new scope for my 788 22-250.....advise?

[skipbo32]

i need to put a new varmint scope on my remington 788 22-250. i dont want to spend too much money and i was wanting something with high magnification with an illuminated reticle (i will be doing night hunting).

here is my rifle:



and i was thinking of putting the Bushnell Banner 4-16x40mm scope on it:

http://jrdsportinggoods.com/product_info.php?products_id=12557

anyone have any experience with this scope, or think it might do the job well? ive read that eye placement is sensitive on this optic.....but like i said.....i dont want to break the bank.

 

[Justin Holder]

Your not going to be able to use very much magnification at night. 98% of the time I use 6X while spotlighting, very rarely will I go up to 9X and then only for 150yd + at night.

I had a BSA scope with illuminated reticle once, I wouldn't bother buying another. I never had a chance to use it, when your holding a rifle and a spotlight and the critter is getting antsy it is kinda hard to press another button and adjust the brightness if you want to kill the critter. It was just a distraction. As long as the reticle is fairly heavy I have had no problems seeing it at night.

My favorite night scope is a Nikon 3-9X40 Buckmasters with NikoPlex reticle.

 

[skipbo32]

thanks justin....i checked those out. what about a Nikon Pro Staff? would that be a good night scope? what is the difference in a Pro Staff and a Buckmasters?

 

[skipbo32]

i am juggling three scope right now: Nikon Pro Staff......Nikon Buckmaster.......Bushnell elite 3200.

 

[Justin Holder]

A little pricey but I think it would fit your application to a T.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=154423

If budget is really important a Prostaff or Buckmasters will get the job done just fine with the Buckmasters being just a little better. A 50mm objective will give an advantage in light transmission especially as you increase magnification.
But remember glass quality and lens coatings are more important than objective size as far as light transmission goes.
For example a 50mm Prostaff will be about as good as a 40mm Buckmasters of the same magnification because the higher quality of the Buckmasters makes up for having a smaller objective lens. I think that makes sense.

 

[skipbo32]

i went ahead and bought the Bushnell 4200 3-9x 40mm. they have them on sale for $200. i've heard the 4200 are even brighter and much better than the 3200.

 

[skipbo32]

......so Justin.....you are saying that the Elite 4200 40mm i just bought will be brighter than the Elite 3200 in 50mm?

 

[Justin Holder]

Maybe about the same.

 

[helotaxi]

50mm is really overkill in a 3-9. Even a 40mm has an exit pupil of 4.4mm which is about as much as your eye can make use of. The 4200 is incredibly bright. I have two of them in that mag range (2.5-10 for both of mine). Good glass isn't just brighter, it also has better resolution. Good trumps big pretty much every time.