Backcountry rifle scope

[Dirtriding4life]

I'm looking for help choosing a new scope for my Tikka T3 Lite in 30-06 shooting 150gr Barnes TTSX. I use it primarily for big game hunting out to 500 yards with the potential for a follow up shot a bit further. Currently it has a Vortex Diamondback 3-9x40 and I have been reaching out to 400 using the BDC effectively on 10" steel.

From what research I've done (and I could be wrong) I'm looking for...
Minimum magnification of 3.5 or less and maximum 10-12 magnification
Ability to dial elevation and account for windage with the reticle. Probably leave the windage capped.
Second focal plane because I'm not going too high with zoom and want a large reticle at lower magnification
Max weight around 22 oz
Cost around $500. I am a USFS firefighter so I have access to some deals to get me into better glass.

I possibly would order a custom elevation turret for it since my wife uses it as well. I believe considering our max desired range the most environmental factors and elevation would affect the bullet would be 2-3” @500yards. I really don't have much desire to reach out further.

Yesterday I went to Sportsman's and looked through a Nightforce SHV and Swaro Z3. Probably shouldn't have done that, but now I think I know what kind of quality I'd like to find within my budget. I looked through a Leupold VX3i and wasn't impressed. Some options I'm liking are...

Maven RS.2 2-10x38
Burris Veracity 2-10x42
Vortex Razor hdlh 2-10x40
SWFA SS 2.5-10x32 (probably not as bright as the other options?)

Thoughts? I need to email Doug at Cameraland at some point and see what they have.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

How about a Meopta Meopro 4.5-14x44? We have these on special for only $449.99 with capped turrets and $499.99 with exposed target turrets. These are excellent quality scopes with high quality optics

 

[Dirtriding4life]

How about a Meopta Meopro 4.5-14x44? We have these on special for only $449.99 with capped turrets and $499.99 with exposed target turrets. These are excellent quality scopes with high quality optics

I'm a little concerned about the FOV for hunting dark Oregon timber. I didn't care for the 3.5-10 VX3i, I would think 4.5 would be even worse. I sent you an email.

 

[slowelk]

I have a Leupold vx5hd 2-10x42 on my tikka superlite 30-06. It's somewhat out of your price range, but fits your other wants to a "t". It dials, and returns to zero dependably, and the glass is phenomenal. The vx-3 series could be a good option closer to your price point.
I wouldn't go anywhere near a burris.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

The VX5 10-42 is on sale at swfa for 599.00.

Right now Im testing out a vx5HD and a razor HD LH 3-15 to see which one I'll use this year, I sort of lucked out and ended up getting both of them for around the cost of 1 of them.

So far I really like both but its not really an apples to apples comparison, the vx5 has a 30mm tube, a normal duplex reticle and a CDS dial. The Razor has a 1" tube and a BDC reticle. Both weigh about 1 lb and would work well on a tikka.

 

[doverpack12]

Look into a tract Toric 3-15. Mine has dialed right on in a year of use. Otherwise with your job I would look at SHV 3-10 it has parallax and most do not In that mag range.

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

The BDC on the Vortex you have right now lines up perfect with 165 grain factory ammo out to 500 if you zero at 100. What are you not getting now that you want to change? If you want to dial there is lots of other useful threads to answer that, but from the options you listed the only one that gets consistently recommended on here is the SWFA.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I didn't get a chance to look through the 2-10 VX5 the other day because it was sold out. Hopefully Sportsman's will get one in stock soon so I can take a look. I didn't see the 2-10 model on sale on SWFA, only the 3-15.

I'll do some research on the Tract. Its a bit above the budget. If I'm going to push my budget I think the Nightforce is the way to go. The Nightforce doesn't have a zero stop. If I bought a ballistic strip for it, would it be easy to loose my zero and make a complete rotation of the turret? I really haven't spent much time around dialable scopes.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

The BDC on the Vortex you have right now lines up perfect with 165 grain factory ammo out to 500 if you zero at 100. What are you not getting now that you want to change? If you want to dial there is lots of other useful threads to answer that, but from the options you listed the only one that gets consistently recommended on here is the SWFA.

Yes, the BDC on my Diamondback 3-9 is accurate and works well for me out to 400. At that point I think a BDC reticle is ineffective. Drop on my bullet at 400 is 19" and at 500 it is 39" with 200 yard zero.

If I had an animal at 450 I would have to hold somewhere between those crosshairs and that is very imprecise IMHO and the animal deserves better. Also, when accounting for wind you have to hold where there is no line at all when using the BDC.

 

[Cant hit em]

Maybe because I’ve never really used “high end” scopes , but the VX3i 3.5-10 i put on my Tikka sure has exceeded my expectations. The eye relief is very generous , glass clear and in some Talleys is right at if not under a pound. It is a pleasure to carry in the backcountry in my hand or strapped to my pack.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

Maybe because I’ve never really used “high end” scopes , but the VX3i 3.5-10 i put on my Tikka sure has exceeded my expectations. The eye relief is very generous , glass clear and in some Talleys is right at if not under a pound. It is a pleasure to carry in the backcountry in my hand or strapped to my pack.

Do you have the 40 or 50mm? I'm sure it is better glass than my current setup, but it didn't look very clear or bright at 10x compared with other options I was looking through. Maybe just my eyes? The weight on the 50 impressive.

 

[Cant hit em]

Do you have the 40 or 50mm? I'm sure it is better glass than my current setup, but it didn't look very clear or bright at 10x compared with other options I was looking through. Maybe just my eyes? The weight on the 50 impressive.

I have the 40 non CDS

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

Yes, the BDC on my Diamondback 3-9 is accurate and works well for me out to 400. At that point I think a BDC reticle is ineffective. Drop on my bullet at 400 is 19" and at 500 it is 39" with 200 yard zero.

If I had an animal at 450 I would have to hold somewhere between those crosshairs and that is very imprecise IMHO and the animal deserves better. Also, when accounting for wind you have to hold where there is no line at all when using the BDC.

That’s your exact problem. You are zeroed at 200 and not 100. That BDC is not designed for use in standard calibers at 200.

 

[Newtosavage]

Yes, the BDC on my Diamondback 3-9 is accurate and works well for me out to 400. At that point I think a BDC reticle is ineffective. Drop on my bullet at 400 is 19" and at 500 it is 39" with 200 yard zero.

If I had an animal at 450 I would have to hold somewhere between those crosshairs and that is very imprecise IMHO and the animal deserves better. Also, when accounting for wind you have to hold where there is no line at all when using the BDC.

I can understand just "wanting" a better scope, but I doubt you "need" one. Ask yourself what % of shot opportunities may fall into that narrow window you just described.

Perhaps if you could spend some time practicing between 400 and 500 yards it would help you make your decision? Unless you've already done that and weren't satisfied with the results?

Last year, I went out with a Burris Fullfield II that was zero'd at 100 and the ballistic reticle was spot-on at 200, 300, 400 and 500 yards. I had a chance to shoot 400 yards at a range in Northern CO and just off my pack, my Tikka delivered 3 rounds into a 2" group exactly where I was expecting it to. 450 yards would have been pretty simple based on that experience. IMO, accurate rangefinding becomes much more critical than which reticle or dials you use at those distances. So if you upgrade your scope, I hope you have a rangefinder that is up to the task.

Another thought I had was with that specific bullet/cartridge combo, I'm not sure you want to be taking shots at elk beyond 400 yards to begin with. The impact velocity will drop below 1900 fps at 500 yards (not that much for a solid copper bullet) and the energy is only 1200 ft. lbs. at 500.

Having said all that, there are plenty here who have a lot more experience in this area than I do. I'm just offering what little I have, after being in the same boat. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I didn't get a chance to look through the 2-10 VX5 the other day because it was sold out. Hopefully Sportsman's will get one in stock soon so I can take a look. I didn't see the 2-10 model on sale on SWFA, only the 3-15.

I'll do some research on the Tract. Its a bit above the budget. If I'm going to push my budget I think the Nightforce is the way to go. The Nightforce doesn't have a zero stop. If I bought a ballistic strip for it, would it be easy to loose my zero and make a complete rotation of the turret? I really haven't spent much time around dialable scopes.

You probably aren’t seeing the 2-10 on SWFA because they probably sold out since that was the model that was going for 599.00, they also had the razor HD LH 2-10 for 599.00 but those may have sold out as well.

I am pretty pumped to have gotten a vx5 2-10 on that sale....then a few days later got a razor HD LH for 310.00 + a nice knife. Ended up with 2 awesome scopes randomly.

 

[ChrisAU]

The Vortex Razor HD LH 2-10x40 is $523 on Amazon right now. Grabbed my 3-15x42 from Amazon in November for $550. Love it, especially for the price. The G4 reticle is awesome too IMO. There is usually a couple in the optics classifieds on here too.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

You probably aren’t seeing the 2-10 on SWFA because they probably sold out since that was the model that was going for 599.00, they also had the razor HD LH 2-10 for 599.00 but those may have sold out as well.

I am pretty pumped to have gotten a vx5 2-10 on that sale....then a few days later got a razor HD LH for 310.00 + a nice knife. Ended up with 2 awesome scopes randomly.

That's a sweet deal on the Razor. They're $523 on Amazon right now which is better than any pro deal that I've been able to find. Have you used either of them yet?

Replying to the BDC comments, I'll have to spend some time tonight playing with a calculator and 100 yard zero. I didn't realize it wasn't designed for 200 yard zero. At 200 zero the hash marks are something close to 270, 400, and 500ish yards. I usually double check before a hunt to refresh my memory.
An angle compensating rangefinder is something I want to add to my kit this year. The Nikon I have has served me well for the ranges I've been reaching out to.
The desire to reach 500 has been with more hunts in the Eagle Caps with large canyons to reach across. I want to get as close as I can, but large herds in the late season and big country make that difficult. With my current scope I've found the reticle at 500 to be a bit large and cover my gong. I haven't practiced between hash marks and I'm sure that would prepare me better if I found myself in that situation.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

That's a sweet deal on the Razor. They're $523 on Amazon right now which is better than any pro deal that I've been able to find. Have you used either of them yet?

Replying to the BDC comments, I'll have to spend some time tonight playing with a calculator and 100 yard zero. I didn't realize it wasn't designed for 200 yard zero. At 200 zero the hash marks are something close to 270, 400, and 500ish yards. I usually double check before a hunt to refresh my memory.
An angle compensating rangefinder is something I want to add to my kit this year. The Nikon I have has served me well for the ranges I've been reaching out to.
The desire to reach 500 has been with more hunts in the Eagle Caps with large canyons to reach across. I want to get as close as I can, but large herds in the late season and big country make that difficult. With my current scope I've found the reticle at 500 to be a bit large and cover my gong. I haven't practiced between hash marks and I'm sure that would prepare me better if I found myself in that situation.

Ive sighted them both in at 100yds and tried them out in some fairly low light situations but thats about it, Ive been very busy. I havnt messed with the CDS dial or the G4 BDC reticle or anything yet. When I got some more time (maybe even this weekend) I'll play around with it. Im also sort of trying to figure out what rifle to keep each on for sheep season, I have enough scope rings etc to set up pretty much any combination I have.

 

[Eric4]

The SWFA 2.5-10x32 has an eye relief of 65mm at max magnification. That may be a bit close, for a 30-06

I like the specs on the scope otherwise, but with that eye relief, it seems more of a .22 scope.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

So... If I was to pony up another ~$200 over my original budget I could get the SHV 3-10x42 or Z3 3-10x42.

It seems the Nightforce wins in durability and dialing. Swaro wins in weight and optical quality. I think with the BRX-heavy reticle I could get away without dialing to fit my needs. The reticle is a little busy, but doesn't leave the 100 yard gaps like a traditional BDC does and can reach past 500. I've looked through both either would be incredible. Anyone want to persuade me either way?