Scoping my Ruger 77/357. AO necessary?

[Tallbald]

I enjoy range sessions with my Ruger 77/357 very very much. Right now it wears a Leupold Rifleman 2-7 and at 50 yards with home cast 125 grain slugs and Trail Boss powder I can shoot 3/4 inch groups. My eyes are aging though and I'd prefer more magnification. I'd also like to move out to 75 and 100 yards, and the 7 power isn't enough for me.
Leupold sells a 4-12 power in the Rifleman series, but it does not have an adjustable objective. Is this really going to hurt me with 50 yard shots? There's no AO on my 2-7 either. Thanks. Don

 

[Snyper]

Parallax for that scope will probably be set at 100 yds, but if you're careful with your eye placement you should be fine.

 

[Coltdriver]

I always thought AO was nonsense. Its totally worthless if you hunt unless you have all the time in the world to make a shot.

I made the mistake of buying one Leupold with AO many years ago. Sold it and have never considered another ever.

If you take a good hard look at parallax it is really miniscule and not worth dealing with or worrying about.

 

[HexHead]

You only typically see AO or side focus on scopes 10x or above. Whether you need it or not just depends on how accurate you want to be.

 

[sappyg]

An AO scope on the Ruger seems like a waste of money to me. Especially if you're getting 3/4" groups at 50 yards with a scope with paralex set at 100 yards anyway.

OP might look into the Nikon line with the BDC reticle also. Not crazy about them personally but I do like the no brainer adjustability and the nikoplex reticle. They are excellent quality at a similar price point as the Leupold Rifleman series.

 

[greyling22]

no. I have a couple of AO scopes, and quite honestly, I wish they weren't. seems like they are always out of focus.

 

[Tallbald]

I appreciate the thoughts. To me, an AO is, like electric windows and electric seats on a truck, more stuff to go wrong over time. But if it's a necessity for accurate shooting with old eyes (56) like mine, I could suffer it. I have some thinking and dime counting to do.....Don.

 

[Jackal]

AO scopes are fine for paper punchers. For any rifle thats actually going to be used for shooting a living creature, AO is usually a detriment (except for some varmint hunters).

 

[dvdcrr]

No not for a 357. Quality matters

 

[CB900F]

Tallbald;

It depends on what you want to do with the rifle. If range sessions, as you stated, are the venue, then I'll buck the trend and suggest A/O. Once you get above, depending on who makes the scope, 10 or 12 X the A/O function is necessary. If your eyes need magnification above that level, then get the glass and have fun.

I don't have A/O on any of my big game hunting scoped rifles. Under those circumstances it can be a handicap rather than an aid. Varmint .22's, it's the only way to fly, particularly the rimfires.

If you use the .357 for hunting as well as wanting to test 100 yard accuracy, then the choices are more limited. Have you considered getting Q.D. mounts, having a target scope, and being able to switch to the perfectly acceptable hunting scope now on the gun?

900F

 

[Tallbald]

I appreciate the input folks. I'm no longer able to hunt due to spinal injuries. All I can do is punch paper, but I love this rifle. I cast my own 125 grain slugs (RNFP) and shoot for accuracy at the range. My loads run about 6 cents each I am proud to say. At 56, my eyes are not the best. The seven power leupold just isn't enough for me at 100 yards, and I'd like to try a higher power. But still be OK at 50 yards. Don.

 

[Haxby]

To use more magnification at fairly short range, check out airgun scopes, with ao or sf. Bushnell makes a trophy xlt 4-12. Hawke has lots of models.
Edit, add:
I see Vortex also has a number of scopes in the 4-12x40 range with ao for close focus.

 

[Tallbald]

I like Hawke scopes. I have a Hawke 3-9 AO on my Diana 34 springer in .177.
I rooted through my supplies and found a Simmons ATV 4.5-14 power scope with an AO that I had mounted on a .22 rim fire several years ago. It served well as a bench scope in that capacity and I'm wondering about mounting it on the 77/357. Recoil with the .357 is not severe.
I thank everyone here for the food for thought offered. Don

 

[Clint M]

I would get a scope with an AO for sure, I don't care for them for hunting rifles in medium game sized cartridges, however your right on the line where parallax can show up. On my 10/22 mag I went with AO just for this very reason, I would compare the 357 with 22 mag in scope needs as being near the same. I like the Weaver classic rimfire scope mine is 2.5-7x28 I don't think they make anything bigger in this line.

If you purchase a Leupold higher power scope without AO you can send it to Leupold they will set the parallax to 50 yards for you...check on this as I'm sure Leupold in the past would do this. Maybe tis will open another option for you.

 

[Eb1]

They sure help in air rifle shooting. A good side AO is something you can't really do without. It also helps me know the distance of the target, and which dot to hold on. Target comes into focus, you see the yardage, apply dope, and pop. Right on target.

 

[Captcurt]

Another option is a shotgun scope. Parallax is usually set for 75 yards. I had one on a 22rf and it worked fine.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

I got a couple of Ruger .44 mags, one in the M77/44 mag and I got an 2x7x33 Leupold, the other an old Ruger .44 mag carbine....they are short range carbines....putting an AO optic on these is a waste of time and mainly money.......the ballistics of the .44 mag carbine just don't warrant an AO.....if you got the money....spend it.

 

[CB900F]

Tallbald;

Since range work is the place it's going to be used, and accuracy is the game, then magnification is the solution. Particularly considering that your eyes aren't so young anymore. And neither are mine for that matter. If you check with the real accuracy crowd, you'll find that they're using 24X scopes, and higher, for .22's at 100 yards. The reason is that in order to hit the same hole every time, you have to be able to see exactly the same thing every time. Higher magnification allows the shooter to do that. As we've stated, when you get above 10-12X in magnification, you pretty much have to have A/O. Now then, magnification is no substitute for resolution. If the glass is not good enough to critically resolve at 18X, all 24X will give you is a bigger blur. Glass that can resolve at higher X factors almost always costs more.

The question now becomes: What are your accuracy requirements? Is what you're satisfied with this year going to be good enough next year? And other little dollar spending questions in the same line.

This is just a suggestion, but you may want to look into rimfire benchrest. It can get expensive, but not nearly so much as centerfire benchrest and F class. A good place to start would be a CZ453 Varmint, and locating a club or range that will accommodate your needs.

900F

 

[Manny]

For the use you plan, I believe a higher power scope with AO should serve quite well. I've used several regular centerfire scopes on .22's and find for short range the AO is essential, especially as power increases.

One thought, a fixed power scope might work quite well for your planned use and would allow for a higher quality scope for the dollars spent.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Leupold scopes are parallax corrected to 150yds per their literature. However, they will reset it to whatever you specify within capability. You do have to pay shipping however.

My 77/357 was quite accurate with jacketed bullets but stunk with cast. I sold it.

I would suggest you put a "rim fire" version scope on it. Leupold parallax corrects theirs to 60yds. My CZ452 wears a 3x-9x Leupold rimfire compact. With capable ammo, it shoots one hole groups at 50yds.
Squirrels don't have a chance!

For your purposes, you don't really need that much scope. I have a Bushnell Banner 4-12x AO on a Remington .223. It would make a great scope for your use. $99.00 is what I gave for it.

 

[dvdcrr]

Scopes are set to 100 yds paralax free. So you said you want to go to 75-100 yd shots. At that range you would be shooting exactly where the scope is set to be parallax free at the factory. This means no AO would be necessary. AO is for shooting small targets at long range. Or I suppose extremely close range. Quality of the scope is more important than this feature, but so is practice. Also if the shooters eye is lined up exactly in the middle of the scope consistently, parallax is moot. Again, practice.

 

[Tallbald]

Thank you all so much for taking time to respond. I have lots of pondering and dime saving ahead of me. My 77/357 is such a fun rifle for me, and I look forward to enjoying it in most any form for a long time to ome. Don.

 

[gazpacho]

Hey Tallbald,

I want to point to towards a surprisingly good, cheap scope, the Simmons Whitetail Classic, 6.5x-20x, Truplex, AO. Midway sells them for $110. For $20 more, you can get the extended sun shade. I use one on my ultimate 10/22 and one on my target AR-15. They only see range use, but they have held up perfectly well. It is a biggish sized scope, and will make your Ruger look a bit smaller, it should suit you just fine for fun at the range.

Check out the reviews at Midway USA. I think there are over 500.