Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Scope for Winchester Classic 270

I have a thread asking this question on the Hunting Optics sub forum, but I'm not getting a lot of response there. I hope it is alright to cross post to here. I am picking a Winchester 70 Classic stainless featherweight in a McMillan featherweight stock in 270. Trying to figure out what to scope it with.

Will be using the rifle out of the truck some with most use being walking and stalking pigs late evening on the ranch. So I want a relatively light scope with good low light performance. Also needs to be durable because while it won't be abused, it could see some rough handling.

The scopes I am considering are the Leica ERI 2.5-10x42, Swaro Z3 3-9, or maybe the VX5 2-10. Was hoping for some opinions on those. Particularly interested in hearing thoughts on how the VX-5 stacks up against the others as it is hard to find much info on it. Also, the other thread had someone mention the Meopta fixed 6x42 as an option and that is an interesting one. Though I don't know how well it stacks up against the other more known quantity brands.

Appreciate the opinions of everybody offered up and curious if there are any other options I'm missing that I should consider. Would like to keep this below $1,000. Thanks for the help.

I apologize since this isn't on your list, but I'd suggest a trijicon accupoint for what you're doing. They are durable, light weight, and have an illuminated POA that does not require batteries.

A fixed 6x would be my choice.

I have an M70 .270 push feed XTR that came with a McMillan stock. I put a 3z9 Burris Fullfield on it and it works just fine. Looks good too. Two actual M70 Featherweights, a .257 Bob has a 3x9 Leupold and the 7x57 has a 2x7 Leupold. Looks even better than the .257 Bob.Those two are push feeds as well. All work as they should.
Paul B.

Those are all nice scopes you are considering. The edge goes to Leica ERi for low light performance by a good margin.

If you wanted something extremely rugged in holding zero a SWFA SS 3X9X42 HD is a good choice. it does have huge exposed turrets though which may be a negative for what you want. I would however trust it to hold zero in rough use better than anything else you listed and better than most scopes under $1200. SWFA usually sells them for $400 on black Friday

Another nice scope you might consider is the Vortex Razor HD LD 2-10X40. Personally I think the glass is better than the Leica you list or the Swaro. They are made by LOW in Japan.I expect good build quality but they are fairly new and just haven't been tested enough to say for sure.

I doubt the build quality of Leupold more every day.

You might possibly find a Swaro Z5 used under $1000. If you can find one with the newer style plex reticle it is a great low light scope and built with an upgraded erector system over the Z3 series.

You might consider a TRACT. They have been getting pretty good reviews.


I think this one will be my next scope purchase. It isn't exactly light,but I am beginning to believe that light and durable just don't go together. I have no experience with this scope at all but I like all the features it has and it has been getting great reviews,the few that are available,that is. It has everything I want personally in a hunting scope.
https://www.trijicon.com/na_en/products/product3.php?pid=TR26-C-200104

For the world of me I do not understand why anyone would put such clunky monstrosities on a slim hunting rifle.

Two that I suggested are anything but clunky monstrosities. I guess you missed that though.

I simply suggest some picks I might make,which I think is about all that can be expected.

I know someone that has a Swaro AV 3-9x36 #4 reticle on theirs(270 win ) stainless classic with a edge stock and it balances perfectly. I would pick that a Leupold fixed 6x 36MM, Meopta 6x42 or a Swarovski Z3 3.5-10x42 for that rifle.

Which one's made in the USA?
Question answered for me.

I have a Leupold 6X x 36 on my Stainless Classic. Perfect IMHO.

Which one? I guess it doesn't matter if the lenses are made in Japan.

I have two featherweight .270's one with a 3-9 Swarovski and the other with a fixed 6x Swarovski. Both scopes weigh the same but I prefer the brightness of the fixed 6

In classic campfire tradition I am going to ignore the choices you seek advice on and recommend a Leupold 6x36

You can thank me later.

Oh and mount it in dual dovetail rings

Ive done a lot of trim M70's - go with the 6x36 or 3-9x36 Swaro.

My McMillan stocked Fwt is heading out for mule deer this weekend with a 6x36 LRD on top.

If you can afford it, I'd go with the Swarovski 3-9x36 Z3 or maybe even a 3-10x42. Very light and excellent glass... I had an older Swaro on my light 338WM and is was pretty svelte.

I'm leaning towards the Swarovski 3.5-10 right now. I have a 3-9 on a kimber Montana that has done well for me. Just kinda intrigued by the Leica and new VX-5. Y'all know how it is, you just get a desire for something a little different some times.

Definitely agree with dual dovetails even as much as I like Talleys. Seems the spacing is more forgiving and they look "cleaner", not to mention damn tough. Don't forget to grease the dovetail if you do. I'm Elmer Fudd as scopes go on my M70, VXII 3x9. Pretty boring.

My recommendation is a Swaro Z3 2.5-10x42.

A zeiss 3-9x40 conquest of a Leupold fixed 6x woukd be my choice.

This. Back to the KISS principle.

I agree, dual dovetails for sure...

I really don't believe you can beat the swaro z3 3-9x36 or 3-10x42 for a hunting rifle.

If someone thinks you can exponentially beat their low light performance, they must not have used them.
The glass is top notch, slim and light scopes. Assembled here in Maine, built in Europe. Grab some talley lightweight low ringmounts.
You'd be hard pressed to beat that setup.

+3

That is what is on my own .270 Win.

Leupold FX-3 6x42 on my 270 Win...see no need for anything else

You could make a shot longer into the evening with the Leica ERi but the Swaros should surly take you to legal light.

Well with pigs there isn't a legal shooting. Anything goes with pigs. How much difference is there between the Leica and swarovski?

Also, on the mounts would low talleys work on the 3-10 Swarovski? I have lows on my kimber with the 3-9 and that scope barely seems to fit.

Talley lows will work will a 40mm bell. Did you happen to just purchase that rifle off Gunbroker? Sounds a lot like one I saw listed on there.

What is "barely seems to fit" ? You should have plenty of room with a 36mm scope

Well what I mean by barely fits is with it on a bikini scope cover doesn't want to fit between the scope and barrel. But I also have it mounted a little farther back.

Also, yeah. I found it on gunbroker.

so 6mm more in objective diameter would be 0.23622 added , I have never had a problem mounting a 3.5-10x42 on a few different rifles , none with a varmint diameter barrel though.

I tend to shoot more from field positions than from a stand or bench. So my natural shooting position tends to have my head a little further back as opposed to hunched over the rifle. So I like the scope slid back. And it works, just the scope cover doesn't go all the way under the scope and between the scope and barrel. Not going to say I even have it all set up right. But I know it works and works well for me right now.

Just dropped a pig Monday evening that was running across the side of a hill. The side of the hill has a series of washes down the slope. So as the pig was running away he was popping in and out of view. Dropped him with a shot through both shoulders as he was popping up passing between washes. Went straight down with the 160 gr partition out of the 280 AI. This was right at dark with him in sight for maybe a second at most while running. So again, I may not have it set up "right" but it works well for me. That set up is working really well snap shooting like that.

The Leica ERi excels at low light hunting. I bought the 2.5-10X42 model and compared it to a Swaro Z5 ,a friends Z3 a couple Leupolds, Zeiss Conquest 3X9X40. All the scopes took me to the end of legal light with the Swaros being the best. I would say that the extra magnification of the Z5 helped at longer distance as the light dimmed to a point where I would loose the reticle.

I could have killed a deer in the field by my house a little over 100 yards at 9pm with the Leica. That's as lat as I was out that night.

I returned the Leica because of a few negatives. The dot was a bit large for long range. On low power the Leica I had had some tunneling. Worst of all on 2.5, which is where I tend to use these variables most of the time, the Leica had very blurry edges. I would say that about 20% of the picture was very blurry because of this edge issue. The edge was bad enough that you couldn't read a car tag at 20 yards if you kept it on the edge. The middle was great and this issue went away when you were up past 3X. I did play with the diopter adjustment to try to lessen it but was unsuccessful. It may have partially been an eye issue though because I could get rid of the tunneling by adjusting the diopter.I just couldn't have a crisp reticle for my eyes with it so adjusted.

If I wanted a night scope or pure low light scope,I would go for the Leica ERi 3-12X50 model and not worry about the extra weight.

Swaro 3-9x36 in Talley Lightweight Extra Lows, the extended front base isn't needed either.

Nope, no need for the extended front base... Should look similar to this set-up I had on my 338. These are lows though:

Front Talley flipped backwards has always been a pet peeve.....

I like my scopes slid back. A Leupold FX-III 6x42 or VX-III 3.5x10 with a heavy duplex or post & duplex reticle. Both are good low light reticles. The VX-III 3.5x10 fits on long actions well if you need the scope set back more than most folks do.

That's an H&H magnum action. No go on turning that front mount the other way. Sorry man... Besides, its better to keep that scope centered up in those rings...

My pick would be a Leupold 4x33. Second choice would be a Leupold 6x36.

Good luck and have fun! Thanks, Tom

You're not going to get light scope with good low light performance for $1000 or less. The scope will be large,heavy and cost at least $2500. You need x56 objective, FMC top of the line glass plus illumination with fine intensity adjustment. The Swarovski brand is the gold standard for this.