So a friend has moved up to near the top of Maine, started the move last year, taking loads of stuff north every couple months (good for him, I'm not down with that level of cold so much anymore, but I digress.

That lucky FOOL put in for his resident Moose tag, and GOT one, basically on his first go-round as a resident! (I'm NOT jealous...) Anyhow, he has several rifles to choose from for his "Moose battery", but he is thinking about a new optic to go on his Ruger Hawkeye 300 Win. and in his words, suitable, power wise for possible shots from 40 yards to 400 yards. He asked how optics may be vulnerable in extreme cold. He asked what brand.
I told him three things, which I would like confirmation or correction on:
1. Brand; Leupold, Vortex or Nikon (Monarch or above)
2. Low mag: 2-4x high mag: 10-14x, with as big an objective as he can manage.
3. In general cold mostly effects optics if you are going in and out of warm, not just staying in a cold environment.

For his request, and my recommendation, change my mind?

A Leupold 2-7x or 3-9x would be perfect . Of course if money is not a factor ....Swarovski.

Back when I was into hunting them I always wanted to put together a Moose rifle with a 50mm objective. Because I always ended up shooting them at the crack of dawn or dusk. Never shot a Moose in good light.

No more then 9-10x at the top end . 42-44 with an illuminated dot, None of the brands you mentioned are rock solid on a 300 win mag with the possiblity of the Vortex dial up lineup which is about as useless in Maine as two tits on a bull.

Look at a Meopta Meopro 3-10x44 with an illuminated dot or a Meopta Meostar R1 .

Something with a big bold reticle. You don't need a lot of magnification to hit a VW at 400 yards.

Exactly, and the range will be 100 yards or less.

I would go with a VX 3 3.5-10 X 40 or equivalent in another quality brand. Im not a fan of any bigger objective than 40 for hunting. Just my preference. Seems like I got into buying specialized scopes for every type of hunting. I’m moving back to a more general go for about any situation scopes these days.

I have a VX-R 3-9 with the FireDot Duplex, it is nice1

I was going through this same type of dilemma with my 338 Super Grade and I chose the Meopta Meostar R2 1.7-10x42. I think it's the perfect scope for a larger caliber rifle where you want the benefits of the lower magnification but still have plenty left on the higher end for any longer range shots. Meopta scopes are tough, reliable and track superbly.

What zone is your friend hunting? It would be a real surprise any guide could not get a moose close. Bull or cow? Which season?

Right ..... Moose hunting and deer hunting would be well covered by either one of these choices, but we seen to have to make it much more complicated/expensive then it really needs to be.

If I get drawn for a moose tag this year, one of two rifles will be going depending on the weather. One with a Leupold 3-9 (300H&H) and the other with a 2.5-8 (275 Rigby). K.I.S.S.

I've seen that several times here in NB as well. First time applicants getting drawn, including myself in 1988.


It's not that cold up here during that moose season to be a factor with a modern optic.

I'm still kicking myself for not picking up a Nikon Monarch 3 1-4 with German #4 ret for my 30/06. That seems about perfect.

A 3x9 would be plenty of power for that. As for the extreme cold, he won't find that during Maine's moose season, even up in Aroostook county.

A Tract Toric in either 2X10 or 3X15 would be perfect for any type hunting or shooting. They are excellent scopes and the 2X10 is $694.00 and the 3X15 only $100.00 more

A lighted reticle might come in handy but any scope will do chances are his shot will be under 100 yards.As far as the weather goes it's not that cold during our Moose seasons.

Not the newest wizz-bang on the block, but a proven optic that covers all your requirements...

Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40.

Keep the thread updated with his progress please. And wish him luck on behalf of the fire.

I built a 358 Norma for a Moose rifle back in the 1970's, put a Weaver V-4.5 on it, never felt wanting with it. Worked well in the off season for squirrels loaded with 148gr DBL ended wadcutters over a few grains of 700x.

I got all ready to go one time, but buddy up there couldn’t get the details worked out for us....had a 358 BLR with a 1.5-5 Leopold and heavy duplex that I thought would work...but I can’t really know.

Maine moose season is in October, not February. It isn't cold here in Maine during October. 3-9x if you like variables. A fixed 4x will do the job without any miss or fuss.

Having never hunted moose the only information I can add is the following. My father drew a September Bull Moose tag for Unit 1 and he will be using a NULA 30-06 with a Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40. Listed as the sub permittee I plan to carry either a 300 Win Mag or 375 H&H with a Nightforce SHV 3-10x42. The outfitter explained that the majority of the shot opportunities are 100yards or less for the area we will be hunting. He recommended being comfortable shooting out to 200 yards.

Is shooting Moose at 400 yards a thing?

I have a NULA 30-06 with a Zeiss Victory 1.5-6X42 on it that I have been very happy with. I have taken two Moose in Gasp'e and 6 winter Caribou in Northern Quebec in temp's. as low as 25 below zero and at distances up to 350 yds. Never had any problem or felt under scoped. It is also my go-to gun for deer hunting where I live in the Adirondack Mtn's of NY.

I'm up in NY and have hunted Caribou in Quebec and Moose in Newfoundland and I have yet to find a better optic for cold/wet conditions than the Bushnell Elite scopes with the Rainguard coatings. I have several of them and they have never failed or failed to hold zero. The hydrophobic coating really works to provide a nice view even in the nastiest weather. As a hunting tool in such conditions, IMO, there is nothing better. Any power from 1.5X to 3X on low end to 5x - 10x on the upper end will do. For Moose high power is not needed. I think a 2-7X would be about ideal.

I'd say he's pretty much just described a rig that will be not only fine for moose but for any hunt in North America.
SPS has 30 caliber 200 grain partitions on sale, for crazy cheap, by the way. I'd say that's about all that's missing from the specs.
I've killed antelope to 400 yards with an M8 4X but if a variable is a must I agree with those who've said no more than 9 or 10 on the top end is fine.
For some reason I rarely see challenged, for a given level of optical quality, a 3x9 is more expensive than a 2x7, and a 4x12 is more expensive than a 3x9. Keeping the "size" to the minimum really needed lets you bump up the optical quality for a lower overall price.

Cheers,
Rex

Almost a limitless bunch of choices out there, just depends on what one likes. I have shot a bunch of moose in the last 55 years here in Alaska. I started with and old Weaver all steel 4 power with a post reticle on a Springfield 30-06. When I got out of the service in 1973 I used a Redfield 3-9 Widefield for a couple of years on a .300 Win. Mag. Then I picked up a Ruger M77 in .338 and put a Leupold 1.5-5x20 with a Duplex reticle on it and used it for 12 years. I think my longest shot with it was a little over 350 yards. In the mid 80's I discovered the Leupold 2.5-8x36 with a Duplex reticle. In the early 90's I put a .338 together based on a Mod. 70 "Classic Stainless". About a year ago I put a Nightforce SHV 3-10x42 with the Forceplex reticle and illumination on that .338 and doubt at my age I will change it.

My eyes as I am almost 70 have changed and I like the 30mm Nightforce scope with illumination option. Reticles like the Boone & Crockett and similar are fast. Once you learn how to use them with your rifles load they are like a point and shoot system. That is a good feature for moose that can quickly disappear into the pucker brush.

One of my favorite reticles is Leupolds Post-Duplex and Firedot #4 found in the VXR series. They show up good in low light and offer plenty of precision for ou to 500 yard shots on big game. I still have a couple of Leupolds on my two 30-06 rifles, but I don't dial them, strictly zero and leave alone. Both scopes have the Boone & Crockett reticle. The Nightforce scopes are usually very reliable. Moose in my experience are usually shot well under 200 yards and often when light is fading. They are also a big critter and the broad side lung shot offers a big kill zone and a big heavy high powered scope is not needed.