I'm planning to order a Fieldcraft in a couple days to be my main hunting rifle (mostly whitetail and coyotes now, but elk and others in the future). Shots where I hunt can get up to the 500 yard range but i've never owned a scope over 10X. Most of my scopes are currently leupold 3.5-10x or 2.5-8x, and a couple fixed 6x. My preference is spinning turrets.

Any suggestions on scoping a Fieldcraft? I'm considering everything from VX-3i all the way up to VX-6HD (or other brands too, don't really have a budget - I'll pay for quality). My goal is to make this my main rig for many years to come and have good versatility but I also don't want to offset the balance of a lightweight rifle with too big/heavy of a scope.

Pictures of Fieldcrafts with scopes would be great if you have them.

-MJS

I have 3 or 4 VX3i scopes in the 4.5-14x40, 1” tube, it’s my favorite scope. It’s powerful enough to shoot 500 yards (and beyond) with, but not huge or too heavy. I haven’t personally handled a VX6, but one of those in 3-18x might be just as good, if the weight and size is agreeable with you. Both are available with the CDS, so you’re good on twisting turrets, too. Good luck and enjoy!

With a 2.5-8 the steel is easy to see at 500 yds, a bit easier with my 3.5-10. On a my sub 7lb hunting rifles for the kind of hunting I do--which under good conditions/right circumstances may go out to 500 yds--my 2.5-8's work fine.

My 18 year old son shot one of his pronghorns this year just shy of 400 yds with a 2-7.

Mine originally wore a VX3i 2.5-8 before it took a chit mid season. Now it wears a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42, NF ultralights, and Talley 0 moa rail.

Preference for spinning turrets means I'm looking beyond Leupold. SWFA SS 3-9x42, 6x, LRHS 3-12x, S&B 10x are all good options.

Scope mount options with the SS 3-9x:

I've come to believe that if you want long term reliability twisting turrets you are going to have to pay a weight penalty. A light weight scope may work for a while but I don't think they have the quality of materials required to hold up to a lot of turret twisting and stay accurate and reliable.

I would be looking at the Nightforce scopes, SWFA, or Bushnell LRHS. You could choose a NF as light as 17 ounces,like the NX8 or the SWFA 3-9X42 is only 19 ounces.

This scope and rifle are made for each other. It should just be sold as a system like that, pre-zeroed with a dope card in the box, so boring. I am using the same expect LW Talley direct mounts.

If you can put up with SFP and the reticle selection, then it's a great scope. I can't like either, so it's a pass for me.

Check out the Zeiss HD series with target turrets 👍🏻

I went with the SS 3-9 - though the scope is on the heavy side, it balances well and doesn't seem to overpower the rifle. All up is 6 lbs 11 oz...

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18” 6.5 Creedmoor fieldcraft....still right at 7 pounds flat even with the 24 oz scope on it.

I had a NF 3-10x42 on there and it was 3 oz lighter but I like the options on this scope a bit more.

Id like to have a half dozen or so of these.

http://www.nightforceoptics.com/news/nxs-2-5-10x24-limitedrelease

What scope is that?

March?

Yes sir a March 3-24x52.

I agree that the NXS 2.5-10x42 looks like it was made for that rifle but agree with Jordan that the reticles leave something to be desired. I am somewhat interested in the SWFA MOA Quad reticle but they are relatively heavy and my preference probably leans towards a standard duplex. The Leupold 3-18 also interests me but I'm concerned it may be too big in size and magnification, I generally try to stay away from scopes that need AO.

The Leupold 2.5-8 and 3.5-10 with CDS would be perfect but I've heard lots of "internet talk" that they don't track well over time. I do have CDS scopes that have no issues but they are on hunting rifles so they don't get twisted as often as a range gun would.

Another scope that may interest me is a fixed 6 with M1 or CDS, i've never had that combo. I'm tempted to give Nightforce a try but their reticles are a lot busier than I'm used to. Any specific Zeiss, Leica or Swarovski's that track well?

The March scopes are intriguing, I've never even heard of them. Just went to the website and saw a 1-8x24 that is interesting, they do cost a pretty penny though. The 3-24x42 is interesting too....I'm not sure how they fit so much scope in that tiny package. How are the optics and tracking?

Any of the Zeiss Leica or Swaro scopes will only dial in a limited capacity. I wouldn't buy a Leupold and expect it to accurately dial for very long at all. Basically only the Nightforce,SWFA,and Bushnell LRHS will dial accurately over the long term. There are a few others but so heavy or expensive as to be beyond consideration for most hunting applications.

Nightforce has an SHV with a plex reticle. It has covered turrets however and is more of a set it and forget it scope but it would dial and I would trust it over any Leupold.

Several years ago,I wanted to pair my light weight Kimber Montana with a very light weight scope for a very light weight hunting rig. I have come to believe that a better way to look at things is to pair a light weight rifle with a dependable scope, so that you can have the extra weight that a dependable scope requires and still have a fairly light weight rifle. A 7 lb scoped rifle is still a light weight rig to carry anywhere, and truth be told it is easier to shoot well than a 6 lb scoped rifle.

Have the 2.5-10x42 mounted on a Fieldcraft and have been hunting it pretty hard. For the way I hunt, SFP doesn't bother me but NF's reticles do. The parallax sensitivity of the scope is irritating for the way I use it. For someone mainly hunting open areas at dialing distances it would be a better fit.

Hunting season will be over in a couple of weeks and I'm going to go back to playing with a Tract Toric 2-10x42. If it continues to dial exactly and return to zero as well as it has so far it will be hard for me to choose anything else for a lightweight. It's on a 6.5 FC and it's a really nice package that I hunted a couple of months this year.

2-10x42 Tract Toric on a 6.5 CM:

I really like the 10x fixed Super Sniper that I have on my cm. It works fine near and far without jacking with a power ring.

A FFP reticle in a 2.5-10x scope isn't going to do much good anyway. People already find some of the NF reticles hard to pick up in some lighting conditions, think how bad it would be on 2.5x.

What does "R4284" mean?

I'm leaning slightly towards the Nightforce 2.5-10x42 with IHR or MOAR reticle because it seems to check the most boxes. What's this about the reticle being too thin?

Do the VX-5HD and VX-6HD Leupolds have the same tracking issues as the VX3i? What about the Swaro Z5 3.5-18?

As a backup I may consider the SWFA series but they look really big, I should mention I've only owned one 30mm scope (an original VX-6 2-12 that I sent down the road).

Planning to order the rifle tomorrow morning...

I have both of those reticles and they are far easier to see than the SWFA SS MilQuad or MOAQuad reticles, which I also have.

(Sold the MilQuad as it was my least favorite of all of those.)

The IHR is a nice reticle if you like a plain duplex, but the MOAR provides more useful information.

The IHR reticle only has the center crosshair illuminate, which is nice in very low light.

Hunted a couple of hours with the IHR this evening and have been using it for several weeks now. The floating part of the reticle is very thin....and I'm starting to kinda like it. If the bars were heavier and (at least) filled rather than hollow I'd be happier. The thin floating section is nice for the precision but does get lost very easily on movers, in thick stuff, in heavy sunlight/shadows, and especially as the light fades. Heavier, black filled reticle would help. The illumination is great as light fades....if the battery ever wears out it will be useless as light fades.

Widen and fill the bars on the reticle and it will be good to go.

Same old erector system on the VX5 and VX6. I trust the swaro Z5 slightly more but it's not built for a lot of dialing. I think it will work for an occasional dialed hunting shot but wouldn't trust it on a range gun that would be dialed often. It's definitely not built for dialing like the SWFA. Yes,the 3-9 SWFA seems big and awkward with those huge turrets till you get use to it. It's actually only 3 ounces heavier than the Z5.

I say that having owned both the 3-9 SWFA and the Swaro Z5. I use the Z5 on one rifle but only because ejection angle won't allow the SWFA.

Try one, I don't find them to be too thin, some do. Keep in mind the NXS has illumination too which is helpful for times when the reticle gets lost.

Roster #

It is with a properly designed FFP reticle. I've spent enough time with 3-9x scopes in SFP and FFP to know there are distinct advantages to FFP when using subtended reticles.

Which version of the MQ and MOAQ? They're not all equivalent. Scope models?

I've seen several Fieldcrafts with the rail mount - If I don't need the extra elevation because I'm not shooting past 600 yds is there any benefit to it over Talley lightweights?

Only in mounting position for proper ER. Probably won't have any problems with a short action unless your scope is really short with short ER. It's also a bit stronger than Talleys,though whether it's needed is debatable.

You are getting serious...............


Lefty

I'm really leaning towards the Nightforce NXS 2.5x10 w/ MOAR right now. One concern I have is the adjustable parallax - how often will I have to mess with it?

Or can I just set it and forget it like on most "Max 10X" scopes?

What is a roster number?

Update - Rifle order was just placed with a company out of Owensboro, KY (hint). This is my first time placing an online order for a rifle and dealing with an FFL so hopefully it goes smoothly.

Now I just need to decide on scope/mounts...

That's the problem, there are very few scopes out there with FFP reticles designed for the hunter or mid-range variables. The 3-9 MQ works well in the 6x-9x range but below that the center gets pretty thin. In the 3-9 and 2.5-10 range, I've not found subtensions to be "needed" on anything but max power, especially in a hunting scope, which is why I think SFP reticles work best overall in that magnification range. But, I am always willing to learn something new if there is something I am missing.

Haha idk I traded into the scope with an offer I couldn’t refuse so I am gonna give it a whirl.

A couple of points, one you've probably considered, the other maybe not:

- The ability to change the visual absolute thickness of the reticle can be quite handy. If placing the reticle on an unaware animal at dusk, it's sometimes nice to crank up to 9x and get that reticle really bold. Even on low power, the thick posts work really well for bracketing the vitals of a BG animal, which is usually all the precision that's needed on 3-4x

- Murphy's Law has a way of messing with hunters at inopportune times. Just because you may not feel that the subtensions are needed on anything but max power, that doesn't mean that you won't accidentally try and use them, thinking that the scope is set on max magnification, when in reality it's not. Seen it more than once, with lost deer and elk being the result. The most painful case was several years ago, when a friend was using a Zeiss RZ600 and cleanly missed an elk at 530 yards because he used the reticle for holdeover, thinking the scope was set at 9x (he basically never moved it from 9x), when it was actually set on 6x, which we noticed after the elk was safely long gone. A FFP reticle in the 3-9x range is very handy for eliminating one more potential source of problems in the heat of the moment

I didn't think the SWFA 3-9X42 HD with MQ reticle was too fine for hunting. My 49 year old eyes had no problems finding it in legal light even on the 4X which is as low as I use the scope due to the tunneling on 3X. Tunneling is gone at 4X.

Yes, two good points that crossed my mind and people should consider. I guess it largely depends on how you plan on using the scope.

True, I’m not even one to use holdover much at all, but I do like my windage subtensions to be correct at all times for wind and mover holds, and I don’t always use my scope on 9x. Just depends on your use. My biggest thing is that I like to eliminate possible sources of error.

That’s why I was wondering what scope models jeffbird was referring to, as they’re certainly not all of equal subtension. The 10x and up are finer reticles than the 6x and 3-9x, for example.

Jordan
That's why I'm considering the IHR reticle if I choose the 2.5-10 NXS. It would eliminate making that error and I should have time to dial if I had a longer shot than a 200 yard zero would accommodate. Another factor that makes me consider the IHR as a top choice is that much of our hunting opportunity on good bucks is at last light. The fact that the IHR illuminates less of the reticle, makes it slightly better for low light hunting. The choices that illuminate the whole reticle lessen the ability to see the target as well.

It's not really a great choice either way as you are limiting the capability of what the scope could do,no matter what you choose because of the SFP and the choice of reticles.

Was a SWFA SS 6x fixed purchased about three or so years ago.

I just became aware of the Tract brand of scopes - anyone have experience twisting dials on the Toric model? The 2-10x42 looks like the right size and a zero stop turret is included...

Yes