Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Optics? What’s on your big bore, express, DHR?

On my .375 Wby, a Bushnell Elite 1.25-8x32mm.

* 2-7 Leupold on my .375H&H……low enough power for timber, enough power for ranges likely used (out to 400 or so) on big game! Satisfied

* 3.5-10 Leupold CDS on my .375 AI…..reasonably good for close shooting, plenty enough power for big game to 6 of 700 yards, though my limit is 600 under ideal conditions

* 1-4 Votex on my 45-70……great for up close, and 4 is plenty for the longest shot I’m subject to take with it. An OK scope…..but there are some much better at an additional cost

memtb

Nikon Monarch Gold 1.5-6 w/German #4 reticle on a CZ 550 Safari, laminated stocked .416 Rigby. Worked great for Buf in Africa.
Zeiss Diavari C 3-9 w/"Z" plex reticle on a Whitworth Express .375 H&H. Used it for plains game.
I wouldn't change either one as I find them perfect for my use.

That Leupold was my choice as well and yes its easy peasy to shoot with both eyes open.

Mine had 2K rounds out of a .375 H&H under it without a bobble.

I shoot both eyes open on 1.5 with the Nikon. Easy to do.

I simply can't shoot with both eye's open. Shoot right handed and left eye dominate. Doesn't effect me one bit. Close the left eye, aim with right and pull the trigger!

For scopes my big rifle is a 30-06 and has a 2 3/4x Redfield widefield. Scope is about 50 yrs old and love it, bought it new about 1971 in Kalispell, Montana. Rifle was built in 1945 by Paul Jaeger. My 6.5x06 has a 3-9x Nikon on it. Lot more scope than I'd ever need but like the higher power for sighting in rifles off sand bag's. That 3-9x ever quits on me I'm going with another 2-7x onit. Next is a 6.5x55 and it has a 2-7x leupold/Redfield on it Gonna start hunting with it this year, got one hog so far. Got a 260 Rem being put together right now and it has one of those 2-7 Leupold/Redfields on it too. Sight in at 6x and probably never shoot a game animal over 2X, killed that hog on 2x! Have a 25-06 with a very old 3-9x Bushnell Banner. No idea why that much scope. Only have ever shot deer here at home and can't recall ever turning up the scope but one time. Close to a deer and wanted to try out 9x so upped it and then couldn't find the deer. Finally found it and at 9x a sage brush limb was to close and I didn't nitice it. Missed the deer hit the limb! Have a 243 with a 3-9x Vortex on it. Over the years I've killed three deer with 243's but just feel there's a lot better choices. But If I got a wild hair and decided to shoot some sage rats that 243 would be just the thing. Shot a Raven with it once at about 400 yds and 9x came in handy to see the thing, sitting in a tree!

Use 180gr bullet's in the 30-06, 140gr in the 6.5x06 and the 6.5x55; Hornady in the 6.5-06 and Speer Hot Core in the 6.5x55. The 260 I'm gonna run with 130gr class, hoping 129gr Hornadys work well in it! 25-06 has been killing deer about 20 yrs with 117gr Hornadys, If Hornady made a 120gr that didn't have a plastic tip or a hollow point I'd have given it a go. Only bullet's I hunt big game with are Hornady cup and core and Speer Hot Core's. The only things those do well is shoot in my rifles and kill things about as dead as dead can be!

Is that eye piece rubbing on the base?

Just noticed it said big bore's. Well shoot my 30-06 is my big bore. But at one time I had a 338 Win Mag and the 2 3/4x Redfield was bought for it. After the 338 went away the scope went on a Rem 660 in 308 for about 40 years. If I was to get a really big bore rifle, I'd put that 2 3/4x Redfield on it. Imagine digging a wounded lion out of brush and getting attacked very close and finding to late you forgot to turn the power setting down on your scope! That could be a real cluster real quick!

I have a 1.5X6 Leupold on a Model 70 .416 Remington.

I have to turn it up to about 3 power so that I can no longer see the NECG front hooded iron sight in the scope. It's quite distracting.

But I've used it on 3 power for a couple of buffalo. Works very well for that.

I pulled the 1x4 Hakko Supra German post off of my 458 Lott and went to straight open sights, NEGW four leaf rear with a hooded ramp front. The Recoil with the 400s would move the scope in the rings, eating into the tube.
My 45-70 in a 98 style Mauser, also wears NEGW rear leaf sight and a hooded ramp front ramp. It is stout loaded for a 45-70, bottom of 458 Win Mag loads.

LEUPOLD VX-2 1.5-4x28 IER Scout Scope on my 40-caliber wildcat. Could not be happier.

375 RUM 1-4x leupold
416 Rigby 1.5-5x leupold
375 H&H 1.5-5x Leupold

Same 1.5-5x Leupold on my 500 Jeffery with Talley steel QR rings. Over 400 full power loads, still works great.

2 weeks ago my 458 took a Cape Buffalo with a Leupold VX Patrol 1.5-4 at 20 yards works great

I mounted an Ultradot 1 moa with Alaskan Arms qd rings for 416 Ruder Alaskan. With two mounts, it is as fast and a little more precise than the Burris FastFire red dot which I moved to a pistol.

SB 4x on a Sako (FN) 375 Roy

I used to shoot only open sights on my 40+ bores. I recently mounted a Leupold 2.5 fixed power on my 404 Jeffery. Taking it to Zambia this summer for Buffalo. I think I’ll like it.

Surprising number of garbage Leupold's appear to be in use and killing stuff.

I’ve been looking for a specific scope for my Ruger Hawkeye African 458 Win Mag and found it today at a LGS.



It’s now mounted in Warne QR steel rings on the Ruger integral bases.

On the Win M-70 Classic the primary optic is a closed emitter titanium Holosun 530G on the OEM QR mount on the receiver ring modified Warne steel base with 8-40 screws secured with blue Loctite. The base is secured to the receiver with Loctite Black Max 480 in addition. Backup is a Leupold 1-4x25 in Warne lever QR steel rings.


Both rifles have backup iron sights.