Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Simple scope question for 338WM

In open country, I'd opt for more power. Sort of like trucks, motor cycles,and stereos, I've never wished I had a smaller one. Given it's a variable, one can always dial it down. I know the choice is limited to these two, but I run a 6.5 to 20X on my big sky unit and have quit packing a spotting scope. Still use binos to find critters, but use the scope to size them up.

I would go for the 3.5-10x if thats the smallest choice. I prefer small scopes on elk rifles. If I can't center an elk with a 7x or 8x top end it is simply too far away for me to shoot, no matter what caliber I'm shooting.

Being in the hunting business has convienced me of one thing and that is the more scope that projects out of the front ring, the more likely that you will knock it out of zero sooner or later and Murphy sez that is when the most important shot of your hunting career is about to take place!! That is why I like the 20 MM objectives of the 1x1, 1.5x5 and 3X Leupolds...After seeing so many of the big scopes go South I ran some real scientific tests..I mounted big scopes on my rifles and sighted them in dead on at 100, then knocked the crap out of the front objective with my hand and shot a group, everyone of them move from 3 to 10 inches..The 20 MM objectives never moved more than one inch at the most....cased closed for me!

Oh man... I'm gonna tread on some thin ice here...

About 5-6 years ago we were doing our usual elk camp in NE Oregon, and hunting the Tower Mountain Wilderness area.

There was a large camp of Japanese men that year. They were Japanese as in, from Japan. Must have been a business perk or something. They all had really, really nice rifles that seemed about as tall as they were! And they were WAY into the western experience of carrying a gun in the big woods.

Anyway, what was funny is that were industrious little folk. It snowed a lot that year, and everywhere you'd go, there'd be this little bootprints in the snow!

My elk buddy Paul is completely irreverant, bordering on offensive. Heck, he's offensive. But I'll pass on what he came up with that trip. He called the Japanese "Ornamentals".

Now, what I will add in an attempt to prevent gettin' crucified here is that when I say they were industrious, I mean that as a total compliment! They hunted hard. That is tough country. Not easy to put your little boots all over it! And, they were very friendly and, from the sound of things down at their camp, they had a BALL every night. Which makes the industriousness that much more impressive.

So that's my "Japanese in the elk woods" story.

Given the grip that Japan has on gun control, those guys likely had to leave their units here when they left. One of the big buck ($$$) kicks for the Japanese on the Hawaii dude ranches is turning them loose on a target range with a 10/22 and a banana clip full of ammo. Charge them $200, and they'll happily be back for a reload in a few minutes. They can't even think of doing that at home.

I have owned and scoped alot of .338's and a VX-3 3.5-10x40 would be my choice,it's just very tough to beat covers anything you need.

Given the two choices I'd go with the 3.5-10 - which is what my .338 wears (Tasco WC + if you must know).

Do I really need it for whacking moose at 70 yards?????

One of these days, I'll get around to replacing it with a 1.5 to 6, or a straight 6....

I put the Loopy 3.5-10 on "Stub" - my 17 inch barrelled '06.....

Extra weight is never a bad idea on a heavy magnum- unless you are carrying it....

3.5x10!!! My 338 wore a 2.5x8, but it's not one of your choices. Lou

Jeff-O: Those little boots are made for walking, and that's just what they do.

I am an Asian-American elk hunter who wears size 12's, so my boots aren't so little. I also use a rifle stamped "New Haven, CT." Won't catch me dead shooting anything that says "Made in Japan". Well, maybe one of those Miroku Winchester 1886 light weights in 45-70......

Too bad you chose the 3.5-10x40. I have a brand new Leupold 4.5-14x40 AO with duplex reticle that I'm going to sell.

Good choice

Given the 2 choices why wouldn't you want the VX-III 4.5-14x40 same weight and additional magnification. What's the downside?

What's the upside?

I have got to know your secret. Elk? At 600 hundred?

Weight and size...lots easier to walk up those hills on a typewriter than an Idaho mountain. The mid variables are the most a person need, IMO. Elk are big. If you need the top end, you're way too far.

I can almost tell you how much actual hunting a man has done by the sized of his scope! Something I have studied over the years and it has held true, but I wont't start one of those rude threads by giving you my conclusions!

Liked the Japanese story on Tower mountain from a few weeks back. Also hunt elk in NE Oregon. Mainly in South Starkey.

By the way, 3.5x10 or 3x9. Both have been on my .338 Sako. I usually have them cranked down, however, as I am one of the "dogs" and the action is usually close, fast and furious.

3.5X10 with a B+C reticle

Both scopes are the same size I believe. Given the same weight, what's the downside of more available magnification?

Just my personal view but I think both 3-9's and 3.5-10's are both too big and bulky on a rifle used to hunt elk.I used a 3.5-10 for the first time this year to hunt big game and found it optically OK,but sort of awkward.It worked great on coyotes though.

Given the animals customarily hunted with a 338,I'd gladly just install anything from a fixed 4X to a 2.5-8 and not think very much about it.There's nothing wrong with more magnification if you want it but I don't want to lug around more bulk in a scope than I need,especially to hunt an animal the size of a horse.

We don't all have 18 year old eyes and we don't all bounce our scopes around on some hotshot guides ill tempered pony. Additional magnification is useful to me on the bench when I'm tweeking my loads. The higher magnification is quite useful when peering into the brush trying to determine if that spike bull is legal or if it has a four inch tine poking out somewhere which could makes it a crime if you didn't notice that little sticker before you shot. Not every elk hunter has that great bull tag and a hell of a lot would prefer a cow or a spike. I like to be sure of my target. It's certainly useful for shooting at whatever longer range you feel comfortable with. Remember Conchworker didn't ask anybody what their favorite scope was, He only wanted an opinion on the two options to which he was limiting himself. I prefer to have the additional magnification available so I prefer the VX-III 4.5-14x40, others prefer the 3.5-10x40 and that's great. Both are great instruments. My thought was that you only step up 1x power on the low end and gain 4x on the top and I believe the scopes weight about the same amount. I just don't see much downside to the higher magnification choice of the 2 scopes.