Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting What glass does your open country elk rifle wear ?

I have a VX3 3.5-10 x 40 with BC reticle I like , but hard not to use the zeiss hd5 3-15x42
at only 1” longer and 6 oz. heavier .

Used to use a SWFA 6X, and it worked fine, but I switched to a SWFA 10X for this year. We'll see if I like it more than the 6X.

A leupold VX3 3.5-10x50. If the Elk looks tiny at 10x I try to get closer.

One wears a 3-12x44 Burris Signature Select and the other a 2.5-10x50 Kahles Helia C. Happy Trails

The Leupold 6x36 and 6x42 haven’t let me down yet. I like the LRD reticle best for those scopes.

My elk rifle(s) all wear Leupolds- the .280 and .270 WSM with VX3 3.5-10x CDS, the .30-06 with a Freedom 3-9 CDS, the .300 Wby. and .257 Wby. with VX3 2.5-8's.

VX3 and VX3i 3-10x40.

Leupold 6 x 36 LRD reticle on all my big game rifles.

I installed a SWFA 3-9 on my Tikka T3 308 do everything rifle. So far I am very impressed.


mike r

on my 300 win.mag. i have a 5.5-22x56 Nightforce,on my 338 Lapua i have a 8-32x56 Nightforce and i always use a bi-pod and carry a pack .we don`t road hunt like some of these guys show pictures of clean clothes ,light jackets and even a truck near.

I have never been elk hunting because we have a chronic shortage of elk around here. But i have 4 or 5 potential elk rifles in the house. One, my .300 Weatherby, has a new 3.5-10x40 Leupold VX-3i on it. I have a Savage Model 110 pre accutrigger 7mm Remington Mag. with a 4-12x40 Leupold made Redfield Revolution. I have a Remington 700 SPS .30-06 with another VX-3i 3.5-10x40. I also have a sporterized Yugo Mauser in its military 8x57 chambering that wears another 4-12x40 Redfield Revolution. Another Mauser I have is a 98 with a Shaw 26" Heavy Sporter Barrel chambered in .280 Remington that wears another Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40. And I have a 1966 year model .270 Winchester Model 70 with a Leupold VX-2 AO 4-12x40. That's all I have that I would consider as elk rifles. I don't consider 24 or 25 anything as a primary elk rifle so I didn't include any with my list and I don't currntly own any 6.5-.264 anything right now either. I know some on here have killed elk with .243s and such and I might be tempted to use my .243 or my .257 Bob AI wth heavy for caliber bullets if pressed. But I wouldn't plan a trip around one since I have more potent equipment available. And I don't condemn those that use them either. I just prefer something a little bit more potent for bigger game.

My .300 Weatherby Vanguard carries a Leupold VX 3i 4.5-14x40 CDS with side focus,
as does my Rem 700 7 mm Rem mag
My Mauser Mark X .257 Ackley has a Leupold VX 3 4.5-14x40 with their B&C reticle.
Each of these has killed 1 or more elk.

My Herter's U-9 in .30 Gibbs is under a Weaver 3-9x,
but it retired after killing 29 elk.

Problem is in every state and province I've hunted elk in, and no matter what part of those states or province I've hunted elk in, open country also had timber, and every elk jungle I've been in also had open country in the general vicinity.

Leupold 2.5-8 on all but one of my serious elk rifles.......

6x36. But it gets used on elk wherever the elk and I are.

Swarovski Z3 4-12x50 BT 4W on Fieldcraft 270 shooting 150 Berger's @ 3050

A fixed 6 x 42mm Leupold on a Blaser R-93 7mm RM. on my Sako 75 338 Winchester 3x-9x Zeiss. Between the two rifles just 5 elk over the 21 years I have owned the 338 and 15 years for the Blaser. The longest shot I guess was maybe 180 yards if that. Never gotten the classic wide open shot that gets written about. Then again I have not hunted Elk that much either, it's a major expense for me since I live back East.

The same glass as all of my rifles.....

VX3

3-9 Leupolds on all my elk hunting rifles. Been working for me a long time.

4-12 Leupolds!!

On my Gunwerks 7mm RM I have a Nightforce ATACR 5-25x56.

Meopta 4.5-14x44 with Mcwhorter ret

I like LRD reticle in Fx Leupold.

Minox variable with LRD

Ruger 77 7x57 has a Bausch & Lomb Balvar 8 B, 2 1/2 x 8 x 36.

Kind of interesting to see the large number of Leupolds guys are using on their elk rifles- if you go over to the Hunting Optics forum, the general opinion is that they are worthless junk- even the forum sponsor started up a complain campaign to petition Leupold to improve their product!!
Many of us, who have used Leupold riflescopes for many years, with great success, may have a different opinion, based upon actual field experience.........

Bushnell LRHS 4.5X18 G2H reticle, on a re-barreled Savage (.338-06 AI) Weather Warrior. Not the fanciest rig, but I shot it a lot before I went and the combination performed very well on my two elk hunts.

My MKV in 270 Wthby wears a Leupold VX3i 4.5-14x40 with side focus and a Windplex reticle. I have a dial on top for my 130gr. GMX load at 3450fps that dials out to about 850yds. Waaaay beyond my self imposed range limit!

My daughter’s Rem 700 in 270Win wears an old style Zeiss Conquest in 3-9x40 set to hit 2.5” high at 100yds with Hornady 130gr. GMX Superformance ammo.

Elk Country

Actual field experience, and more than a little, is what pushed me almost entirely away from Leupold.

My hunting rifles (the same ones that get used for elk, sheep, WT, MD, moose, bear, etc) wear SS 3-9x, SS 6x, SS 10x, and LRHS 3-12x scopes.

I still have a couple of Leups around, one is a M7 4x on a Win 88 .308, but they don’t ride on my serious hunting rifles anymore.

Leupold 4.5 - 14x.
Actually that rifle seldom gets used because it is heavy, requires a little more time to acquire target, and because I seldom hunt elk where the majority of terrain is open country.
My Leopold M8 fixed power 3x has killed many more elk and from short to long ranges.

I got rid of all my Leupold variables, save one VXII 1-4, due to wandering zeros. Normal use, not hard use by any stretch, constantly found me finding them off zero.

I switched to SWFA SSs and haven't looked back. I do still have a few leupolds, though they're fixed 6Xs and only one has lost a zero on me. I used to hunt off horses a lot and ridding in a scabbard, banging up against trees was what seemed to really cause a scope to loose zero, for me at least. The Leupy 6X42s and the SWFA SSs hold zero much better and I have really been impressed by them over the years.

This.

The only lesson besides this is to check your power ring and make sure you're on lowest power until higher is needed. I lost an old mossy horn once because he jumped up at 20 yards and I had my scope set on 6x. All I could see was hair, then he ducked into a ravine and was gone. Good hunting to you!

I've used Leupold 2.5x8, 2x7. Currently, I have a Burris Timberline 4.5x14ao and Bushnell 3200 3x9 & 2x7. I like the Rainguard coating on the Bushnells, and they are very clear. The Burris I use for coyotes and working up loads. I have never hunted with it. It just doesn't have the FOV I like. I used to hunt a lot with a 1.5x5 but found that I got by just fine with 3x9 or 2x7s. I am not a LR hunter though, so don't need a lot of magnification to read mirage, etc.

Schmidt & Bender 3x12x50 Classic on my 1968 Sako 338.

Swarovski Z5, 3.5-18x44 with ballistic turret. Same as western deer rifle and even competition AR15.

Main elk cub Vx3 3.5-10 with cds. Others 3-9 or 2.5-10. Covers everything from up close to ranges I can comfortable with.
Only time I wish I had more top end is shooting gong past 600 yards.
For that reason I am thinking my next scope might be 3-12.

I've got more elk rifles than elk hunts left in me, but I have a lot of favorite scopes on them. Leupold, Zeiss, Leica, Kahles, Swarovski, Night Force and Schmidt & Bender.
They all work well if you get to within a reasonable range.
donsm70

Swarovski Z-5 3-18-44.

I have a Leupold VX1 4-12 on my '06. I had a 3-9 but my eyes aren't what they used to be. That extra few X's on top help a lot sometimes.

This is my choice, at least for now. Also my choice for not-so-open country. Pretty hard to go wrong with at any distance I'm comfortable shooting. If I wanted more glass I'd also need more gun under it. Balance.

Tom

I've got several rifles I've used for elk. The scope I've liked the best is a Nightforce 2.5-10x42 compact NXS. I've also used Leupolds ranging from various 3-9s to a VX-5HD 3-15 and SWFA SS 3-15s.

As far as the complaints about Leupold, I have yet to see one mechanically fail on me in terms of holding zero etc. but I have seen some clicks that were maybe as much as 5% off the listed values. That didn't bother me much, but I suppose it could bother someone. In my experience Leupolds hold zero well even on very high recoil rifles. They're one of the least expensive scopes that can claim that IMO and their low power scopes appear on a large number of Africa rifles for a reason.. I am leery of random internet complaints about the repeatability of scopes, because in my experience a large number of setups have problems in the mounting system, ammunition, stock stability or with the shooter that cause "wandering zeroes" when really it's [bleep] rifle/ammo or bad shooting.

The SWFAs suffered one breakdown that I'm honestly uncertain if it was my fault. SWFA bent over backwards to replace the scope on their dime when all I asked for was a repair on my dime. That made a good impression. The glass is however rather undistinguished.

I wonder if all those deer and elk killed with rifles wearing Leupold scopes are going to come back to life anytime soon?

Leupold vx3 4.5x14 in regular old duplex

Leupold VX-R 4X12-40 Firedot on a .30-06

Leupold VX3 2.5-8x. It's on a 8mmMag, it has held zero for over 25 years, including after taking a tumble and landing scope first.

Did y’all not hear Leupolds are gay? People that shoot and know way more than us elk hunters say they are gay.

I hunt with different rifles (and handguns) as the mood strikes me.

About 1/2 of my "open country" guns have iron sights only.


The "open country rifles" I have that wear scopes are:
25-06.---------------------- 3X to 9X
270 Winchester Mauser----2X to 7X
270 Winchester Mauser---3X to 9X
308 Winchester ----------Fixed 4X
30-06--------------------- Fixed 2.5 X
300 Mag ----------------3X to 9X
8X57 --------------------3X to 9X
9.3X74R ---------------1X to 4.5X
9.3X57-------------------1X to 6X
9.3X62 -----------------1X to 6X
375H&H -----------------1.5X to 4X.

(As a side note I will list a few other guns I have used in open, or VERY OPEN country, ------ just to give a back ground as to why I think the way I think:
44 magnum handgun with stock sights.
357 mag handguns with stock sights.
45 colt handgun with stock sights.
454 Casull with stock sights.
Ruger Old Army 45 cal cap and ball revolver with stock sights.
62 caliber flintlock with simple iron sights
58 Caliber Hawken reproduction with semi- Buck horn sight.
Reproduction 62 cal Tulle Smoothbore Fusil flintlock.
6.5X54 Mannlicher with 3 blade express sight
35 Remington Marlin Lever action with peep sight
Browning M92 44 mag with peep sight.
303 British with GI issue sights.
303 British with express sights, 100 yard blade.
30-40 Krag with issue irons.
300 Savage Savage M99 with peep sights.
Smith Enterprises M14 with DCM approved match sights.
M1 Garand with issue iron sights.
FN FALs with issue iron sights.
AK 47 with issue iron sights.
44-77 Sharps with semi-buckhorn sights.
50-140 sharps with semi-buckhorn sights.
Marlin M95 45-70 with peep sights.
9X56 MM Mannlicher with 3 blade express sights
270 Winchester on a Custom Mauser with peep sights.
30-06 Browning M95 with stock sights.
And I am sure I have missed a few here too.

I have hunted elk for over 50 years now, and done it in 5 states. Often I have hunted in 2-3 states per year.
I don't even know how many I have shot. The longest range I ever shot an elk was just over 400 yards.
The closest one was about 9 feet.
I have killed most of them in heavy forests, but several in open country. Until my eyes started to "go south" about 10 years ago I never saw that much an advantage from shooting a scope over irons as most of the magazines articles and advertisements seem to say exists.

Now that my eyes are getting a bit old I do see the advantage of a scope, but I still use low power in the planes and about 1/3 of the time I still use irons only. Yes, the scopes help, but not NEAR as much as we are told. Hunting skill is #1 and basic shooting skill is #2.

In the last 8 years most of my elk have been killed in the open planes. All were killed with scoped rifles except two. One was the 400+yard shot I mentioned above, with a 270 Short Mag (now sold to a friend) and the scope set at 6X
Most have been shot at between 150 and 250 yards. I killed one with the iron sights on a FN FAL running at about 175 yards with one shot. My closest shot in the last 8-10 years on an elk was at about 40 yards using a 4X scope, and the 2nd longest shot was at about 300 yards also with a 4X scope. The other iron-sight kill was with my 300 H&H, usually scoped, but I took the scope off it for the fun of hunting with the classic rifle and I shot from about 250 with my 200 yards blade in it's express sights.

The closest shot I ever made on an elk in my life was back in the 70s when I was on leave from the USMC and was hunting. I killed that one at about 9 feet with a shot from the hip with a 375H&H. Scoped, but I didn't use the scope OR the iron sights.

The closest shot I ever made in my life on a game animal was on an antelope with my 9.3X74R, and that one was so close I'd measure it in inches. When I fired I was enveloped in hair that got blown off the goat. Also a shot where NO sighing was done. I could have touched the antelope with the muzzle if I was a short step closer.

I am old now. and I need a scope now more then I ever did in all my life, but I still find I don't need a big one and in fact, I find the large high magnification scopes slow me way down in my shooting, and I don't like them or use them for elk, antelope, deer, moose, or bear. I like 7X up to 12X for small varmints and sometimes for coyote hunting if I am in a blind or concealed in the brush or rocks. But for 98% of my deer, elk and antelope hunting I like scopes of no more then 4X for all shots out to about 550 yards.
I see I am solidly in the minority among most other hunters in this opinion, but I have asked a few family members to set their scopes at the lowest power when hunting and just try it. Most have come to agree, that for MOST shots 3X to 4X is more then enough, and the speed to get on target from a lower power magnification is much better then from a high magnification. The super wide field of view is of more advantage to a hunter in 19 shots out of 20.

Making the game look bigger doesn't make it bigger. If the elk weighs 750 pounds at 3 feet from you, it weights the same 750 pounds at 500 yards from you.

The bullet in your magazine is the same diameter as it is at 500 yards.

If you can hold a 6 inch "wobble" and the cross-hair suspends 3" of that circle, you still hold the 6" wobble. If you make that 6" of elk look like it's 18" around, you still hold the wobble of 6".

ALL scopes are really just sights.
ALL scopes simply give you a way to aim.

If you can't aim and hold well with a 4X you can't do it any better with a 30X.
But a 4X will allow you to SEE the area around your game a LOT better and if you need to shoot 2 times, that 2nd shot is WAY easier to make with a lower power scope then a high powered one.

I didn't always used lower powers, (I drank the cool-aid for a while myself) but 50+ years has taught me that the high magnification are only a benefit about 1 time in 20, probably make no difference at all about 5 times in 20, and are a detriment about 14 times in 20.

The 6x Leupold, 36mm objective version. It's right at home on my 30-06 "elk and most anything else" rifle. This particular scope has the "long range" dots. I kinda like 'em.



I was grinning about the big cow taken with a single shot at 338 yards, and because I was looking at a pretty easy trip to the truck, about a mile away, but all downhill, in the snow!



Guy

That's just not true. Many are trans.

Both my 280 AI and 300 H&H have swaro Z3 3-10x42's.

Might be an all time campfire record - 43 “I”

S&B PMII 10x42

I particularly liked the part about how scopes are not that big of an advantage over irons for open country hunting.

I'm with Kimber7man - but he still has the best rifles

What bolt handle is that on the tikka?

Elk must be getting smaller with all these 12x+ scopes. Never needed anything more than 10x and in fact 6x is usually fine. More likely for me to have too much rather than too little magnification. Seems like I am usually winded or shaky more often than not when it comes time for the shot. I am not a long range shooter so no offense to those that competently are. The deciding factor for me is weight with lighter being better.

4-12 or 4.5-14 Leupolds on the half-dozen rifles I have used or would grab to go elk hunting.

I really like my Nightforce 2-10x32 compact.

All my big game rifles wear fixed Leupold 6x 36mm scopes. Most use the LRD reticle but some of the oldies just have the plain old duplex reticle.

Leupold VX-II 3-9x40 CDS on my Howa 308 win.

Leupold 4-12 or 3-9 has worked for me. Too old to change now.

Most of my elk rifles have Leupold 6x36’s. I have really come to like the LRD reticle.

Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 with a mil-dot they installed. Gets banged around a lot...never lost zero. I use Leupold on pretty much all my actual get-carried-around rifles, around 12-15 now I think. As mentioned by other folks I've only had one Leupold fail, but it got dropped literally down a cliff. Otherwise...long packs in, on foot, in canoes, banging around on four wheelers, shipped on airlines...no issues ever.

Also had an SWFA scope fail completely just in normal use; though I do trust that company and they sorted me out overnight with a new scope. The Leupold erectors I guess aren't great if you dial a lot so I don't use them on PRS rifles but even dialing some I haven't had Leupold erectors go bad.

As for the Leupold hate...I'm sure guys who see them in PRS classes probably don't like them. But most of us don't dial that much for hunting and if you do, get something else. Also, its the internet. People gonna hate!

My experience is almost exactly the same as yours!

Have used Nikon, Leupold, Zeiss, Swaro's and a few others with good results but last year I switched to Leica ER 5 3-15x56 on my 300wm. Never liked the size or weight of the huge bells preferring 44mm or less but the Leica is so clear I'm making myself get used to it. As good or maybe even a touch better than my Swaro's in low light.

My best elk rifle is a McMillan/Hart .300 Win with a 8x56 Schmidt and Bender. Great for hard hunted public land elk that only show in low light conditions (dusk/dawn). My other .300 Win is a Bergara Stalker with a 2x10 Tract Toric.

NF 2.5x10x42 and a Bushnell Tactical Elite 3x12 LRHS which is a little heavier than I generally like but it has been tracking well and since there are not a lot of choices in scopes that track and rtz these are the ones I've chosen, may try a schimdt and Bender soon!

Leupold 2x7

My lightweight rig, a 300 wsm has 3-9x40 conquest with a Rapid Z ballistic reticle. My other primary elk rifle, a 300 RUM has a 4.5-14x44 conquest with a rapid z reticle.

.270 has Vortex daimondback HP 4-16x40.
6.5x55 had Burris fullfield E1 4.5-14x42.
300 RUM had a Zeis terraX 4-12..
best of teh bunch is the Burris

4.5 -14X Zeiss atop a 30-378.

2.5X Leupold Scout scope on a 45-70 Guide Gun for dark timber.

Most of mine are 3-9x with a drop compensating reticle. I figure if they re good enough to hit clay pigeons at 600 yards they are good enough for elk and deer. OK, I miss more than I hit. Best hit rate with 3-9x has been 2 hits with 2 different rifles, 5 shots total (3 shots for the .338WM, followed by 2 for the .30-06).

You need to try a SWFA SS. Your hit ratio will go up

SS 3x9

Mine have been early versions of Zeiss Conquest 3-9x, 42 or 50mm with the #20 plex reticle mounted on a variety of .35 Whelens and a couple of 30-06 rifles. Perfectly satisfactory. But just recently I installed a LEICA ER scope 2.5-10x42 with #1 reticle on my Sako Bavarian 7x64. Good reticle for the poor light I usually find elk in. The quick adjust elevation turret is the first i've ever installed on a hunting rifle. Should work well for the conditions I hunt in and ranges that I hunt elk at.

My .35 Whelen AI, which is a very legit 400 yard Elk Rifle, has a Leupold 1.5x5 VXIII. That takes care of everything from dark timber to - well, about everything. My 7 Mag has a Leupold 2.5x8 VXIII. That takes care of everything from dark timber to about everything too, I reckon. Both are custom Mausers. Sorry my rigs are boring. Neither has changed in 3 decades.

Cheers,
Rex

Swarovski 2-18X 44 “Sheep Hunter”

VX3 4.5x14x40 30mm tube CDS . duplex

Leupold FX-III 6X42 LRD redical

Leupold...

6x36 LRD
2-7x33 LRD
3-9x40 LRD
2.5-8x36 B&C
3.5-10x40 B&C

We used a 2.5-8 Leupold for 20 plus years, and never found it lacking. But, over the last 8 or 10 years our hunting areas often offer shots farther than we can ethically shoot. We stepped-up to a 3.5-10 Leupold CDS, giving our old eyes a little better scope for long shots. The scope is always on 3.5, unless a shot is offered at long distance with sufficient time to “power-up”! Even at 3.5, it’s still doable on large game out to 400 or so.....yet is great for an up close and quick shot, if offered!

If a lot of walking is involved, I’d take the smaller, lighter Leupold.....but, I’m not as fit as I used to be. If hunting from, vehicle, horseback, ect.......use whatever you prefer, no matter the size and weight! memtb

I'm using a Meopta 3.5-10 x 44 and loving it. I don't like the adjustments but then again I don't have to adjust it. Love it.

3-9x40 leupold has always worked for me.

All of the deer,elk, and antelope I have shot in the last 10 years have had the same 6X Redfield Widefield on the same rifle! 150-375 yds.

Either a Leupold 6x36 with LRD or a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40.

Zeiss HD5 3-15x42 with Rapid-Z 800 reticle. Unbelievably clear and bright, it lets me see little tiny openings and detail extremely well and helps immensely on longer shots, which are normally taken at 12X due to my favorite ballistic profile.

The 3X on the low end is plenty wide for even dark timber and if time allows in open country, the extra power is invaluable for “experienced” eyes. I am not too proud to admit that, nor too stupid to think the higher magnification doesn’t help in quite a few scenarios.

No more 3-9 or straight 6X scopes for me ever again.

.

I just killed an antelope 1 week ago with iron sights on my 6.5X54 Mannlicher.
Range was 20 yards.

Very appropriate for that range.

Congrats! Beautiful animals that are extremely fine table fare. Try an Italian Barbera from Piemonte or a classic California Zinfandel from Sonoma County when you enjoy that sweet meat.

All wear Swarovski

And:

2.5-8x36 CDS
3.5-10x40 CDS

Leupold 3.5-10x40 for the past 15 years

Just put on a Meopta Optika6 3-18x56 scope and loving it. Amazing brightness and edge to edge clarity. As someone who is doing some freelance work with Meopta, it's nice to see a company coming out with products that consumers want and are priced right. Do yourself a favor and take a look at what Meopta has to offer and then check out The Campfire's Sponsor's for a great deal.

https://i1216.photobucket.com/album...hot%202019-08-23%20at%208.11.23%20AM.png

Stilllearning: ALL... of my Elk Rifles wear Leupold variable scopes!
Including Leupold 3x9's, Leupold 3.5x10's, Leupold 4x12's and a Leupold 4.5x14.
Opening day of Rifle season this year (if I have not already archeried an Elk!) I will have my Remington 700 Classic in 7m/m Remington Magnum with Leupold 3.5x10x40m/m with A/O on it afield.
Good luck all.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I don't have any rifles that specific (open country elk)! But I sure don't mind the price and performance of the SWFA 6X. I am very confident that it will do the job if I do my job.