Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics glass for newbie hunter

A month ago a friend asked me to help set her husband up with his first hunting rifle. She was worried that he was listening to "the morons at work", and wanted to make sure he got sound advice. He's on a budget, so after some digging, I found a '70's vintage M70 in .308. It's not terribly pretty, but very sound, and nice and smooth. Now I need to scope it. I was originally thinking about a Vari-XII 3-9X, or maybe a 2-7X/2.5-8x, but then I started thinking about a fixed 6X, or maybe even a 4X. Simple and rugged are good.
Anyone care to weigh in? Budget is $150-200.

In that price range & for that purpose any of those scopes would do well. Take a look in the classified ads here as that & similar come up for sale often.

Good work helpin a newbie out! Sure is fun.

Hard to pick for others. If you must, here are some from the classifieds:

3-9 Monarch

3-9 Buckmasters

Weaver 4x38


The last one looks like a good deal. Some knock 'em for eye relief & mounting space, but those oughtn't to be issues on a .308.

Good Luck,

FC

I would get him a VX2 2-7 or the same in the slightly less expensive Redfield. The VariX line is three generations gone.

Bear in mind, a 70s vintage mod. 70 .308 is going to be a long-action with a bolt stop and mag.block.

Redfield Revolution 3-9X40, about $219 at Bass Pro or the Revolution 2-7X33 at a little less are great scopes for the money-plus Leupold's warranty.

You didn't say what kind of terrain he anticipates hunting in. Will he be hunting thick woods or open fields? Good light or near dark?
A 4X fixed can be too much magnification in close quarters. A low power variable gives more options.

Yes, the guy is just starting out, don't burden him with junk glass.

The Revolution is an ok choice, but is as low as I'd go. To my eyes the 2-7 looks better, and is the better scope. Those fixed Weavers are good for the money, and might be the bargain leader, but if he doesn't like the Redfield/Leupold he can easily sell it and get something else.

It's a hair over your budget, but a FX2 4x would be my pick.

That UCC Monarch in the classifieds would be a great choice.

I think I'm going to let him try a few of my scopes to see what suits him best, then we can go shopping.

I'm thinking a 4x or 6x might be a good plan for a couple of reasons. I don't want him to get into the habit of using the scope as binos, and not I don't want him to get caught with the power turned up. This guy is not a gear head, and I think he's going to be more than happy with a fixed, but I'll let him choose for himself.

I think you should let him try them out and see what he likes. Everyone has a personal preference. I see guys on here that loved 4x or 2-7's where I on the other hand have hated ever 2-7 I've had and sold every one of them. I also hate a fixed 4x on a hunting rifle as I've had some 300+ yard shots where I just didn't feel like 4x was enough. I've got several other hunting buddies that feel the exact same way and wouldn't have a 2-7, much less a fixed power scope on their gun. Then, there are others that have lower powered scopes and love them just like guys on this site. It's really not a once size suits all deal. Different people have different preferences.

I'd snag that K4 in the classifieds...

A 4 power is good on a 30/30 or something similar. It'll work on a bolt action if your shooting isn't too far out. I've still got the old K4 that I used for years, but it's in a dust covered box and these days all my rifles have 4.5-14 or 4-16 or 6-18. My longest possible shot here on my place is about 500 yards, but 300 yards or 400 yards on coyotes and pigs is not uncommon. If I hunted in heavy woods all the time, that old 4 power would do just fine.

The best deal going for a 3-9 scope is still, HERE .

Those ARE very nice, I prefer THIS one though...

Yes, but they cost $10 more

$10 well spent, that 3-9x38 is dang near perfect. ESPECIALLY for the price.

Get a Nikon UCC 3x9 and he may never need to replace it for a long time! Great glass for the money! I suggest getting a scope with at least 3.5" of eye relief.

4X is plenty of power for a scope not being used as a binocular. I have made several one shot kills with 2.5x to 4x from 275 to 525 ( one time only, too far). Aiming the glass is not the problem. Resolution can be problematic with some atmospheric conditions.

I once killed a fork horn standing below a good mule deer buck on an incline. His head got in the way of a shoulder shot on the larger buck. It was heavily overcast. I did not notice him. It was not a long shot and I did not use a binocular. I knew I wanted the larger buck without glassing. He was nice.

Best wishes, jack

You never stated what he'll be hunting and, more importantly, where he'll be hunting. Where I am in the woodlots of NY, most deer I've shot or shot at were all less than 150 yds with the vast majority being between 20 and 80 yds. If most of his shots will be expected to be close ones, I would suggest that field of view would be critical for a new hunter to be able to pick up game easily. I mostly use low power variables in the 1.5-6 or 2-7 range. I do have a couple low power fixed scopes; my favorites being the two old Leupold M8 3Xs that I have. I would not recommend a straight 6X unless he is hunting over mostly open terrain. The Leupold Rifleman series in 2-7 or 3-9 is in the price range as well as the Redfield Revolution 3-9 previously mentioned. I noticed that Weaver's Buckmaster series has variables in your price range as well as the K4.