Brownells Gun Techs Steve Ostrem and Caleb Savant peel up the corner of a big can o’ worms and talk about choosing the right scope for your rifle. The first step is to really think about what you want to accomplish, and then work back to find the tool (the scope) to do that job. You don’t want “too much scope” for your purpose, but you also don’t want “not enough scope.” Example: If you want to hunt whitetails, your longest shot may be 250 yards. A 3-9x40mm variable-power scope is great for that. Caleb recommends sticking to a 40mm objective. A wider objective gives you a wider field of view, which you don’t necessarily need with a 3-9x (and it’s bulkier). A 30mm scope tube, rather than a 1″ tube, will give you better performance in low-light conditions. If you’re doing precision shooting (PRS), you might want to up the maximum magnification, maybe as high as 25x, with some extra adjustment capability. Bullet-drop compensation systems are nice for serious target shooting, but they are usually geared to very specific ammo loads. Get the best scope you can afford, because in optics you really do get what you pay for! You don’t have to buy the most expensive scope; there are many excellent optics that don’t cost an arm and a leg. Steve’s Addendum: Put a really good scope on the rifle you shoot the MOST. How often do you shoot your .22 vs your deer rifle? Make sure you get a scope calibrated for rimfire rifles.
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Sage advice guys. Shooting reminds me of every other sport I've done. Folks want to buy their way to proficiency. Equipment counts, but you have to practice and train.
I'm a hunter and not so much a target shooter. Okay, I do a lot of shooting at the range with my hunting rifles but distances are 'hunting' distances. At the range I see 'hunting rifles' topped with scopes that are better suited to backyard astronomy. What possible hunting scenario calls for 24 power magnification? I see scopes that are almost as heavy as the rifle. I see complicated 'tactical' turrets that I doubt fully three quarters of the users even understand. And seldom do I encounter a shooter at the range who understands that a scope is an aid to aiming and does nothing for accuracy. (Think about it.)
Early in my hunting days I couldn't afford much so I got basic scopes, often fixed four power or at most, 3-9 power. They were inexpensive Japanese scopes made back in the day when they were still excellent quality. I still use them because they work flawlessly and have never failed. I sight them in for 200 yards and then shoot out to 400 in 50 yard increments to determine actual bullet drops. Once done, I leave them alone. I reload and still use the loads I worked up 35 years ago. Seldom have I needed to adjust the scope elevation or windage.
The late Jack O'Connor was a big fan of fixed low power, simple scopes with plain, Jane reticles. All sorts of etchings on the reticle made him gag. The old Weaver K series, all steel scopes (El Paso) were a favourite of his. I once read that the K2.5 was his personal favourite. Imagine, one of the greatest of all big game hunters preferred a 2 1/2 power scope!
Admittedly, early in his hunting career, variable scopes were new and of questionable quality. And as he got older, even Jack used variables and higher power fixed scopes. But the point remains. Simple, low power scopes get the job done.
What is a good mid-range scope for my T3 Tikka 270
Love my Trijicon AccuPoint 3-9×40. Perfect hunting scope.
Super helpful, esp the rimfire dedicated scopes.
I have a ruger 6.5 creedmore that i would like to turn into my hunting rifle. I have several scopes but none i would want to mount. I am looking for suggestions on what i should buy. I'm not looking at a 1200 yard shot. 400-500 yards would probably be max. Help please.
What would you recommend on a winchester model 70 300 win mag for mid west west elk and moose mule deer and what have ya.
I deer hunt in the SE USA. Longest shot about 200 yards. I have a single shot Traditions G2 in 243. Love the rifle. It was a combo, came with scope…has a Traditions logo. This glass isn't all that clear. What would you recommend to replace?
what have backyard 20-100 yard training target scope. and what need be hunting 30-200 yard scope. i use eyeglasses. and only use daytime. and fishing arrow scope to river 20-30 yard about.how see good water ?
If you got the cash, Nightforce ain’t too shabby…
Went to a gun shop today tried a 3-9×50 out one inch tube sure did draw in a lot of light hunting in the dark woods in the south I think it would help these 62 year old eyes out.
Tube size does not effect light transmission. Lens coating, objective size and magnification do, but not tube size.
I've frequently spent more on the scope than the rifle. Good glass will become, increasingly, more important as you get older. Same goes for binoculars.
I would love to see a video on just rim-fire scopes because my kids are very active with rim fire , when I was a lad 40+ years ago, my dad ( a marksman in WW2) wouldn't allow me to use a scope on my .22 until I got older and hunted squirrels a guy at my gun shop talked me into a good scope for my .22 – I got laughed at for having a large scope on my .22 by my peers, but I never missed a head-shot. now my kids shoot .22 and .17 HMR and really love a good scope on their rifles but expense of them are troubling especially when the scope is more expensive than a new rifle. so it would be great to know what would work but doesn't break the kids bank ( or the old man's for that matter) thanks for the video ! an AR15 series would be great too, I'm still stuck with a CQB (red dot and Iron sight co-witness style) setup and I'd like to build a dedicated distance rifle/scope. too many choices.
The benefit to a larger diameter tube is more about vertical adjustments and less about light.
I really like Primary Arms' 4-14×44 FFP rifle scope. $200, 30mm tube, illuminated reticle, parallax adjustment, knobs that can be set to a zero with click counts and full rotation counts for easy adjustments and returning to zero, and a MOA based reticle. Image is clear enough and zooms high enough to head shot a prairie dog at sunset at 450 yards, if that's your thing. Superb optic for getting into precision shooting and long range hunting, without breaking the bank.
I personally went with a Vortex cantilever mount. Also affordable, but good quality, coming in around $90. I slapped all that onto my 1943 Long Branch Enfield No.4 Mk1* I picked up last year for $200, use custom hand loads to shrink the grouping down to 1 MOA, and I have myself a dang nice setup to take deer, elk, and coyote out in the open desert of South Eastern Washington where a 400+ yard shot is not uncommon.
Just wishing I could get my hands on some more Winchester 760 ball powder. I'm set on primers, cases, and bullets, but powder… starting to run low. 🙁
I just put a 6-30 X 56 on my grendel gas gun. Doh!!!
I have a Leupold 3-9×40 VariX2 on my winchester M670 3006 rifle. Works for me!
I have a PSL 54. Would I be better off installing a "correct", Russian made PO 4×24 ($320) or similar priced Leopold? How does the PO 4×24 compare to a regular scope?
This helped nobody that doesn't already know about scopes. Redo.
Glass, coatings, rings, reticles, turrets … Redo this vid asap.
I remember hearing your scope should be around half the price of the rifle.
30mm tube does NOT allow more light! 30mm tube allows for more travel of the reticle. Light transmission is determined by dividing the objective lens diameter by the magnification. Example, a 2 power setting with a 40mm objective allows 20mm of light to your to exit to your eye. Sounds great til you understand the human eye only can dilate to 5mm. Don't know where the extra goes.
The scope industry still focuses on high end long range or super expensive models for people that can afford it, when currently we have several million new rifle sales of new shooters that still cannot find basic, quick and affordable prices on scopes under 200. Most are not going to buy a scope that’s as much or above what they paid for the rifle, but a solid scope at 25-75 bucks tops will sell all night long……
I have a question, are all your brownells branded Glock barrels able to shoot +p, +p+ and cast bullets? Thank you for your dedication to the firearm industry, community and your customers.
Also the range is another factor. Are you doing a 100 yards or a 1000.
My first "real" rifle was a Remington 788 in 243 Win. It came with a straight 4x35mm (I think it was 35 mm, its been a few years since I sold it) and that was enough for whitetail in Wisconsin. It was a cheap scope. Something from the 1980s or early 90s. It came with the gun when my parents bought it for me. The rifle was dead on at 100 yards and I never had to sight it in over 6 years of hunting.