Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Guide Gun optics

So, looking at replacing the old VariX III on my Guide Gun (45-70). The VariX is ok, but I want something with a more visible reticle and a bit brighter image in really low light (not a shocker, but I tend to see the nicer bucks when there's only a few moments of legal light available).

The Leupold VX-R has good reviews, although I'd like to step it up just a bit beyond there. The scope I'm sort of angling for is the VX6 1-6 with an illuminated #4 reticle.

This is a range of scopes I don't look at very often, as I'm usually working with bolt guns and looking for scopes in the 2-4x low end and 9-12x top end. What else beside the VX6 would be worth checking out?

Keep in mind that it's headed for a Guide Gun. I don't mind a little weight, but I don't want a big objective. 1x-2x bottom end is a must. I don't mind a lower top end magnification that comes along with a low bottom end range. Illumination isn't a must, but a really visible, bold reticle is. Eye relief is important on the 45-70 as well.

Thanks for any ideas. Like I said, I'm interested in the VX6 and similar performance level optics.

I would be interested to hear from folks with both but I don't think you are going to gain much if anything going from a VXR 1.25-4 to a VX6 1-6 on low power where you are likely to be using a guide gun 45-70. I like the idea of the illuminated reticle but I think long range is where the better glass is going to come into play.

Better glass and larger objectives would certainly matter at high magnification but that is not the kind of scope you want on your rifle and it isn't made for long range anyway. Possibly even a new VX3 with heavy duplex or Illumination would be a good option and still be a 1" scope.

That's a good point...I haven't looked through a VX3 in probably 18 months to 2 years. I've read they've improved a bit, so perhaps another look is in order.

My main objective (no pun intended) is that I often see bucks at the ragged edges of shooting time (morning and evening), and here in Pennsylvania, we must count points to be sure it's a legal deer. I've seen some eye-popping bucks that wind up not having enough points, but if you just went off the general size of the rack, you'd think they were a pretty good deer. Then you see they only have big forks on each side and aren't legal....so my objectives are to not only see and be able to shoot the deer, but be able to count points at reasonable distances.

Granted, I use binos for that duty (point counts) the majority of the time, but when it's a minute into legal time and you see that buck come slipping through the brush at 75 yards, you know it's a deer, and it's no time to be putting up the binos.

My guide gun is well-suited to the farmland/woodlot terrain I hunt, as I get into some pretty thick brush at times. I'm stand hunting, so I'm not trying to crawl through that mess, but it makes for quick, fleeting shot opportunities, which means I need a rifle scope that can work effectively in pretty adverse lighting conditions. Every shred of useful light the scope will pass to my eye is important to me, and I do like the 6x capability for point counts when/if needed.

But, I'll take a look at dusk one evening through a VX3 and see what I see. Unfortunately, Cabela's here by me doesn't carry too many scopes of this kind....so I won't have much to compare, really.

I have a leupold 1-4x shotgun scope on my guide gun. Used it in 2008 for my African plains game hunt in RSA. The scope is so good, i transferred it to my Ruger no.1 375 H&H mag. for my 2011 Zimbabwe dangerous game hunt, and took a cape buff and tuskless ele with that setup. That 1-4x is the best scope I have ever owned, hands down.


maddog

I think even the VX3 had an upgrade in 2012. It would be about 3 generations ahead of your VariX III. All really good low light scopes I can think of would be way too big for your lever 45-70 but then again I'm about to try a 50mm Kahles on my Kimber Montana.

A 2-7X36 Kahles would be great if you could find one.

Yeah...bear in mind that I realize I won't get what I consider a proper lever gun sized scope AND world class low light capability. Rather, I want to get the best light capabilities I can get for a lever gun scope, if that makes sense. I've been using my M70 in 35 Whelen in thick stuff, as that has a 3-10x42 Swaro Z3 on it. And it's worked fine, lol, but I'd like to use the 45-70 in these thick, nasty spots, too. It's a great little rifle to have when/if a blood trail needs to be taken up.

The old VariX III is not too bad in dim light, but it's fine reticle is not the best. Some better glass and a better low light reticle and I think I'd be in business.

I have a leupold 1.5-4x28 VX-2 IER Scout Scope on mine that I think is a perfect fit for a guide gun.