Old guys

Status
Not open for further replies.
These were all shot at 300 yards with a vintage El Paso Weaver 4X

xYdJUKe.jpg

G7KtSDC.jpg


That's the scope

YSI4JZj.jpg

I did not trust the scope adjustments, and you learn, not to. Since the windage and elevation turrets were coin slotted, no clicks, and about 60 years old, I more or less left them alone during the string. What I have learned about old scopes, you put on a click, it may go a click, or it may not go a click, or it may go a yard!

I did take the El Paso Weaver off as it was not very bright, and got gray fast. But the thing is, you don't need a super high magnification to shoot a decent group at distance.

1970's, 6X Burris at 600 yards

EKp6QfO.jpg

That Burris is a long tube bugger, and I need a long tube for the bell to be forward of the rear sight. I could take it off, but I would lose it, and this is a first year M70

HB9skFG.jpg

Winchester did not build this rifle for scopes, in 1937, this is what you used

uhMQ7NB.jpg

7hERJna.jpg

8fYOZLT.jpg
 
I've come to the same conclusion, hence the 2 rem M7s with Leupold 2.5-8x36s on them. The 2.5-8x36 is scaled about perfect for the little M7 and make for a good candidate for the elusive "all around" deer rig. My 3rd M7 wears a Leupold 3.5-10x, it's still pretty compact, but that's about as large as I'd go with the M7.

I've got an 8" swinger at 307 yds and have no problem connecting from a solid rest with it on 8x.
I put a leopold 2.5-8x36 VX3 HD on the new 7-08 Mesa. I haven't hunted with it yet but it seems like it'll be an excellent optic for general hunting use.

With the proliferation of wide range variables one can now get the very low, low end as well as a fairly high, high end if you're willing to put up with the cost and weight.

3-15x42s and 4-20x50s are fairly common now, And they don't really give up much besides being heavier and more expensive than the more popular 3-9x40s or 3-9x50s.
 
I find it ironic in this age of more shooters going long range that I find myself choosing smaller lighter lower power rang scopes. May it’s because as a hunter With shall we say a bit more experience under my belt I have never taken a shot at an animal that required more than a 4x scope. Anyway just wondering if any other “seasoned” hunters find themselves in similar circumstances?
Don’t use a scope....use a peep sight. Just had cataract surgery, so I’m better than 20/20 now. Just starting over at 71 yrs. Shootin’s just fine, and them young ladies are still purty....
 
my main scopes go up to 12x but usually never more than that. The only time I have used all of it is when I dropped a doe at about 400 flat last year. I Can say I did appreciate the ability to see it as well as I did in that moment.
 
Statistically speaking:

Most “young guys” don’t hunt at all because “old guys” like this OP preferred to piss and moan about “young guys” and their preferences rather than pass on the tradition of hunting.

The good news: all “guys” have a shelf life, and “old guys” will be expiring soon, so the rest of us don’t have to listen to the whining for much longer.
 
Statistically speaking:

Most “young guys” don’t hunt at all because “old guys” like this OP preferred to piss and moan about “young guys” and their preferences rather than pass on the tradition of hunting.

The good news: all “guys” have a shelf life, and “old guys” will be expiring soon, so the rest of us don’t have to listen to the whining for much longer.
Kinda harsh there dude. o_O

And this Old Guy was checking the zero yesterday of my AR with the 1-4 scope on it. Had a fly land on the target so figured "what the heck..?"
Ever see a FMJ bullet traveling 3,000 per second hit a fly? :)
And yes, there's a little splat pattern from the hit on the card board. ;)
 
Statistically speaking:

Most “young guys” don’t hunt at all because “old guys” like this OP preferred to piss and moan about “young guys” and their preferences rather than pass on the tradition of hunting.

The good news: all “guys” have a shelf life, and “old guys” will be expiring soon, so the rest of us don’t have to listen to the whining for much longer.

Most "young guys" that I know don't hunt because 1) They can't afford to(or actually it isn't important enough for them to want to spend money on), 2) They don't want to or 3) Spending time on forums and Facebook groups talking about hunting is all they really need.

I don't think @9x56MS was pissing and moaning at all, (at least I didn't take it that way) rather he was pointing out how as a seasoned hunter he learned that high magnification scopes really aren't necessary. My 40+ years in the field parallel his observation. If that upsets you because you like big scopes with lots of magnification, well, don't let it. Use your big scopes and be happy....and young.

Finally, believe it or not, you'll be one of the "old guys" way sooner than you think.

35W
 
you'll be one of the "old guys" way sooner than you think.

And I choose to learn from the mistakes of the generation before me and not spend my old age pathetically whining about the generations below me instead of actively influencing them along the way, and accepting that not everyone is meant to like the same style of music... so I’ll be old, but God help me if I fail in life so much that I find purpose in starting a thread to virtue signal how great I am because I use lower powered scopes than others...
 
I put a leopold 2.5-8x36 VX3 HD on the new 7-08 Mesa. I haven't hunted with it yet but it seems like it'll be an excellent optic for general hunting use.

With the proliferation of wide range variables one can now get the very low, low end as well as a fairly high, high end if you're willing to put up with the cost and weight.

3-15x42s and 4-20x50s are fairly common now, And they don't really give up much besides being heavier and more expensive than the more popular 3-9x40s or 3-9x50s.

I think this is the crux of it.

I understand that guys want versatile rifles, probably leaning more towards the target shooting endeavor, as there's just not that many hunters. I've always viewed guns like golf clubs; there's putters, wedges and drivers for a reason. Might as well use the best (I know, best is a personal thing) tool for the job. Although I could drag a 26" barreled precision rifle with a 5-25X out to the stand to make a 138 yd shot (longest available from my stand) why bother?

Luckily there's so many choices, so I don't have to end up with a 24 ounce scope on a 6lb rifle.
 
Most of my deer hunting is done with a Model 7 .308 with a 2X7 Leupold that has the 28 MM objective.It's a light,trim scope that I usually keep turned down low.My other deer rifle is a 280AI with a 26 inch heavy barrel that wears a 4X20 VX5HD,and it's always turned up high for the open hillsides.I also use a Contender carbine in 7X30 Waters that usually has a 1X4 or a red dot.My elk rifle has a 4.5X14 on it,and I just put it on in the place of a 3.5X10 that I used to take half a dozen or so elk at ranges of 100 to 550 yards.The 308 that I shoot steel out to 1000 yards has a 4.5X14 on it and 14 is more than adequate for that.
 
Most of my deer hunting is done with a Model 7 .308 with a 2X7 Leupold that has the 28 MM objective.It's a light,trim scope that I usually keep turned down low.My other deer rifle is a 280AI with a 26 inch heavy barrel that wears a 4X20 VX5HD,and it's always turned up high for the open hillsides.I also use a Contender carbine in 7X30 Waters that usually has a 1X4 or a red dot.My elk rifle has a 4.5X14 on it,and I just put it on in the place of a 3.5X10 that I used to take half a dozen or so elk at ranges of 100 to 550 yards.The 308 that I shoot steel out to 1000 yards has a 4.5X14 on it and 14 is more than adequate for that.

@WVRJ, a Model 7 in .308 with a Leupold 2-7X was my go-to deer rifle for many years ... until I got out of .30 cals altogether and replaced it with another Model 7 in 7mm-08.

IF I didn't think that kind of stuff was silly, we could seriously put together a REM M7 club! For some reason they just seem to go well with the Leupold compact mid magnification scopes...

M7 in .260 with Leupold 2.5-8X (late does season):

XhFlxlYl.jpg

M7 in .350 Rem Mag wearing Swarovski 1.25-4x (but it's also got a Leupold 2.5-8X)

eE6mRmql.jpg

M7 in .223 with Leupold 3.5-10X (more of an M7 trainer...:D)

lplnIF2l.jpg
 
I guess I qualify as an old guy, seeing as how I get a SS check every month and have a grandson in college. But you can also mark me down in favor of higher scope magnification, firmly believing "you can't hit it if you can't see it." Basically I match the scope and magnification to the rifle and what I'm hunting or shooting at, as shown in these three examples: The 1.1-4X Kahles scope on rifle at top has been a successful choice for driven boar and other game in dense cover where shots are mostly within 75 yards and usually moving fast. The wide field allows me to scan the field quickly pick up the target for a fast shot. The varmint rifle at center with NF12-42X variable serves dual purposes in a prairie dog town: With the X-power on 12X the wider fiend of view is handy and efficient for scanning for targets and then crank up the XX's for a more accurately aimed shot. Rifle at bottom is a Heavy Varmint Class rifle for serious Benchrest competitions with a 45X Leupold scope. Back when I began shooting benchrest competitions, 20-24X scopes were the norm because those were the most powerful scopes available (Yep, I'm that old, so go figure.) But as scopes with higher magnifications have become available there has a corresponding decrease in the size of groups shot in competition. Such as this rifle and targets fired in an International (IBS) championship. Those are the actual targets fired in the 200 yard stage, for five relays throughout the day, when the clock was running and the wild blowing. Smallest 5-shot group measuring .161" and the largest .425" Signatures on targets were match director and range officer as targets were to be submitted for possible world record aggregate score.. (Which it wasn't.) I'm planning to switch from the 45X scope to a 60X model because us old shooters need all the help we can get. 21A_4135 (2).JPG 21A_4140 (3).JPG
 
Last edited:
IF I didn't think that kind of stuff was silly, we could seriously put together a REM M7 club! For some reason they just seem to go well with the Leupold compact mid magnification scopes...

M7 in .260 with Leupold 2.5-8X (late does season):

View attachment 1021422

M7 in .350 Rem Mag wearing Swarovski 1.25-4x (but it's also got a Leupold 2.5-8X)

View attachment 1021423

M7 in .223 with Leupold 3.5-10X (more of an M7 trainer...:D)

View attachment 1021424
That full stocked 350 is a thing of beauty.The little M7 is one of the greatest hunting rifles out there.Mine was originally a 243 with the 18 inch super thin barrel,and it wasn't very accurate nor did it turn much velocity.It took it all to get over 2500 FPS with 100 grain bullets.I put a 308 barrel that I re-did the contour with the lathe and kept it 20 inches long.It turns 2850 with 150 grain bullets,and is usually in the 1.5 inch group size range at 100 yards.I reworked an old Ram Line fiberglass stock for it and made the butt as light as possible.That,along with a little more metal in the barrel made it so much better to shoot offhand.The way it was originally was too heavy in the hind end and all I did was wobble and shake when I tried to shoot it offhand.Now it weighs 7 pounds with scope,sling and a full magazine which is a few ounces lighter than the tiny barrel and the walnut stock.It almost feels alive in my hands,and I can shoot it much better.You have three nice ones there.
 
I'm a senile citizen, most my scopes are 3-9X50. Not much point in magnifying 400 yards, if you're not going to shoot that far.
 
3x9 scopes seem pretty standard. Only once did I ever shoot at 9x. 345 yards in a box canyon and I emptied the gun until the doe fell. 4x seems about right for me now at age 69 and wear eye glassses. I did buy Leupold's new Freedom scope, 3 x 9 only because of price and amazing bright optics at sunrize and sunset.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top