Scopes, help me choose please

**Andrew Leigh** · 30-07-2018, 14:48

If mainly bush then 3-9X else if mainly general plains a 4-16X.

I would buy 40/42mm objective to get closer to the bore improving that all important cheek weld.

DON'T overthink the scope thing, there are dozens of offerings on the market that are equally fit for purpose and that will do the job as well as any of the more expensive offerings.

On on 4.5 to 14 ..... I have NEVER dialed in 14X, in the bush I walk at between 4.5 and 6 depending on the openness.
On my 3 to 9 ....... I have never dialed in 9X, I may well in more open country.

Don't get too confused with all the gadgets, features etc. A basic scope to start and decide later what specific requirements you may have and upgrade ..... the chance are that you wont.

**iB.PoPo** · 30-07-2018, 14:51

Originally Posted by .264

I think it would be a wise decision to first have a look personally at the two, and others in your price range. Compare their optical clarity, eye relief, field of view, ease of use before deciding.

Originally Posted by Andrew Leigh

If hunting in the bush you will loose many opportunities at a minimum of 6.5X magnification. You simply will not acquire your target quickly enough. You ideally want to go down to 4X and if possible 3X for the bush.

Originally Posted by .264

Can't agree more with this. The other issue is adjusting parallax when in these situations, plains hunting is another story. I have a 3-9x40 Lynx LX2 and it serves me great. The optics are more than satifactory it's a real "mik and druk". For bushveld hunting nothing more is required.

I have a Zeiss Conquest HD5 3-15x42mm on my 30-06. In hindsight I should have purchased the duralight in the 3-12x50mm. It has No parallax adjustment.

Seriously have a look at a scope with a maximum magnification of 12x it is still plenty of zoom. The Leupold I suggested earlier was taking my personal experiences in mind.

**shooty** · 30-07-2018, 15:01

From 6X up is to high for Hunting as Andrew above has mentioned.

However I would not tkae either of those and rather get a Lynx Lx3 range.
Far better optics then either of those 2.

**A-R** · 30-07-2018, 15:52

For general hunting applications in bushveld and plains with shooting ranges up to 300m, a common 3-9x40 scope of reputable brand is hard to beat.

If you want to shoot beyond 300m or at very small targets (vermin, brain shots on springbuck, ghongs etc.) you can look at slightly bigger magnifications like 12x or 16x at most.

A 6,5-20x scope is quite suitable for shots beyond 1000m, but a pain in the neck at below 100m. At more normal hunting ranges, all the magnification, turrets, paralax adjustment, big lenses and extra weight will just get in the way and cause missed opportunities, missed shots and maybe even wounded animals. I often see hunters and shooters with scopes that have more magnification than what they need or can use.

Stick to the brands with proper local after sales service. Vortex, Lynx and Leupold get my approval. There may be a few more, but Bushnell is not one of them. Half of my variable magnification scopes have been back to the agents for service, and they came back as good as new. (With a fixed magnification, there are far fewer things that can go wrong.)

Rather invest in better lens quality than more magnification. Clear lenses at lower magnification often allow you a better view of the target than a big magnification and poor lens quality, and this is especially valid at the high end of the magnification range.

Then have the rifle and scope set up so you have a proper cheek weld and a natural shooting position. This will enable you to get on target faster and with less effort and strain.

Use quality steel mounts if possible. A scope can only stay zeroed if the mounts can take the normal knocks without moving. Nothing kills your confidence and shooting ability like a scope that loses zero every time you transport it.

**Rigby** · 30-07-2018, 18:27

Leupold gets my vote , best value for money IMHO

**Drakensberger** · 30-07-2018, 20:13

If you really need a 6.5-20 power in the hunting field, I suspect 30-06 is not the ideal caliber. Not saying it can't be done, but I suspect that most farmers and PHs don't really approve of hunters using a scope that looks like a rain gauge, and then can't see anything through it.

My 2c would be a Leupold VX2 3-9x40.

**A-R** · 30-07-2018, 20:15

Originally Posted by Rigby

Leupold gets my vote , best value for money IMHO

I like the brand a lot too, but keep in mind that they make several different ranges of scopes, from entry level to pretty expensive. I think the real value for money scopes are in the VX2 and VX3 ranges.

**MariusT** · 30-07-2018, 20:43

Thanks everybody for the excellent recommendations. I will have a look at the leupold as mentioned and maybe the zeiss as well. I am not familiar with the Lynx range but I will look at them as well.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

**Andrew Leigh** · 30-07-2018, 20:47

Originally Posted by Drakensberger

If you really need a 6.5-20 power in the hunting field, I suspect 30-06 is not the ideal caliber. Not saying it can't be done, but I suspect that most farmers and PHs don't really approve of hunters using a scope that looks like a rain gauge, and then can't see anything through it.

My 2c would be a Leupold VX2 3-9x40.

Nice post

**Makooza6** · 31-07-2018, 07:11

Originally Posted by A-R

For general hunting applications in bushveld and plains with shooting ranges up to 300m, a common 3-9x40 scope of reputable brand is hard to beat.

If you want to shoot beyond 300m or at very small targets (vermin, brain shots on springbuck, ghongs etc.) you can look at slightly bigger magnifications like 12x or 16x at most.

A 6,5-20x scope is quite suitable for shots beyond 1000m, but a pain in the neck at below 100m. At more normal hunting ranges, all the magnification, turrets, paralax adjustment, big lenses and extra weight will just get in the way and cause missed opportunities, missed shots and maybe even wounded animals. I often see hunters and shooters with scopes that have more magnification than what they need or can use.

Stick to the brands with proper local after sales service. Vortex, Lynx and Leupold get my approval. There may be a few more, but Bushnell is not one of them. Half of my variable magnification scopes have been back to the agents for service, and they came back as good as new. (With a fixed magnification, there are far fewer things that can go wrong.)

Rather invest in better lens quality than more magnification. Clear lenses at lower magnification often allow you a better view of the target than a big magnification and poor lens quality, and this is especially valid at the high end of the magnification range.

Then have the rifle and scope set up so you have a proper cheek weld and a natural shooting position. This will enable you to get on target faster and with less effort and strain.

Use quality steel mounts if possible. A scope can only stay zeroed if the mounts can take the normal knocks without moving. Nothing kills your confidence and shooting ability like a scope that loses zero every time you transport it.

http://www.euroopticafrica.co.za/vortex-diamondback-hp-4-16x42-riflescope-with-dead-hold-bdc-reticle-moa-dbk-10019.aspx

This might just fit the criteria for the OP as well

What do you guys think anyone running one of these on a 30-06 ?