New to Rifles.....Scope suggestions PLEASE

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jla_doc

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
6
Hello all, just got a Tikka T3 300 Win Mag. Now trying to decide on the scope that I should get. ? X ? X 40mm With the ring mounts, can't really do the 50mm.

So, I'm willing to spend money for quality here. I'd rather not spend over 1000$ for it.

If you had a choice, what would YOU get? I'm looking more into Leupold than anything, but if you have another suggestion great! Looking for med/long range.

Thanks for the help!!

Jim
 
What are you going to use the gun for? Hunting vs. paper punching makes a big difference. For hunting (excluding small varmints), a 6-18x50AO would be great, though most of you're shots won't need more than 9-12x. AO (adjustable objective) is a must and some sort of ranging reticle would be nice for distant animals.

You can get by with the 40mm, but would need a new set of high rings to use the 50mm. You don't need to spend anywhere near $1,000, but don't get anything cheap. $300-500 ought to buy you a very fine scope.
 
Thanks for the info so far....I'll be using the rifle for hunting mostly.
 
I have a Leupold Vari-X III 4.5-14x40AO on a Remington BDL 7mm Rem Mag. I very much enjoy the versitility of this scope. I keep it mostly on 4.5x while I am walking and turn up the power only to range targets or count points or whatever. I don't know if I would want anything higher at the low end but I know that I have shot animals as close as 30 feet with this set up and even if all I could see was fur, there was enough definition for me to know I was in the crease of the shoulder, so I have never had problems.

This scope is noticeably brighter than my brother's Nikon Buckmaster--but of course it cost $250 more. For the money, the Nikon is an excellent scope. But I still prefer my Leupold. In fact I doubt if I will ever have anything but Leupold on my hunting rifles. That rifle has taken hundreds of near max reloads and also taken a couple nasty spills with me hunting. I'd like to be able to tell you its always been treated as well as it should be, but I can't. It's been bumped around and subjected to cold and wet and hot and dry but has never shifted zero or done anything other than exactly what I wanted it to. I've had it for 4 or 5 years now but it has never shifted unless I told it to. And Leupold has awesome customer service too.

I hear the VX III series is even better.
 
Since it's a 300Winmag I'm assuming it's for big game at long distances.

With that in mind I'd probably pick a Leupold VX-II 4-14x40mm.

BUT...since your limit is $1000, I'd go with a VX-III 4.5-14x40 with 30mm tube and side parallax adjustment (~$650).

I really like Leupold for their minimal center to edge distortion, long eye relief, and customer service.

You could also look into Zeiss's Conquest line. They have great optics and are built tough.

BTW, you made a very very good decision with the Tikka.
I have a T3 Lite in 308 and absolutely love it.
It regularly shoots 3 shot groups at 0.75MOA with hunting ammo and 0.5MOA or less with Black Hills 168gr Match. I have yet to best that accuracy with my own handloads.
With my Leupold VX-I 3-9x40mm it weighs in right at 7 lbs. It's perfect for the hunting I do.
You can get away with a 40mm A/O objective or a 42mm non A/O objective with the rings Tikka gives you.
 
Second on the leupold. Ive got nearly the same gun as you (7mm rem) and I went with the 3-9 leupold and loved it. It has easily the brighest optics of any scope I ever used.
 
Another shameless plug for Leupold. Scope/rings/bases kept their zero even after a few unfortunate drops on the bathroom floor (some free advice - don't try clearing a house with a Remington 700 ;) )
 
Second on the praise for Leupold. I have several and they are all fine. Plan to pay at least 2/3 of what you paid for the rifle on a scope and you won't be left high and dry in the field at the worst possible time.
FWIW
YMMV
DFB
 
Leupold. I do also own a kahles and like it. I have the VXIII 4.5x14x50 with the B&C reticle. Don,t like the 50mm too big can't lean it against a tree. Look here www.bullseyesupplies.com. This outfit is honest and will deliver but don't expect to talk to a person. Use a credit card. Their prices are very good. The afore mentioned scope was $549 last year. Good hunting:)
 
Burris

Burris also makes very fine scopes. In fact, my experience is that when compared to Leupolds at the same price points, the Burris scopes are a little better. You can't really go wrong with either.

I have an older Burris Signature 3-9x and a Burris Signature Select 4-14x44mm LRS (lighted reticle), and I've been thrilled with them both.
 
Leupold. I've got a dozen Leupold scopes and all have been good to excellent. For your application, I recommend the 4.5-14 Vari-X III.

Michael Courtney
 
honestly I haven't had problems with any scope from a halfway decent manufacturer. I have or have had scopes by Leupold, Burris, B&L (now Bushnell Elite) Weaver, Nikon, and I'm sure others I'm not thinking of right now. The only scope that gets alot of praise online that I wasn't impressed with was the Sightron's. Sent the one I had back, my brother had two and none of them were really satisfactory.

As it is now, Weaver's are probably one of the best deals out there considering price vs quality of the glass. But since its a 300 win mag and recoil becomes an issue, I might recommend a Leupold for the eye relief. This to me is one of their big selling points--generous eye relief and non critical eye position.

You could spend alot more on optics, but in my experience the law of diminishing returns comes into play and its just not necessary, IMO.
 
I agree on Leupold. Nikon and Burris are good, too.

But since you say this is a hunting scope, why go for high power and large objectve lenses? If you get a 4.5X14 I would bet in a lifetime of hunting you'd never use it at any power other than 4.5X. I have a Leupold M8 4X fixed power on my elk rifle, and have never felt handicapped.

You can get a good fixed power scope for a lot less than a huge variable -- and remember, you'll be carrying that big scope up and down mountains where every ounce counts.
 
I have a Tikka T3 in 300 WSM and topped is with a Burris 3-10 Ballistiplex. Really fine scope. Bright, outstanding clarity, holds zero, keeps POA under changes in magnification...if you shop around you can find them for under $200.
 
I'd second the Burris (Black Diamond) and/or Leupold (VX-III) recommendation. Actually, the Burris scopes are better made in terms of internal components, but you'll probably never shoot a Leo apart. Zeiss also has a scope for less than 1k but I haven't used one. Looked thru one at a gunshop and it was exceptionally clear.

If you're after deer, elk, etc, a 3x9 or 4x12 should be fine. I had a straight 10x on a 22-250 for years and killed groundhogs to 400 yards.

Just as important...get good mounts (Burris Zee rings or Leupold). I have Weaver style on on shotgun and I'm having trouble with the scope slipping about 1/8" every shot

I'd strongly recommend against see-thru mounts. Sound good but they don't work. If you want to use iron sights as back-up, get the Leupold QD's with the little flip lever. You can remove/replace the scope without tools and hold zero

Do yourself a BIG favor and toss the factory caps and get Butler Creek flip caps
 
Thanks everyone here for the advice and opinions!!!

Here's what I got: Leupold vx-iii 4.5-14x40mm Long Range with the Boone and Crockett reticle. I got free express shipping and free alumina flip lens covers. cost was about 679.

Expensive yes, but I'm sure it'll pay off.

Again, thanks!

Doc
 
i really like that B&C reticle... going to have to have that on my next scope.

but i also like what i currently have: leu 3-9x40mm german #4. thought it was fitting to have a german reticle on my 8mm mauser rem 700 cdl.
 
gbran said:
For hunting (excluding small varmints), a 6-18x50AO would be great, though most of you're shots won't need more than 9-12x.
Click to expand...
I gotta say uhhh ... huh :scrutiny: :rolleyes: to that. Aside from perhaps antelope hunting I've not heard of hardly any big game hunters that have used, let alone really needed, anything much over 6x. Granted I've only been deer and elk hunting once each, but my FIL, and my hunting partners have gone many, many times, and killed many, many deer and elk between them, and none have ever even suggested a scope beyond 3-9x, or maybe 4-12x. Until now, I've not really even seen anyone here recommend such high power scopes for big game hunting. 300 yard whack-a-mole is a different story of course.
Vern Humphrey said:
If you get a 4.5X14 I would bet in a lifetime of hunting you'd never use it at any power other than 4.5X.
Click to expand...
Vern knows of what he speaks.
 
A 9X or 10X power scope is just peachy out to 400 yards (and bit beyond), but there certainly is nothing wrong with the Leupold 4.5-14X. Personally, I would have Premier reticles put in a custom reticle built to my ammo, but the B&C reticle works fine once you get used to how it works with your load and drop chart. Any error in correction for drop is magnified by distance so it makes sense to sight in at 500-600 yards (depending on the caliber, etc) and work in reverse.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Low or Med scope rings on Tikka
Replies
6
Views
3K
helotaxi
H
C
  • Locked
Scope, rings, base questions? tikkaT3
Replies
7
Views
867
bdbecker
B
K
  • Locked
50mm Objective scope on my Tikka...ring help please
Replies
2
Views
354
Karbon
K
P
  • Locked
About to Buy a Tikka, a Question About Rings, Scope, and Barrel Break-In...
Replies
21
Views
8K
countryrebel
C
I
  • Locked
Scope rings
Replies
9
Views
611
ironeagle0074
I
Back
Top