Experienced Suggestions: Fixed Power Scope for 7mm08

It's tough to beat a straight 4x. My Model 7 in 7/08 has a compact 3x9 (not much bigger than most 4 power scopes)

I'm not a hunter but it seems like the power you want would be dictated more by the environment instead of the gun. For tight in bush you'd want a low power to aid with a fast sight picture aquisition to get a shot in before something spooks the prey. For open areas a higher power and something to brace off would be an advantage.

At the extreme short range of really tight snarled underbrush you may even want iron sights or a 1x red dot in order to get off an accurate snap shot.

I'll happily stand corrected if I'm way off base on this aspect and look forward to reading any real world corrections on this.

I would suggest a medium power variable like a 2-7 x 32..

2X for the hogs in the underbrush, 5x or 6x for the deer at 300 yards, and 7x for punching paper.

The lower power will give you a wide open field of view, and the brightness needed in the brush where even a 4x fixed power might be a little much in those conditions.

There was a time when fixed power scopes where tougher, and more accurate then varables, and the manufactures put a lot of time & effort into them.

But not anymore.
They got variables nailed now days.

rc

My custom Mauser in 7-08 wears a 4X, seems to work very well, I have a 1.5-6X, 30MM I'm going to try, I'm thinking it might overwhelm the short light carbine. I'm going to mount it and see, I can always put the 4X back on.

If you ever hunt in the woods, you'll want a scope that is lower than 4x power. My first scoped hunting rifle was a 243 with a 3-9x40 scope, later I got a M700 in 7mm-08 that wears a 3.5-10x40. I eventually decided that the 3 and 3.5x low end magnification was too much for a lot of my hunting. It really handicaps you for quick shots and rapidly finding game or target in your scope. I now feel the 2-7x or 2.5-8x scopes are a better fit. If Leupold would make a 2-10x40 scope, that would be the bomb! (for me anyway) However, I'm not hunting out west where 200-300 yards+ shots are the norm.

A fixed 4X will be fine.

We really don't need to magnify big-game animals very much at NORMAL shooting ranges (out to maybe 300 yards).

Don't worry about close range, either. I once killed a bull moose at thirty FEET using a K4 Weaver, and had no trouble at all in picking my shot location.

Leupold still makes a fixed 4X (and a fixed 6X).....I consider these to be the gold standard of fixed-power hunting scopes, but the 4X is infinitely more practical in the the hunting field.

I have a couple of fixed-power scopes, but also find the low-power variables valuable. You may want to consider a 1.5-4X or something in that ballpark. The straight 4X will perform just fine though, without nearly as many "things" to go wrong. A VERY sensible choice.

I use Leupold 6x, 4x, and 2.5x. They are all wonderful scopes. The 6x is slightly brighter than the 4x, which is in turn slightly brighter than the 2.5x. I use the 6x when I expect shots towards dusk or dawn, and when hunting deep forest. It is slightly slower than the lower powers for snap shots.

The 4x was once my favorite but is becoming less so as it is neither "here nor there". It is not as bright as I'd like in demanding light, and is not as fast and light as I'd like for light rifles and quick shots. If I was "stuck" with it as my only scope I would still be perfectly content.

The 2.5x is very light and small, and should be bulletproof on even the heaviest recoiling rifles. It can be mounted very low on the gun and is the fastest scope I have ever used. Field of view is unbeatable, but field of view is wide enough on the 4x and 6x that I have never wanted more, even for very close range running shots on large animals. I do not feel handicapped with the low power out to 300 yards, which is the longest shot I will take on a big game animal. It does not "gather" as much light as the bigger scopes so is not a good choice for low light conditions.

Eye relief on all three is adequate for any shoulder-fired rifle.

My grandfather used to have an old fixed 4 bushnell. I really liked it, but the more I hunt the more I lean towards just a solid 3 by 9. I really think it's the best power variation for almost any hunting application you can think of.

normally , I would say stay away from new weavers, unless you get their top of the line stuff. However , their fixed power stuff, is as good or better than it has allways been, buy with confidence. I also like the nikon fixed power stuff very well, and the burris is very good as well.

For hunting in woods, I've been using a Nikon 1.5-4.5x, which seems to cover everything needed out to 300 yards. I'm partial to fixed powers but can never find exactly what I want.

BTW, I managed to drop two deer - one right after the other - using a 10x fixed at short range. But I don't recommend that it. You use what you have at the time.

You, um, kill those deer, looks like you gutted them!!

Seriously

I have a Winchester Compact Classic in 7mm-08 and it wears a Leupold 3x9-33 compact scope, I wish I had gone with the 2x7 instead. Deer hunting is Eastern PA with a 3x setting is just to much in the thickets.

I got a Ruger Compact in 7mm-08 last year. After a ton of research and back and forth, I decided on a Leupold 2-7x28 Ultralight and am really happy with it. I thought the 28mm objective might be a handicap in low light, but on 2-3 power, it is as good or better than my Burris Fullfield 3-9x40 on my .270.

I really liked the idea of a fixed 4x though. The gun I started off on was one of Dad's sporterized P17 Enfields with a Weaver K4, and it just plain worked.

The more I thought about it though, I wanted something that had a little more magnification for longer ranges. I have close brush areas, and also 400 yd oat fields on the place I hunt. It needed to be versatile. With my eyes getting older, the 4x was just going to handicap me.

If you're heart is set on a fixed 4x, go with a Leupold or a Weaver. If you go with a variable, do yourself a favor and don't hang a big 40mm scope on that featherweight. Those guns are just begging for a compact or ultralight variable or small fixed scope.

Narrow it down to two or three high quality options being listed in this thread, and then look through each. Power ratings vary greatly between different makers; I have a fixed 4x weaver & it is identical in magnification to the 6x setting on either of my two leupolds; 4X14 & 3X9.

I have hunted with fixed power Luey M8 4X32 scopes forever.

I am gettin old and my vision is not as good as it used to be, this year I put a Luey M8 6X36 scope on my deer rifle. (Rem M700 7mm X 57mm Mauser Mnt rifle) The 8mm exit pupil on the 4X does seem to give a better picture than the 6mm one on the 6X, also the eye relief on the 4X seems to be longer and more forgiving than the 6X.

I have a Weaver Grand Slam 4.75 x 40 on a full stocked .308 and it works superbly. I'm really sold on the Grand Slams, have three of them now.

One deer that I shot at 8 yards was too close for the 4x, all I could see was hair, I had to look around the scope to see where the hair was.
Most of my shots are at ~40-180 yards.

I just thought that instead of glasses Id try more magnification for my 50th.

The 6x on your 7-08 would be the same thing as the 6x on my 7mm Mauser.

I would suggest you go with the Leuy M8 4x, I know that works!