Recommend me a hunting rifle scope

[uthornsfan]

Requirements

I am looking for something bigger than a 3-9. Based on the requirements tell me what I should or shouldn't go bigger :)

Its going on a Ruger M77 stainless gun, with stainless rings in a Boyds walnut stock (I am thinking a stainless scope will look the best)

Between $300-500

Tell me Mil-dot or MOA and why

This will be primarily a Deer gun.

I currently have a Vortex 3-9 on it, that will most likely end up on my AK 308.

Thanks,

[Weg]

All I can say is don't get a target scope. I made the mistake of putting a 6 x 18 Burris fine plex target scope on my Model 70 30.06 for hunting. Scope is great, but the fine plex is extremely difficult to see at night when spotlighting ( hogs not deer). I never considered night hunting when I bought it. My friend has a basic Burris 3x9 fullfield with the regular hunting type crosshairs and it is very visible at night and in low light. Just my 2 cents, from experience.

[WTR]

I would ask what caliber the rifle is and at what distances you plan to shoot at. I have a 3x9 on most of my rifles. The highest power "hunting" scope I have is a 4 x 14 Leopold. However, that is not going to fit into your budget. However, a 3 x 9 has been sufficient for game out to 368 paces lately, farther when I was young.. I would forget about a Mil Dot for hunting. Practice judging distances, doping the wind and learn the ballistics of the bullet you choose to shoot. Go practice and have fun. And learn to shoot off hand. Every one is a dead eye off the bench.

[puma guy]

I prefer a simple duplex. If you need a reticle for ranging I would recommend a BDC reticle rather than a Mil Dot unless you're making sniper range shots and the magnification would depend on what ranges you intend to be shooting. I don't make any shots farther than about 160-170 yards and switched from a 3-9x to a 4-12x only due to my eyes.

[Beiruty]

Get Burris Vericity Scope around $690 but worth it. 3-15x50 with 30mm tube. FFP EX1 reticle

[Chemist45]

WTR wrote:

I would ask what caliber the rifle is and at what distances you plan to shoot at. I have a 3x9 on most of my rifles.

+1 on that.
For deer sized game at reasonable distances, 3-9 X 40 with a duplex should do all you need.
I like Redfield - almost as good as a Leupold but not nearly as expensive.
Now if I'm spending Mrs. Chemist's money - Leupold all the way. <g>

[mrvmax]

Get Burris Vericity Scope around $690 but worth it. 3-15x50 with 30mm tube. FFP EX1 reticle

I have the 5-25 Veracity on my target rifle and I am disappointed with it. My Nightforce SHV, Burris MTAC and both of my Vortex scopes are much clearer and I expected more out of the Veracity.

[Beiruty]

Bushnell elite 6500 is what I have on my 30-06 hunting rifle 4.5-30x50mm 600 DOA reticle

[crazy2medic]

I second the bushnell, you might want to look at a 4-12x if you want more magnification than 3-9, but bushnell make some very nice budget scopes as long as you stay in their elite series

[Legionnaire]

You said this is for a deer rifle. What range and terrain do you expect to hunt? My go-to deer rifle for the past 20 years wears a 2-7X, which is perfect for hunting the woods of PA and NY, and it's quite capable out to 300 yards on deer-sized game. Even for a beanfield rifle, I'd probably opt for a 3.5-10X40. I've bought a couple of used Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10X40s in the low $300s. I'd rather an excellent used Leupold than most of the others out there. But that's just me.

[Skiprr]

You said this is for a deer rifle. What range and terrain do you expect to hunt? My go-to deer rifle for the past 20 years wears a 2-7X, which is perfect for hunting the woods of PA and NY, and it's quite capable out to 300 yards on deer-sized game. Even for a beanfield rifle, I'd probably opt for a 3.5-10X40. I've bought a couple of used Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10X40s in the low $300s. I'd rather an excellent used Leupold than most of the others out there. But that's just me.

And sometimes overlooked are quality rings and quality mounting. If you want consistent, repeatable accuracy, cheap rings can ruin otherwise good glass. Likewise poor mounting. Don't scrimp on either.

If you don't have all the proper tools, I'd recommend finding a gunsmith to properly mount the scope. At a minimum, I consider those tools to be:

• A proper gun vise; you gotta be able to secure the rifle in an absolutely still and secure position, or most of the rest of the operation will fail.
• Ring alignment and lapping rods; and do always lap any set of rings once aligned...never mount a scope without doing so: makes sure the ring surfaces themselves are in correct positioning after your alignment; evens out the surface for better, more consistent (and thus more stable) contact; prevents scaring/scratching of your scope; and, if you aren't using top-of-the-line rings with ultra-precise machining specifications, shaves a tiny bit of material away to ensure a completely round ring and (presumably) enough gap to grip as it should when you torque it down.
• A crosshair alignment tool like Wheeler's "professional" kit; "eyeballing" crosshair vertical alignment will inevitably result in imprecise elevation and windage adjustments and estimations. Not good. The reticle needs to be perfectly aligned with the gun itself, not your eye.
• A good torque driver; I prefer Felo (http://www.german-hand-tools.com/Felo-torque.html). Wheeler makes a decent torque wrench, but it doesn't provide the number of incremental tension steps that Felo does. Granted, most scope manufacturers are going to tell you something around 20 inch-pounds, but it's worth a bit more to be able to take the pressure to a finer final setting. If you're shooting a .338 Lapua Magnum, you may want to risk a couple of extra inch-pounds.
• A laser boresighter; you don't want to go to the range for the first time with the new setup and sling lead three feet over the target at 25 yards. Even if you do nothing but some preliminary adjustments in your house at 15 yards--in the aforementioned gun vise--that should at least get your first live round on paper.

Even with a decent budget scope, better than bottom-shelf rings and attention to detail in the mounting can make a world of difference.

[Pawpaw]

You said this is for a deer rifle. What range and terrain do you expect to hunt? My go-to deer rifle for the past 20 years wears a 2-7X, which is perfect for hunting the woods of PA and NY, and it's quite capable out to 300 yards on deer-sized game. Even for a beanfield rifle, I'd probably opt for a 3.5-10X40. I've bought a couple of used Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10X40s in the low $300s. I'd rather an excellent used Leupold than most of the others out there. But that's just me.

And sometimes overlooked are quality rings and quality mounting. If you want consistent, repeatable accuracy, cheap rings can ruin otherwise good glass. Likewise poor mounting. Don't scrimp on either.

If you don't have all the proper tools, I'd recommend finding a gunsmith to properly mount the scope. At a minimum, I consider those tools to be:

• A proper gun vise; you gotta be able to secure the rifle in an absolutely still and secure position, or most of the rest of the operation will fail.
• Ring alignment and lapping rods; and do always lap any set of rings once aligned...never mount a scope without doing so: makes sure the ring surfaces themselves are in correct positioning after your alignment; evens out the surface for better, more consistent (and thus more stable) contact; prevents scaring/scratching of your scope; and, if you aren't using top-of-the-line rings with ultra-precise machining specifications, shaves a tiny bit of material away to ensure a completely round ring and (presumably) enough gap to grip as it should when you torque it down.
• A crosshair alignment tool like Wheeler's "professional" kit; "eyeballing" crosshair vertical alignment will inevitably result in imprecise elevation and windage adjustments and estimations. Not good. The reticle needs to be perfectly aligned with the gun itself, not your eye.
• A good torque driver; I prefer Felo (http://www.german-hand-tools.com/Felo-torque.html). Wheeler makes a decent torque wrench, but it doesn't provide the number of incremental tension steps that Felo does. Granted, most scope manufacturers are going to tell you something around 20 inch-pounds, but it's worth a bit more to be able to take the pressure to a finer final setting. If you're shooting a .338 Lapua Magnum, you may want to risk a couple of extra foot-pounds.
• A laser boresighter; you don't want to go to the range for the first time with the new setup and sling lead three feet over the target at 25 yards. Even if you do nothing but some preliminary adjustments in your house at 15 yards--in the aforementioned gun vise--that should at least get your first live round on paper.

Even with a decent budget scope, better than bottom-shelf rings and attention to detail in the mounting can make a world of difference.

with everything Skiprr posted, if you include my little edit.

(And I didn't even need a babel fish! )

[Skiprr]

with everything Skiprr posted, if you include my little edit.

(And I didn't even need a babel fish! )

Oops. How'd I make that mistake (now corrected)? As penance, I promise not to use any obscure or archaic words for at least 48 hours...

[Legionnaire]

I agree completely with Skiprr on good rings and mounts. I'll confess I'm not as fastidious, though. I've never lapped rings, for instance. I did procure a foot-long piece of 1-inch diameter stainless steel, though, and I go through the steps of getting my rings aligned using that instead of the scope. Scope doesn't go into the rings until alignment is as perfect as I can get it (sans lapping). And a reticle alignment tool is definitely a must.