Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Any Suggestions for Elk rifle scope?

I have a Rem 700. Will be hunting Elk in tough terrain with lots of trees and small pockets. Budget is about 500.00

Vertical,
Leupold VXII 3 x 9 x 40 or 50 (whichever you like) or you may look at the VXIII 2.5 x 8 or 3.5 x 10. Can't go wrong with any one of the three. There are many other fine scopes out there for around $500. These I have had experience with. The Leupold 3.5 x 10 x 50 is nice in low light if you catch up with a nice bull and you are just about out of shooting light (legal).

Dave

I like Trijicons; have had Leupolds and they worked well. I would not go with a 50mm objective.

For my money, get a Leupold 4x scope and go Elk hunting.

Tough to beat that advice Oregon45. I've stuck with the 3.5-10 versions, but a light 4x Leupold would get it done easily.

Vertical,
I'd go with a Leupold 2.5-8 or 1.5-5. Even with a 5x, a 400yrd. shot is very doable( for me that's pretty much my assigned max range).In timber, the lower power the better! memtb

Yep a 2.5 x8 varixIII would be my first choice, have had one for years and they cover bout any hunting situation your gonna run across, they were Leupolds number 1 seller for many years running, musta been a reason I reckon

That will work.

+1 with Oregon 45. Elk are quite large and easily targeted at long ranges with 4X scopes. I think variables are 1) just unnecessary extra weight, and 2) well, really unnecessary. My 35 Whelen wears a 4X Burris and my 358 Norma a 4.75X Weaver Grand Slam. I really have nothing against the lower power variables in the 1.5X-5X range, but I've had no complaints about either of my fixed scopes.
If you're really on a tight budget, don't overlook Burris. I've side-by-side compared my 4X Burris to my Dad's 4X Leupold and the only really difference is in price!
Good luck with your decision.
35WN

I've had a Leopold 2X7 Vari-XII for about 30 years now. I also have a newer 3X10X50 Leopold V XIII 50 mm, and the same in Tasco.

If it were me in your situation, I'd go a straight Leopold 4X, or the 2.5 X8. In VXIII

I carry the Tasco on my .338 moose rifle - my average shot for moose ( 19 or 20) is about 60 yards- longest about 160 - but it gathers light really well. Never needed it for that, as there was always plenty of light. I really should have a 1.5 to 5 or 6 on that thing.

The Leopold 3 X10 is on Stub- my 17 inch barrelled .30-06. It is one of my two "mountain/tundra rifles". The other being a 280 with a Burris 6X Compact on it.

The old 2X7 Looey VXII is on my "new" .260, with which my son killed a caribou @ 200, and I took a cow elk at about 150, and a wolf at about 40. I carried it for moose this year, made a mistake, but the shot had it come off, would have been about 40 yards. That thing, on various rifles, has killed more game, I think, than all of my other scopes combined.

4X or 2.5 to 8, would be my choice in your place.

I've had a Leopold 2X7 Vari-XII for about 30 years now. I also have a newer 3X10X50 Leopold V XIII 50 mm, and the same in Tasco.

If it were me in your situation, I'd go a straight Leopold 4X, or the 2.5 X8. In VXIII

I carry the Tasco on my .338 moose rifle - my average shot for moose ( 19 or 20) is about 60 yards- longest about 160 - but it gathers light really well. Never needed it for that, as there was always plenty of light. I really should have a 1.5 to 5 or straight 4X on that thing.

The Leopold 3 X10 is on Stub- my 17 inch barrelled .30-06. It is one of my two "mountain/tundra rifles". The other being a 280 with a Burris 6X Compact on it.

The old 2X7 Looey VXII is on my "new" .260, with which my son killed a caribou @ 200, and I took a cow elk at about 150, and a wolf at about 40. I carried it for moose this year, made a mistake, but the shot, had it come off, would have been about 40 yards. That thing, on various rifles, has killed more game, I think, than all of my other scopes combined.

Leupold 4X or 2.5 to 8, would be my choice in your place.

If you hunt in a wet climate, take a hard look at the Bushnell 4200 or 6200 with Rainguard. They're very good scopes and the rainguard will make the water bead up and roll off, kind of like using Rain-X on car windows.
I have 2 3200 scopes that I've been very happy with. Your budget is higher so look at these higher priced models. Unless you hunt a lot in black timber, don't buy the firefly reticle. They work very well, but the X-hairs are too thick for pinpoint long range accuracy. If you DO hunt the thick stuff, the Firefly is worth having. It'll give you an extra 15 min on both ends of the day.

4x or 6x. Obviously we all can miss, but when your shooting at something the size of a Volkswagon any more is excess in many ways.

I'd be more concerned with the reticle if low light becomes an issue with lots of trees and dark pockets.

You didn't mention is the 700 a SA or LA and what's the chambering?

Makes a difference IMO...

Thanks for all the great info. I have a Rem SDS LA, 30-06.

I've never been impressed how the 2-7x33 works on a LA 700... in your shoes I'd do a 6x36 LR.

I just whacked an elk (and moose) with my 35 Whelen scoped with a 2-7X Leupold VX-II and believe it is the ideal scope for about any big game. The other elk rifles I use have 2.5-8X Vari-X III's but for the money today I am opting for the VX-II line.

This is an easy one Zeiss 3-9 conquest.The 3-9 varidble is the most versitile power of scope.Do what 90% of what others do set it on 4x and go hunt'in.

Brands are a matter of opinon,with 500.00 to burn cant go wrong with mid-high end Leupy,Bushnell,Nikon,Burris ect...
BBJ

VX-III 2.5x8 with a Boone and Crocket reticle.

The B&C resolves into a nice heavy duplex for low-light shooting. And once you get 'er dialed in, it will make shots out to 500 yards or so pretty dang easy, if you are so inclined and you and the rifle are up to it.

Just bought a Leupold VX II in the 3 X 9 X 40mm for my new '06. I know in my head that a 4 power should get the job done, but like to crank it up at longer distances. I think I can hold steadier with upper ranges on long shots. That said, I have a limit of 400 yards.

I really like the 2.5-8x Leupold but will admit that of my hunting partners, the one that scores a bull elk every year (public land, unguided) uses an ancient 4x Leupold.