First off, I'm not a dial twister and never will be. I use one of my company's recurves to bow hunt for moose in Alaska every year and always have a rifle in camp for wolves, etc. If I or my hunting partner are carrying the rifle with us each day while hunting it's as a backup - not the primary weapon for hunting. That's why saving weight in the overall package is important. Since it could potentially be used up close for bears if things go south I've always mounted a variable with a pretty low end on the range, something like 2 or 2.5. Max upper range would be something in the 8-10 power area. I haven't hunted with a rifle now for about 30 years and I do not go to the range to burn powder and see what size groups I can shoot. I want a rifle and scope combination that, after being sighted in, I can count on. Minimizing weight while maximizing dependability and durability are the most important considerations in my decision. Cost of the scope is relatively unimportant. Since my first-hand knowledge about scopes is decades old I wanted to pick everyone's collective brains for what brands of lightweight scopes I should consider in 2018.
The rifle we had with us last year was a Barrett Fieldcraft in .308 Win. It has a Leupold VX-3 2.5-8 on it right now and the combination weighs an ounce either way of 6#. This year it will be either that same rifle or a NULA in .308 or 35 Whelen (if I ever receive the two I have on order).
What scopes should I consider with the above being said?
I know you mention a light weight variable; but I would go with a either Leupold or Weaver fixed 4X.
You'll get a ton of different opinions and now it is en vogue to rip Leupold. I don't trust their variables but do like the fixed 4X for light and fairly rugged.
djb, the biggest brown bear I've ever seen was back in the late '70's. I was carrying a 300 Win Mag sporting a 2.5-8 power Balvar scope. While fighting my way down hill through terrible alders I jumped him out of his bed. At 20 yards I could barely get both of his eyes in my sight picture. I was essentially in a closed room with an agitated and very large brown bear boar whose beauty sleep I had interrupted. Thankfully he didn't like my looks and ran off before I could do something stupid like pull the trigger. The next bear hunt I was carrying a 375 H&H with a 1-5X scope that was (on the low power setting) in focus halfway down the barrel. A fixed-power 4X would NEVER be on the gun I carried in bear country.
mathman, 2.5X is okay for close work, but (now as a non-resident) where I hunt I can kill 5 wolves without a permit thanks to the smart game management philosophy of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. I also want to be able to dial in some magnification if that opportunity arises.
It's possible that I would see a wolf 300 yards or so away. With low magnification the cross hairs would come pretty close to subtending the entire body of something the size of a wolf.
John Harvard: I would stick with that Leupold 2.5x8 power variable! Mine have been tried and proven true on Hunts all over the west and Alaska. Best of luck on this years Hunt! Hold into the wind VarmintGuy P.S.: Buy a Wolverine tag for this year - I just have a premonition you are going to come across a Wolverine.
You have to go with what you're comfortable with, I understand. That said, I believe there is some hyperbole in your statement.
I made the suggestion based on the stated maximum importance of light weight and reliability. Clearly it's light weight, and hopefully the FX-II version of the scope upholds the heavy duty reputation established by the M8 version over the years.
I shoot enough at 300 yards with low magnification that I wouldn't want to be a wolf out there in front of me even at 2.5x.
Minimizing weight while maximizing dependability and durability are the most important considerations in my decision.
My suggestion was based on this statement. A variable doesn't typically come to mind first if durability and lightweight are most important. A 4x is very easy to use up close yet allows precision out to 200-300 yds. The 2.5x would be great too, especially if at extreme close range.
Haven't had an issue with my Leupolds as yet, but am a little leery of them these days. My pick for something light now would probably be a Trijicon 3-9. I've yet to see someone complain about them.
Pappy, I was thinking of the Accupoint from Trijicon too. Mine is a 1-4 w/ green topped post and has proved to be bombproof. It would be perfect for dg as it has great eye relief and is very fast on 1x. Using it at 4x it is deadly on coyotes past 300 yds.
mike r
Don't wish it were easier Wish you were better
Stab them in the taint, you can't put a tourniquet on that. Craig Douglas ECQC
Not sure where you draw the line for 'lightweight', but the new NF NX8 1-8 comes highly recommended. It has daylight visible illumination, so it works a lot like a red dot sight on low power, and you can zoom up to 8 power if you need it. I am going to put one on my 375. It is very compact and weighs 17 ounces as I recall. About six ounces more than the 2.5-8 Leupold, but it is very tough and has some additional features.
The first great thing is to find yourself and for that you need solitude and contemplation. I can tell you deliverance will not come from the rushing noisy centers of civilization. It will come from the lonely places. Fridtjof Nansen
I hunt in brown bear country all the time. A 4X would be just fine for me. 6' FOV at 25 yards is still a lot and shouldn't have any problem getting both eyes in your sight picture.
Maybe consider a 1-4 or a 1-5.5 or 1.75-6 or something if you really want more FOV.
