Andy S. said:
He has a .270 Weatherby rifle that he primarily uses for field/powerline hunting in TN. He is looking for a good long range hunting scope to put on it for a decent price. Most of his shots with this gun will be 200-500 yards . . . . . He is currently looking at the Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 PA . . . . . If not, do you recommend a scope of similar build/quality with comparable features in the $400-700 range?
First, let me state I'm not an expert long-range shooter, even though I often hunt with equipment very capable of 500-yd shots on deer-sized game. It's just I seldom have much opportunity at what I consider a high-probability and ethical (for me) shot much beyond 200 yards, even when I'm using my bull-barreled .300 Weatherby.
Kimberman said:
I would stay with a scope that has a top end no higher than 15x. . . . . . The highest magnification I have on a big game rifle is 12x, which I only use when shooting off of a bench.
Think those are some wise words from Kimberman, as I believe a common mistake many hunters are making is opting for too much magnification. Have your friend read some of the recent posts made on this forum by Mr. Big, as his talks about shooting his .338 Lupua at over 1,000 yards ---- and note both his remarkable shooting with a 10x magnification, and that he's considering spending much more money than your friend on a new scope, with only 10x magnification --- again, shooting at well over 500 yards.
As long as your friend chooses decent quality optics, he'll likely be pleased, just saying that greater magnification may not be necessary, and may even be more a liability than an asset. Going to take some very good light to use 20x with only a 44mm objective.
That said, my personal "longest range" hunting scope is a Burris Signature 3-12 x 44mm. Next in line be a Leupold VX3 3.5-10 x 40mm. And since a 10x brings a 500-yard deer down to the view of a 50-yard deer, my problem in hitting that deer has little to do with a lack of magnification, more to do with considering other factors, one being my lack of long-range shooting experience. IMO, either of those scopes would be a better choice for your friend than any 6.5-20x scope with a 44mm objective.
In the price range you're talking, that Minox ZA5 3-15x42 sounds like a good choice. But magnification and brand preferences aside, just keep in mind that older deer are often going to be flat out running when they cross a powerline ---- meaning time is of essence, as may be a wide enough field of view to quickly pick up that deer, maybe a large enough objective (relative to the magnification) to allow enough light to see, and maybe getting a shot when he stops for that split second.
Shooting deer and shooting paper targets at 500 yards are two very different things.
He is currently looking at the Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 PA and I was wondering if any of you had any experience with this scope. If so, please provide your feedback. If not, do you recommend a scope of similar build/quality with comparable features in the $400-700 range?
