Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Long Range Hunting & Target Scope

I'm going to be looking to buy a new scope in the future for long range target shooting and hunting. I need to keep it under 1250 bucks.

I plan on using it out to 1000 yards to bang steel and possibly out to 500 - 600 yards for deer.

I have an opportunity at shots very close as well. I've been using a 6.5-20X40 Leupold VX3 in the past and it has done well, but i wish i had less power on the low end.....but i still like having 20 power for target shooting and such.

Here is what i've come up:

Leica ER 3.5-14 (I've seen some used and samples for around my price range).
Leupold VX-6 3-18 Haven't seen one, and haven't seen much of any feedback on them, i guess since they are real new. Just wonder how the glass in these compare to some of the other scopes i'm looking at (Swaro Z5, Leica, ect). I'm sure i'll get to read plenty of feedback by the time i'm ready to purchase.
Zeiss HD5 5-25
Swaro Z5 5-25 or 3.5-18
S&B Summit 2.5-10 I've seen some used for around 1250. Not sure if i would be happy with 10X on the top end though?

Anything else i'm missing out on? I like the idea of the CDS on the VX6, or i could always go VX3 with M1's.

So what scope and reticle would you choose for that amount of money?

When you say hunting and target the 20x is out for "me". I have one 20x and wouldn't much like it for a hunting scope.

All I own personally is leupolds and one Ziess. They top out at 10x and work very well for "hunting" and playing around on steel. They gather more light than the 20x scope I own(Leupold) and still gives me plenty of x's to shoot 1,000 yard steel.

One thing to keep in mind is the ability to have a turret installed. For example you mention the S&B summit. It's out because a turret can't be installed unless that changed recently....

This looks good to me.......

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/zeiss.pl?page=zeiss_conquest_hd5_3-15x42

I just stuck Leup 4.5-14x40 with Target Turrets atop my 7 Rem.... We will see how it does.

The summit also doesn't have an adjustable objective. Not sure if that matters or not?

About the longest shot i would be able to take where i hunt is 570 yards. I looked at it the other day through my scope on 10X and on 20X. I feel like i could make a much better shot on 20X than 10. Shooting at those distances is something that is new to me, so maybe all that magnification isn't needed.....I need to get out and try shooting on 10x and see how i feel about it I guess.

20x is a ton of magnification for sub 600 yards. Hand me a 10x for that kind of work.

I need to go burn some powder in the 10X magnification range

The two deer i killed this year, one was 25 yards away and the other was 55. The 25 yard shot worked okay, the deer was walking to me and I didn't have any trouble finding him in the scope since he was moving slow.

The 55 yard shot.....i almost didn't get a shot. The deer was moving at a medium pace, not an all out run. I saw him when he was about 75 yards away and i darn near didn't find him in my scope. He was just about to go into a cedar thicket.

That experience made me want a scope with a lower end power.

I'd grab one of these and spend the extra coin on alcohol.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth..._Leupold_3_5_10x40_Tactical_#Post7286063

How big of a deal is not having paralex adjustment for shooting 500+?

I shoot to the 800 with my 6X42 all the time.

If it is truly a dedicated 1,000yd rifle, I would want a side focus. Otherwise, I would not sweat it.


Travis

jowens, are you hunting in close cover with a 10x? If you can't see a deer at 75, you have the wrong scope. This has relatively little to do with the op. He is wanting long range hunting and target, not 25yds. My choices start at 4-16 and probably tops out at 6-24. These will get you what you need without being overpowered. I am in the market for better quality than I have currently, and am holding for some kind of ranging reticle. I like the Vortex BDC. They have two types, from what I have seen, one similar to the Nikon with hash marks instead of the circles I don't care for. The other is basically the same, but it very fine hairs. I believe I will end up with one of each in the Viper. They have very good optics, covered turrets, great warranty with great reviews, and a good price point. ($4-500). The PST in second focal plane is about $600, and the FFP is about $900. They all have 30mm tubes and 75min of adjustment, so they have plenty for almost all uses without using a canted base.
The power range of these will serve you well for most anything.

That depends on the scope and where it's set to be parallax-free, and whether you'll always be shooting from a set-up where you can get a consistent cheek weld. You mentioned the Summit, that one's set to be parallax-free at 100 from the factory. I had one and at 500 meters I could make the cross-hair move all the way across a 12-inch steel target by moving my head. No way your head would move that much in practice, but the way I look at it, in a hunting situation where you're not always on level ground with a consistent position, it's one source of error that I don't want when I'm shooting at distances.

jowens is the OP...


Travis

Your going to need a target turret to get to 1000 yds reliably. 12-15X on the top end is plenty for the task. If weight and scope height are not an issue, I'd score a used Nightforce 3.5-15 x 50 NSX or Mark 4, 4.5-14 x 50. If weight is a concern, look to the Zeiss Conquest or VX3. I have not run a Conquest to 1000, but you'll need about 24 +/- MOA of adjustment depending on load. Some of the Zeiss models run out of elevation quick. I have run a VX to 1000. IIRC, 10 or 11 MOA per turn, so you'll need to keep tract of the revolutions on the reset without a Zero Stop.

Here you go: http://www.samplelist.com/Leupold-45-14x50-Mark-4-LRT-Rifle-Scope-DEMO-B-P60805.aspx

Quit drinking ( ) and buy a Nightforce NXS 3.5-15x50.

If you shop, used come in around your budget or so.....

A 20 MOA or 10 MOA rail helps with this.

Buy one from Doug: https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthread.../1/Zeiss_Demo_s_that_just_arrived#UNREAD

jowens,

For many years I used a Tasco World Class 4-16X A.O. My longest kills on both varmints and game came while using the Tascos. To me they are the absolute best scope value on the market. When I went to Alaska the .300 Weatherby Mark V carried a Taasco 4-16X A.O. and the Klienguenther K14 .375-.416 Rem Mag carried one two.

For many years I used a Tasco World Class 4-16X. My longest kills on both varmints and game came while using the Tascos. To me they are the absolute best scope value on the market. When I went to Alaska the .300 Weatherby Mark B carried a Tasco 4-16X and the Klienguenther K14 .375-.416 Rem Mag carried one two.

A scope without some kind of adjustable objective for long range shooting is going to be very frustrating. A friend of mine who hunts long range and in the woods uses a 6 1/2-20X. I tried a Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50 on my hunting rifle and could get on a deer within a few yards with ease. Then I found the Swarovski z5 5-25X52 weighs less by four ounces and is better in low light.

I moved the 6500 to a varmint rifle and put a z5 on the hunting rifle. The field of view is larger in the z5 than the 6500. Both are crystal clear from the lowest setting through their highest setting.

Oops, GFM