10x42 Veracity FFP which i'm really happy with. it is a bit large and heavy for a bush rifle but looking through it is great.
However when I saw you wanting to get out to 500 mtr, they do a 2.5-12 and a 3-15. Possibly not quite up to the high end euro's or a night force.
I would say you need to look though a scope if you can as differant eyes see differantly though a scope.
Z

In my humble opinion the dream nz hunting scope that does most things well is beleive it or not the NF 2.5x20x50 sfp.
Who else on here is running one as I have a sfp and ffp.
Dream is the operative word as not cheap but won't bend ( the ones starting with s do) won't fail, always repeatable and have feild of veiw and magnification to burn.
I have shot my 308 out to 1200 m and hit what I'm aiming at and shoot up close with the illumination on in the bush.
A dream scpoe summed up.

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Originally Posted by Huntn

My dream scope would be if Swarovski bought out a Z5 3-10x40 BT with plex reticle. I would buy 3 of them tomorrow.

And if they did something like a Z6 2-12x42 BT I'd buy a couple of these too.

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Not a lot of difference between a z6 2,5-15x44 lol