Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics advice for 300 BO hunting scope please - no LPVO

I'd lean toward Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40 if that's in your budget.

Scopes don't gather light.

Mine do.

My eye only opens up to about 5mm so I have my scope gather all the light from the 50mm objective and concentrate it down to a smaller, brighter exit pupil.

OP needs a bigger objective to gather light for hunting.

A Leupold VX5 2-10x42mm or 3-15X44mm make weight, have very good illumination options, and would do well for his application.

I have been looking at a bunch of different brands, but I haven't found the "perfect" thing yet. I had an old 1-6x LPVO on it when I was using it in an uber short HD rig. I put a Tract 1-8x on it at Thanksgiving and sold it at the new year. It was a great scope, but not exactly what I wanted. Deer in my area are mostly first and last light, I could not take a shot with this scope last time out as it was first light and it just couldn't gather enough light. And it was heavy (21+ oz.). I figure this is a 250 yard gun, 300 max on a lifetime deer if I had to.

- 2nd focal plane! no FFP on this one
- would like it to be under 20 ounces, lighter the better
- at least 2x, don't really need more than 12x
- would like a BDC reticle, just make things easier vs. dialing.
- I a dial, would prefer MOA vs. MIL as that is the camp I am in with others
- illumination, can take it or leave it

Looked at:
- Leupold vx3HD, 3.5-10x
- Leupold Mark 4HD 2.5-10x (getting big/heavy, MIL vs. MOA)
- new GPO CENTURI 3-12x44i Super Compact G4i (not out yet, no BDC, MIL adjustment. But I do like the < 10" length and weight)
- new Steiner 4S 4-16x compact (love Steiner, not out yet either. Prob too much magnification probably for what I need)
- Athlon Optics Talos 3-12x40 - BDC 250 Shotgun IR MOA (cheaper option, does have BDC, illumination. Concerned about quality/clarity and light gathering)

I appreciate other suggestions, thank you!

^^^ There’s been a lot of travel down this rabbit hole, but (my opinion) I’d probably spend all that extra $ on some good binos that’d answer questions better at last light and work with any rifle/scope combo I was hunting with, before I’d lock a chunk of $/scope to a rig that’s got a practical hunting range limitation of under 200….where ANY, quality 1-4/5/6 or 2-7/3-9 is more than enough scope and light for legal hunting with that. It’s your rig and you can do what you like, but you seem to be wanting to put John Wayne on a burro to run the Kentucky Derby.

I'd lean toward Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40 if that's in your budget.

I have an old weaver grand slam 3-10x40 on my kimber Adirondack 300 BO. I wasn't planning on dialing that rifle and didn't want a heavy scope on a sub 5 pound rifle.

Bb