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Good day:

Which scope of these three would you all recommend for a CZ550 American Safari in .375H&H?

VX•R 1.25-4x20mm
https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-r-1-25-4x20mm
12oz

VX•R 2-7x33mm
https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-r-2-7x33mm
12.7oz

VX•R 3-9x40mm
https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-r-3-9x40mm
15.3oz

All retail for the same price: $650. Due to the greater popularity of the 3-9x40 format over the others, might be able to get a better deal on one of those.

===========================

My CZ 550 currently wears a Leupold VX•R 1.25-4x20mm using the CZ mounting system & rings. I have been happy with it. The low power setting plus the illuminated red dot are a nice combination at night. And it adds little weight. I have not had a shot where the 4x was insufficient thus far to get a 270gr soft point into a lethal spot, CNS or thoracic cavity where appropriate. The reason I am getting another scope is because I just built my daughter & wife a light-weight, light-recoil hunting AR15 in 6.5 Grendel. It is light weight for a reason and my VX•R 1.25-4x20 will help keep it that way.

This is the price range for me. I have to provide hunting rigs for the whole family. I can get good, serviceable rifles--fit to the shooter--pretty reasonably nowadays, but I am a bit shy about discount glass. I keep 5 other hunters equipped by getting the right rifle for them and making sure it fits, but floating a couple Leupold 2-7x33 VX-2 scopes with QD rings and picatinny rails. The only permanent mount has been my VX•R 1.25-4x20mm on my CZ550.

Lots of night hunting in Texas, mostly after hogs, so an illuminated scope is a help. Were that not an issue, I would trade the illumination feature for higher quality glass.

I stick with Leupold for my centerfire rifles. My dad bought cheap glass when I was a kid and it would crap out or go squirrely. I have had much better results with Leupold.

Last, I would just stick with the 1.25x4x were my CZ550 not such a good shooter. It eats (relatively) cheap Remington green box 270gr soft points and gives me tight cloverleafs at 100 yards. I have not even hand loaded for it yet, to see how tight it will group. So it has longer-range potential.

FTR, my first inclination is to run with the 2-7x, due to the small increase in weight. But there are other factors of which I may not be aware.

Thank you for your time.


Regards,

deadlift_dude
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Not a 375, but that firedot VXR 3-9x40 30mm is a sweet scope, I just put one on a custom 385 Norma on Warne steel bases and Burris rings, really nice.


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Originally Posted by gunner500
Not a 375, but that Firedot VXR 3-9x40 30mm is a sweet scope, I just put one on a custom 385 Norma on Warne steel bases and Burris rings, really nice.

I have one of these on a 30-06. It's Leupold VX-R 3-9x40 with Ballistic Firedot reticle (Item #111236). I think it's one of the most practical pieces of glass I've ever used, and it ticks all of the boxes that the OP laid out.

Things to Know

This scope has a good general purpose reticle, but it takes some figuring out and the right zero. Most experienced shooters would choose something more versatile for routine use in very open country or anywhere that the wind is a problem.

The reticle dimensions are about right for low-light use. This is a second-focal plane reticle, so changing the power setting changes the reticle dimensions relative to the image.

The dot in the center is 1 MOA at the high end and 2.5 MOA at the low end. It appears as a short red vertical line, not as a circle or square. This is a hunting scope, and not the best choice for shooting tiny groups on paper.

The dot is bright enough to see in daylight without going to the highest setting. I wear glasses and I have astigmatism so it flares on the brighter settings, but that’s not the scope’s fault and reducing the brightness fixes it. It’s hard to find truly dark situations around here since I’m in a major West Coast city, but the dimmest settings would probably be fine in very low light.

The reticle makes a good bullet drop compensator. Leupold’s marketing copy implies that from a 200-yard zero, the bottom of the circle will be your 300-yard POI, the middle hash mark will be your 400-yard POI, and bottom hash mark will be your 500-yard POI. The copy does NOT tell you is that this is only true for cartridges with a muzzle velocity north (in some cases well north) of 2,900 fps firing bullets with very high BCs. Fortunately, you can fiddle with the zero and do some test shooting to figure out which distances the aiming marks actually indicate. These figures are for a 180-grain Nosler Partition at 2,750 fps. Your 375 would be similar, but check it to account for the difference in elevation between your location and mine. You have to crank the scope up to 9x for this data to work, but if you’re making long shots in low light then you should have the time to do that.

50 yards: +0.6”
100 yards: +1.8”
200 yards: Zero
250 yards: -3.3”
285 yards: -6.8", or the bottom of the circle
320 yards: -11.0”
355 yards: -16.7”, or the middle hash mark
400 yards: -25.5”
450 yards: -38.0”, or bottom hash mark


All in all, it’s a useful piece of gear for the conditions you described. Once I got it zeroed and figured out how to use the reticle, it was easy to ring 8" steel at 425 yards with it.

Let me know if you have questions.


Okie John


Originally Posted by Brad
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.
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You state that 4x has met your magnification needs to this point but, even if only for poops and giggles at some point down the road, the .375 is capable of making real use of 7 or 9x.


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Nice OJ, I had dyslexia, I meant 358 Norma, mine has the standard duplex firedot.

I'll zero the 250gr partitions at 2809 fps three inches high at 100, will confirm, but, they should land no lower than a foot at 400, plenty good enough for me and any medium heavy bore, that rifle is a hammer and among the most accurate I own.


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I like the 2-7 for just about anything except prairie dogs.

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2-7 is just about ideal. Great field of view on the low end and plenty of magnification for a little bit longer shot.


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I sure like my 1.25X4 VX-R

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I have the 2-7VX-R with the (German #4dot) mounted on a Winchester 70 Alaskan .375 and it's is the best field scope I've ever used .

I too have astigmatic eyes for 50 years but with the single adjustable red dot, with the heavy #4 reticle to prevent canting, 150 yard clay pigeons are easy consistent hits every time.

The slimness of the 2-7 matches well with the big CZ550 action. I like balance especially on a big bore rifle.
Just checked my CZ 500 Jeffery and ring spacing should work with maybe aftermarket rings, not sure about factory rings

No scope planned for that rifle but maybe a Trijicon RMR soon.


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Thank you all for responding. I learned quite a bit.

Originally Posted by gunner500
Not a 375, but that firedot VXR 3-9x40 30mm is a sweet scope, I just put one on a custom 385 Norma on Warne steel bases and Burris rings, really nice.


You voted with your money for 3-9x, looks like.

.358 Norma is nothing to sneeze at.

My .375H&H+VR1.25-5x currently uses Leupold rings. For this go 'round I will upgrade to Warne rings for it and also use some Warne tactical QR ring/mount deal.

Originally Posted by okie john

I have one of these on a 30-06. It's Leupold VX-R 3-9x40 with Ballistic Firedot reticle (Item #111236). I think it's one of the most practical pieces of glass I've ever used, and it ticks all of the boxes that the OP laid out.

Things to Know

This scope has a good general purpose reticle, but it takes some figuring out and the right zero. Most experienced shooters would choose something more versatile for routine use in very open country or anywhere that the wind is a problem.

[LOTS OF GOOD DATA]

All in all, it’s a useful piece of gear for the conditions you described. Once I got it zeroed and figured out how to use the reticle, it was easy to ring 8" steel at 425 yards with it.

Let me know if you have questions.


Okie John


Another 3-9x.

Currently my Rem 700 .30-06 is toting one of the 2-7x Leupold VX-2s. I prefer to shoot 180gr out of it, usually just a cup & core pill.

I really ought to either work up a load or choose one of the 250-270gr commercial loads--likely one of the mono-metal pills like GMX or some such) and stick with so I can work up a similar table for my .375H&H.


Originally Posted by guyandarifle
You state that 4x has met your magnification needs to this point but, even if only for poops and giggles at some point down the road, the .375 is capable of making real use of 7 or 9x.


Indeed.


Originally Posted by patberg
I like the 2-7 for just about anything except prairie dogs.


A vote for 2-7x

I bought the first Leuold 2-7x for my wife's (now son's) .243Win in a Ruger Compact American Rifle. 3-9x looked awkward and my wife is weigh-sensitive in her rifles and shotguns. A Boyd's stock that I bedded myself cured the greatest issue with that gun. (The flimsy stock would flex and send flyers. I now can't find a premium commercial load that does not shoot well.) My son can manage the additional weight the Boyd's stock brings to the table.


Originally Posted by JCS271
2-7 is just about ideal. Great field of view on the low end and plenty of magnification for a little bit longer shot.


2-7x


Originally Posted by butchlambert1
I sure like my 1.25X4 VX-R


Yep, I got no complaints. Just looking for something that can take more advantage of my rifle's demonstrated caapbility and my daughter's & wife's 6.5Grendel potential capability, if I decide to ever mount it on that.


Originally Posted by ZeauRay
I have the 2-7VX-R with the (German #4dot) mounted on a Winchester 70 Alaskan .375 and it's is the best field scope I've ever used .

I too have astigmatic eyes for 50 years but with the single adjustable red dot, with the heavy #4 reticle to prevent canting, 150 yard clay pigeons are easy consistent hits every time.

The slimness of the 2-7 matches well with the big CZ550 action. I like balance especially on a big bore rifle.
Just checked my CZ 500 Jeffery and ring spacing should work with maybe aftermarket rings, not sure about factory rings

No scope planned for that rifle but maybe a Trijicon RMR soon.


2-7x vote.

Astigmatism & near-sighted here.

I have as a back up one of those NEF aperture sights that mount directly to the rear CZ dovetail. Nice bit of kit. the first sight I used to shoot the rifle with and zeroed at 100 yards with 270gr softs. Trijicon is top quality, from my experience, back when the taxpayers paid for all my gear.

I am currently using Leupold rings for the CZ500, but think I will use the Warne rings this next time.

=================================

A lot of food for thought. Probably leaning 2-7x, but if I can find a good deal on a 3-9x I might not be able to resist. One thing that weighs against the 2-7x is that all the rings I look up seem built to accommodate a 3-9x40mm objective, as far as ring-height goes. Thw 33mm obj on the 2-7 does not need quite that much clearance.

In any case, I think I have the blessings of two good options.


Regards,

deadlift_dude
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I had pretty much the same question, only Im comparing the VX5 1-5 to the VXR 2-7. For me I guess sit really comes down to: How often have guys with 1-1.5 on the low end absolutely needed that 1-1.5 to make the shot? And could you have made that shot at 2x?

I personally feel im more likely to want to the top end magnification over the low?

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So I ended up running with 2-7x33m.

Price was same OTD for 2-7 & 3-9, unless I wanted a ballistic firedot reticle on the 3-9, which would have cost me an additional $50.

The deciding factor was weight, as this scope might one day end up on my wimminfolk's AR15 in 6.5 Grendel, which was built specifically as a medium-sized game-getter with light weight and mild recoil as top priorities.

Thanks again for all your time and help.

========================

warpig602:

1. Low or no (1x) mag is nice for up close target acquisition and fast shooting. Wish my 1.5-4x went down to 1x. I made one "boar's breath" distance shot with 1.5x. Would have preferred 1x, but got it off. Low/no mag also nice for lower-light situations.

2. VX5 and VXR lines not directly comparable, as I think VX5 is a higher-end product.

3. This is a judgement call that depends on what you expect your shots to consist of.


Regards,

deadlift_dude
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Thanks, I run vx5 and vx6 1 power scopes now. Just internally debating how many times I'd need the 1x over 7x ...where the 2x wouldnt work.

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The hands down best scope for a 375, 416, 458 big bore Rifle is the 2 1/2 light seeker s.g PLUS! If you can find one BUY IT!!!

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Put one on your big bore and try it!! It may shock YOU!! the ease to put it on target!

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Originally Posted by warpig602
I had pretty much the same question, only Im comparing the VX5 1-5 to the VXR 2-7. For me I guess sit really comes down to: How often have guys with 1-1.5 on the low end absolutely needed that 1-1.5 to make the shot? And could you have made that shot at 2x?

I personally feel im more likely to want to the top end magnification over the low?

I hunt deer in extremely thick brush where shots are typically from 15-90 yards. I like a 4x because it also works if I need to reach out across a clear cut when I hunt elk. I've never seen an opportunity where 4x was too much.

That said, I have very little experience hunting anything that can kill me. Others can fill in those blanks.


Okie John


Originally Posted by Brad
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.

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