Suggestions for scopes/rings/mounts two Savage Arms left hand bolts

[UnintendedConsequences]

I have two left hand Savage Arms rifles in the Model 110/111 design pre-AccuTrigger with a round front receiver and flattened back receiver with on chambered in .22-250 Remington and the other in .270 Winchester. I'm looking for suggestions for reticles and scopes suited for low light hunting out to about 300 yards and for precision shooting out to the ballistic limits of both cartridges. Additionally, while the scopes are more for hunting, I want heavy duty rings and scope base, preferably with longer range capability and in a M1913/Picatinny rail configuration.

I have been looking at the new Leupold scopes with the crescent moon bell design ( I forget the specific model name ) as possibilities for the rifles. I kind of need a compromise for hunting/precision shooting as I want to try out these two rifles a test beds before I spend more money on doing project rifles. At the least I want to end up with something that would be worth having for hardcore hunting varmints and predators (.22-250) and deer to elk (.270) but if I can eek out some entry level precision performance then that's a plus.

If I need to do so down the road, I'd rebarrel the actions to change the cartridges to .308 Wnchester and .30-06 Springfield to match my mil-surp/mil-spec semiauto rifles, but for now I want to see how I like these two chamberings for hunting first.

Alright, enough babbling. What are some suggestions for this project?

Weight is not so much a big deal to me as I am used to hunting with a 12 gauge pump gun or a M-1 Garand, so as long as the rifles don't end up being more than 10-11 pounds with scope, mounts, M1907 style sling and ammo I am happy.

 

[.41Dave]

If you want strong, I'd probably go with the Talley one piece scope mount. http://www.talleyrings.com/al.htm

Since you are looking at the Leupold VX-Ls, I assume your scope budget is around $800-$1000. Frankly, just about any scope you buy in that price range should give you good performance for low-light hunting and long range shooting. Leupolds are good scopes, but for about the same money I think you can get better optical quality from Zeiss, Kahles, and Swarovski. All three make scopes in that price range that would be suitable. Unless you want a range-finding reticle, a scope with the reticle is located in the second image plane would be best, because the reticle will not magnify when the power is increased. As a result, less of the target is concealed – a major factor in long-range precision shooting.

If you really want the ultimate Long range precision/low-light/hunting/varmint scope, then the ZEISS Victory Diavari 6 - 24 x 72 T is probably it. http://www.zeiss.com/c1256bcf0020be5f/Contents-Frame/ec215ec620626f1e852571d700377d7e

With a pricetag around $3500 though, it might be hard on the budget

 

[ocabj]

Ken Farrell - I use the Ken Farrell on my Savage 10FP (and on another Savage I had built then tore down and parted out). The base is taller than other bases, though. So often low rings still sit the objective higher above the barrel than expected.

Tactical Precision Systems - Never used TPS bases, but the rings are high quality.

http://www.badgerordnance.com - Expensive, but arguably the best.

Since you want the Leupold VX-L, height will be an issue since you do want to get the scope as close to the barrel as possible (if it's high, then the whole purpose of the special objective design is defeated). I'd look at the TPS or Badger Ordnance and look into low or super-low rings offered by the various ring manufacturers (ie: TPS, Badger, Ken Farrell, Acculock, etc).

 

[ArmedBear]

I've got Warne Maxima mounts and low QD rings. I love 'em. They cost a fair bit more than regular rings, but they really do return to zero when you take them off and put them back on. They're solid.

http://www.warnescopemounts.com/default.asp

You can carry a spare, pre-sighted-in scope if you want, or you can just use the feature so you can give the gun a thorough cleaning without having to worry about banging or splattering your scope.

AFAIK the rings will fit on Picatinny's.

I'm really happy with my Burriss Fullfield II (for the deer gun) with BPLEX (has ticks marks for drop) reticle. Great light transmission, not expensive. I paid $220 for a 3-9x40 and got a pair of nice field binocs thrown in.

I don't have a .22-250, or the crazy sort of scope that matches the .22-250's capabilities as a target round, so can't comment about preferences there.

 

[UnintendedConsequences]

What about these products?

For a scope base: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=195404

For scope rings: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=452614

Or these rings: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=155348

Or these here: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=987843

I'm asking because I don't know for certain what is the best under actual field conditions. If anything, I'd like to have the scope base and rings as the primary concern apart from the scope as I have one that can get me by through the hunting season but I do want a quality scope for permanent mounting.

 

[ArmedBear]

Serious overkill for bolt action non-magnums. Hell, the special mounts Weatherby sells for their biggest magnums aren't as beefy as some of those.

Great for those full-auto benchrest competitions.

Won't come loose, though.

 

[UnintendedConsequences]

Which is overkill?

ArmedBear, can you be more specific as to which is overkill? I'm not certain to what you are refering or to whom.

 

[ArmedBear]

These rings:

The other rings weren't so "extreme," but they are extremely expensive when you can get excellent Talleys, Warnes, etc. for a fair amount less cash.

 

[UnintendedConsequences]

Ok, so far I have learned....

...that Badger Ordnance and TPS don't have scope bases to fit my particular model of Savage Arms rifle, but they do have them for the new Accu-Trigger ones.

Farrell and Warne both seem to have good bases for what I want, though the latter has more rail slots for me to move the scope fore and aft as needed plus they have an accessory rail mount attachment for me to mount other accessories on the Warne rail such as a light which might be good for the varmint rifle when needing to take care of predators at night around the livestock. Just a thought there.

As for scopes, I'm not set on the Leupold VX-L, I just thought that their design was interesting and might give me more light gathering capability with a lower than typical mounting height for the objective size.

I'm not sure that Diavari with the 72mm objective lens is exactly what I need. I mean, it looks like a nice scope, but I'm not sure if I like it that much. Price aside, it might be a bit much for what I'm looking for. Still, it is an interesting optic. I think though that I might be better limiting myself to no more than a 56mm objective diameter or more along the lines of a 50mm.

The quick detach rings do catch my interest in as much as it would be nice to have the swapping capability and still retain the zero.

Well, so far I'm getting some good ideas on the rings and scope base mount, but I'm still not sure of the scopes. For the .22-250 I know I want a more powerful scope, perhaps a 6 power at the low end, with the upper end still open as to he maximum. For the .270 I think I want at the low end a 3 or 4 power with the upper limit still open.

How do Kahles, Leupold, Swarovski and Zeiss compare for dollar to value in the field?

 

[ArmedBear]

In the field at 300 yards, none of those scopes presents a good dollar value.

Leupold's lower-end scopes? Get a Burris or the very nice Bushnell 3200 for $100 less.

The others (including Leupold high-end)? Incredible scopes, every last one of them a complete waste of money on a .270 for 300 yards or less, for shooting at big game.

If you have that sort of cash and are intent on spending it, get the Swarovski. At least you'll be able to show off to people at the range.

This whole thread makes no sense to me.

 

[UnintendedConsequences]

Alright, so it might be overkill for hunting...

What I want is a scope as an investment, one that I can purchase now and not outgrow for awhile, but won't be so specialized that it is a target scope only or a hunting scope only.

I believe I have to start somewhere and at the moment the maximum possible range for hunting where I live is 300 yards, but I know of one 600 yard shooting range within a reasonable drive of where I live. I'm really not trying to be a pain here, just trying to start out somewhere with what I do have and can reasonably obtain for a start in the long range shooting area of firearms. None of this is about bragging rights, rather about practical, in the field results. However, I don't want to start out with something so specialized that it can only be used from a benchrest for paper target shooting.

Most of the time I'm a lurker and observe, but I thought that I could learn from the experience of other posters and tap the experience of those who are more knowledgeable than I am in regards to my two rifle set ups.