Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Scope Power for Western Elk?

What is the scope power of choice for western and southwestern Elk? This would be mounted on a 7mm mag.

A fixed 4 or 6 will do nicely. But as those are sort of hard to find any more, a 3x9 will do.

I use a 4X Nikon Monarch, very bright and light weight since it is a fix power scope. And an added bonus, the fix power scopes are a great value. To get comparable brightness in a variable you'll pay much more. No matter, I wised up a few years back and sold my 7 mag and the variable for a .30-06 and the 4X. It what is what I should of done in the first place. Now I have elk/mountain rifle that is lighter (about 2 pounds less), shorter (less likely to hang up on brush), kicks less, packs more punch and is quieter to shoot. But, back to the scope- I also installed aluminium rings which further reduce the weight of the gun.

www.theopticzone.com/

I use a 3-9X40 on my 338. It's all the scope that I've ever needed.

I have a 2 x 7 on a 7mm. I keep it on the 2 in timber, there is time to crank up higher on the meadows, if there is a need. Remember, you don't need to be a target shooter, you do need to see enough to know where the bullet is going.

2.5x10x44 i leave it on 2.5 unless i am getting ready to shoot at longer range

2.5-8 Leupold! My all time favorite scope.

Huntr

A 3x9 goes on a 7mm RM like carrots go with peas.

Yup. The 2.5x8 Leupold VXIII is just about perfect for most Western hunting, including elk. All my elk/mule deer/sheep rifles wear them.

Taurus, I have an old Redfield 4X widefield on my 7 mag and have never felt it wasn't enough scope and I have dumped a bunch of elk with it. This years bull was shot at 350 yards with a 35 Whelen which has a 4X Zeiss on it.

A 4X or 6X will work very, very well. My shots have been from 50 yards to 400 yards and I've always used a 4 or 6 power.

You shouldn't be using your rifle scope for the work binoculars are to be used for. That's why a 4 or 6 power will work. As for shot placement, for this years bull at the distance I shot him, I held the horizontal on the very top of his shoulders and the vertical even with his front legs. With the 5-10 mph breeze I was shooting in and the elk walking into the breeze the bullets hit just slightly behind the right front shoulder and just about a 1/4 of the way down his body, basically, I hit him right in the middle of the lungs right behind the shoulder.

210,220, whatever it takes...sorry,... just my humor. I'd go 6x in a straight and or 3-9x/2.5-8x in a variable like the others.

Big target, really you only might have to think at 400 and 500 yards as to hold or hold over. I personally have a 4x on my elk gun and a 3x9 on my go to gun and 5x15 on my mule deer gun, although any would work. With fixed power you never have to worry about that shot up close after you cranked it way up to look at something and forgot to turn it back. Practice makes the better shooter not better optics.

I like the variable scopes as well...maybe just a tad more versatile. A 3-9x40 seems just right IMHO.

I prefer variables but have used 4x, 2-7x, and 3-9x. If my .257 Roberts goes next year it has a 4.5-12x mounted.

Normally I hunt with the variables at about 4.5x. At this setting the Duplex reticles are easily used as a crude rangefinder because the math is easier.

Taurus,

I recently used a Swarovski 3x12 Prohunter rifle scope (TDS reticle) on my 7mm mag. My elk was harvested at 468 yards over a canyon. This scope was superb once I calmed down...I thought that the 12 power was perfect for the shot. I will not be using anything else for my big game rifle.

Regards,

GS

Leupold 2.5x-8x VariX III (Ruger .338WinMag) I use Leupolds on all my rifles except two. My Model 94 .30-30 has factory sights and my Model 71 .348WCF wears a Lyman peep.

Used a 4x last year on my Swede and had no trouble making the ~270 yard shot. I wasn't crazy about the 4x at the target range, but after a week in the woods and 3 dead animals it had made me a believer. I think she will wear a 6x next year, and I will probably put the 4x on the .375 I have been eyeing at the local shop.

I like a variable scope. Forgetting to change the power on your scope is just like forgetting what position your safety is in...it's not good gun handling. Makes for a good excuse for a miss on an animal though.

My daughter's .308 has a fixed 6x on it and it's a nice scope. Then again it's not a reach out and touch someone elk rifle either. My 30-06 has a 3x9x40 and it matches the capability of the rifle well. My 300 Super has a 3.5x10x50 and it works great. Last week I made a 320 yard shot (lasered range, wrapped sling, seated position) shot on a small cow elk with it. She didn't die any faster or slower because of the power of my scope setting. I did hit her well, and I could see everything around her well before I made the shot so I knew there wasn't another animal in the shadows behind her etc.

Another good thing about higher powered optics is that when you switch from high powered binos to your scope you don't have to wonder if that big buck on the left of the three you were looking at changed position when you weren't looking at him. I know of one "wrong" mountain goat and at least one "wrong" deer taken that way. They were all legal but not the intended animal.

My elk hunts have generally been tough on equipment so I would look at 40mm and less, a Leupy 3.5-10X50 is a great scope that will be bumping everything crawling through black timber or getting in and out of a scabbard. I agree with the posters in that a 4 or 6X is all you will ever need at any reasonable range.

3 dead animals in a week, is that elk?

Mark D