What is the absolute best scope for hunting deer, hunting elk?

[bbbass]

Asking for a friend! And because I'm bored!!!

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[Baseacegoku]

the one that is Zeroed on your rifle.

 

[bbbass]

the one that is Zeroed on your rifle.

I'm shooting at my rifle? At what distance can I put one down the barrel end?

 

[JRuby]

This depends greatly on the environment - lower power for close range and higher for longer range. I am also under the belief that you can have too much magnification in a hunting scope. I know of no easy answer for this - buy a good quality scope it costs a little more but you can depend on them. I like the old Varix II 2-7 scopes a lot and have several. A goo 2-7 or 3-9 is a good place to start.

 

[deadeye]

Swarovski Z5 2.4-12x50 Plex - Swarovski 59770 | Rifle Scopes at SportOptics.com

 

[bbbass]

Swarovski Z5 2.4-12x50 Plex - Swarovski 59770 | Rifle Scopes at SportOptics.com

Ooooo, love me some Swarovski glass! I even have a clock (actually a gift to my wife that loves clocks) that has Swarovski crystal!!!

 

[tac]

Most deer shooters of my acquaintance here in England use anything between x1.5 up to x6, depending on the terrain. Up in Scotland, anything that will enable you to make a clear shot at 200- 300 yards is also deemed acceptable.

Here in yUK we do not take 1200 yard shots on live targets.

 

[bbbass]

Most deer shooters of my acquaintance here in England use anything between x1.5 up to x6, depending on the terrain. Up in Scotland, anything that will enable you to make a clear shot at 200- 300 yards is also deemed acceptable.

Here in yUK we do not take 1200 yard shots on live targets.

I'm in total agreement! I believe in fair chase and not risking wounding an animal.

Although I own both 3x9 and 4-12, I only use the higher scope powers to zoom in on details while in the field. I mostly use 10x and 12x mini-binos for looking around rather than the scope (I don't like being scoped myself).

The higher scope powers are useful to me on the range because my eyesight sucks. But in the field all my game has been shot at 4x power.

 

[G8rHunter]

I am the friend bbbass started this thread for. Many on this forum know I'm new to shooting. I am providing some information to offer some context for further discussion. I understand that the scope should fit the rifle caliber. Also, some scopes are exceptional for dawn and dusk. Is there a scope that is more difficult for hunting use due to too much magnification? So, what magnification do I want to use starting out at 100 or 200 yards? I highly doubt I will be trying for anything much beyond a 100 yards any time soon anyway! It sounds like 9x40 is the standard hunting scope; so, I am guessing those numbers are good for a certain distance? And is the first number (3- 9×40 or 4- 12x50) about the quality of the scope? I have a fair idea that Leupold and Vortex make great rifle scopes. Someone mentioned the Nikon Monarch as an option, and I realize it costs more than a few shekels! And speaking of cost, it sounds like a quality scope is not cheap. So, what do you like? Some scopes have options for figuring out wind, distance, etc., and so what are the must-have features on a scope? What should I be looking for in a scope for target practice and hunting? Does the game I am hunting for determine the scope? If you like, simply share what scope you use on your favorite rifle? What would you say is a good buy for a scope? For beginning, I am thinking of the Nikon Monarch and it costs @ $385. Don't try to answer any (and certainly not all) of my questions. If there is something more specific to what makes your rifle scope exceptional, sell me on it?

 

[Open_Wire]

There can never be an "absolute best" scope, because each shot, each shooter, each rifle is different, and what that shooter favors, or finds works best for them is dependent on everything from budget, to brand loyalty, to aesthetics.

A better question might be "I hunt with this rifle, in this caliber, and am hunting deer in this location and up to this range, and have this much money to spend, what would be good scopes within those parameters.?"

 

[Kruel J]

Scopes, no matter how much is spent, don't make one a better shooter.

That being said, a quality brand that holds zero will work fine for hunting. 6x is plenty for most normal hunting distances.

 

[KKG]

Here in yUK we do not take 1200 yard shots on live targets.

tac;

The question then becomes just what do you Shoot at 1,200 Yards???

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

to me, eye relief at max zoom is key.

 

[G8rHunter]

Scopes, no matter how much is spent, don't make one a better shooter.

That being said, a quality brand that holds zero will work fine for hunting. 6x is plenty for most normal hunting distances.

From what I have heard, a bad scope doesn't help someone aspiring to be a better shooter, eh? Remember, I know nothing about scopes, so what is fix?

 

[Open_Wire]

tac;

The question then becomes just what do you Shoot at 1,200 Yards???

Commies, Nazis, space aliens, my ex mother in law...

 

[G8rHunter]

to me, eye relief at max zoom is key.

Eye relief? Is that about focal clarity?

 

[tac]

There are as many good and valid answers to your post as there are stars in the heaven, Grasshopper.

Before we go any further, a couple of things - 'Eye relief? Is that about focal clarity?'

Eye relief is the distance between the rear lens and your real-live squishy eyeball. The longer the eye relief distance - usually a couple or three inches or so - the less likely you are to collect the scope on your eyebrow with a heavy-recoiling gun. this is called 'scope-eye' or 'scope-kiss' and usually involves blood, and a resultant scar that tells all the world, especially the ladies, that you are some kind of Nimrod who shoots a mighty big gun.... And the note about maximum zoom is because as you look through the scope and crank up the magnification, so the field of view gets less and less, making you try and get your eye 'into' the scope to see more. The idea is to have the scope set up so that when you look through it at maximum zoom you are STILL getting an image in the lens that is not surrounded by a dark circle, AND your eyeball is still at a safe distance from the usually sharp edges of the scope tube.

Again, this can depend on the quality of the lenses - we say 'glass' - as well as the design of the scope itself and again, money talks.

The figures are simple to figure out - 3-9x40 means that the scope can vary the magnification from times 3 all the way up to times 9 bigger by rotating the zoom ring. The 40 is the diameter of the object lens - that's the lens furthest away from you, in millimeters. Only Unertl scopes, now collectors items in their own right used inches to measure the lens size - an odd thing, when you consider that he was a first-generation immigrant from Germany post WW1.

Usually, the bigger the object lens, all the way up to 60mm for some very high-price models, the better their light-gathering capabilities in low-light conditions like dawn and dusk, or simply looking; into shade or shadow. Some brands, mostly high-dollar European it must be said, excel in these tough conditions, but, as always with optical devices, it's what YOU see that matters. A walk around Cabelas or Bass-Pro, or any good gun store, will show you scopes that look pretty much the same, but varying in price from a couple of hundred dollars up to way North of two thousand. Like everything, you mostly get what you pay for in quality. The Schott glass used in most European scopes literally costs its weight in gold. I have only US brand Nightforce scopes by choice, because they are among the best for what I want to do, but they sure are no bargain over here, because your ITAR makes them only sellable by authorised agents. My NSX 8-32x56 illuminated reticle scope sells over here for over $2800, plus another $600 for the mounts and level bubble unit. You CAN have something that does probably 75% of that light-gathering quality for half as much, or you CAN pay double that for March or US Optics models.



Since I don't hunt, but only shoot at a 9" target at anything from 200 out to 900m with my .308Win, and really only fun shoot with all my other guns, I'll leave it there, sure that the guys who know and use these shooting aids under real-life hunting conditions will join in the fray.

BTW, don't mind me saying this, but it sure will help us to help you if you just ask us one question at a time - that gives us a chance to put together a proper resplone that we think you will have the least trouble in understanding. No offense, right?

 

[bbbass]

Scopes, no matter how much is spent, don't make one a better shooter.

My eyesight sucks, I can't see the front sight on an open sighted rifle. A peep sight would be best, but I still can't see the front sight.

So I need some kind of optic with crosshairs or a dot. I have a reflex optic for my combat shotgun, and also for my 10.5" AR15. Then I have 3-9x on my hunting rifle, and 4-12x on my varmint rifle (thinking about going 6-24x on that).

So yeah, a scope definitely makes me a better shot. Cuz I suck with open sights in my old age.

However, if you meant a more expensive scope will not make one a better shot, I would for sure agree with you. Skills must be learned first before the fine points come into play.

 

[G8rHunter]

My eyesight sucks, I can't see the front sight on an open sighted rifle. A peep sight would be best, but I still can't see the front sight.

So I need some kind of optic with crosshairs or a dot. I have a reflex optic for my combat shotgun, and also for my 10.5" AR15. Then I have 3-9x on my hunting rifle, and 4-12x on my varmint rifle (thinking about going 6-24x on that).

So yeah, a scope definitely makes me a better shot. Cuz I suck with open sights in my old age.

However, if you meant a more expensive scope will not make one a better shot, I would for sure agree with you. Skills must be learned first before the fine points come into play.

Someone more experienced advised me to learn how to shoot with iron sights first and later go to a scope!

 

[Kruel J]

My eyesight sucks, I can't see the front sight on an open sighted rifle. A peep sight would be best, but I still can't see the front sight.

So I need some kind of optic with crosshairs or a dot. I have a reflex optic for my combat shotgun, and also for my 10.5" AR15. Then I have 3-9x on my hunting rifle, and 4-12x on my varmint rifle (thinking about going 6-24x on that).

So yeah, a scope definitely makes me a better shot. Cuz I suck with open sights in my old age.

However, if you meant a more expensive scope will not make one a better shot, I would for sure agree with you. Skills must be learned first before the fine points come into play.

Yeah, I meant that a guy can go spend $3000 on a Schmidt and Bender, Nightforce or Swarovski but if he can't shoot for nothin' it don't matter.

From what I have heard, a bad scope doesn't help someone aspiring to be a better shooter, eh? Remember, I know nothing about scopes, so what is fix?

That's why I recommended purchasing a quality brand. Leupold and Vortex both make fine offerings at a decent price point (under $400).