Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting $450 scope for 600y shooting/hunting?

Hi there.

Looking for a scope that will be used for hunting and shooting steel out to 600y. I would still use the rifle for closer ranges as well and need the scope that would be good for both situations. I do understand that there are guys that does this with a normal 3-9x40 duplex but If there are better options out there I would like to go with it.

I can get Nikon Monarchs for good prices, but not sure if it would be the best option for the price.

The rifle is a 30-06 and shooting Sierra Gameking HPBT at 2880fps.

Thanks

Pieter

I'd buy a used Leupold 3.5-10x40 and have an M1 turret added.

Same here.

And here.

I shot a Leupold fixed 6x42 on my 338 at the icebreaker and had no problem shooting to 1000 yds with it. It has an elevation turret, but no windage turret. The scope is light and darn near bullet proof. The best part about this package is that it is about $350 bucks.

I"ve shot deer out to almost 600 and enough targets out to 1000 with irons to say the magnification you want is only what you want. It can be done with irons.

Pick a standard scope and get after it.

I use a 4.5x15 Conquest without turrets, as their clicks are very repeatable and they do have a zero mark... but turrets would be easier.... I"d have no issues with a 3x9 Conquest at all, or the straight up 6x noted.

FWIW my 223 test scope for 600 yards has been a world class tasco and has turned in some groups down under 2 inches at that range....not that it would be my first choice...

Take a look at the Zeiss rapid Z 600....I have one and it works great once you know your load and practice with it.

Yep.
That's how I roll

My favorite scope!

Thanks for the response.

I am going to find out whether I can order a Leupold with a turret from this side of the world and what the price will be. I can get the FX3 for a decent price around here but it would not be with a turret option.

Pieter

I do understand that it can be done with a whole range of scopes. I would just like to get the choose the best possible option for the price.

Pieter

+1 for the Leupy VX-3 3.5-10x40. I have one om my 280 AI with the CDS turrent but an M1 turrent would work just as well.

I'd say buy a 2.5x8 B&C reticle and get busy out to 450 with it. See if parallax is an issue there and beyond and consider having the parallax adjusted on the scope when you send it in for a target elevation turret.

A 3.5-10 w/ M1 would be my choice too but might stretch your budget a bit. A 3.5-10 w/CDS can be had for a bit cheaper or may look at a VX2 3-9 w/ CDS for even less $.

That being said I'd hands down buy the best quality of glass for the money that I could get from a fixed 4 or 6x scope and not drop the dollars on the variable part. First its not really needed. Secondly its better IMHO to be able to see better than to have extra X if that makes sense.

Thanks for the great info, I appreciate it.

We shoot quite often around 500y. While we were making roads last year I had the bulldozer open up a range for us that gives us 500y to practice. I do have some parallax issues with one of my Sightron scopes and as mentioned by 'T a k' it is something that I would need to look at.

Would you guys recommend that I get something with a parallax adjustment?

I like the Leupold idea with a elevation adjustment turret. Around here we do not have the option of Leupold quickly adding a turret to a scope and I will have to work around that somehow. I might ask a friend of mine in the US to get me one. I think even a FX3 6x42 with elevation turret would be good to work with.

Thanks

Pieter

I'd say parallax can be overcome by learning to position your face/eye consistently, and hasn't been an issue for me with sub-9lb rifles past 500yds.

That's where the rubber meets the road for me; if in a hunting type position (over a pack without the rear of the rifle supported by a bag) I miss, that's where my proficiency ends and parallax/shooting ability/concentration takes control.

Above all, I'd find a used 3.5-10x40 and get the elevation turret, and practice my butt off with it.

Always using a bipod and adding one of Karsten Hansen's kydex cheekpieces to ensure you are looking through the optical center of the scope will go a long way towards alleviating this.

Leraning to center your head fixes most P issues. You can do that without adj P.

At least for 500-600 yards I wouldn't worry much about Adj P for hunting.

If I were spending more money over what I had decided on I'd always get better glass over and above the Adj P or variable.

You can look into something like a BDC reticle over an adj turret, 500 just doesn't take that much adj.

And as I've noted on my Zeiss conquests... you have firm clicks.... set your zero mark and count clicks to 500 or 600 for hunting situations(lots of targets or competition etc... would change my mind on that) and keep notes and you click up to shoot and right back down for zero.

This is the way to save the most money.

RE a bipod, remember you have to learn how to shoot with one, they can take forward tension to work best and sometimes don't give the best accuracy as they don't slide well during recoil. At least the normal hunting ones. But for hunting accuracy its usually not that big of a deal.

Thanks for the great info.

I do learn a lot here as 90% of my hunting shots are taken off hand. Most of my hunting is walk and stalk hunting as it has proven to be the best way to hunt Kudu, Impala, Bushbuck ect.

You guys did give me good info on what to look at, and guess there will always be something new to learn.

Pieter