Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Fixed power scope????

Hey folks! I am putting together a woods/brush gun. Have a Marlin 45-70 GBL (18.5" barrel) and I was thinking that a nice simple 3x or 4x fixed scope would be the way to go. Where this will be used, not much chance of over a 100 yard shot, prob less than 50 yards. Need a little magnification for the eyes and a good field of view, plus I like the idea of keeping it simple. Needs to hold zero and have nice glass. Simple thick duplex is fine for reticle....just a point and shoot set up. No hard budget, just a scope that makes sense for this gun, a one and done purchase for the rest of this guns hunting career (I am 50 so I hope another 40 yrs). Any thoughts or recommendations?

Leupold FXII for current production.

The now-discontinued Zeiss 4x32 Conquest is a winner, and can still be found with a bit of digging.

Weaver K4 would still be serviceable, and less $ than either of the above.

IOR would be more than the above, and S&B would be WAY more than the above. Still, those are awfully nice scopes if you've got the coin.

FC

Wal, if'n twere me, I'd go for a 2-7 and keep the scope on 2 power all the time except when a longer shot gave me time to dial up. Come to think of it, that's exactly what I have now and what I do.

I hunt thick brush on foot, a bad habit no doubt, and over many decades I have had several animals from moose to coyotes too close to focus on at 2 power. 3 and 4 power are too much for the CLOSE ones. I've never needed more power but several times have wished for less than the 2 or 3 lowest power on the rifle in hand. A 1-4 power might be even better for what you describe. You don't need precision at close range, but you are right on with the need for CLOSE focus clarity and simplicity of the sight picture and a good field of view.

Sounds like a great rifle you are fixing up for simple fun deer hunting.

I hear the advantages of a fixed power, but for me, the advantages of variable power win the day for the use you describe. I have a Bushnell 3200 (?) 2-7 with a MASSIVE duplex so heavy on the outer bars that it shocked me, but I have come to love it. Putting them on a critter at close range does not get any simpler nor surer.

Leupold 2.5x.

Once I found some deer about fifty yards away. They were munching on a tree. I put the variable 4-16X set on 4X on them. I couldn't see any antlers. In Oregon it has to have at least a fork before we can kill it. I turned up the scope till I could definitely make out a fork on one of the deer. After I fired I looked at the magnification setting: 10X.

Another time I was using a fixed 4X. My hunting buddy was using a 4-12X. I looked at them with my 8X binoculars and told him there are no bucks in that group. He turned up is scope to 12X and shot a three point.

Therefore I would recommend a variable of at least 4-12X. I personally would not use anything lower than a 4-16X.

You need better binoculars if you can't determine what you're looking at, at 50 yds.

That was before the days of binoculars for me. The buck in the second scenario was hundreds of yards away.

I agree that a good 4x scope would be the ticket. I also like the 2-7 variable idea.

Oregon vs. Texas.

Who will be crowned the dumbest?

Or a straight 6X.

Or 3X.

Or prismatic.

Or red dot.

Or XS sights.

^^^^^^^^^^^that^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Nikon P223, 3x32.

Lightweight, extremely bright, under $150, really hard to break.

We all, are way dumber than anyone else. Don’t move down here, we too dumb to live with!!!

I hunt in the woods with 3x9 widefield scopes. The old Denver made Redfield’s. A 2x7 scope would be great too. I bought a gun that came with a 3x9 Leupold VX I not long ago. That scope was very nice. I sold it to a Fire member.

True

I bought a Leupold Big Bore 3x with a heavy duplex reticle for my Savage M99 and it's perfect for me.

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👍

Awesome scope.
Bob

Lemme guess...you always perceive the glass to be half full rather than half empty, right?

I'm 3 years older than he his and I'm praying I don't have another 40.

That's what I put on my 444 Marlin this year. I finally broke down and scoped a tubular magazine lever gun for the first time.