Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Fixed on a 7mm magnum

Good counsel

I had a USA mfr 3x-9x variable malfunction on a limited draw trophy mule deer hunt in southern Utah in 1990. It jaded me to a degree in favor of fixed power rifle scopes on my big game hunting rifles. Since then, I mounted three Leupold 6x42mm scopes & a Burris 6x on 4 rifles in 7x57, .270 WCF (2), & .300 Win Mag. In my southwestern hunting areas I have not felt handicapped while hunting deer, elk & pronghorn antelope. If you have a fixed power scope on hand, or just prefer one for your 7MM REM MAG, get it mounted and go hunting!

While I enjoy the S&B 6x42 for low light stuff, I'd rather have a little more eye relief than it affords for a magnum, particularly a light one.

It also is not generous with mounting latitude which is an issue (for me) on long actions.

I killed a nice 8-pointer with a 3X Lyman mounted on this 336 Marlin last year, at just over a 100 yds. 3X also works fine at the range; I don't feel handicapped during practice sessions with so little power.



For longer shots I have a Winchester 70 (.30-06) with a Lyman 4X. Should be good for most anything I intend to shoot.

My "varmint" rifle wears a Weaver Classic 6X. Probably under-scoped for prairie dogs at 600 yds, but 6X works well for what I shoot.

I managed a coveted Utah tag on an outfitted deal and showed up with a light weight 7 Rem Mag and 4X Leupold. Butch Searcy had built the rifle and so permanently married the bases and rings that it never changed zero on me.

I thought nothing of the whole rig as I had hunted it extensively already, but on this trip it seems I was running squarely into my own age...several of the hunters in camp were my juniors and were fascinated with the light rifle and "little" scope...it was about then I realized I was hopelessly behind the times as their rifles were, to a "T",heavy and long barreled 300 mags of some sort wearing large variables. Don't think I even OWNED a variable back then..

We were all pretty hard core, passing up bucks the first 4 days but on day 5 I lowered the boom on a 180 class old timer at about 375-400 yards....downhill pretty steeply,and my guide (an active outdoor writer of the day)was a bit stunned when the buck just collapsed to the shot.

I had lost the buck in recoil,but then found it in the sage and said I was going to shoot it again to be sure....to which he responded..."On purpose!?"....He had never seen anything killed that far away, which I found curious.

That evening the California boys came over to inspect the little rifle and 4X scope that killed the buck. It was about then I knew I had become a curmudgeon.

But it goes to show that 4X scopes work pretty good even though there may be better stuff out there today.

A funny anecdote to that hunt is that the writer, needing some pictures for an article,asked me to pose "glassing" the country for a few photos....so I sat down,propped the bins on my knees,and started looking. He said..."No...you need to stand up!" I said , "No one who knows what they are doing with bins stands up to glass....you gotta sit,get a rest.."

He said, "Yeah I know,but the pictures will look better if you stand up!" Silly me, I thought outdoor writing was about educating people.

So somewhere in a long ago issue of Petersens' Hunting Annual, I am standing, glassing like a dork from a Utah rimrock....thankfully,you can't really tell it's me.

I used a 4x Leupold on my first 7Mag. It worked just fine as would a 30/06 or a 270 topped the same.

supercub yes that's the way we used to figure things.

Boy it was simpler then! Not much excruciating over scopes....we just grabbed a 4X and went hunting!

I have posted about this before, however for the sake of this discussion here is the Reader's Digest version.

Took my father-in-law on a sheep hunt way back in the mid-seventies. He was in his seventies, and used my Husqvarna Featherweight 270 with a Leupold 3X aboard to kill a really great Dall ram at over 300 yd.

He was quite impressed with how well the 270 worked, and how quickly the ram died. Never mentioned anything about the scope not being enough power.

Ted

The 1X per 100yds'rule'obviously worked just fine in this case. I've been hashing this scope thing over this fall quite a bit. Been a long time user of fixed 6X on hunting rifles (going back 30yrs). Thinking back ,with all the variables I've had all were on 6X when the shot was made except two, and that's because that rifle had a 1.5x5 on it. The rifle I will be using(its new) for long range hunting and plinking at 1000yds,will have a 2.5x10 scope. Would not think of taking a shot at game past 600yds, and conditions would have to be perfect, so 10X is quite enough I think.

very nice looking 700ert.

fixed 6x in a high quality scope would be hard to beat. Using a binocular to judge trophy etc. rather than the variable scope seems the way to go to me.

I find that a 3-9 is just right for me on my 7mmRM. UMMV
Cheers NC

ditto

but back in the day that Redfield 4x TV screen sure seemed like hot chit

Sounds about right. PM sent your way.

Ted

I have hunted a lot with 4Xs and even 2.5Xs. A 6X is often too much where I hunt.

That said, I have LOTS of scopes in the 3-10X40 range and have yet to do any hunting that they will not handle.

For a 7mm mag, something like a VX3 3.5-10x40 would get my vote....

I have a VXII 3-9 on my 7mag. For me it works great offering 3x at woods ranges and when blood trailing, and 9X for longer shots especially when standing. I think you will find both options valuable for your hunting plans.

I'm on a work/play trip to the Texas panhandle. Helping SIL with his cotton harvest and checking on the cows. Bad weather has us stopped for a couple of days-at least. The weather was forecast, so I brought a deer rifle. I have a dozen or so to pick from.

I grabbed a .308, small ring Safari, mounted with an older Zeiss 4X, short eye relief and all. It is clear and it remains consistent, at least up to now. It has worked up close and way too far in the past.

Being another old codger that started out on scopes of 2.5X, it works just fine. As .458 Winchester said, "Scopes are aiming devices." We just do not need a Hubble for that, even though I ended up with a bunch of 3-9 and 3.5-10. They are generally set at about five power. Jack

Add: I also still use four 4X and two 3X scopes. I'm seriously considering a 3x for a No. 1 .25-06 because it will mount with a proper eye relief w/o crawling the stock and w/o having to use extension mounts. Varminting is not in the plans for that one.

Try both...

W