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Thread: Which Scope ?

  1. #1
    User
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    Default Which Scope ?

    Good day All

    Best wishes for 2017..

    I am in the process of possibly purchasing an under-rated rifle (Howa) in an over-rated miracle calibre (6.5x55mm). That was the easy part. Motivation for the rifle is for the smaller class of antelope (BBW and smaller) on distances in excess of 200m.

    The next question is what glass to put on top? Being a 1-2x a year hunter, and a "when I can get away from the office" shooter (realistically about 12x a year), I do not necessarily want to break the bank first time out and would like to keep the cost of the glass below R5000 perhaps up to R5500-R6000 at a push.

    Currently I have a 3-9x40mm Bushnell legend Scope (pre HD) on my .308, but battle to see the definition of the smaller diamond targets when shooting at 100m. With the current scope seeing the holes in the target is a guessing game and the outcome is sometimes rather surprising. Thus I would at least like to be able to at see the holes clearly at 100m and have a scope suited for hunting out to 300m with ease. For this, I am not sure if I should look for a larger objective lens or rather look at getting something with higher magnification. I also don't want to be "that guy" who has to battle with parallax adjustments, side focus settings and dialing in before he can see what he is hopefully aiming at. My inability to sit still and/or keep as quiet as possible during a hunt is enough of a challenge.

    So...I have trolled around the net and looked at what is available within the price bracket, but I prefer the opinions of people who use products rather than those of a counter jockey who will spin a story and push which ever brand they get the best $ returns on. Apart from the well known brands, is it worth taking a chance on the dark horse scopes such as Hawke and Vixen which seem to provide a better spec'd scope (on paper) at a lower price, but not necessarily the history and user numbers to back the brand?

    Any Suggestions and comments are welcomed and appreciated.

    Many thanks

  2. #2
    User
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Noord van die biltong gordyn.
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    Default Re: Which Scope ?

    There are plenty threads here on GS discussing scope choices, which I'm not going to rehash. But in short, my opinion:

    Clarity is more important than magnification when needing to see small details like bullet holes on maper. Do not skimp on the quality of the scope. Good quality lenses cost more, so do not try to go too cheap.

    Stick to a make with proven after-sales service. Half of my variable scopes have been back to the factory already, but they came back working perfectly and it cost me nothing, except for the shipping (one way) on the Leupolds. If a scope does not have decent local back-up, I would avoid it.

    Too much magnification can be a hinderance in the field, especially if you are not using it very frequently. Try not to go too high. I would look for something with a max of 12x magnification. They usually also don't have (don't need) parallax adjustments. I can usually see more details through a good quality 9x scope, than a cheap 12x.

    Yes, I know you can always turn the magnification down. The question is: Will you remember to do it before the "bokkoors" gets to you?

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