Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Simple scope question for 338WM

Putting together a new .338WM, designed a little on the heavy side as I'm of slight frame.

For CO/UT open country elk, I can't land on a decision:

VX-III 3.5-10x40 or VX-III 4.5-14x40

(yes, the selection is limited to those two)

Your thoughts?

Rich

Rich, the 3.5-10x40 is one of my favorite Leupold scopes, so that'd be my choice of your two... too bad it can't be had with dots and is the reason I prefer the 3-9x40 LR in that size scope.

Of those 2 choices, I would definitely vote for the 3.5-10. Having said that, when I owned a 338, it wore a Leupy 2.5-8.

i agree with the others the vx3 3.5-10x40 is tough to beat. have one on my 338 with the boone and crockett reticle great scope!

I'll go along with those who opt for the 3.5-10X40 as I use one on a .280AI. It's a favorite of mine. By the way, the very tip of the bottom post is right on at 400yds. when I'm 2.75"-3" high at 100yds. with the 160gr. Nosler Part. I'm betting that with a 210gr. Nosler in your .338 the same trick could used. I've actually used this technique once, making a one shot kill on a nice bull elk at almost 400yds.

I discovered a long time ago that anything over 10X is only useful for small varmits way out there. My vote also goes to the 3.5-10X40.
Leupold offeres the 4.5-14X40 in three different models. One, which is suppose to be designed for big game hunters, is a simple scope without any means of adjusting out parallax. Something that requires attention, as a rule, when you get over 10X if you insist on being able to shoot the tiniest groups at any range from 100-300 yds.
That's because the way that one adjusts out parallax usually involves either an Adjustable Objective or a Side Focus/Parallax option. Both of these have shorter depths of focus than the same scope w/o these add ons. That means you might crank up the magnifcation of your scope and find the image fuzzy if it wasn't set for that range.
I've had people tell me that the "eye relief is weird" on the 4.5-14X40. I haven't played with all of them, but I had the impression that the eyeboxes of the basic 4.5-14X40 Leupolds were not as generous as it seems to be on the 3.5-10X40. That means your head position is more critical with the more powerful scope. Something that makes quick shots harder to make. E

Thanks guys. I was all over the 3.5-10 also (my favorite scope), but then I was swayed by the Nosler Manual #6 lead-in to the .338 tables -- Joe Busalacci was extoling the virtues of his 4.5-14 and it got me thinking.

The 3.5-10 it is...

Rich

Good call. Do yourself a favor and get it with the B&C reticle. It is, in my experience, better in every way than a duplex.

I'm running a ziess 3.5x10 on my 338 and it gets me out to 600 yards... Prior to that it had a 2.5x8 loopy on it that now lives on my Kimber, and with the B&C it's good to go out to 500 with the reticle, or 600 with a quick twist of the stock turret.

So... If you have any longer-range aspirations with your 338, that 3.5x10 will do the trick, no worries.

The 4.5x14 Loopy is a neat scope but in a direct comparo with the 3.5, you'll see that the 3.5 is a much more "friendly" scope.

I would do the 3.5-10 out of your choices, but all mine have a good ol 6x. I would like to add a couple dots to those and I think I will this winter. 3-9 with the LR would be hard to beat as well.

Were I scoping a 338 WM today that's what I'd put on top... 6x36 with the LR reticle of course. Mine all wore 2-7x33's in the past.

3.5-10

I have Leupolds in oth 3.5-10 and 4.5-14 and when it came time to get another it was a Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14 with Ballistic Plex reticle, $259 on a "Buy now" price off eBay.

The 4.5-14's are easily my favorite scopes.

coyote
hunter i like the fullfield too. i just cant make myself go elk hunting with a scope that has a sticker on the bottom that says "made in the philippines" just bugs the crap out of me

I guess I am one of the oddballs. I would go with the 4.5x14 model, especially if there might be some big open country. I always run with my scopes on 4 power in the timber and it might be nice to have the 14 power on the top end. Really dont think you could go wrong with either scope as they are both great pieces of glass.

I am EXACTLY of the same thought... will never get past "Made In Japan" on a barrel either. Totally irrational, I know, as the Japanese make excellent stuff. Heck, I drive a Toyota Tacoma. But stuff stamped thus doesn't belong on an elk mountain somehow.

Thank God I don't hunt from a truck as I don't know what I'd do then

i dont like a scope on my hunting rifle with an ajustable objective, but that just my preferance.

Me neither. Sometime wished I had it when I'm plinking and playing, but in the real hunt, it's not needed for the norm.

BTW, my .338 wears a 2.5-8.

Al

All my rifles wear a 1x4, 1.5x5 or 3X Leupolds except for two and that is my 300 H&H and my 338, both wear a 2x7x33 Leupold.Do I gain anything from is that extra 2x over the other scopes? I am sure I gain no advantage whatsoever, but that is what has been on both rifles for many years and I see no real reason to change them...

I have to agree with Ray about scope power I have a ruger mkII stainless when I first bought it I had a Burris 4X short mag scope new in the box so I put it on and used it.
It Shot great out to 400 yards and in the field I shouldn't be shooting any farther. The next year I put a 3/9 Burris on it and while I really like the ballistic plex even at 9 power if my groups are 2 inches tigher at 400 yards I would be very surprized.

The 3.5x10 would be my choice. My 338-06 Ack has a Leupold 6x32 power mounted and my 338 RUM has a Nikon 6x42 .