Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics what scope for 300 ultra mag

i need a scope for a remington bdl ss 300 ultra mag.rifle is mainly used for longer range elk. i was going to put a bushnell 6500 on it but im having a hard time spending over $500 for a bushnell.would like a mil dot or boone crocket type reticle. trying to stay under $600.

I have an Ultra also and have a Leupy vx3 3.5-10x40 on it. Works well.

338rcm,

Spend the money! You won't be disapointed. In my experience the glass is noticably better than the Leupie. The 2 1/2-16X comes in a 42MM at about 17 ounces.

When I was deciding on a scope, a few years ago, I discovered the value of increased magnification. I was looking at a line on a roof about 300 yards away with lots of 3-9X, includeing Zeis and Swaro. The last one I tried happened to be a 2 1/2-10 LPS, also set on 9X. It was clearer, but I could still see a line on the roof. I turned it up to 10X and recognized the line. It was an extension cord. I switched to a glass with more power.

My 7MM Rum has a 4 1/2-30 Bushie with mil dots in medium height Burris Signature rings. I can see a deer's eyelashes at 100 yards! Alas, it weighs 21 ounces. It's worth the weight. Thanks, Doug.

I have owned two 300 ultramags and never found a use for more than 9x or 10x at 500 yards or less.I liked the Zeiss conquest,but prefer the Swarovski 3x10x42 even more.With your budget,I would go with a Conquest.

338rcm-4 me it would be very easy:

Burris 3-9 with BP in it--sub $200

Leo VX2 3-9 with LR dotz in it $300 or so I spose

Either of these will do you very very well!

Dober

i would prefer a scope with more tha 10x at the high end. i do a lot of shooting at the range with the gun to 500 yards. with my eyes 10x just isnt enough anymore. i would consider just about any brand other than burris. the bushnell is still tempting me.

I often shoot at 600 yards and haven't found the 3.5-10 to be at a disadvantage as compared to a 4.5-14. In fact I much prefer the 3.5-10 as it has a better field of view and it doesn't have the parallax issues the bigger scope has. FWIW both of the scopes I am referring to are VX3's

I use a 4-14 Leo with Premier dotz to 700 on my main long range rig. I can see the advantage of power for targets no doubt.

But, for elk, I've taken enough in the 450-600 range to know that 9 is a great plenty, 4 me.

Dober

4.5-14x40 retrofitted with B&C works well on mine. I've had it on both 300RUMs.

I own a 300RUM and it wears a 4.5 X 14 X 44 conquest, as do all my big game rifles.

It has held up as expected to hundreds of warmer loads and has never failed me in the "need to have more" magnification department.

You can't dial up to 14X with a 2X7 or 3X9 if and when you desire it, whether the 3X9 will suffice for most hunting situations or not.

There's always the exception, being ready for it can make the difference.

Good luck.

I own a 300RUM and it wears a 4.5 X 14 X 44 Conquest, as do all my big game rifles.

It has held up as expected to hundreds of warmer loads and has never failed me in the "need to have more" magnification department.

You can't dial up to 14X with a 2X7 or 3X9 if and when you desire it, whether the 3X9 will suffice for most hunting situations or not.

There's always the exception, being ready for it can make the difference.........and has on several occasions.

Good luck.

And you can't dial down to 3X with a 4.5x14 when you desire it whether the 4.5x14 will suffice for most hunting situations or not.

My 300 RUM has always sported a Leupold Vari-X II 4-12 AO and I've always found it just right for Western hunting. I had Leupold put turrets on it 4 years ago. I believe the VXI 4-12 of today plus turrets would still be in your price range. I like it so much I got a 4-12 VXI on my .270 Win.

Call me a non-believer, but I think money is better spent on binos since I look through them thousands of times more frequently than my scope. The VXI-level of glass for scopes is sufficient for me.

The country you intend to hunt with it will probably be as much (or more) of a factor than the the cartridge the rifle shoots.

SD

well i guess thats what i like about the bushnell 2.5-16. you have the lower powers for the thick cover and up to 16x for open country. cant get past the $ for bushnell

My 300RUM has a Kahles 3.5-10X50 that seems to work very well indeed.

I only wish the scope had a adjustable objective, then it would be perfect!


If I had to do it over again , for the 300RUM, I would get a top flight scope with an AO and at least 12X magnification on the top end.

Just my 2 cents.

4.5X is so close to 3X that mentioning or seeing the difference is hardly worth mentioning. Can't imagine that 1.5X more (or less) magnification would ever be a deal breaker.

9X as compared to 14X is a considerable difference and well worth mentioning. The additional 5X more is better than 1/2 again what a 3X9 offers........quite substantial. It's a math thing.

If you're inclined to take one's post as a personal affront when it clearly wasn't intended as such as there were many comments offered on both sides of this discussion, at least try to make the comparisons notable and worthwhile rather than just for arguments sake.

Had I intended to direct my comments to you, I would have done so, but rather I just entered my post below the prior members comments.


***Sorry fellas for the double post......my attempt to delete one failed/timed out***

TIM - Good criteria for your next scope on your next longer range rig....the AO or side adjust being most prudent with any variable going 10X or over......IMHO.

I much prefer the side adjusts over the AO, especially after years of using and owning several of each.

'Course, you knew that...........grin.

4.5x is 150% of 3x while 14x is 155% of 9x,so both are nearly equally significant.It's a math thing.

Ken,

I am liking the idea of that Zeiss AO scope you like so well-one of these days, I will buy one.

looking at the zeiss conquest. cant find a 4.5-14x44 with mil dot that has windage and elivation adjustment knob covers. do they make it? a 3-9 or 3-10 of any brand is out of the question