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Not sure if I should post this here or in holsters and accessories? If this is the wrong place I can move it over to the correct place, that being said I have a CZ 557 carbine, I love this gun and have already used it hog hunting but just used the iron sights. I want to get a good scope for her to take deer and hog hunting so I can reach out a farther. I am not very knowledgeable on optics, so any suggestions on a good scope that isn't out of this world expensive?
Thanks guys I am really enjoying this site every one seems very nice and helpful.

Halfsackzac wrote:Not sure if I should post this here or in holsters and accessories? If this is the wrong place I can move it over to the correct place, that being said I have a CZ 557 carbine, I love this gun and have already used it hog hunting but just used the iron sights. I want to get a good scope for her to take dear and hog hunting so I can reach out a farther. I am not very knowledgeable on optics, so any suggestions on a good scope that isn't out of this world expensive?
Thanks guys I am really enjoying this site every one seems very nice and helpful.

I think its against the law to to hunt "Dear" with a weapon. Some find it offensive!!! LOL.

But seriously, I know squat about scopes, just wanted to have some fun.

I have always used a Leupold 3x9 on my Remington 700 BDL 30-06 and killed lots of deer with that combination as a younger man.

If you want to spend more money you might look at the Burris line of scopes--they are quite good.

I think it depends on the distances you want to shoot at. I too have been very happy with Leupold and a few old Weavers which both have good glass for reaching out there. However, I have friends who have been very satisfied with Nikons. I think it will depend on the "power" of scope you want. Glass and coatings seem to have improved in some of the lower end scopes.

A Leupold VX-2 is my favorite choice for quality glass, made in the US and good for medium to long distances. I've bought all of mine new for $190-$200 via eBay bids.

I've had good luck with Leupolds and Vortex scopes if you're price conscious. That said, while still being financially responsible about it, resist the temptation to buy a $250 scope if you can afford a $500 scope. Ditto, resist spending $500 if you can afford $1000. I am NOT telling you to spend $1000. What I am getting at is that if you look through two scopes of equal magnification power side by side, and one costs twice what the other costs, you WILL be able to tell why the more expensive scope is the better scope. Quality of glass, light transmission, fineness of reticle, reticle features (i.e. stadia lines and ranging features), amount of eye relief, color shifts, presence/absence of distortion around the circumference of the objective lens...... all of those things play into the price of a scope. You DO get what you pay for, and assuming this is for a hunting rifle, scope quality can give you an extra 20-30 minutes of hunting light at dawn or dusk.

Just wanted to weigh in. I have a couple of Leatherwood Scopes that I picked up from Sportsman's Guide over the years for my 06, .308 and .300 win mag and other than a faulty ring problem that was easy to correct these have been outstanding scopes for the price and maybe worth giving a look-see. JMHO

For me, hogs mean low power for the running or up close in the brush shots. Deer means a little more power cause you are generally setting still. 3x9 is probably your best option to pull multiple duties maybe even 2x7. Vortex, Leupold, Nikon, Sightron, etc all have low power variables in various price ranges. If you're lucky, you might find a good deal at a local gun store on a used one. Not your box stores as I've never seen a used scope in one.

My rule of thumb is to spend 80% of what the rifle costs.

I would lean towards a 2x7, in my opinion most people overscope rifles.

I bought a Leupold 2x7 VX3 awhile back and I am very happy with it.

A fixed 4x would be fine, also.

IMHO, it is also difficult to compare the quality of a scope's glass inside of a store. I've looked through $500 scopes and $1500 scopes, one right after the other, in a store and had a very difficult time discerning much difference if any. It will become apparent after it is mounted and you are at the range or in the field.

I also think Bulletslap has a point when it comes to folks overscoping. I might be guilty of this, but haven't decided yet. If the OP only wants to extend his range a little, then a 3-4x scope would be more than sufficient and could get a quality scope for reasonable amount.

C-dub wrote:IMHO, it is also difficult to compare the quality of a scope's glass inside of a store. I've looked through $500 scopes and $1500 scopes, one right after the other, in a store and had a very difficult time discerning much difference if any. It will become apparent after it is mounted and you are at the range or in the field.

I also think Bulletslap has a point when it comes to folks overscoping. I might be guilty of this, but haven't decided yet. If the OP only wants to extend his range a little, then a 3-4x scope would be more than sufficient and could get a quality scope for reasonable amount.

I agree about overscoping a rifle. My latest scope purchase was a 2.5-10x32mm Viper PST for a carbine-length .308 bolt rifle.....so just a little more spread than a 3-9x. It is more than adequate for that rifle at any distance I'm likely to shoot it. My long range precision rifle has a 5-20x on it, and that's about right for that rifle; but I think that my SCAR 17 is probably overscoped with a 4-16x scope on it, and I'll probably replace that scope some day.

One other comment.....lower powered variable power scopes are likely to have a longer eye-relief, and consequently a more forgiving eye-box than higher powered scopes. If your trying to hit a snap shot, like on a moving hog, that could be important.

+1 on the Leupolds. I bought the "Rifleman" 3-9X almost 20 years ago for around $200. It has been rode hard and put up wet, serving quite well on a Model 700 in '06 on everything from coyotes to deer to hogs and elk at 300 yards. While I do have more expensive scopes, I just keep going back to it. I am in the process now of mounting it on a new AR upper in .223 for the sometimes "truck gun" or the 4 wheeler at lease. It is relatively compact and has excellent clarity for the price.

You guys are all very knowledgeable. I appreciate all the info! I think I will look for a little lower power scope, some of the points you guys made about over scoping makes since. I am going to start doing some shopping around and if I find one I am interested in I will probably post on here and see what y'all think. And as for the first post about hunting "Dear" I fixed that LOL! Even though some times my "Dear" might piss me off a little I think you are correct it is looked down on to hunt her. Plus we live in the same house so if I need a scope for a shot across my living room I might as well sell my guns cause I shouldn't be shooting at anything.

ThelmaScott wrote:Isn't the law against the violence of animal hunting?

No, there is no law against hunting animals. You DO realize that you are on a firearms forum here, and that a LOT of us are hunters, don't you?

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but understand that it isn't going to be very popular on a discussion board like this one.

......not to mention that it just plain wrong.....