What one scope could you hunt anything with….

There is a simple way to work out what is the best solution for you.

Determine the maximum practical magnification that you can use on your favourite—.22 long rifle—chambered rifle for hunting and marksmanship practice. N.B. Picnic table shooting, also known as bench-rest shooting does not count. Who knew?

1. Cut that magnification number in half.
2. Fit the appropriate scope to your most useable trophy/meat hunting rifle.
3. Determine a practical compromise for eye relief.
4. Determine the maximum brightness sighting for that optic by pointing it at something like a tree with dark green foliage, at dusk.
5. Practise dry firing with that combination for several weeks, sorting out any issues with rifle fit—including length of pull, stock pitch and optic mounting height.
6. Attend several competitive positional shoots to validate your setup. If you do not have any suitable local competitions, get together with several mates and combine your practice with a barbecue. Write up your notes, straight away. Nothing wrong with school exercise books and notebooks. If you guys do all the preparation, cooking and clean up, you might get bonus points with your other halves.
7. Take the rifle on some easy pest control or culling shoots to further validate the setup and identify/remedy/adapt to ‘in the field’ issues.

The above procedure is the simplest and cheapest method that I know of, to reliably answer the question posed in the title of this thread, for any hunter. Have fun typing in your comments and enjoy the Northern Summer.

2.5x8x36 is all I’ve needed and never felt handicapped.
But I like a small low power like my fixed 2.5 on a 45-70

Andrew62 said:

Leupold VX-6HD 2x12

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@Andrew62 - I used this scope, Gen 2 version with Firedot, on my 338 Win Mag for my recent leopard hunt in Zim. Great scope!

My allrounder is Blaser 2.8-20x50 with QDC. Using it on 6.5x55 SE. That combination took zebra on 300 m and kudu on 285

Houston Bill said:

@Andrew62 - I used this scope, Gen 2 version with Firedot, on my 338 Win Mag for my recent leopard hunt in Zim. Great scope!

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@Houston Bill
I still think you should see @Mark Biggerstaff and get rid of that 338 and get a real rifle in 35 Whelen. @Action Bob has two one for himself and his charming wife @Just Gina. Now that man has taste and class in guns and women so you should talk to him about the virtues of the Whelen.
Bob

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Houston Bill
I still think you should see @Mark Biggerstaff and get rid of that 338 and get a real rifle in 35 Whelen. @Action Bob has two one for himself and his charming wife @Just Gina. Now that man has taste and class in guns and women so you should talk to him about the virtues of the Whelen.
Bob

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Hail Bob
The messiah of the .35 Whelen!

Ontario Hunter said:

Any 3-9x quality scope is fine for plains game 30 to 300 yards. I'm not into lighted or Christmas tree reticles. Keep it mounted as low as possible, especially if the rifle has classic European comb. I prefer quick detach rings and a good set of iron sights for backup or hunting in conditions unfavorable for scopes (rough terrain, rain, snow, etc). The 3-9x on my plains game/deer rifle typically stays on 4x while I'm hunting. I often turn it to 9x to size up an animal spotted and unaware. 9x is also good for range work. Recently I acquired a 30mm tube 1-4x for my DGR and very pleased with clarity and large field of view. It might work well for stalking plains game if accompanied with good binoculars.

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I just got my first scope …which I need to set up. It has a Christmas tree but was wondering when you only have straight crosshairs how do adjust for wind and drop and such?

JoeSoap said:

I just got my first scope …which I need to set up. It has a Christmas tree but was wondering when you only have straight crosshairs how do adjust for wind and drop and such?

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Easy. Keep the shot within 100-200 yards and you can shoot through a tornado and drop an animal.

I shot my first black wildebeest in about 45 mph wind, maybe more. He was 370 yards and I was using my PH's 270 WSM that I'd never fired before. My old 30-06 warhorse wouldn't reach him. PH says his gun will reach. "Go ahead. I know you can do it." The bull was standing with ass into the cold hard wind, head down. "No need to adjust elevation much. It's a flat shooter." Okay ... but what about the wind? I got on the bipod and scoped him high power. Put the crosshairs about 10" aft of his boiler room and squeezed off. The bull fell like he'd been hit between the eyes with a splitting mall. We looked all over for a hole in the carcass. "What did you do, scare him to death?" Finally I found the entrance wound almost in his left ear. "Wow! That was a helluva shot!". Well, not really. But not entirely lucky either. I knew from the way the bull was standing the bullet would have to hit him in the vitals somewhere or miss him entirely in front of his nose. We were both surprised the wind played with the bullet that much. So, guesstimate is the answer sometimes. That scope was very fancy but I don't remember if it had a Christmas tree reticle. Probably. The next day he dialed me in for a kudu at 440 yards. Hit it a bit low but we got him in short order. That night when cleaning up PH claimed he dialed the scope in wrong. Maybe he was just trying to make me feel good. Next safari with a different PH we were staying with a farmer/outfitter in the kalahari when hunting Barbary sheep and red lechwe. This guy had a fabulous range. Bunkered cameras at every target from 25-1000 meters. He handed me his fancy 300 PRC culling rifle with scope worth more than my flight to Africa ... round trip! "Go ahead, give it a go." Which target? "The one way out there [1K meters]." Really? "Sure, the gun can do it if you can." Well, that sounded like a challenge. I'm on the target on the bench with magnification cranked to the limit. "Okay, keep your eye on the target and very gently move your right forefinger to the top of the scope. Feel the little button. Press it." And a little red spot lights up on elevation reticle about half way to bottom of field of view. "Put that on the bull and shoot. Trigger is a little light." Bang! PH says "Look at that!" I turned to look at the big screen TV with multiple split screens. The 1000 meter target had a hole about 3" dead left of the bull. Amazing! He invited me to shoot more but I declined. Middle of COVID and components were still very scarce.

So, it's possible even for a long range novice like myself to make those shots. But it's a lot more fun to get up close and personal. And a lot more challenging than dropping a bomb on an animal in the next township. My second black wildebeest was less than a hundred yards. Getting the drop on one of those that close is no mean feat. They are truly "plains" game, as in wide open plains.

N

JoeSoap said:

I just got my first scope …which I need to set up. It has a Christmas tree but was wondering when you only have straight crosshairs how do adjust for wind and drop and such?

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1. Please show us a reticle image OR provide the scope model and reticle combination so that we can look it up on the brand/manufacturer web site.
2. You need to set up the reticle focus for your eye sight.
2.1. With a second focal plane scope, turn the magnification up to maximum and point your scope at the sky, adjust the focus until the reticle appears to be perfectly sharp, then look away, blink your eyes several times and look again. Keep going until you are certain that the reticle is perfectly sharp.
N.B. When you do this with a high magnification range scope and/or a scope with user adjustable parallax compensation, it will also require a couple of competitive shoots to obtain a perfect setting. Been there, done that.
2.2. With a first focal plane scope, turn the magnification up until you see all the reticle detail, then point your scope at the sky.
3. Point the scope at something like dark green foliage at dusk and adjust the magnification until you have determined the brightest setting for your scope.
4. Now you can get on with learning the reticle design and determining how to use it efficiently.

Have fun.

JoeSoap said:

I just got my first scope …which I need to set up. It has a Christmas tree but was wondering when you only have straight crosshairs how do adjust for wind and drop and such?

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@JoeSoap
Easy keep your shots within you maximum point blank sight in range.
My 25 with 100gn TTSX is 2" high at 100 and 200, spot on at 300, 8" low at 400 so a backline hold on a fallow deer will see me ok to 450.
My Whelen is 3" high at 100 pretty spot on @225-250 depending on projectile down around 7-8" at 300 and 24 inches low at 400.
Know you rifle, know you loads and check with a chronograph. Shoot at distance to confirm your calculations.

When it comes to wind, easy:-
Grass slightly bent a little hold off
Grass bent more hold off more
My rule of thumb for every 5mph of wind I hold off 1-3" depending on calibre
Grass laying almost flat, go home to windy to shoot.
That's just the way I do things.
If'n I have to hold on air, not hair it probably to far away for me to ethically shoot
Bob

JoeSoap said:

I just got my first scope …which I need to set up. It has a Christmas tree but was wondering when you only have straight crosshairs how do adjust for wind and drop and such?

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Practice a lot and aim higher for drops.
I’m by no means a professional, hell I’d be lucky to be called amateur, but I can shoot regularly out to 200 yards with cross hairs and hit center of my target. You get used to where to hold once you do it enough if you needed to do it that way.
I have dial scopes but wanted to eliminate one more movement to simplify.

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@JoeSoap
Easy keep your shots within you maximum point blank sight in range.
My 25 with 100gn TTSX is 2" high at 100 and 200, spot on at 300, 8" low at 400 so a backline hold on a fallow deer will see me ok to 450.
My Whelen is 3" high at 100 pretty spot on @225-250 depending on projectile down around 7-8" at 300 and 24 inches low at 400.
Know you rifle, know you loads and check with a chronograph. Shoot at distance to confirm your calculations.

When it comes to wind, easy:-
Grass slightly bent a little hold off
Grass bent more hold off more
My rule of thumb for every 5mph of wind I hold off 1-3" depending on calibre
Grass laying almost flat, go home to windy to shoot.
That's just the way I do things.
If'n I have to hold on air, not hair it probably to far away for me to ethically shoot
Bob

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Couldn’t have said it better myself Bob. The best way to learn holdover and hold off is practice shooting a lot and in all conditions. There is no replacement for experience.

Bob Nelson 35Whelen said:

@Houston Bill
I still think you should see @Mark Biggerstaff and get rid of that 338 and get a real rifle in 35 Whelen. @Action Bob has two one for himself and his charming wife @Just Gina. Now that man has taste and class in guns and women so you should talk to him about the virtues of the Whelen.
Bob

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Hi @Bob Nelson 35Whelen, nice to hear from you. Hope all is well down under. While you and I agree that the 35 Whelen is a fine cartridge, I have too much sentimental value wrapped up in my 338 Win Mag to sell it. Both my sons used that rifle to shoot their water buffalo in Australia and I have shot my bongo and completed my big 5 recently by shooting my leopard with it. Not to mention the other various plaines game animals shot with it. So it is a rifle I will pass down in the will. Given the performance of the 338 Win Mag and the 35 Whelen are pretty close I don't see a 35 Whelen making into my gun safe.

My Normal hunting distances are from 10 to 400 yards.
I have had no issues killing anything within those distances with fixed 6,4, 3-9, 6-18x and 1.5-4x scopes - all Leupolds BTW.
My guns are normally zeroed at 200 meters, and only one 6-18x has turrets on it these days in case I have to go past 400. That is a very specific area that I don't hunt it much and even then the last deer I shot there was at 11 yards with the big scope down on 6x.

Houston Bill said:

Hi @Bob Nelson 35Whelen, nice to hear from you. Hope all is well down under. While you and I agree that the 35 Whelen is a fine cartridge, I have too much sentimental value wrapped up in my 338 Win Mag to sell it. Both my sons used that rifle to shoot their water buffalo in Australia and I have shot my bongo and completed my big 5 recently by shooting my leopard with it. Not to mention the other various plaines game animals shot with it. So it is a rifle I will pass down in the will. Given the performance of the 338 Win Mag and the 35 Whelen are pretty close I don't see a 35 Whelen making into my gun safe.

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@Houston Bill
Easy fix my son
Give the 338 to one of your sons to enjoy then you can get a WHELEN.
You will still have the find memories and a big plus is your son can go in and make is own memories with his new gun.
Win win.
I've got to try and get you to go down the Whelen road instead of the 338 track.
Bob

Houston Bill said:

Hi @Bob Nelson 35Whelen, nice to hear from you. Hope all is well down under. While you and I agree that the 35 Whelen is a fine cartridge, I have too much sentimental value wrapped up in my 338 Win Mag to sell it. Both my sons used that rifle to shoot their water buffalo in Australia and I have shot my bongo and completed my big 5 recently by shooting my leopard with it. Not to mention the other various plaines game animals shot with it. So it is a rifle I will pass down in the will. Given the performance of the 338 Win Mag and the 35 Whelen are pretty close I don't see a 35 Whelen making into my gun safe.

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I beg your indulgence for getting off topic for a moment. What was the bullet and performance of your 338 on the leopard?

MS 9x56 said:

I beg your indulgence for getting off topic for a moment. What was the bullet and performance of your 338 on the leopard?

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I used 200 grain Nosler Accubond at 2975 fps. I wanted speed and a bullet that would open up. Performance was great, cat dropped stone dead at the base of the tree. Sometime in the next month or so I will get around to writing the hunt report and provide the details.

Bullet also performed great on lion as well.

I recently considered this exact question, in addition to which 2 gun battery I would use. My gun selection was very very similar to your decision since the 280AI is a close twin to the 7mmRM.

My .375H&H wears a 1-6x24 Nightforce NX6 second focal plane (illuminated MOAR reticle).
My 7mm RM always wore a 4.5x14x44 Leupold with Duplex.

I have as a backup for both rifles (both wear Pic rails) a 2.5x10 NF NXS with MOAR reticle. It can easily be dropped onto either rifle as a backup if required.

With this combo of rifles/scopes I'd be confident in any shot I'd want to take. I took a Muley with the 7mmRM at better than 700 yards with a 3x9 back in the day.

AJ

Houston Bill said:

Hi @Bob Nelson 35Whelen, nice to hear from you. Hope all is well down under. While you and I agree that the 35 Whelen is a fine cartridge, I have too much sentimental value wrapped up in my 338 Win Mag to sell it. Both my sons used that rifle to shoot their water buffalo in Australia and I have shot my bongo and completed my big 5 recently by shooting my leopard with it. Not to mention the other various plaines game animals shot with it. So it is a rifle I will pass down in the will. Given the performance of the 338 Win Mag and the 35 Whelen are pretty close I don't see a 35 Whelen making into my gun safe.

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@Houston Bill
The wife and I are doing fine. Having a holiday in August and hope to catch up with a few AH members along the way. It just in the east of Australia so a local trip this time.
Post knee replacement is doing well and hope to be in the bush in early September
Even bought a new (2nd hand) 4x4.
Shock horror it's a ford but it was to good an offer to refuse.
Hope all is well in Texas.
Bob
The new, to me anyway fourbie

Houston Bill said:

I used 200 grain Nosler Accubond at 2975 fps. I wanted speed and a bullet that would open up. Performance was great, cat dropped stone dead at the base of the tree. Sometime in the next month or so I will get around to writing the hunt report and provide the details.

Bullet also performed great on lion as well.

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@Houston Bill
I keep telling you the 338 is an over rated cartridge. Look at those figure.
The Whelen will launch a 225 gn accubond at 2,950 fps. Bigger frontal area. That .020" and 25 grains makes a big difference to on game performance mate
Bob

uplander01 said:

I haven’t used more than a 1-6 in the last 4 safaris, likely won’t use higher magnification than that ever in Africa. Shots just aren’t that long over there unless you want them to be. I would argue a 375 with a 1-6 or 1-8 is all you’d ever need in Africa. Deer, elk, sheep, goat hunting in North America might be a different deal. Even then I wouldn’t use much more than a 2-12 with either a 300 or 338 win mag.

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I would agree except in places like Eastern Cape. My shots there were over 200 yards on average