Best scope for Deer and Targets?

Brian5

Help needed what's the best scope for dusk/dawn super clarity,deer shooting at 100 meters and targets at 600???

Cass

What's your budget?

For €1,000 you could go for the Sightron SIII 8-32.
For €1,850you could go for a Nightforce NXS 8-32.
For €2,500 you have the choice of S&B / Swar.
For €€650 - €900 you have your choice of any Bushnell Elite 4500/6500 models.

These are new prices. Second hand the above can be gotten for less.

Nightforce have poorer low light visibility under higher mag, but are good on low mag. The S&Bs are better in all light conditions, but far more expensive, and have less overall mag unless you go for the 5-25 PMII models.

Cass

Should elaborate on my post above. The reason i stuck with those scopes is because they are of decent quality, but also have the higher mag necessary to shoot out to 600 yards.

Other makes/models would be be cheaper and as good quality wise, but low on mag power. 8/9/12 power for accurate 600 yard shooting while not impossible would be made harder than a minimum of 20 power or higher. Which these scopes come with.

clivej

To me this question is Chalk and Cheese, either/or, black 'n white.

A cheap Bushnell banner 4-12x40mm or 6-18x50mm (better) will do you well for your deer stalking.
Any of the scopes that EZ recomends will do better for your longer range shooting.

Me I have 2 Bushnell 4200 Elites 6-24 x50mm, with target turrets, on both the .223 fox rifle and .308 deer rifle. Now these scopes will get you out to 600m, and I have shot out to 800m with the .308. but I would be happy enough with a banner 6-18x50mm on either rifle for foxing or deer hunting.

And you must remember that out to 600m your getting to the end of a scopes MOA adjustment and therefore you should think about fitting a 20MOA rail on your rifle as well.


Just my two-cent worth.

Brian5

Thanks so much for Yere help guys....so nightforce 3-12x56 nxs what kind of money we talkin?

Cass

Nightforce don't do a 3-12. Not trying to be pedantic, but they do a 3.5-15. However they run the same money as the 5.5-22 and with that being the case i'd recommend the 5.5 - 22. Higher mag, can drop down to 5.5 for lower light shooting, and up to 22 which is enough for 600 target.

They run around €1,500 new. Second they don;t come up too often, but should run between €750 - €1,000 depending on condition, and age.

It's a good deal of money. There are numerous other brands, and makes available both new, and second hand for less money. Most will not go higher than say 16 power, but some do such as the ones Clivej mentioned above. Other brands are far cheaper, and some do come with higher mag, but remain "untested" as both a good hunting scope AND target scope.


Have you a budget in mind, and would you prefer new or second hand?

Which is your preferred or primary type of shooting. If hunting is what you do most then i would lean towards a hunting orientated scope, and if it can do target work great. If the other way then go for a target scope that you can utilise for hunting.

Brian5

Ok so 5.5-22 seems good in nightforce nxs?primary shooting is deer...if a fella was paying 1500 he be as well off to go for s and b altogether?

Brian5

Is it 5.5-22 x56 or what is it?:)

Cass

Brian5 wrote: »

.if a fella was paying 1500 he be as well off to go for s and b altogether?

From a hunting point of view S&B would be better glass, but with S&B the highest mag on a scope they do is 5-25 and that is on the PMII models which run, new, €2.400+. Don't see or hear of many going second hand.

Nightforce would not be the first choice for a hunting scope, but i'm trying to think of the target shooting aspect when mentioning scopes. As clivej said a cheaper scopes would do the job. It's really a matter of what you are happy with. That is why i keep asking for a budget.

Hawke Sidewinder 30 are under €400 new, and come with 6-24 and 8-32 power. Are fullbore rated, and fully guaranteed. Glass on it, as with all cheaper scopes, will not be near the clarity of the higher end scopes.

The other aspect to consider is what are you comfortable shooting with. By that i mean when i shoot targets i like as much mag as possible. A friend of mine can shoot the same distances as me but on half the mag. So if you are comfortable/good shooting out to 600 yard on a max of 12 - 16 power then you have a greater selection. If you want more mag than this your choices of cheaper scopes reduces, and you may be forced to go for a higher end, more expensive scope.

Brian5 wrote: »

Is it 5.5-22 x56 or what is it?:)

Yup.

5.5-22x56.

4200fps

You won't go wrong with a Zeiss 3-12x50. 850euro will get you one. You hardly be shooting 600 yards often. Cheap,crystal clear optics with a name you can trust that has excellent light transmission is what you need nothing else for deer shooting or even fox shooting. If your doing 600 yard shots double your money

FISMA

Brian5 wrote: »

Help needed what's the best scope for dusk/dawn super clarity,deer shooting at 100 meters and targets at 600???

Brian,
You're really in two different fields here. Deer are big targets that require little magnification. A 4x fixed is all you need, however, with the availability of 3-9x40mm scopes, it is the most popular amongst hunters. I always recommend the Burris Fullfield II in 3-9x40mm for hunting deer.

At 600ya you are in to the long range shooters game. Money is the name of the game. You cannot go cheap and expect good results at distance. Also, you may need to think about a mount that is canted/angled.

So, if you really want one scope to do both jobs, fair enough. I would recommend stick to the deer shooting and targets inside of 400ya, get honed, and then, later, move on.

With that said, if you still want a scope that will: reach out to 600ya, take deer, and not break the bank, I would go with the same line of Burris scopes and just step up the magnification.

Why not try a 6.5-20x50mm? It will take care of everything you want and lamping/vermin at large distances.

Some other glass to look into: Nikon Prostaff and Sightron.

The glass the lads are recommending is sound: Zeiss, S&B, Nightforce,... But for a dedicated hunting rifle, you'll do just fine with far less a scope.

Happy shooting!