Questions about compact scopes

[HillbillyChuck]

Hey Y'all,

I am looking to get 2 scopes, one for a .270win Browning BAR and one for a CZ452 .22LR.

Question one: For the BAR would y'all get a 3-9x40 or a 3-9x32 compact? I already tried a Burris 3.5-10x50 on there and it was way too heavy and overbalaced the rifle badly. Course, that is one chunky scope, you could beat someone with it. I'm thinking a Burris Fullfield II for the 3-9x40, not certain yet which compact I like best.

Compacts I'm deciding between:

Burris 3-9x32 compact $255
Leupold 3-9x33 compact $340
Cabelas Alaskan Guide 3-9x32 $180

I would be using this scope for deer hunting in the mountains of western NC at anywhere from 50 to 200 yards.

I would love to hear from anyone who has experience with any of these scopes. The Cabelas scope sounds nice(good ER, weight, FOV etc.) for the money, but is kind of boxy and ugly looking, and I don't know about their warranty and optical quality. The Leupold is very nice and has the best all around specs, but is at the very top end of my price range and I would have to sacrifice badly to get it. The Burris actually doesn't have as good a specs as the Cabelas scope as far as weight, FOV, ER, etc. but they have very good optical quality and price and warranty. Which way would y'all go here?

For the CZ452 I am also choosing between the above listed compact scopes. Purpose is squirrel and rabbit hunting and plinking. Only question here is should I get a scope with an Adjustable Objective or is that just a needless compication and a waste of money for my purposes?

Thanks for any info and help in advance.

HillbillyChuck

 

[zahc]

I just got a leupold 3-9x33 EFR and it OWNS. I got it from premier reticles, check them out they are good.

My bushnell broke (on a .22).

I also sacrificed badly to get mine, (poor college student) but it's worth it! Once you have it you can forget about it and it will actually have some resale value as well.

 

[HillbillyChuck]

Thanks for the reply Zanc! Anyone out there with experience on these other two scopes? all replies are appreciated.

 

[Jaywalker]

Well, consider this the contrarian report. Why do you need an expensive variable for either?

You can certainly do either with a 4X fixed power, and do it cheaper than with a variable. You'll probably have your variable set on 3- or 4-power anyway for deer hunting anyway, and monkeying with the power in the field just to check a rack isn't a good plan - that's what binocs are for. Four power is fine for sighting on a deer's vitals from 50 to 200 yards - do you really need to pick which hair you want to hit?

Also, I just put a Weaver 4X rimfire on my new Thompson-Center Classic 22 auto. It cost $100 and it works fine. It'll be my new squirrel rifle, replacing my Ruger 10/22. Don't get me wrong, parallax error is real, but it just pales to insignificance in the face of the other potential errors in a hunting rifle. I don't squirrel hunt from a sandbagged bench, so my hold isn't a 100% steady. The squirrel isn't at the 50-yard range marker, so I'm guessing how much rise or drop to allow. The wind blows it, and me, sideways. With all that, should we really care about a theoretical half-inch error?

Buy a couple of good four-power fixed scopes and use the savings for a reasonable pair of binocs.

Jaywalker

 

[HillbillyChuck]

Thanks for the reply Jaywalker,

That is a interesting take on the thread that I had not really thought about.

Personally, I like variable power. I''ve never had a fixed power scope, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing. I think maybe y'all that advocate fixed low power scopes are farsighted or have better eyesight than I do at least.

I have a 3.5-10x50 Burris on a Howa 1500 in .270win and when I hunt open areas like fields I almost always have it set on 6-7 power, 4-5 power in woods usually. For long shots (300 yrds or so) I've turned it up all the way and sometimes still wish I had some more.

For the .22 rifle, I had a 1.5-4.5x32 on it for a while and I almost always had it turned up all the way. Right now I've got a cheap Bushnell 3-9x32 on it that I really like sizewise except for the fact that it is a cheap scope and it shifts POI when you change power. I think the power range is ideal for me, though.

It may not make much sense to you, but I'm generally most comfortable shooting in the 5-7x range on a scope. I usually scan terrain at a lower power and if I see something I zoom in until I have a good picture of the target but still have some FOV around the target so I can't lose it too easily if it starts moving fast. I've always thought of binos as something for hunting out west in the big open spaces not here in the misty mts of NC. That 50mm Burris cuts through darkness and mist like a hot knife through butter, most of the binos I''ve tried haven't even come close. I would have put it on the BAR except that it was too heavy and messed up the balance of the BAR badly.

My experiences with this Burris scope have really swayed me toward another Burris if possible. I really like that scope. My father is a Leupold fan, and I've compared them side by side and I can tell no difference in optical quality at all and I think the Burris is much sturdier. I really like the looks of the new Burris 3-9x40 Fullfield II, and am still trying to decide whether to get it or a compact scope for the BAR. Basically the choice there is between the Leupold and the Burris or maybe the Cabelas AG if I had heard anyone talk them up at all, but no one has so I think they are out.

Whatcha'll think, eh??? Keep these replies flowing freely here. I love alternate points of view

HillbillyChuck

 

[Jaywalker]

Well, if you're happiest with a variable, then I say "go for it." I'm uncomfortable with changing power while hunting since I've found myself with a high power set accidentally while needing a low power in brush. Fixed power gives me one less thing to worry about.

Variables don't add a significant amount to accuracy, esldude finds, towards the bottom of this link.

But again, if you're happy with it, the so be it.

Perhaps you might consider another point of view on binocs, though. I find they are more useful in Virginia and NC than they were out west. Ot there, I had no trouble finding or seeing Mule Deer - they were just a long way away. Since I wasn't turning down four-point bucks (Western count) while I waited for a five-point, seeing that it was a buck was enough. In the East, we have a completely different problem - the deer will be close enough to see us first through brush that screens them. I use the focus capability of the binocs to move the focus plane back through the screening bushes to see what's behind them. It works like this: focus on the brush 50 yards (or whatever) away, then change the focus to 60 yards, then 70 yards, etc. The clearly focused leaves will start to fuzz out and the tree branch they're on will come into focus. Keep refocusing, and the branch fuzzes out, and the bush behind it comes into focus, and so forth. Deer (or their ears or head) pop into view magically. YMMV.

Jaywalker

 

[AK103K]

If your looking for a variable, I'd suggest the Leupold 1.5x5, especially if your going to use it for deer. You can snap shoot running targets with it at the lowest setting and still have plenty of magnification at 5x for longer shots. Personally, I think its Leupolds most versitile all around scope. The 2x7 is good too, but its a biggger scope, and not as handy.

 

[HillbillyChuck]

Hey y'all,

Jaywalker, AK103K, thanks for the replies.

Jaywalker I've tried that trick with the binos before and at least twice while I was focusing the binos back and forth to see through the leaves I had a deer walk right past my treestand that I didn't see until I quit looking through the binos

AK103K, I like a little more power in a variable, I've already tried a 1.5-4.5 on that CZ .22 and din't really care for it. I also rarely if ever shoot a scoped rifle offhand or at a running target. I'm disabled and a little shakey sometimes so I always use a rest of some sort (log, tree, porch rail etc.).

Also, this evening talked with my best friend and he thinks that based on my extremely good experiences with my first Burris scope that I should try one of their compacts as well. I really tend to agree with that too, So I think I'm going to get a Burris compact and try it out on both rifles. I have to admit that so far I'm a big Burris fan. Same features in a scope with minimal optical difference than a Leupold and almost always about $100 less. Both have a lifetime warranty as well, so my vote goes to Burris at this point. (No, I'm not a Burris shill either , although I wish they would pay me to be )

Oh, BTW AK103K, I'm gonna go deer hunting with my AK this year too. I got a power custom adjustable trigger and Cobra sight for my MAK-90 and it is shooting GREAT!! Way better than I thought an AK could shoot

HillbillyChuck