Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Shotgun scopes on rifles - A no-no?

I was at a pawn shop looking a Leupold VX-ii 1 x 4 shotgun scope to put on a 308 rifle for brush hunting when the owner told me that you shouldn't mount shotgun scopes on rifles because they can't take the recoil. Granted shotguns have heavy recoil, they are not recoiling as fast.
Is the guy right?
H

No, he's an idiot. The difference is the Leupold shotgun scopes have parallax set for 75 yards.

Shotgun scope Leupolds

Yup guy is a goober. Difference is normally paralex setting and eye relief.

The guy is so far wrong and this is such an easy question that I would question any advice that he had to offer.

I have several Leupold 2-7x33 Shotgun scopes mounted on rifles and never have had any issues with the 75 yard parallex setting. I like the heavy duplex reticle and have learned to tolerate the turkey-plex reticle on a couple of Savage 24V combination guns and 22MRF rifles.

Jeff

Thank you guys.

Price check - used scope, VXII 1x4 shotgun leupold, friction adjust dials, comes w/ butler creek flip up scope covers, millet side adjust low rings (won't use on this rifle or care for that style ring period), and a couple little cosmetic dings on turret cap edges - $200 out the door. Midway sells scope new at $299. Take the chance?
H

Leupy is guaranteed for life. anything wrong with it and they'll fix it for the cost of shipping. not much of a "chance" there to take.

The guy is a moron.
He should have his mouth wired shut, permanently.
I shoot rifles with shotgun scopes made by Leupold and Weaver; never a problem with either make. Parallax is set at 75 yards for both makes. And for our Deer hunting here, I'd speculate that 85% of the Deer shot in Northern Michigan are shot at 75 yards. I think that 75 yards would be at the center of the Bell Curve, of all shots taken.
Also, for the moron's enlightenment, a solid breach 12 gage shotgun shooting 4 dram loads KICKS like a mule....
A side point here is that shotgun scopes are a natural for 22 rimfire rifles.

Don is right.

If anything a shotgun scope with the shorter parallax distance setting would be superior for brush hunting.

First, he's a dope. He might be an expert on pawning, but I'd personally "recoil" from anything he says about firearms.

Second, the word "rifle" covers lots and lots of ground. Not every rifle has serious recoil. In fact, more don't than do. A .308 doesn't.

Third, I have a Leupy 1�-4X20 shotgun scope on my turkey shotgun. If it can take the recoil from a 3� shotgun shell out of a pump action 870, it can sure take the recoil from a .308.

Fourth, if it was me, I'd go along with him and use his reasoning to whittle him down on the price.

Steve

Can I hear an Amen Brothers??

The truth is within Everyday Hunter!

The only thing to question is the price... 200 seems steep around here for that. Looking around at the gun shows should find one for 150 or so. I suppose in shotgun slug country there would be more interest.

I picked up the same scope a few years ago in perfect condition for 125... Sent it Leupold for parallax reset and then dumped it when I realized how much I do not like the heavy duplex.

What BS, here is my 400 H&H (That's Four Hundred Holland and Holland) 400 gr bullet at 2550, yes it kicks. The scope on it is a Leupold 1-4 "Turkey model" that came off my 10 that's TEN gauge BPS where it slew 100s of ducks and geese. On the 400 it has seen several 100 full house loads. Still works just fine, shoots the square and will continue to work probably longer than my aged body. The ONLY difference between a quality "shotgun " & "rifle" scope is the reticle and the parralax range setting.

There are more d.f.s out there than Democraps and they all have their favorite myth. Keep em' in pawn shops taking in stolen goods from meth heads!

Yup, I'd agree with him that it's garbage and offer to take it off his hands for $100.

I run Leupold 1-4 shotgun scopes on my .45-70 guide gun with hot-rod 400 grain loads and also on the .50 inline ML barrel on my Encore. They have worked really well on both outfits for years with no problems. The low power, coarse crosswires, and 75 yard parallax setting makes them ideal in the woods, IMHO.

just give the pawn shop owner a break. He is no optics expert and bs his customers all day long

Since he thinks it is not that great, use that piece of his own misinformation to talk him down on the price.

A nice crisp $100 bill might do the trick.

You can purchase a new Leupy shotgun scope in 1-4x20mm(VX-1)for 199 dollars at most places or less. They have the heavy duplex reticle and are parallax set at 75 yards. We have two of these and they are ok scopes for my needs. One on a rifle so far, the second might go to either a sabot shooting shotgun or another rifle. Model # 254578U

Since we're all beating the dead horse, I might as well get my kick in, too. I've got a 1x Pentax Lightseeker scope on my .500 A2, and I'm absolutely delighted with it.

75 yd parallax is probably perfect for what you want to do, but Leupold will adjust parallax for cheap--something like $20 if I remember right?

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner. Crisp $100 bills sway the hardest of pawn shop hearts.

Oldman1942, you wingshootducks and geese with a scope on your 10 ga.?

You guys are getting me fired up about putting a shotgun scope on my Guide Gun. Seventy-five yards is a pretty long poke around here.