Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Recommend scope for 300 win mag

I'm looking for a scope for a 300 win mag for elk hunting. What would you recommend. Trying to stay around 800 to 1000 dollar price range if possible.

Be more specific. Cartridge isn't really a concern as much as HOW you're going to use it, what is the terrain like? What are the expected ranges you'll shoot? Do you dial for elevation? For wind?

Nightforce SHV 3-10 fits in your budget and I haven’t read a bad review on it.

Nightforce SHV or Trijicon Credo/Accupoint of your choosing.

Have a Zeiss V4 on mine, love it!

Thanks guys. Ill look at the Trijicon and Zeiss, may even throw in the LRHS2?

Why the hell not !

Nightforce is a much better scope ,that is what i always use on my rifles.

I've heard NF glass isn't as clear? I haven't had a chance to look through them and in my small town.....dealers for NF are limited. If I get an opportunity to look through one then I may change my mind.

For my elk hunting rifles, I like to keep things as simple as possible. I mainly run the older Zeiss Conquest scopes on mine. I also have Burris FFII 3-9x40 with the ballistic plex reticle on some of the others. No need for a NF on top of mine: No need for a scope that dials, just a simple ballistic type reticle gets the job done quickly and handily. YMMV. That's just me though. I like to keep things lighter and well balanced when I'm elk hunting, but I do a lot of walking when I'm hunting. If you are in a stand, maybe things would be different?? If you are hunting an area where you have to dial, then that would also change things up a bit. Most elk are shot within 400 yards though, by most hunters.

Here we go again. Once you’re in this class, glass doesn’t matter for hunting. Get over that hangup. It’s meaningless and only a product of decades of influential marketing convincing hunters it’s what matters. A piece of chit with great glass is still a piece of chit. What matters is a scope that works and will hold zero when you need it. Nightforce has tons of dealers. Call Doug at Cameraland, get your NF scope, go hunting! Your optic will be the least of your concerns.

Or buy a Swaro or Leupold or Vortex because of “great glass” BS and take your chances.

No disagreement here. But the beauty of that night force SHV 3–10 is that it will do ALL of that stuff with aplomb, and no downsides (sans a few ounces), PLUS, it will dial reliably if you want that option. And illumination if/when you want it. And you could pound your tent stakes in with it if you wanted.

Someone mention Leupold? LMAO

Good post. Now, that is about 24 oz's of scope if I remember right? Not sure on the exact specs, but figured that is pretty close. There are a lot of guys that like the 3-10. I'm sure if I tried one out, I'd love it. Where I hunt, its mostly dark timber or sporadic oaks, pine, and sage brush in the lower elevations. My furthest shot on an elk was in the sage and it was 100 yards with a 300 Wizzum. Now, on that rifle I was using a Nikon 2.5-10x42 monarch and after that hunt I pulled it off and sold it. It was too big, bulky and cumbersome.. I guess that is what I'd be trying to avoid. Over the years I've tried other scopes like the Bushnell elite 4200 2.5-10x40 with and without firefly reticle. That reticle was too bold for me to like it, but I really liked the firefly concept. The field of view always seemed too narrow though. Now, we all rave about super lightweight rifles, but then we suggest putting a super heavyweight scope on top. In my experience that only screws up balance and gives the rifle a top heavy feeling. Now, I know we are not all the same and I do love my NF scopes. I've never had one I regretted buying and that says a lot about them. This is all fun to discuss and stew over in the off season.

They are actually a little lighter. A couple ounces heavier than an SWFA 3-9.

Just going off the top of my head buddy. So it appears to be about 21.4 oz's. So, I googled it real quick and this is what big G says:

"The SHV 3-10×42 is a compact scope, measuring 11 ¾” long and weighing 22.7 ounces. It's size, weight, and range of magnification make it a good choice for a general-purpose hunting rifle. A scope with this magnification range is ideal for engaging targets at distances typically encountered while big game hunting."

I love NF, those of you that know me know that. Again, for my elk hunting purposes, I'd take a ballistic type reticle over anything that dials, just for simplicity. In the dark timber you don't have time to mess around with things. Less is more where I hunt.. Others locations may vary. If I hunted an area where I knew I'd be doing more dialing, I'd try that NF out for sure..

Yep. All angels dancing on pinheads stuff; by the time you get tenebraex caps on there it’s right at what you remembered.

True... That brings up another thing. Definitely run objective flip ups!! Rains a lot where I hunt and even snows:


Rifle with the Nikon monarch I was talking about earlier.^^^^ I did end up shooting a spike that year with that 300 Wizzum. I learned a few things on that hunt, not just that I didn't like that scope either.. That's how we learn though..

Better get some e tape on that scope bud.

That scope went bye bye. Like I said earlier. Too big and cumbersome.