300 Win Mag glass

What will you be doing with the rifle. Is it a sporter of heavy barrel.

Rich 10mm said:

Clarification:: I will be doing long range shooting at paper on a range. I will also be hunting with it. But not long range shoots on game!!! Just wanted to clarify that

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How long is long? And what game?

In general, I like a 4-16x44mm scope for hunting. It’s just enough to get out to 1,000yrds for me without an excessively large target, and to take game where I need to. I have a few SigSauer Tango4’s I enjoy, although I have seen two of them fail at rifle matches. Mine have been flawless so far.

Unless you're going to be doing a lot of shooting at 1000+ there isn't anything special needed, a high quality 3-9X40 or similar is going to be the most scope for the dollar. The only thing I'd suggest is to make sure it is a scope with a good reputation for durability. In sporter weight rifles 300 WM can be a scope killer. For hunting something with good light transmission for those shots at first and last legal shooting times is a good idea. But don't fall into the trap of thinking you need a HUGE front objective. A 40mm objective set on 8X or less will let in all the light most human eyes can use. Going to a 50mm lens lets you go up to 10X, but anything above 10X will be less than optimal in low light. Above that and you need to be taking shots in bright daylight.

For hunting I like the simplicity of scopes with multiple aiming points for longer ranges. You still need to practice shooting at longer ranges with them, but once you figure out where you impact in relation to the aiming point it makes hits on big game targets much easier. Your impact point may not be EXACTLY where you're aiming at longer ranges, but you'll be within a few inches, close enough to hit the kill zone on any big game animal. And if you do need to compensate with hold over/under it will only be a few inches instead of a few feet.

For target shooting something with dials is more precise. They can be used for hunting, but it takes time to get them dialed in. Time you may not have when hunting. Out to 300 yards none of the common cartridges shooting pointed bullets drops enough to need more than a couple of inches of holdover anyway. If you're not planning on shooting game past 300 then it doesn't matter.

A price range would help narrow suggestions. You can get by with a lot of $200 scopes just fine. But you can spend $2000+.

Two scopes in QD mounts.
3-9 for hunting
Straight 20x (does anybody still make fixed power) for target.
Assuming you are tough enough to hump a target rifle in the woods or get kicked by a hunting rifle on the range.
I'm not, my FTR weighs nearly double my sporter.

I put a 2-12x42 with Firedot Leupold VX-6 on my 7 Mag

redneck2 said:

I put a 2-12x42 with Firedot Leupold VX-6 on my 7 Mag

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I've got that scope on a .270 with the CDS Dial and FireDot BDC reticle, very nice rig. I'm in the process of "tweaking" a REM 700 in .300WM that I've had for years, and done little with. Currently it's got a Leupold VX3 4.5-14 on it. It's going to get replaced with either another VX6HD 3-18x44 or a VX5HD 3-15. Really leaning towards the VX6HD because I like the dual dials VS just elevation.

OP IF Your primary deal is targets out to 1000 chances are good you're going to want a MIL or MOA reticle with external adjustable turrets. I've also got a Vortex PST 4-16X with Mil reticle that works well out to 1000 and beyond. Stand hunting would be fine, but I'm not a fan of carrying a rifle with large external turrets.

jmr40 said:

A 40mm objective set on 8X or less will let in all the light most human eyes can use. Going to a 50mm lens lets you go up to 10X, but anything above 10X will be less than optimal in low light. Above that and you need to be taking shots in bright daylight.

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A guy has to have some TERRIBLE eyes before they can only go to a 5mm exit pupil. Most humans start losing light between 2-3mm exit pupil, meaning a 40mm objective is good for about 12x and a 50mm won’t go dark until 20x. Even aged eyes don’t typically have issue below 5mm, as the muscles which fatigue with age are what OPENS the pupil, not close it - so we get better with age, in that regard (might not be able to see diddly squat, but we can still capture light in a scope).

I personally start losing light at about 2.3-2.4mm exit pupil. No darkening in a 4.5-18x44mm which is a 2.44mm exit pupil, no darkening at all in a 3.5-21x50mm which yields 2.38mm, and only slight darkening at 22x in a 6-24x50mm at 2.27mm.

Is there a use for the current crop of wide range variable scopes? I was reading of a 4.5-30X.
I don't want anything less than 20 on a target scope and nothing over maybe 12 on a hunting rifle, and a plains rifle at that.

Jim Watson said:

Is there a use for the current crop of wide range variable scopes? I was reading of a 4.5-30X.
I don't want anything less than 20 on a target scope and nothing over maybe 12 on a hunting rifle, and a plains rifle at that.

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I use such scopes, regularly. I’ve been running 3.5-21x, 4.5-30x, 7-35x, and 4.5-27x on my match rifles. We might engage targets at 250yrds, or out to 1400yrds. Might have to jump from porthole to porthole 10 times in a minute and a half, or might dive on our bellies and bang a long range troop line.

Fantastic for coyote hunting as well, since I have properties where I might not be able to see past 50 yards, or might drive around a 4 square mile section where shooting 800yrds at a coyote can almost be expected.

ETA: wide range isn’t so new. Bushnell was selling a 4.5-30x like 15-20yrs ago, and the Nightforce 5.5-22x is at least 12yrs old. Might be “recent” in terms of history of the world, but there have been 5-6 factored scopes for a long time now, not just 3-4 factored scopes.

I run a Steiner 4x20x50 on my 5R 300WM. It is primarily a hunting rifle though.

****I dislike exposed turrets on my hunting guns that would be advantageous for paper punching.

Rich 10mm said:

I’m trying to stay in the $400 range. $500 maximum.

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You might be in luck, just got a flyer from Euro Optic with a good deal on Vortex PSTs. $549.00:

https://www.eurooptic.com/vortex-vi...il&utm_term=0_dde3ccfa21-80e9ed115c-159134693

Yup here ya go.........
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/828814853

Ks5shooter said:

Yup here ya go.........
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/828814853
View attachment 856899 View attachment 856900

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That’s a deal! A lot of scope for the money right there

I just put this Ziess scope on a .300 Weatherby I built for long range Elk hunting and half mile casual range work. It has every thing I wanted . The z plex 800 reticule is super for .300 magnums
https://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-Optica...s=Zeiss+scope&qid=1567219994&s=gateway&sr=8-4

for a Zeiss German made HD5 that is a VERY good price !