Quality Eastern Whitetail Riflescope

[M4Madness]

Hello, all! I've been contemplating a new Seekins Element or Element Hunter rifle for deer. Seekins told me that they have the .25 Creedmoor in R&D, so I've been anxiously waiting since last summer, and I'm hoping that we'll get some news next week from SHOT.

My planned use will be anywhere from pointblank to probably 500 yards max. Being a bowhunter for 30+ years, I definitely strive for a close-range experience with whatever weapon I'm fielding. I've shot sub-MOA groups at 500 yards with my .260 Rem, but as of this past season, I've only shot two deer out of over one hundred beyond 200 yards. I hunt strictly from treestands, mostly in forests, but sometimes over large fields.

I've been contemplating a 3-12 S&B Polar with the D7 reticle in SFP and a BDC elevation turret. I'd rather dial than hold over, so I feel that this reticle would serve me best. Am I being overkill? The most expensive optics I've ever owned were a pair of Nightforce NXS years ago. I currently use a couple of Vortex scopes (PST and Viper HS) on my deer rifles, but had to rezero both before this past season -- they weren't off very far at 100 yards, but still. Researching better optics brought me to Rokslide.

Any thoughts?

 

[stevevan]

Hello, all! I've been contemplating a new Seekins Element or Element Hunter rifle for deer. Seekins told me that they have the .25 Creedmoor in R&D, so I've been anxiously waiting since last summer, and I'm hoping that we'll get some news next week from SHOT.

My planned use will be anywhere from pointblank to probably 500 yards max. Being a 30-year plus bowhunter, I definitely strive for a close-range experience with whatever weapon I'm fielding. I've shot sub-MOA groups at 500 yards with my .260 Rem, but as of this past season, I've only shot two deer out of over one hundred beyond 200 yards. I hunt strictly from treestands, mostly in forests, but sometimes over large fields.

I've been contemplating a 3-12 S&B Polar with the D7 reticle in SFP and a BDC elevation turret. I'd rather dial than hold over, so I feel that this reticle would serve me best. Am I being overkill? The most expensive optics I've ever owned were a pair of Nightforce NXS years ago. I currently use a couple of Vortex scopes (PST and Viper HS) on my deer rifles, but had to rezero both before this past season -- they weren't off very far at 100 yards, but still. Researching better optics brought me to Rokslide.

Any thoughts?

Nightforce is bringing out their NX6 line this year. Their 2-12x42 should check the boxes for what you want in a scope. I plan on getting one for specifically for the use you desribe.

 

[PAHunter777]

S&B Klassik 8x56 is extremely hard to beat.

 

[M4Madness]

Nightforce is bringing out their NX6 line this year. Their 2-12x42 should check the boxes for what you want in a scope. I plan on getting one for specifically for the use you desribe.

I've been following the threads dedicated to that line. My concerns are all the complaints about the reticle choices in conjunction with shorter-range hunting. Also, I'm curious about light transmission in NF scopes.

 

[elkguide]

Swarovski fanboy here. I've had great luck with Swaro products.

 

[M4Madness]

S&B Klassik 8x56 is extremely hard to beat.

A fixed 8-power would have probably been a detriment last season when I killed a buck at 20 yards in the woods. I have zero experience with S&B, but I've no doubt that their glass is phenomenal, thus my leaning towards their Polar line.

 

[M4Madness]

Swarovski fanboy here. I've had great luck with Swaro products.

I grew up hearing lots af great things about Swarovski glass! One of my bosses at work uses a Swarovski scope on his annual African hunts and swears by it. My concern is possible loss of zero, which is why I'm transitioning from Vortex. I was completely ignorant of how many scopes are affected by bouncing in the back seats of trucks before finding this forum.

 

[Long Cut]

S&B 2.5-10x56 or Trijicon 2.5-10x56 budget dependent.

For an East Coast whitetail hunter, I’m not sure anything else can compete. Most of us aren’t walking far and if so, the added ounces will make up in low light aiming ability we always experience.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I’d look really hard at some of the Trijicon options. You said you want to dial, so this might not be the best, but the Trijicon 3-9x40 Accupoint is probably the best set-and-forget whitetail scope I have used. I’d look carefully at some of the exposed turret models they offer as well. The 4-16x Accupoint looks awesome and I keep trying to find excuses to get one.

Also, fwiw, for most of the deer taken off our farm last year, at ranges from 80 to 200 yards, the scope used was either an SWFA 6x or 10x. I currently own four of the 6x scopes and two 10x. I think it is hard to go wrong with them.

I also got a SWFA 3-9x on Black Friday. I will be mounting it this afternoon and should be at the range with it tomorrow. Everything about it looks great.

 

[M4Madness]

S&B 2.5-10x56 or Trijicon 2.5-10x56 budget dependent.

For an East Coast whitetail hunter, I’m not sure anything else can compete. Most of us aren’t walking far and if so, the added ounces will make up in low light aiming ability we always experience.

I strongly considered the 2.5-10 Polar for the weight reduction, but the fixed 100M parallax models seem to be more prevalent than the adjustable models (and in stock). Maybe I'm worrying a lot about nothing. I also looked at the higher-end Trijicons, but again, the whole light transmission thing.

 

[M4Madness]

I’d look really hard at some of the Trijicon options. You said you want to dial, so this might not be the best, but the Trijicon 3-9x40 Accupoint is probably the best set-and-forget whitetail scope I have used. I’d look carefully at some of the exposed turret models they offer as well. The 4-16x Accupoint looks awesome and I keep trying to find excuses to get one.

Also, fwiw, for most of the deer taken off our farm last year, at ranges from 80 to 200 yards, the scope used was either an SWFA 6x or 10x. I currently own four of the 6x scopes and two 10x. I think it is hard to go wrong with them.

I also got a SWFA 3-9x on Black Friday. I will be mounting it this afternoon and should be at the range with it tomorrow. Everything about it looks great.

I looked at the Tenmile HX online, but know nothing about how they compare to German glass and if they are bright 30 minutes beyond sunrise and sunset. I have nowhere to look through these scopes in person. I'm sure whatever I end up with kill deer. Heck, my last buck was with a suppressed.300 Blackout Handi-rifle and a 2.5-10 Vortex. Lol! But, with my 58th birthday three days away, I want to treat myself to a nice deer package.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I looked at the Tenmile HX online, but know nothing about how they compare to German glass and if they are bright 30 minutes beyond sunrise and sunset. I have nowhere to look through these scopes in person. I'm sure whatever I end up with kill deer. Heck, my last buck was with a suppressed.300 Blackout Handi-rifle and a 2.5-10 Vortex. Lol! But, with my 58th birthday three days away, I want to treat myself to a nice deer package.

I haven’t had any issues using the Trijicon or SWFA options during legal shooting hours in Virginia. This past season, the 3-9x AccuPoint was actually on my loaner rifle, but for woods hunting, it is the best scope I own. It’s light, clear, always on illumination, and has crisp, accurate adjustments. If it had exposed turrets, I’d use it myself more often. I recently moved it to my Sauer 100 and I expect I will use it a lot more this year.

 

[stevevan]

I too am a Swarovski fanboy and have multiple scopes from them. However, I won't use/trust any model lower than their Z6 although I have not tried the new Z5i which is used by James at Barbour Creek. He and his students use them on the range rifles and his reports and been very favorable on the Z5I scopes.