Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics good compact scope under $300

i have a sweet little ruger 77rs carbine in 358. i have tried a couple of different scopes on it and still can't find the one i like. i have used an older lupe 2-7 compact and a US made burris shortmag 3-9. while both physically fit the gun nicely, the eye relief on the lupe was not good and the burris is blurry and not very crisp for my eyes. the gun has an 18.5" barrel and is really handy so i don't want to put some huge scope on it. the shortmag is the size i am looking for. i would like a variable up to at least 5x but would consider a 4x fixed. a 20mm or so objective is fine as well. bottom line is i want a good eye relief and a crystal clear picture at all powers. and my budget is pretty limited to $300 or less.

any ideas?

Redfield Revolution 2-7 or Weaver Classic K4. The Revolution will have a bit better eve relief, the K4 is just about a perfect 4x...either one would work great for well under $300.

You might look through a leupold 6X36 for that price range and see what you think.

+2 on both the scopes Tim mentioned.

Shod

I really like the Nikon Monarch 2-8x32. Was a very hard choice between it and Luppy 2.5-8x36 (which I bought) when I shopped a new scope for my A-Bolt .308 Micro Medallion.


Buddy from a different forum mounted on a R77 like yours.

I have a Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5x32 mounted on my BLR in 358.

It's a very compact scope and affordable scope.

Worked like a charm yesterday afternoon when I took a black bear running towards me at less than 25 yds.

Dan

Was that 2-7 one of the ultralights? Their eye relief is much less than the standard models.

Considering the use for such a rifle, I would look at the VX-2 1-4. It would certainly look right and only weighs 8.1 oz. I'm thinking about one or the VX-1 version with the turkey reticle for my new RSI .22.

I would say the 4x32 leupold is pretty good. This is the Leupold on my 6lb ruger 358.


The nice thing about the fixed scopes is that they are very light, have long eye relief (and the eye relief doesn't change with magnification) are pretty darn tough.

With the 4x I can shoot MOA groups, hit effectively to 300 yds and am good close up too. Its right around $300

Take a look at the Weaver V7 and read its reviews. We put one on Dad's Ruger 338 Fed and he's very happy with it.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/62...ual-x-reticle-matte?cm_vc=ProductFinding

There are numerous choices from: Burris, Bushnell, Nikon, Leupold, Weaver,...... I picked up like new second hand Nikon Monarch Safari 1-4x with Burris steel rings for $150. Great scope for quick shorter range shots and for driven game hunt use, but not so good for longer range work. The choice has more to do with reticle type then anything else. The reticle type should be matched to intended use.

yes it was. the lupe was real picky. however, i mounted it on an old rem 14R carbine and it works perfectly.

that looks interesting. thanks

An LGS has a 14 carbine in .25 and it's very slick, but at $1200, kind of pricey as a just-for-fun piece. They also have a nice .35 for $750 that might come home in a weak moment.

Why would anyone put 6x fixed power scope with fov of 18ft @100 yards on .358 carbine? That scope has very little versatility.

Perhaps he has used a fixed 6 and knows how incredibly versatile they are. A good fixed is very easy to use at both close range and far, jump shots, etc.

David

I picked up second hand Nikon African 1-4x. It's good for close range jump shots and can be mounted on bolt gun, lever gun, but it would be very suitable for someone (not me) when fighting most dangerous game with an AKM or M4. For open county longer range work I have Zeiss 3-9x42.

I'd go conquest 3-9x40 at eurooptic for $329

Just went thru this on a lightened Rem M700 in .243 with a 20" barrel. Originally went with a Leupold VXII 3-9x33 Ultralight because I wanted light and handy. Eyebox was so small at anything over 4x and light gathering so stingy that I swapped it out for VX2 3-9x40. Here's why. The former weighs 9.3 ounces and is 11.3" in length. The specs say it has 3.4" to 3.1" of eye relief but it felt much smaller at the higher mags. The latter weighs 11.2 ounces and is 12.6" in length with 4.2" to 3.7" of eye relief. My judgement was that for the more generous eyebox and better twilight performance, the small increase in weight and length was acceptable. FYI, okefenokeeoutdoors.com has the Leupy VX-2 3-9x40 Wide Duplex for $273 shipped. Just purchased one myself. Also try, http://www.tacticalwholesalers.com

noknees,
That's a fine looking Ruger.
What are the spec's?
Is that a basner stock?
What's the barrel contour etc...
Thanks

VX-2 2-7x33 or VX-1 2-7x33

The basic specs are:

Ruger MKII stainless action with the basics done Lap/square/bolt faced.
Douglas SS #2 1/12" finished at 20" 358 win
Timney trigger- around 2 lbs
MPI LW stock (22oz) I had a McMillan MKII classic on it but needed to shed some weight for balance.
Cerakoted Graphite black by Eddie F.
FX-II 4X32

I don't have a scale, but its 6ish pounds and well balanced. Its so short and the stock is so small a diameter that it carries like a win 94.