Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Need scope advice

Hi Guys, just bought a bolt-action 375 H&H. I will be taking it to Africa next summer for Cape Buffalo. Any scope advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Only Cape Buffalo?

If not, 2-10X

VX3 1.5-5x20
VX3 2.5-8x32

I use the Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36mm on my 375 H&H for Steenbok up to Buffalo.

Get a Schmidt& Bender.

I'll take a fixed power Leopold over their variables on a 375 any day of the week.

I put a Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36 on my Ruger Alaskan in 375, lots of eye relief.

I put a Leupold VX-6, 1-6x24, 30mm tube with firedot reticle, on my .416 Rigby It worked well.

donsm70

^^^^^^^^^^^



This......duh.

VX3 1.5-5x20 is the obvious choice.

If it will fit the action the 4x33 fx2 is pretty nice choice for person who likes the simplicity of a fixed power. It seems to get over looked in favor of the 2.5X, maybe because people feel the forward bell won't leave enough scope to mount on a 375. It fits well enough on my 375 Ruger.

4x is low enough power that I can shoot both eyes open, so it will work up close and its enough scope for me to ring a 6" gong at 300 until recoil tells me to stop.

He posted over on the Big Bores and this is what I wrote:

I've used open sights for buff, I've used 3-10 x 50. A scope is handy peering into the shadows tracking them during mid day in the thick jess bush and other thick stuff.

20mm leaves a FOV a bit too restricted for my taste. 32mm is fine. I always thought a red dot sight would be good, but never wanted to do the durability testing to get the confidence that it would not crap out at the wrong moment.

I tend to be a fixed, 4x power scope guy on my hunting rifles. A 'long ranger' might get a 6x, and that is 'plenty big power' to me. So 2.5X has never felt like a handicap or left me wanting on my 375 and my M70 wears one with the Burris label presently. I have Weaver 2.5xs on the lighter 9.3 and 45-70 Ruger #1-S and prefer that version of a 2.5X scope over the bigger Burris, or the Leupold 2.5X which is on a Marlin 45-70. (The Leupold has the smallest FOV among the three.)

I put one of these on my Sako .375 and I really like it

Guys, thanks for the input. I really appreciate it

VX3 1.5-5x
Trijicon Accupoint 1-4x
VXR 1.25-4X

A fixed 2.5X wouldn't bother me a bit....

I've got a nice VX-II 1x4 Leupold for sale. It's matte with a duplex.

vx3 1.5x20

Big medicine for Cape Buff.

Swarovski 1.7-10x42 z6i would be my first choice.

I have the Swarovski PH 1.5-6x42 on my DG rifles (.416 and .375) with crosshairs, and an illuminated circle with red dot reticles. They have served me well, but are no longer in production. I have also employed the Swarovski Z6i 1.7-10 x 42 with the same reticle with good results. The lower power of the magnification range is far more important than the upper power when hunting buff. The illumination really stands out, considering the hide of the buff is basically black. i highly recommend an illuminated reticle.

While I have never personally used the 1.5-5x20 VX3, it has an excellent reputation and is, I believe, available with an illuminated reticle. If you consider the Swaro too bulky or too expensive, the VX3 will do just fine. By comparison, I would expect the Swaro to provide a better image in low light conditions. If leopard is on the menu during the same hunt, I would definitely choose the Swaro if you intend to hunt leopard as well.

Give the Meopta line a look. They used to make a 1.5-6x42 with an illuminated reticle and 30mm tube at a "reasonable" price. I don't know if it's still in production, but I have some experience with Meopta optics and they are first rate.

Do not neglect the mounts! You need QD mounts so you can use your iron sights if need be. I have tried multiple varieties of QD mounts and have settled on the Recknagel mounts from Germany as my first preference.

Enjoy your hunt!

Leupold is making a fixed 3X out of their custom shop...I have one NIB with a heavy duplex. Been thinking of mounting it on my Montana .375. Might be a good choice.
Bob

The new ones with heavy D are nice.....

I have a Leupold 1.75X6X32 on my 416 Remington Model 70. Sent it to Leupold Custom Shop and had them put a German #4 reticle in it. Have used it for 3 nyati's - works great.

I've got a couple VX3 3.5-10 x 40s and a 3-9 Zeiss Diavari on mine, but a 1.75-6 or 2.5-8 VX3 wouldn't hurt anything. Whether they would help anything is debatable. Stopped a charging buffalo with a 2.5-8 on a .458 once.

A .375 is sort of a do everything rifle, may as well put your idea of a do everything scope on it.

Completed my first Safari in the low bush veld Mopani thorn thickets with a 1.5-5 Leupold, longest shot was a nice Impala ram at 151 yards facing near straight on.

Plenty of magnification for that, I was using a 400 Whelen firing 400 gr Woodleigh Weldcore bullets at 2255 fps.

Enjoy your Buffalo hunt, I think about mine several times daily.

This is the best advice, the 1.75X6X42 would be perfection. Great optical clarity and resolution and reliability

I ha a Leupold 2.5 - 8 on my .375 in Africa

If you are interested in a scope that is usable at close range with both eyes open, it is best to try sighting thru the scope with both eyes open. I have found that some are able to use a 2 or 3 power scope but I personally have a difficult time sighting with both eyes open unless the scope will go down very very close to a true 1x. Best to check before purchasing if possible.

Best Ive ever seen.

+1

+1 on the Swaro. It's versatile - for Cape Buffalo at short range to other critters at longer distances. Pricey indeed, but excellent IMHO.

This is the scope I put on my .375. FWIW, I killed a Kudu with it in South Africa at a lasered 240 yards and a Caribou in Alaska at a lasered 250. I had a lot going through my mind as I was preparing to pull the trigger, but at no point did I think, "Dang, I wish I had more magnification."

I've used several different scopes on a couple of .375's, from the fixed 3x20 Leupold to a 3-9x. After the 3x worked fine on large animals up close to others as small as bushbuck and impala at 250-300 yards, it's now on my .375.

I don't like the variable scope with small front ends like the 1.5-5 Leupold. They are too dark. The straight 2.5 is very good but I prefer the a Leupold 3-9 or 2.5-8 much better. A heavy scope on a hard kicker is trouble.

Tony Arino Sanchez says 3-9.

My experience: the smaller 20 mm objectives (I used a 1.5-5x Vari-X lll for awhile) are noticeably darker in the shadows and at either end of the day-too much so for my tastes.

I used a 1.75-6x Leupold in Namibia and found the power range ideal for me but even better in the grey-brown bush was the heavy duplex in it. I've also used the German 4a and liked it in those situations as well.

A lot of scopes will work but IMO stay away from a fine reticle for use on a big black animal that will probably be in the bush.

I bought the same scope with a heavy duplex reticle, wanted a German #4 but that's not an option. When the scope came I mounted it and when trying to bore sight the windage turret didn't work. I sent it back to Leupold and asked how much it would cost to have a German #4 installed. Customer service told me since I had to send the scope back, and they had to disassemble it there would be no charge, so I got what I wanted. It is my favorite scope and now I know I won't have to buy a new scope if and when I get a DG rifle.

If I had one I would take donsm70's advice. powdr

For DG you want a max at the low end of probably 3X. You may end up with fast close shots on something that is moving and it may be moving towards you. The top end can be anything but doesn't need to be much over 5X.
Weight is a concern because you will be walking a lot and also hard kickers with heavy scopes put a lot of strain on mounts.
If you ever plan on hunting cats or even in thick jess an illuminated reticle can be very nice.
I prefer low powered variables but a fixed of 3X or lower would work fine. My 375 wears a 2.5-8 Leupold or a 1.5-6 Kahles with illuminated reticle both in Tally QR's.
A heavy reticle is fine just make sure it doesn't cover up too much for that 350 yard shot at wildebeest and is not too busy.
If you can wait until the Dallas or SCI shows you can look at a lot of good optics and talk to folks who know what they are talking about. Not that the folks here don't but the guy behind the counter of your LGS might not be the best place to get advice.
Have fun on your safari!

Any preference between HD and German 4 in that scope?

Thanks

RM

RevMike, no; I'd take either in those circumstances. They are the continental and American versions of the same concept and IMO both suit the purpose equally well.

I had thought the HD could not be as precise as a "finer" reticle, yet in 2007 shot my smallest 100-yd group ever with the HD and a......375 H&H! Three shots overlayed at .300".

Thanks. I have a HD on a 1.5-5 but was thinking that a German 4 on a 1.75-6 might be a good for quick shots in thick stuff, especially in near dark conditions.

That's pretty precise regardless of reticle!

Mike; I used the HD because I believe the #4 was not available in the 1.75X6. The #4 is available in the 1.5X5X20 but I think only with the ill reticle which is what I have on my 416R. j

The new VX3i only comes in regular duplex at this point. Any other reticle is a switch. If the HD and German 4 are more or less a toss up, I think I'll have the reticle switched to the German 4 since I already have the HD on the 1.5-5. What I'm looking for as well is a bit more light (32mm v 20mm) for those late evening porkers that show up when there's about 2 minutes of ambient light left.

RM

The HD (or #$) really help in that regard, Mike. I'd take the 32mm all day long over the 20

I will be heading to Zimbabwe for buffalo and sable next year. My 416 Rem M70 will wear the 1.5-5X Leupold I took on M70 375 H&H chasing brown bear hunt this past spring. It will also be on the same 375 in 2018 chasing brown bear again.

This past spring, very late in the evening, I crept up on a feeder that had a young pig near it. I was a little over twenty yards away, but because I was kneeling on the ground in the shadows, and the black pig was rooting in front of some palmetto, all I could see were the tan edges of his ears moving. Had I been in the stand, fifteen feet in the air, there probably would have been enough ambient light flowing into the 20mm objective to have taken a shot, but in the shadows I simply couldn't make out exactly what part of the pig I was looking at. So I passed. I was carrying Ingwe's old "big rifle" with the VX3 1.5-5 HD duplex that I put on it. A little more objective, as well as (hopefully) Leupold's new low light lens coating, and I might have had enough definition to take the shot. My only indecision right now is whether or not to have an HD or G4 reticle installed on the 1.75-6x32 when it arrives. I'll need to make up my mind soon, though, as I expect the scope will be here sometime next week.

I have VX-3 1.75-6x32 and 1.5-5x20, like them both.

The Victory 1.5-6x42 is a big scope, 20 oz in Warne QD's. But it's super bright and the glass is first rate, great is fading light.

I've not been on Safari, not sure which scope I'd use. Would probably have both Victory and 1.75-6 in QD's.

M-70 NH .375 H&H, 21", flutted by Karl, NECG irons, 7#, 14 oz w/o scope.

DF

I have tried to use the 20mm objective Leupolds, but I need more light.

Dirt: that Victory is a SERIOUS scope for low light hunting and would be my choice for a cat blind.

Jorge,

Not sure how it compares to the Swaro, the reticle is SFP, visible in low light.

I had a VX-6 1-6x24 #4 Fire dot. It was a great scope, but at 300 yds. that reticle was sorta thick for precise shooting; I sold it.

With the VX-6, I would recommend std. duplex and Fire dot. That duplex is very visible and would be better for all around shooting including long shots.

The .375 H&H can be a LR gun, in fact does pretty well in that regard. So, for genl. use, scope choice needs to account for that possibility.

DF

I'm sure it's the equal of any Swaro. Swaros are great, BUT they suffer from very thin reticles that I think negate their great glass. I have a Z6 that even with their thicker reticle, it still tougher to see than a standard Leupold HD.

I have a Z5 and a Z3. The 5 was so bad, I sent it back for a #4, which is better, still not that heavy. The 3 is pretty fine but not that bad. Don't have a 6.

A VX-6 2-12x42 is another thought, great duplex and very good glass. I have two, just not on DG type rifles. Good ER.

DF

My next scope will be a VX6 for sure. Frankly after all these years, I'm perfectly content with a 2.5X8X36 Leupold w the B&C reticle. Worked like a CHAMP on that elk!

jorgeI, never thought I'd say it, but the B&C that sits on my MCWhorter 7-08 works like a champ too out too 500 yards. Hashes match up perfectly at 3,4,450, and 500.

Correction.

7#, 12 oz without scope.

DF