Scope advice, and other neat stuff

[Silent-Snail]

This fall I intend to go deer hunting with a No.4 Mk.1 Enfield. I mave already ordered a no gunsmith mount from I belive Bushnells (the name escapes me at the moment), and was wondering waht scope to get. BTW For me a scope is needed to shoot accuratly over 50 yds.

Also how would a used oil filter work as a simulated deer heart?

 

[mete]

Scope power depends on range .Here in NY and many other places average range is no more than 50 yds. I use a 1x4 Leupold, that will cover most shots anywhere. The vital heart lung area is the size of a soccer ball. I try to hit the lungs and they usually run no more than 50 yds. I eat the heart ,sliced into strips ,quickly sauteed with onion ,bay leaf, red wine !!

 

[dakotasin]

leupold makes a dandy scope in the vx-2 line... arguably the best scope available, dollar for dollar. i would reccomend the 2-7 or 3-9 for your purposes.

an oil filter will work fine... i use paper plates stapled onto lath, and sprinkled throughout the field at random ranges w/ no markings whatsoever on them. i then give myself x amount of time to get into position and make a shot. not quite as good practice as prairie dogs, but better than banging away from a bench...

btw... don't get too hungo up on the deer's heart - they aren't marked that well in the field. get a pretty good idea of the deer's anatomy so that no matter what angle you are at, you can visualize the heart and/or lung(s)...

 

[Art Eatman]

IMO, the main thing is to practice shooting from some sort of field-type hasty rest. Play "real world". Practice offhand as well, to find your limits. Any sort of 3" or 4" object, out around 100 yards, makes a good target. Oil filter, soda can...

FWIW, one of my longest-ever deer kills was with a 3x9 scope set on 3X. Last day of season, late afternoon; about 350 yards. Magnification is far more important on little critters such as prairie dogs than it is on deer...

If the highest odds are that Bambi won't be much over 100 yards away, a good used Weaver K4 is probably as good a scope as there is.

And like dakotasin said, learn how a deer is put together. It's nice to be ABLE to hit the heart, but it's real helpful to know just where is that piece of Bambi.

, Art

 

[testar77]

Absolutely, Positively

Leupold. I will never go back to anything else. Best bang for your buck!!!.

 

[1911 guy]

My two cents

Leupold does indeed make a fine scope. They're not much more expensive than most others and quality is always good. Keep the power ring set to a lower setting, though. If Mr. Deer is far enough away to need more magnification, you've got time to twist it. As another poster said, too, don't get too hung up on heart shots as long as you know you can drop one into the general area. Heart, lungs, etc. are all killing shots. Every deer I've seen heart shot has run for a little. Lung shots seem to work good for me. I'm quite sure somebody out there has had different experiences, though. I'm everything was predictable it would be boring! Good hunting.

 

[Silent-Snail]

What I need is something under $50.00. Where is that on the quality scale?

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Under $50 for a scope? Hmmm...

You'll probably get a lot of advice that you need to spend at least a couple of hundred, but if you're like me and haven't got $250+ for a scope, that's a whole different story.

Several people have commented that they've had luck with a Simmons 8-Point, which sells in the $40 range (check eBay). I've also read that the NcStar scopes are okay.

The downside to this is that a scope in that range is at risk for failing when you need it most; lots of anecdotes about reticles breaking, lenses coming loose (I had this happen on a cheap Tasco that came with a used 30-30 I bought), not holding zero, etc. etc.

If it were me, I'd look for a Simmons ATV--they're closer to a hundred, but you might luck out and find a gently-used one for less. For that matter, fixed-power scopes are out of fashion; you might be able to get a good quality used 4x scope fairly cheap.

Put another way, going with a low-cost scope can be a hit-or-miss proposition--literally.

 

[halvey]

What I need is something under $50.00. Where is that on the quality scale?

Sell your computer or borrow another $100 and get a used Leupold?

 

[dakotasin]

only a rich man can afford to buy cheap junk.

 

[Art Eatman]

A good used Weaver K4 at around $35 to $40 is NOT cheap junk. I've used several of them over the decades. I've them on everything from .223 to .30-'06. Minis, 742, bolt-actions...

Art

 

[ojibweindian]

For something under $50, go with Art's suggestion and get yourself a used Weaver K-4. It's tons better than any Simmons you'll get at Wal-Mart for the same price.