Optics advise?

[BeeMaa]

Yeah, I've been searching for the "diamond-in-the-rough" on optics for over 30 years, and I've bought many cheaper scopes because someone has told me that a certain brand is "just as good as" as a more expensive brand.


I have NEVER found this to be the case.

In my (pretty extensive) experience, I have yet to find it.

Especially when it comes to picking a scope for DG. I've learned many times...buy once, cry once. It's a saying for a good reason.

Maybe @Nhoro can come up with a good example, I'm always willing to learn. For now I'm still waiting.

 

[Longrifle]

I have been running Trijicon Accupoint on everything. 1-6x on .416 Rigby and 2.5-12x on .375H&H, .300H&H, 300WM, .270 Win. I took 6-PG animals last year with .375 H&H set-up. Shortest shot 68m on Springbuck, longest 280m on Kudu.
Great scopes, capped turrets, hold zero, long eye relief, 30mm tubes, no batteries required. Warne or Talley QD rings.

 

[Safari Dave]

Can't disagree with that.


I'm "old school" but I don't want batteries to fail or corrode and I don't want to have to mess with switches. I don't even want to fool with adjusting turrets in hunting situations.

 

[meigsbucks]

IMO, you want the low end to be 2x or lower. High end: for DG only, 4 or 5x is fine but >6x gives greater versatility on PG.
Eye relief: 3.5” minimum. Preferably close to 4”.
Illumination: preferred or a heavy reticle
You don’t need tactical adjustment knobs or a complicated reticle with “drop” lines. An exception might be Leupold’s CDS system.

 

[steve white]

There is a S&B in the classifieds now--would you mind removing it from our temptation?

 

[fourfive8]

IMO, lower power variables or fixed. Simple duplex reticle bold enough to easily see. 1.5-5 var, 1-6 var, 2.5 fixed, 4 fixed and similar are usually plenty. Simple and basic is better. More eye relief is better. Larger exit pupil is better. Mounted so vision/view lines up near optical center when rifle is brought up to normal shooting position- no sliding forward or pulling rearward or craning up or excessively pressing down to get good view.

 

[Fatback]

The criteria I apply for heavy recoiling/dangerous game/plains gave rifles are:

• Must be quick to pick up the target.
  • To me this means low power at the bottom end for both eyes open target acquisition.
  • An illuminated reticle to pick a spot in a dark mass when the dark cross hairs blend in.
• Top quality optics. With high end optics not only is the brightness better but you can be a precise shooter with less scope power as the image is much sharper.
• Low mounting to pick up a good cheek weld that is directly behind the scope. I love the Swaro Z6i scopes for my single shots but their large ocular housing means they must be mounted high on bolt action rifles. For me, I do not get a good cheek weld with a Z6i. The Zeiss Victory HT I have on rifle monts over an eighth of an in lower than the Z6i did. The Zeiss gives a good cheek weld and less perceived recoil as the stock does not slap the face as hard when the rifle has less of a running start (Dynamic overshoot) at your cheek.
• Not only should the ocular be as small as possible for mounting but it should not form a wide ring of blocked vision area between the scope image and the outside world. IE: The vision portion of the ocular housing should be both optically and physically small.

For the above reasons the scope i have on my 416 Rigby is a Zeiss Victory HT 1.5-6. With the clarity of the optics 6x is more than adequate for a 300 yard shot and the scope is mounted very low.

As we say in Engineering design, good design is a study in compromises and no two individuals will chose the same compromises. Those compromises are what make scope selection interesting.

Good info on the height of the mounted scope. I hadn’t thought of that.

 

[Nhoro]

Could you provide an example of this please? Calling something "cheap" and "quality" at the same time rarely go together.

If ever i saw a setup, this is it. My personal pick would be nikon scopes. But leupold,riton and even the cheaper chinese made zeiss are good. Most of those guys use lenses from japan, the home of canon,nikon,sigma, tamron( who all make lenses for other brands) hawke is also pretty good glass for the price. Let the games begin.

 

[FlowHamed18]

Maybe you should go for the second Austrian manufacturer - Kahles

KAHLES: Riflescopes

www.kahles.at

We are using there scopes on different rifles, they never failed to do their work, including driven hunts or hunting in the mountains...

I have the 1-5x on my .404 Jeffery

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

If ever i saw a setup, this is it. My personal pick would be nikon scopes. But leupold,riton and even the cheaper chinese made zeiss are good. Most of those guys use lenses from japan, the home of canon,nikon,sigma, tamron( who all make lenses for other brands) hawke is also pretty good glass for the price. Let the games begin.

Nikon stopped making scopes within the last few years. My personal opinion is Nikon, Riton, Hawke, and the cheaper model Leupolds/Zeiss leave a lot to be desired when compared to the European glass brands listed. Same goes for Vortex Optics, especially for a Dangerous Game Rifle where your life (or someone else’s) could depend upon your equipment.

Your DG Hunt is likely $10k plus depending upon what you’re hunting. You’ve got another grand or two into the rifle. I’ll never understand the logic in trying to save on optics or ammo. These are two of the most important parts of your hunt and so many people decide to cheap out here.

 

[Scott CWO]

I'm in the same boat with my Model 70. Leaning toward Leupold with Talley rings, but not sure which height. Are low rings too low?

I run mostly Leupold with low Talley QD rings without issues. Both Wayne at AHR and the guy at Talley will tell you to mount your scope as low as possible for fast target acquisition and cheek weld for most people. Mark says medium but keep in mind he is a big guy.

 

[PARA45]

I too my CZ 550 AHR in 375 H&H topped with a Trijicon Accupoint 1-6 x 24 to Africa this past May/Jun. I shot everything from Warthog, female Cape Buff and a Lioness to name a few. I took some long shots, and wished I had a bit more magnification to spot the game, but all my shots were on the money. Great scope in MHO and did not break the bank. Here is me set up.

 

[rookhawk]

1-6x24, 1-8x24

all the scope you'll ever need.