What scope do you trust your sweat soaked, coveted tag, backpack hunting with?

If I had such a tag and backpacked I'd be more than comfortable toting any of my Leupold VariX, VX or whatever they are 2.5x8 scopes. I think I have 5-6 of them varying in age.

S&B PM II fixed power.

This....specifically a 10X42.

What's the difference between a backcountry scope, and a frontcountry scope?

Well Huntsman I would think the backcountry scope you'd see the outhouse and the frontcountry scope you'd see the porch. That's just a WAG.

More than likely my NSX 2.5x10x42, been very trust worthy.........

But I'd like to give one of those S&B PMII fixed 10x a try someday!

Great question. A backcountry hunt would be a hunt were a scope could not be replaced in a timely manner to finish the hunt and punch the tag. In other words, you cannot jump in your rig and run home or to town for a replacement or have a replacement in the truck.

I do both style hunts and fortunately failures have happened on hunts without a lot of time, sweat, or money invested.

Just curious, why so much magnification?

SWFA 10x42....

my LRHS's haven't let me down yet...... at least on a sweat-soaked, OTC tag, wheelpacking hunt.....





Maybe someday I'll get a 'coveted' tag. Oh, and buy a backpack for it.

I have always been a 6x guy. How close can you effectively aim a 10x at game? I might go that route.

SS 3-9x42

I’ve always wanted a LRHS. I get lucky once in awhile with a lower draw odds tag. Last one was bull moose out in the middle of nowhere that paid off. Finally got an elk tag for next season. Out in the middle of nowhere of course.

Leupold VX 3i. I've been using them, and their predecessors, since 1987 and I've never had one fail. That said, I do not twist turrets, tried them, dislike them. Got rid of all my scopes with target knobs and all but one with CDS. Back country here tends to be brush and dark timber and the shots are pretty short.

The LRHS is an awesome scope, but on a backcountry hunting rifle I’m happy to shave the 6–7 oz by using the SS 3-9x instead.

This.

You're only saying that because you have to hump that mutha on yer back, instead of letting a packwheel carry it....

Yes, the oz game is real. A real balance between robust and pounds. I have a 3-9 SS. So far like it but haven’t hunted it yet. A Kimber WSM gets up there with a 20 ounce scope.

Depends on which end you look through. If you look through the objective, everything is faraway "backcointry."

Absolutely right. For rifles where weight isn’t a huge deal, the LRHS is hard to beat.

Yup, the beauty of the SS 3-9x is that it’s as robust as heavier options, but several ounces lighter. That’s what my Barrett FC and Kimber 7-08 wear. The Kimber WSM’s get up there even more with a 25oz LRHS, but it’s worth it, IMO.

I bought the SS 3-9 for its' reliability. Learning to use the reticle and dials make it worth twice the weight, almost.

If I get my shot of a lifetime [wolf] , A miss will be on me and not my gear. Their 6X w/ the MQ reticle is also great and even simpler.


mike r

Question for the SS 3-9 users: Any issues with the lack of parallax adjustment?

Guess I’m the minority, my draw tags/guided have been Leupold and ziess. Haven’t ran ziess in 6-8 years. Never a issue

Switched to NighForce SHV in recent years and have no complaints. One of them will be going on a backpack hunt this fall. Wont necessarily be a coveted tag - except maybe by me

After running m-1’s on my 6.5 300 this year I’m sending her back for cds, tired of those damn things hanging up on everything, can’t imagine the swfa turrets...

I carry mine w/ a scopeshield in place, covers the turrets and the lenses, pops off in< 1 second.


mike r

Negative.

Jud,

The SWFA fixed turrets are shorter than M1’s, IIRC (I’ll have to check and confirm when I get home). The HD turrets are shorter and trimmer yet.

2.5x8 Vari X III for elk
Mark 4 10x M1 for Coues

Copy they quite a bit bigger, maybe the finger grooves?? Gonna give the UL a try on my 22 creed when she gets screwed together

Leupold and CDS has done rather well for me on bigger hunts.

NF shv 3x10 with forceplex is another that I would like to try, seems to connect a lot of dots......

Whatever scope you choose, consider taking a second scope already sighted-in, mounted in good QD rings. If the primary scope fails, it is easy to replace.

I favor a 6x Leupold for most of my hunting, though when I went to the Brooks Range to hunt, I did rely on an older 2-7x Redfield.

Regards, Guy

Yeah, the grip on top of the SS turret is wider than the M1, for sure.

Looks like a “fun” several hours of work followed that pic. Moose falling dead in a pond ain’t ideal...

I love the CDS "design" for hunting. Capped windage, very low profile, zero-stopped (easy to do yourself), limited on revolutions but it's plenty for my hunting.

I wish Nightforce would do this with the 3-10 SHV or simply change the elevation only to their zero-stop dial.

S&B will add a BDC for elevation that is similar to the CDS and very low profile. It's limited to 3.3 mil, which is still enough for my hunting even with a 100 yard 0. I've not yet put it to use to evaluate adjustments and return to 0. It is a fairly lightweight and compact package in a fixed power scope.

Jay,

How's the do it your self zero stop work?

leupold 6x42......always works for me.....only scope I have had that failed, was a Steiner…...bob

👍

David,

Here's a link with pics and description. It's pretty simple to do.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...s/7847842/Leupold_CDS_MOA_zero_stop_How_

Leupold FX-II 6x36mm LR Duplex

Thanks for the zero stop link!

ditto- these sit atop both my Featherweights- light and sturdy with no hiccups

10x42 SS, 3-12 LRHS, and 3-9 SS. IMO the 10 (or 6x if you prefer) is the best value, the LRHS is the nicest package, and the 3-9 SS is maybe the best compromise. That said all I have on now is a couple 10's and one LRHS.

My choice as well.

This is my choice or the 42MM FXIII version of same has been my go to for a long time on remote mountain hunts. I hear a lot of bad about them these days but I've not been let down so far. Whether tied to a Super Cub strut, strapped to a snowmachine or rattling around in the bottom of a jet boat and then strapped to a pack and banged around on the mountain for a couple weeks. See critter pull trigger then start skinning........

The 1.5x5 Leupold on my 375H&H has really taken a beating from 20 years of guiding and I'll once again be depending on it this fall on a very remote hunt I've been hoping to draw for 26 years. I doubt it lets me down.

Hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Thanks! Now I remember seeing that.

NF 2.5-10x42 compact. Good optics and reliable.

Here is what I got for measurements between the the 3x9 and the 6X SS in height from the tube to the top of the knob.

Were both set to the same place in the erector's travel range? If not, you could get some very misleading measurements if one was at the top of its range, while the other was at the bottom

I measured the windage knobs which were a couple clicks one way or the other from mechanical center.

Great point though.

Good to know. Thanks!

Swarovski Z3 got it done for me on a brutal Jarbidge Elk hunt.

Trusted all my hunts to Leupold 3.5-10 x 40, different vintages. Duplex reticle, its easy enough for me to hold over as I'm an under 400 yards kinda guy.

I’ve got a couple of the 3-12x42 Klassik with their mil dial. One is on my 7mm08, used it last fall to dial up 1.2 miles at 370 to kill my elk. Dialing and return to zero has been spot on, in my experience. Looks like this:

Nice... how many mils in one revolution?

Ackleyfan, I can get 3.2 mils. It stops a little past that, also stops a little past 0 the other way.

3.2 mils gets me to 600 yards in the 7mm08 and the 6.5x55 so I’m good with not having more on the dial. The P3 reticle gives 5 mils on the reticle also.

Really like that scope..thanks

Jarbidge hunts can be brutal...

All my hunting rifles wear Lewey VX2 2-7X33's. Some might say not enough power but I have a self imposed limit of 300 yds. The superstitious side of me hesitates to mention that they've never let me down. Very compact and lite at 9.9 oz. Unfortunately, Leupold has seen fit to discontinue most of their tried and true lines in favor of catering to the elite. Glad I bought a few for the safe.

Dialed up 1.2 miles to hit at 370 yards/meters? Damn.

Maybe bullets don't matter as much as I thought...

I have a Weaver K3 on my 35 Whelen. It has been on there for about 33 years. It has never fogged, or failed in any way. It has rusted a bit from time to time but the rust has not gone through yet. I have a K-4 on another rifle which has been in constant use since 1971. Still works fine. These scopes have seen conditions and abuse most never will. I think they are OK. GD

Im using Nikon Monarch 3 4x16. Ive been very happy with my Nikon scopes...especially for the price and I find the BDC reticle and associated app very useful.

I was shooting ping pong balls... 😁

I've never had a Leupold scope crap out on me.

Me neither, other brands yes including SWFA.

Wish I could say the same.

I felt the same way about Leupold discontinuing the VX-III 1.75-6x32.

Where reliability is crucial, and in tough vertical country where weight matters as well, make mine a Leupold M8 fixed 4x28, 6x36 or 6x42. If you must have a variable or must spin turrets, the only one I would consider would be a Nightforce.

I have had failures with too many variables, including several Leupolds and a Swarovski, to trust them on a back country hunt. The older Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-5x20 has a fine reputation for holding up on hard kickers, and may be the only exception to my comments above.