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The Annoyed Man wrote:

Beiruty wrote:TAM,
What scope is that? How do you like it?

Beiruty, it's the SWFA SS 5-20x50mm Tactical scope ($1499.95), and I like it a LOT. Before buying, I compared it to a Leupold 8.5-25x50 Mark 4 ER/T 30mm Riflescope ($1899.95) and an IOR Valdata 6-24x56 Tactical 35mm Rifle Scope ($1949.95). It compared favorably against those two other scopes, for hundreds of dollars less. The glass is amazingly clear. The other two scopes have higher magnification, but 5-20X is more magnification than I'll ever need. When I was shooting today, I only used 20X as a "spotting scope." I did all the shooting at 10X.

http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-HD-5-20x50-Tact ... 51642.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Patented First Focal Plane Illuminated Mil-Quad Reticle
30mm
HD Model
Locking Ocular Adjustment
0.1 Mrad Elevation & Windage
10 Mils Per Revolution
30 Mils Of Total Travel
Side Focus
Specifications
Weight (oz): 31.39

First Focal Plane Illuminated Mil-Quad
Length (in): 14.65
Eye Relief (in): 4
Field of View @ 100yds (ft): 20.1 - 5.1
Parallax Setting (yds): 35 - infinity
W/E Click Adjustment: .1 MRAD
Elevation Adjustment Range: 30 mils (100+ MOA)

[ Image ]
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Here's a closeup of mine:
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Nice rig TAM!

Beiruty wrote:

puma guy wrote:

03Lightningrocks wrote:

fishman wrote:Yeah, I was asking because of sighting in. I'm really looking forward to getting this rifle.

If your plan is to deer hunt with it, practice and sight with the conditions similar to actual hunting. You may know this already but it is a common mistake I have seen guys do. Never rest the barrel on the edge of the deer blind or a tree branch when shooting. Always use the stock.

New rifles are always fun!!!

Good advice from 03L. The only thing I would suggest is to get a good pair of binoculars. Don't use your rifle scope to scan deer and be sure to take your time as you scan. Most of the time you'll see movement before seeing the actual deer so it's better hold for a few seconds before moving on to the next area. Scan continuously. My brother swears deer mysteriously appear from a vapor emitted by cedars.

+1 Deers like ghosts only appear before sun rise and just after sunset

Ain't that the truth. I swear I have looked under a tree, seen nothing, blinked once and suddenly there it is! I also want to second the binoculars. I have watched way to many guys scan for deer through a rifle scope. It makes me crazy to see such an unsafe practice.

fishman wrote:Yeah, I was asking because of sighting in. I'm really looking forward to getting this rifle.

If your plan is to deer hunt with it, practice and sight with the conditions similar to actual hunting. You may know this already but it is a common mistake I have seen guys do. Never rest the barrel on the edge of the deer blind or a tree branch when shooting. Always use the stock.

New rifles are always fun!!!

fishman wrote:

03Lightningrocks wrote:I found this very good article about "free floating" vs "glass bedding" vs Remingtons "'pressure point" method. http://hunting.about.com/cs/guns/a/float_bed.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Informative article, it brings a question though. How long does it take for a barrel to cool down after a shot, and is the barrel considered hot after one shot?

Good question. I dunno. I never shot more than once at any deer so all my shots were cold barrel shots.When I sight in, I always wait for several minutes between each round because I want to sight in for real life. It is easy to check the barrel. Touch it with the back of your hand. It is not likely you will be shooting at a deer with a warm barrel. If you are, the deer is probably laughing so hard at you for missing more than twice you can walk up and stab him.

I found this very good article about "free floating" vs "glass bedding" vs Remingtons "'pressure point" method. http://hunting.about.com/cs/guns/a/float_bed.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

fishman wrote:I must say ya'll have post some nice rifle pics!

I was reading through some of the posts and noticed you mentioned something about the 40mm vs the 50mm. On the higher magnifications, my leopold 50mm scope seems to allow more light in than my leopold with 40mm scope. One thing to keep in mind as you research it. many folks, including me, have and will make the comment about a larger lens allowing a shooter to see better in those moments right before the sun peeks over the horizon and right before dark. The real story is that light is influenced more by a high quality lens with a high quality AR coating than the size of the lens. My two scopes are about ten years apart in age so the better light probably has more to do with improved optics by leopold than the lense size. One other thought. If you do go with a 50mm, make sure your scope rings are high enough that the barrel does not touch the scope.

Im with you on the material of the stock. These folks can have their synthetics. I will take a nice wood stock every time. After 35 plus years of deer hunting, I have yet to be foiled by a warping stock on the day of the hunt. That kind of stuff happens to folks who think they are going to whip out their rifle once a year and go hunting. At the very least, sight in your rifle before the hunt and don't fret so much about warping wood. Good wood does not warp easily.

puma guy wrote:Nice looking Sako. I regret I didn't buy a .243 we had in stock back in the 60's. What model is it? You can't go wrong with the Rem 700, though.

Oh man! Thank You! I saved for over a year to buy that rifle. It is my pride and joy. It is an L691 "Deluxe" model. Back in those days, spending 2200 dollars for a rifle was not an easy task for me. Heck... thinking about it... I am not positive what I paid for it. I know it was worth it!

I have a Sako in 25.06 with a Leupold 3-10x50mm. I have owned this set up for about 15 years but I think at the time the scope was what they called the "gold line" or some such. Pretty rifle and scope but I bet I have more than three grand in the thing. Weird how the lighting makes it look like two different finishes. The lighter colored picture is closest to how it actually looks.



The Sako is pretty accurate and the barrel is free floated.(came from factory that way). Then I have a Remington 700 ADL in 30.06 with a lower end basic leopold 3-9x40 scope. Total invested in that rig was maybe 700 dollars. I have owned it for 28 years. Funny thing... the Remington does exactly what the Sako does and cost one third the money. It just isn't as pretty.

I will add this. When taking my Sako out to the woods, I am constantly worried about scratching it or putting a ding on the wood. My Remington...I can relax when going through brush.

I truly believe Remington is probably one of the best bang for the buck rifles a person can buy.