Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Scope for .375 H&H

It's hard for me to tell what the specs on this scope are for eye relief.

If you go to the gear shop here or at the optic zone and look at it you'll see the following listed for eye relief:
Eye Relief (in): 4.40(1.75x) 3.20(6x)

However, on Leupold's site, http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-shooting/products/scopes/vx-iii-riflescopes/vx-iii-1-75-6x32mm/
They list it as 4.8-3.7

At any rate, the 1.75 is actually a 1.9, and the 6 power is actually a 5.6.

Leupold does seem to play the numbers game with specs. Never know for sure.

JCM

I live in South Africa, and hunt 5-6 times during our winter months and almost always use my 375H&H. I have a Schmidt & Bender 1,5-6x42 on my 375H&H and also on my 416Rem Mag, and I LOVE these scopes. I bought a third S&B 1,5-6x42 a few weeks ago on Ebay for $900 (used, but without a mark on them).

I used to have Leupold VX-III 1-5x20's on these rifles, and changed to the Schmidt & Benders, and have NEVER looked back. Best scopes I have EVER owned. I also own a few Zeiss and Swarovski Scopes with 30mm tubes (German models), and like the S&B's the most.

Anyway, just my 2c worth.

Cheers

Rob

If you want to stay under $1000, why not have a look at this.

Doug at CameralandNY (www.cameralandny.com) has the following Zeiss Riflescopes available at under $1000. These are the European-Built scopes, with 30mm tubes and lifetime transferrable waranties. Also AWESOME scopes, especially at these prices. The 1.1-4x24 is also nice if you are ever going to hunt dangerous game, otherwise take the 1,5-6x42:

Show Sample - Zeiss Classic Riflescopes:
#521341-9908 6x42 T* Classic #8 $699.99
#521301-9902 1.1-4x24 T* Classic #2 $799.99
#521301-9904 1.1-4x24 T* Classic #4 $799.99
#521311-9908 1.5-6x42 T* Classic #8 $879.99

Most serious hunters here in South Africa use "premium" German Riflescopes from either Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski or Zeiss, mostly the "German-built" lines, with 30mm tubes. They are a lot more expensive, but more popular than the American-line German scopes like the AV series Swarovski's or Zeiss Conquest series...

Hope this sheds a little bit of light.

Cheers

Rob

Funny thing about these posts, I don't know a single Professional Hunter in RSA or Zim using a European scope. Several use inexpensive Asain scopes, but by a great margin they use Leupolds. It's also one of the highest request items I have when I travel back and forth from the USA to RSA each year. On a normal visit I will have several Leupold scopes in my bags coming to RSA for other hunters.

I suppose it depends upon the crowd you run with there?

You are right. "American ghettoes" via "American pricelist"

In one case, when we still worked in Africa, a local hunting area owner showed us some of his camps.
There was a "little America" camp (even with US-flag, genuine Coke coolers, with in-white dressed waiters), and some k's apart a camp for "other" hunters (which we booked in this camp via his cheaper pricelist). One must be very careful not to be cheated in this business.

I agree with you, JJHACK about the local PH's not using European scopes, but many of them also do not use scopes on their back-up rifles at all. They also NEVER use very expensive rifles for that matter either. I am yet to see a PH with a Krieghoff, Sauer, Custom Shop Weatherby or the likes here - they tend to mostly stick with Brno's and the likes - tough rifles built to last and made for working, rather than very expensive fancy rifles...

Funny thing is that many people that knock European scopes, are the very people that buy German Binoculars, and swear by them... I am also yet to see hunters here with fairly expensive rifles like Sauer, Steyr, Blaser etc that put $400 scopes on $5-7000 rifles. I always also bring Leupold scopes back after a visit to the USA, but for guys that do NOT want to spend money on scopes.

The Leupold VX-7 scopes sell fairly poorly here in the shops relatively, as they compete head-on in price with the likes of Swarovski, Zeiss and Schmidt & Bender.

I guess it boils down to different horses for different courses. Our clients from Europe and the Far East almost exclusively use German Scopes.

Anyway, I didn't want to start something here - these are just my own observations from living here and hunting here, and having many predominantly European and Asian clients hunt here.

I dont think you will find any objections that Swaro, Zeiss, And Leica are the favorite Bincoular makers on this board!

Agree on the binos 100%

You stare through bino's day in and day out and I personally look through them to study game before my hunters shoot for many hours per season.

However nobody stares endlessly through a rifle scope, they look through it just long enough to squeeze the trigger. If it's clear and bright enough to see the target, that's all that's needed.

I have probably held field glasses to my eyes more hours in one day then I have looked through a rifle scope in my whole life!

The clearest brightest strongest made binos are the only option in my business, Leica it is for me. By the same token durability, dependability, visible crosshairs are about all I need in a rifle scope.

My 375 sports a VXIII 1.75X6X36 on EAW QD mounts (1"). If I had lots of money, I would DEARLY love to have those high dollar (overpriced) euro scopes on MOST of my rifles. I am particularly fond of the Swaro PH 1.75X6X42. It's on my 340 Weatherby on purpose just to see how it holds up. I didn't put it on my 375, because of the expensive (overpriced) EAW mounts that are only 1". The optics are superb, albeit eye relief's a bit short. It's just too big to put on my 416 so that sports a Leupold 1.5X5, and for my Hein 450 Dakota I'm building, I went with the American Rifle maker's recommendations (Echols, Miller & Jarrett) and bought a Leupold.

I'd get the Leupold, install either a German#4 or HD reticle and forget the euros. UNLESS you are cat hunting in low light then the 3X difference in price just might be worth it. Only just...jorge

I installed an older Leupy Vari-XII in 2x7x32 that was orginally on my 270 onto my 375 last year and used it on my moose hunt and it worked great. It has the dot reticle with the fine cross hairs which I am not to fond of and I will probably send it to Leupold to have them changed. I bought that scope some 18 years ago and it has served me well over the years and i'll be using it again this fall for moose and grizzly.

jorge, I've got the same 1.75x6x36 scope on my .338 and love it.

Prolly says more about my thought process than anything, but I wished they'd have kept it at 36 mm instead of shrinking it down to the current 32 mm if memory serves.

Can't blame the guys for going S&B I've seen some of those on clients rifles and they sure seemed like nice scopes.

I just don't have that kinda loot so buy Leupolds which I'm thankful that they have served me well for a lesser priced scope.

If money was no object I might go that way myself. But I have to watch what I spend. It's sad, but true. (grin)

I use an older 2.5-8x36 Leupold on a SS M-70 Classic 375 H&H. The scope is old enough that it doesn't have click adjustments or multi-coat IV, starting to turn plum in a few spots. The scope has been quite dependable over the 250rounds I've shot under it on this rifle. I bought it used off of a 30-06. It's in standard windage adjustable Leupold bases/rings and I haven't touched the adjustments since initial sight-in in 2000.

Let's not confuse hunting conditions with bench rest. A fairly coarse crosshair that covers 1 inch at 100 yards is ideal for a medium bore like the 375. Whatever you shoot, take it to the range, sit or kneel by the bench and shoot a 3 shot group at 100 yards. No, don't imagine it, do it. You'll find you wobble a whole lot more than you think, and a thick, black, crosshair is acquired quicker than the very fine ones. I don't need the speed for elk and moose, but it's there for those who do.

Wayne

The very first PH I hunted with in Africa was a fairly young guy, but he had been hunting since he was able to hold a rifle, because his father was a PH (and control shooter in Zimbabwe) as well.

My PH's first rifle was a Sako .375 H&H that he'd had over 20 years. He'd usd it to for both sport and trophy hunting, as well as backup on plains game. If one of his clients didn't want to bring a rifle to Africa, he lent it to them and used one of his others for backup. It had marks filed on the edges of the adjustment turrets where it shot "on" for him, so he could return the scope to that setting after a client used it. He said it always went right back to his setting. He hadn't had to adjust the scope to any other setting for himself for over a decade.

He had no firm idea how many rounds had been shot through that rifle, but it had to be in the thousands, perhaps 5000 or more. The scope? A Leupold 4x, the older M8 model with longer tube and friction adjustments.

I gave him another 4x Leupold as a tip when leaving, and he almost kissed my feet, I swear.

JB

If I ever need to replace the 2.5 X Leupold on the 375, the only scope I would consider other than another 2.5 would be the 4X Leupold that Mule Deer mentioned. Absolutely perfect for the application.

I own two of the scopes you are looking at. The ziess 2.5-8 and the leupo 2.5-8. I just took the conquest off of a browning fn bolt rifle in 338 where it gave fine service and put it own a light 270 for mountain work. I really love this scope for its clarity and the crosshair,a german 4a that works great. The leupo has been on a bunch of rifles through the years and works well for me too.

My 375 has another scope that is a real bargain in my experience. It has a burris 2.5-10x42 euro style scope with a 4a reticle and posi lock. It works great for me and has not changed zero despite a diet of hornady heavy mag loads which are pretty stout. It is also in your price range. I have not used the khales you mentioned so really can't comment.

Welcome to the fire,

Britt

JB: Two of my pre64 M70 Fw's in 270 wear those old Leupold long-tube 4X's; one rifle/scope combo is a "spare"; the other has not required re-zero in 6-7 years.I am losing count. Those old things did not have very precise adjustments, but once they are zeroed, you rarely have to touch them. They are hell for tough and one of the most reliable hunting scopes I have ever used.

I am not surprised at the results your PH had with them; my experience has been similar, if not based on as much game shooting.

I recently put a VXII on mine 2X7. It replaced a old Vari X III gloss that was sent back to Leupold to replace the eyepiece lens that had a half moon crack that finally made me nervous enough to send it back to Leupold for repair even though it held zero and did not fog.(if fell flat sideways onto a concret floor about 3 seasons ago) the 2.5X8 worked well and the 2x7 should as well. Have recently shot it out to 300 yards, and had no ploblem hitting steel plates. know 2x will work well up close. It will be in Alaska shortly hopefully looking at Yogi's.

lefty