Scope options

[03GTGUY]

I'm fixing to buy a Remington Model 700 SPS Stainless in .308 and am undecided on a scope. Ive narrowed it down to Nikon Monarch 6.5-20X44 AO and a Burris Black Diamond 6-24X50. Input and opinions?

[srt-4_i_swear]

are you looking to shoot far and multiple shots per outing? Have you considered the 700 sps varmint? I like my nikon but its only the prostaff

[Wild Stallion]

Why do you need such magnification for a .308? The Monarch is pretty close to Leopold VariX II in quality, Don't know squat about the Burris. Go with the Nikon.

[03GTGUY]

Why do you need such magnification for a .308? The Monarch is pretty close to Leopold VariX II in quality, Don't know squat about the Burris. Go with the Nikon.

I dont really *need* it but I like having it. My feeder is lasered at 157 yards and I have shooting lanes up to 250 yards. I have a 24 power scope on my 30-06 and that has allowed me to nail some yotes pretty far off. Doubt I coulda made the shot with a 3x9 for instance.

[srt-4_i_swear]

don't much care for a bull barrel for less than that stainless will cost you?

[03GTGUY]

don't much care for a bull barrel for less than that stainless will cost you?

not really, i like the stainless. My brother bought one in 270wsm and i fell in love with it. Fits me just right and feels perfect on the shoulder.

[SOLOW55]

Magnification will only get you so far. I have a fixed 10 pwr Tasco Super Sniper for my VLS 308, which I should be able to shoot out to a 1000 yds with it .I have learned that sometimes having a large magnification can give you a false since of distance . Your 308 will start to drop considerable after 200 yards, I would at least go with one with some kind of ballistic compensator in it or adjustable turrets .

[97ssconvertible]

i have the tasco super sniper on my 12vss sniper rifle and it is very nice 299 also ;)

[03GTGUY]

Magnification will only get you so far. I have a fixed 10 pwr Tasco Super Sniper for my VLS 308, which I should be able to shoot out to a 1000 yds with it .I have learned that sometimes having a large magnification can give you a false since of distance . Your 308 will start to drop considerable after 200 yards, I would at least go with one with some kind of ballistic compensator in it or adjustable turrets .


Think i should kick around the idea of a 7 Mag? Ive never shot one.....but I know the recoil of an 06 is about as much as I want and dunno how it would compare.

[97ssconvertible]

i have a 7mm mag too and it kicks quite a bit harder than my 308. its a neat round too though ballistically speaking

[03GTGUY]

i have a 7mm mag too and it kicks quite a bit harder than my 308. its a neat round too though ballistically speaking

one of the guys on my lease shoots a 7 mag as is in love with it as well

[SOLOW55]

I have 7 ultra mag in a BDL stainless , I shoot the 140 noslers out of it , and the recoil is not that bad . I just have a 3x9x50 varix-II on it with the heavy duplex in it . The heavy duplex makes it harder to zero in , but it low light conditions you have no problem seeing the crosshairs .

[03GTGUY]

I have 7 ultra mag in a BDL stainless , I shoot the 140 noslers out of it , and the recoil is not that bad . I just have a 3x9x50 varix-II on it with the heavy duplex in it . The heavy duplex makes it harder to zero in , but it low light conditions you have no problem seeing the crosshairs .

how would you compare it to the recoil of a 30-06?

[SOLOW55]

Well my brother has a Winchester light weight 06 which kicks worse than his 300 ultra . In my opinion if your not target shooting (multiple shots) it really doesn't matter . I have shot about 10-15 round trough it with a carhart jacket on and my shoulder never got sore .

[03GTGUY]

Well my brother has a Winchester light weight 06 which kicks worse than his 300 ultra . In my opinion if your not target shooting (multiple shots) it really doesn't matter . I have shot about 10-15 round trough it with a carhart jacket on and my shoulder never got sore .


it matter to me though because im small framed (about 5'10" 160lbs) and i just now broke myself of anticipating the recoil of the 06. If you have one shot at a deer 200 yards off and you jerk in anticipation of the recoil it matters big time.

[03GTGUY]

i say just now....within the past year of the three ive owned the rifle

[JP135]

i have the tasco super sniper on my 12vss sniper rifle and it is very nice 299 also ;)

Did a little checking online. I believe I just found my next scope! Thanks man.

[SOLOW55]

If that is a problem for you ,you might get the trigger lighted . You also may want to invest in a muzzle brake and/or a good recoil pad like sims . I'm only 5'7" 165 myself and the larger calibers don't seem to bother me . And if you get sendero style with a heavy barrel that will help also .

[SOLOW55]

Also I live close to you ,if after season we can meet at the JCSA and your more than welcome to fire it .

[03GTGUY]

If that is a problem for you ,you might get the trigger lighted . You also may want to invest in a muzzle brake and/or a good recoil pad like sims . I'm only 5'7" 165 myself and the larger calibers don't seem to bother me . And if you get sendero style with a heavy barrel that will help also .

I put an R3 pad on my 06 and it helped alot....thanks for all the good info man

[03GTGUY]

Also I live close to you ,if after season we can meet at the JCSA and your more than welcome to fire it .

exellent.....ill take you up on that.

[Red Shadow]

I'm fixing to buy a Remington Model 700 SPS Stainless in .308 and am undecided on a scope. Ive narrowed it down to Nikon Monarch 6.5-20X44 AO and a Burris Black Diamond 6-24X50. Input and opinions?


wow. the Rem 700 .308 is popluar I guess. I have it coupled to a Nikon Monarch 4.5-16x42. Mine shoots awesome at 150 yds+ 150 yds is about all you need for the normal shooting, practice or hunting. Of course there is the occasional challenge of who can shoot farther and more accurate. I will eventually have a Leupold, but I am really digging my Monarch. hope it helps. If your in the Lewisville area, check out Sportsmans. They have good deals on scopes.

[srt-4_i_swear]

wow. the Rem 700 .308 is popluar I guess. I have it coupled to a Nikon Monarch 4.5-16x42. Mine shoots awesome at 150 yds+ 150 yds is about all you need for the normal shooting, practice or hunting. Of course there is the occasional challenge of who can shoot farther and more accurate. I will eventually have a Leupold, but I am really digging my Monarch. hope it helps. If your in the Lewisville area, check out Sportsmans. They have good deals on scopes.

their rifle prices are actually really nice too unless you have an academy deal

[jbullerjr]

+1 for the Monarch

I have one with BDC on my Remington 25-06, I like it better than past Leupolds I have had.

[GT98SVO]

I have the Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42 scope on my 7mm Mag.

Burris, Leupold and Nikon are all great. New Monarch is really nice. But Burris has same features. Both are really bright.

6-24x is pretty powerful for Deer/Hog Hunting.

If you plan on shooting varmint at 500yards or doing long distance target then 6-24x can be quite handy. But at those ranges, you will need to adjust a lot for wind and trajectory. So some target turrets and/or a ballistic drop compensating reticle will be handy.

3-9x40 is pretty common for hunting deer to 300 yards.

Anything over 9x, and you have to adjust the aperture to keep the crosshair from moving around. Some of the expensive European optics have adjustable aperture on their 9x scopes.

I tend to shoot at low range when hunting, but turn it up when sighting the rifle in.

You will have a larger field of view at low power.

But on the other hand, the Black Diamond, at that power, prolly costs as much as that rifle. There are some that recommend spending as much on optics as the rifle.

[Red Shadow]

I have the Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42 scope on my 7mm Mag.

Burris, Leupold and Nikon are all great. New Monarch is really nice. But Burris has same features. Both are really bright.

6-24x is pretty powerful for Deer/Hog Hunting.

If you plan on shooting varmint at 500yards or doing long distance target then 6-24x can be quite handy. But at those ranges, you will need to adjust a lot for wind and trajectory. So some target turrets and/or a ballistic drop compensating reticle will be handy.

3-9x40 is pretty common for hunting deer to 300 yards.

Anything over 9x, and you have to adjust the aperture to keep the crosshair from moving around. Some of the expensive European optics have adjustable aperture on their 9x scopes. I tend to shoot at low range when hunting, but turn it up when sighting the rifle in.

You will have a larger field of view at low power.

But on the other hand, the Black Diamond, at that power, prolly costs as much as that rifle. There are some that recommend spending as much on optics as the rifle.

Yup. Mine is the new Monarch that came out this year. I took the last 4.5-16x42 that they had. Funny thing is, me and another were both debating on getting it. I made my decision faster :D . Been happy as hell with it ever since. I haven't tried to shoot it at 200yds, but I anticipate that it will perform beautifully. Its X-mas, ask for one or use some x-mas money and go get it.

[Wild Stallion]

I've seen a couple of different issues here, one, scope... I use a Shepherd 3.5-10 VI on my 25-06. I've dropped deer in their tracks at over 500 yards without any issues, I shot a doe in the head at 450 yards per my range finder. No fiddling with bullet drop knobs, no guesses, it has a marked crosshair in the reticle for each yardage out to 1000 yards, I've shot it on paper at 500 yards at the farm and been within an inch in drop wind plays havoc with lighter bullets at that range and beyond, it still shot a little over 3 inches at that range. The other issue I've read in this thread is recoil and anticipation of recoil. Granted that my gun weighs in at a hefty 14 pounds, see pic, the heavier the gun, the less you are going to feel recoil. Another contributor to recoil is the round, the heavier the bullet, the more recoil is felt, the more powder the more recoil.... My buddy has a Weatherby Vanguard in .257 Weatherby mag and it kicks like a mule compared to my 25-06, but on the chronograph, he is only 158 fps faster on average. I'm shooting 51.5 grains of IMR 4350 with a 117 grain Hornady Interlock BTSP out of a 26 inch barrel versus his 100 grain Nosler Ballistic tip over 60 something grains of the same powder in a 22 inch barrel. Go figure. the ballistic coefficient of a 117 BTSP is better than the BT, and the sectional density is better, the ballistic table has us in a dead heat at 300 yards, and less than 2 inches difference at 700 yards. so, each gun combo is going to perform differently. a light weight short barreled belted magnum is a lot easier to carry up and down the mountains in search of elk or Mule deer, but then I'm 6'1" and 285 and used to hump a M-60 in the Corps so my rifle is ok for me.
If you are riding your 4 wheeler to your heated box blind over a feeder or food plot, why worry if you have to lug a couple of extra pounds 15 feet and up a ladder?
quick edit: a thousand dollar rifle with a hundred dollar scope is gonna shoot like a hundred dollar rifle. So spend the money on optics and GOOD bases and rings.

[turbo93gt]

above around 15x on a hot day prone you might have some mirage issues depending on the distance. a variable is always good to adjust down to get under mirage. ive made shots past 900 yards with a 10x40 leupold mk4 lr/t mildot. there are a lot of good scopes out there, depends on your needs. thats probably not much help.

[jyro]

it matter to me though because im small framed (about 5'10" 160lbs) and i just now broke myself of anticipating the recoil of the 06. If you have one shot at a deer 200 yards off and you jerk in anticipation of the recoil it matters big time.

A lot of the recoil has to do with the bullet grains. I was shooting a 30.06 with 180 gr bullets and after 5 shots, I was done. I switched to 150 grain bullets and I don't even notice the kick. I also did a trigger job on my Rem. 700. That alone made a big difference at 100 yards. The last deer I shot, I never felt the recoil.