Riflescope Help

[805Bowhunter]

I’ve been a bowhunter my entire life for the most part but recently purchased a Christensen Ridgeline 30-06 for some future rifle hunts. These will all be “western” hunts or in Alaska. I know very little about rifle shooting and outside a couple of deer that I shot relatively close with my grandpas 270. I have a budget for a scope right around $1500. I dont anticipate shooting anything out past 400 in the field but would love to shoot longer at the range. Something with a zero stop that can be trucked around in the mountains with an MOA reticle is what I am leaning towards but would love a little bit of guidance. I'm not partial to one company over another, but want something reliable for the long term. I dont see myself upgrading anytime soon as I just want reliability and something I'll still be shooting in 15 years. I like the idea of hunting timber as well as hunting in open country. I hunt blacktail in California as well as deer and elk out of state. I’m going to Kodiak for blacktail in Nov 2023.

The scopes I have been looking at are the Zeiss Conquest V6 3-18x50, the Leupold Vx 6 HD 3-18x50 and the Leupold VX3 4.5x14x40.

I’ve tried to research on the Rok as much as possible but frankly it feels like an overwhelming rabbit hole. I was good glass that works well in low light and can stand up to a myriad of western hunting situations and be reliable through and through. Any input would be helpful.

 

[Chromeslayer]

Zeiss v6 would be my pick

 

[keystone112]

VX-5HD 3-15 is solid. Nightforce SHV and NXS would also be on my short list.

 

[Oregonmuley]

Based on your post I might suggest you look at the NF NXS Compact 2.5-10x42. It will be rock solid for years and if you decide to dial it should also be spot on. If you call Doug @CameralandNY he can set you up for your budgeted amount

 

[BBarnett13]

I have a Zeiss Conquest V6 3-18x50 with the ZMOA-2 reticle atop a 300WM. It checks all my boxes for clarity, brightness, color contrast, field of view and functionality. The only thing I would change is a lockable or capped windage turret. If you're counting ounces, the VX-5HD 3-15x44 with the Impact-29 reticle or the Wind-Plex (if you intend to dial) would be a solid choice. If you're looking to dial and want a scope that maintains zero from drops/falls, then you should consider Nightforce as well.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

Based on your post I might suggest you look at the NF NXS Compact 2.5-10x42. It will be rock solid for years and if you decide to dial it should also be spot on. If you call Doug @CameralandNY he can set you up for your budgeted amount

This. I have the NF SHV 3-10x42 on a 30-06 and feel this magnification is perfect out to 500 yards. Too much magnification is a hindrance especially in a second focal plane rifescope. The zero stop and increased durability of the NXS would be ideal.

 

[Mountainrancher]

If you’re not 100% set on a scope in Moa I would recommend the bushnell elite lrhs 2. It’s been a solid scope for me so far although I’ve only had it for about 6 months. The original lrhs scopes are very well regarded on here and elsewhere. It has a super solid reticle and has a very good reputation for dialing.

Bushnell LRHS-2 4.5-18 x 44 G2H reticle

<p>BACK IN STOCK!!</p>

www.gaprecision.net

 

[805Bowhunter]

Has anyone compared the NXS glass to the Zeiss? I had forgotten about Nightforce in my research and was fixated on the two above. I haven't heard a lot of negative about the NXS line.

@Dirtriding4life I really appreciate your above insight. Do you ever wish you had the 4x-14x? I don't see myself harvesting anything out past 400 honestly with my ability to shoot but am curious about your thoughts.

To be honest...the NXS looks pretty sweet

 

[Oregonmuley]

Has anyone compared the NXS glass to the Zeiss? I had forgotten about Nightforce in my research and was fixated on the two above. I haven't heard a lot of negative about the NXS line.

@Dirtriding4life I really appreciate your above insight. Do you ever wish you had the 4x-14x? I don't see myself harvesting anything out past 400 honestly with my ability to shoot but am curious about your thoughts.

To be honest...the NXS looks pretty sweet

I have never compared it to a Zeiss which I'm sure the Zeiss has fantastic glass but I did compare it side by side to a S&B PM II 10x42 I had and just sold to get another NXS. Side by side with the S&B I might be inclined to say the S&B has a slightly crisper image but as far as their ability in low light it looks about equal to my 59 year old eyes OP, I'm pretty much like you in that I don't generally shoot out past 400 yards and for that its tough not to like the NF NXS.
I'm a fan of that scope.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

NF SHV, your can use it like a hammer to hang pictures. Toughest scope and if you somehow manage to bust it, they provide quick service unlike most others. Put em on two guns. Make those 1000 yard targets look big.

 

[Thinkingman]

For your purposes, you definitely want to stay at 3X on the bottom.
3-18 Conquest would be my choice.
Don't let anyone talk you into going higher power and losing the field of view at the bottom end.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Do you want to dial for elevation or set it and forget it and use the reticle?

 

[Dirtriding4life]

Has anyone compared the NXS glass to the Zeiss? I had forgotten about Nightforce in my research and was fixated on the two above. I haven't heard a lot of negative about the NXS line.

@Dirtriding4life I really appreciate your above insight. Do you ever wish you had the 4x-14x? I don't see myself harvesting anything out past 400 honestly with my ability to shoot but am curious about your thoughts.

To be honest...the NXS looks pretty sweet

I think the 4-14x F1 SHV would be fantastic besides the weight. For a mountain rifle something in the low 20 ounces is all I wanted to put on the rifle.

I don’t mind the SFP in 10x scopes. If I’m compensating for drop past what a 200 yard zero will reach I will be at 10x magnification anyways to make the reticle drop accurate. If you were someone who wanted a 100 yard zero I could see the drawbacks.

Anything over 12x magnification in my opinion is too much magnification for a SFP scope unless you take the time to dial on every shot.

 

[805Bowhunter]

Do you want to dial for elevation or set it and forget it and use the reticle?

In all reality I’m not quite sure. I’d love to be proficient with both. Maybe it’s being a bowhunter for so long but the idea of using the reticle for holdover makes a lot of sense right now. Maybe this will change as comfort behind the scope increases but dialing under pressure right now seems overwhelming.

 

[805Bowhunter]

Does the conquest have the same zero stop reliability as the nxs?

 

[Quadzilla32]

I think the 4-14x F1 SHV would be fantastic besides the weight. For a mountain rifle something in the low 20 ounces is all I wanted to put on the rifle.

I don’t mind the SFP in 10x scopes. If I’m compensating for drop past what a 200 yard zero will reach I will be at 10x magnification anyways to make the reticle drop accurate. If you were someone who wanted a 100 yard zero I could see the drawbacks.

Anything over 12x magnification in my opinion is too much magnification for a SFP scope unless you take the time to dial on every shot.

Not to change the subject but how far out are you able to see clearly with just x12? I'm in the market for my first longer range hunting scope on my 300 win mag and it was suggested to me to get a x16 or higher. I only plan to shoot out to 500 yards, just my personal comfort distance.

I'm new to hunting and don't know what an animal looks like at 300-500 yards. I would think that you would want higher magnification so you can really dial in for a shot. however, if you are using a SFP scope you would have to dial in to max magnification to use all the corresponding holds and at closer ranges you might not be able to use max magnification.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

Not to change the subject but how far out are you able to see clearly with just x12? I'm in the market for my first longer range hunting scope on my 300 win mag and it was suggested to me to get a x16 or higher. I only plan to shoot out to 500 yards, just my personal comfort distance.

I'm new to hunting and don't know what an animal looks like at 300-500 yards. I would think that you would want higher magnification so you can really dial in for a shot. however, if you are using a SFP scope you would have to dial in to max magnification to use all the corresponding holds and at closer ranges you might not be able to use max magnification.

The end of your second paragraph is bang on about why a 14-18x SFP scope is not ideal for hunting scenarios. Say an animal presents itself at 300 yards and you have limited amount of time to dial for the shot requiring reticle holdovers. With a SFP you have to be at maximum magnification for the reticle to be accurate and that creates a small FOV for watching the impact, difficulty relocating the animal for a follow up shot, and makes the optic appear unsteady. Try handholding 15x binos compared with 10x and it’s clear which is more steady. Other downsides are a tighter eye box with higher magnification as well.

It’s kind of the American way with more being better, however to my eyes 10x is sufficient out to 500 yards on animals. In the past two years I’ve had excellent bullet placement on a bull at 470 and a mule deer frontal bedded at 380 in fading light (I was waiting for him to stand to present a larger target which never happened). In mule deer or pronghorn at 500 yards they might appear small in the scope but a thin illuminated reticle like in the Nightforce 10x scopes the bullet placement is not an issue for me. Someone else might find otherwise though.

 

[Quadzilla32]

The end of your second paragraph is bang on about why a 14-18x SFP scope is not ideal for hunting scenarios. Say an animal presents itself at 300 yards and you have limited amount of time to dial for the shot requiring reticle holdovers. With a SFP you have to be at maximum magnification for the reticle to be accurate and that creates a small FOV for watching the impact, difficulty relocating the animal for a follow up shot, and makes the optic appear unsteady. Try handholding 15x binos compared with 10x and it’s clear which is more steady. Other downsides are a tighter eye box with higher magnification as well.

It’s kind of the American way with more being better, however to my eyes 10x is sufficient out to 500 yards on animals. In the past two years I’ve had excellent bullet placement on a bull at 470 and a mule frontal shot deer at 380 in last light. In mule deer or pronghorn at 500 yards they might appear smaller in the scope but a thin illuminated reticle like in the Nightforce 10x scopes the bullet placement is not an issue for me. Someone else might find otherwise though

So would it be safe to say that if you plan to shoot 300-500 yards x12 would be significant? Ill be hunting mainly in Colorado so some wooded areas but also open mountain sides. I know this probably comes down to personal preference its just hard since most of the places around me don't carry the optics I'm looking for and no way to really gauge how an animal will look at that max magnification. I don't want to drop 1K on an optic and find out I cant see at longer ranges.

 

[keystone112]

I would add my opinion that 12x would be perfect. The reason I run a 3-15 on my long range 270 Win isn't because I wanted the extra magnification.

The 3-15 was $600 cheaper than the 2-12 that I wanted. I just wanted to save $600.

 

[Dirtriding4life]

So would it be safe to say that if you plan to shoot 300-500 yards x12 would be significant? Ill be hunting mainly in Colorado so some wooded areas but also open mountain sides. I know this probably comes down to personal preference its just hard since most of the places around me don't carry the optics I'm looking for and no way to really gauge how an animal will look at that max magnification. I don't want to drop 1K on an optic and find out I cant see at longer ranges.

In my opinion and other shooters much more experienced than me a ratio of 1.5x per 100 yards is sufficient. I’m perfectly happy at 10x with a rough 500 yard limit. Some episodes of The Hunt Backcountry Podcast have gotten into this recently and Steve has settled onto the 2.5-10x42 NXS for all around use. Makes me want to upgrade from my 3-10 SHV but it works great as well.