What size/objective scope for rifle?

[ultralite09]

Ive never been a huge rifle hunter, heck, I stopped hunting with a rifle about 8 years ago when I picked up my bow.

Ive slowly gained interest in shooting long range but for now, primarily looking at building a new rifle for the new lease im on. Looking to mostly make 200-400 yard shots but wouldnt mind tinkering into 600+

I dont even know where to begin as most of my rifle hunting as a kid was with a 3x9 scope and that was plenty for me to shoot with.

If it matters, Im looking at a rifle chambered in .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor


Thanks guys!

[Boss Buck]

For long range I would go with 50mm.

[hunt4meat]

What you'll find is you will end up spending more on glass than the rifle. I went with a Remington XCR Long Range Tactical in a .300WM and a Vortex Viper FFP 6-24X50. I shoot this mule deer at 603 yards on the snake river with it.

What is also important to understand is that the load you fire makes a huge difference in accuracy. I went through about $600 in different ammo before finding one I loved custom loaded from midway.

It's been a flat shooting animal killing machine!






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[glen]

I would get the best glass with the reticles you shoot best with. I personally would go either of the listed caliber but that is just a matter of choice and knowing what the capabilities are. I'm not smart enough to remember my numbers so I will suggest putting a cheat sheet on the stock

[canny]

Objective size has a lot do with the quality of glass. For example a 40mm obj in high end glass such as Swarovski can have just as much light transmission and as good of a low light performance as a 50mm lower quality glass. I dont like to to larger than 50mm as then I have a hard time getting a good consistent cheek weld, important for long range shooting. I have a 4.5-14x50 Leupold Mark 4 and with high rings on my custom Remington 700 and I had to add a cheek pad on the stock for proper eye alignment. I normally use a 40mm for hunting purposes such as the VX3 4.4-14x40mm I have on my 300 WBY.

[GarGuy]

50mm for low light.

[M16]

I prefer a good quality scope with a 40mm objective. Same light transmission as 50mm and you can use medium rings.

[ultralite09]

Good stuff, thanks guys!

[ColinR]

I prefer a good quality scope with a 40mm objective. Same light transmission as 50mm and you can use medium rings.

x2

[glen]

If you do goto 50mm get a fully adjustable stock. I put them
On about anything I'm gonna shoot over 200 yards with

[BrianL]

Objective size has a lot do with the quality of glass. For example a 40mm obj in high end glass such as Swarovski can have just as much light transmission and as good of a low light performance as a 50mm lower quality glass. I dont like to to larger than 50mm as then I have a hard time getting a good consistent cheek weld, important for long range shooting. I have a 4.5-14x50 Leupold Mark 4 and with high rings on my custom Remington 700 and I had to add a cheek pad on the stock for proper eye alignment. I normally use a 40mm for hunting purposes such as the VX3 4.4-14x40mm I have on my 300 WBY.

I prefer a good quality scope with a 40mm objective. Same light transmission as 50mm and you can use medium rings.

I agree. Smaller is better if quality of glass allows it. To me a good scope is a $700 scope, which is a cheap scope in terms a quality glass. I would love to have Swarovski sitting on top of all my rifles with a 40mm objective. MOst of mine are 6-24x50

[M16]

Here's what most people don't understand.

If you hold your scope at arms length the little circle of light is the exit pupil. Change the power and the exit pupil gets smaller and larger. The human eye can use a maximum of roughly 7mm. Divide that by the size of your objective.

So a 40mm objective divided by 7 equals roughly 6 power. A 50 mm objective divided by seven equals roughly 7 power. This is the power that you should set your scope on to get maximum light transmission during low light conditions. You won't get maximum light transmission by setting your scope on 14 power during low light conditions.

So yes a 50mm will let you have maximum light transmission at 7 power while a 40 mm will do the same at 6 power. Not worth the gain in my opinion.

Ever notice that old time low light fixed power scopes were 8 power with a 56 mm objective. Divide 56 by 8 and what do you get? 7

And now you know the rest of the story. So turn down the power ring on your scope during low light conditions and get maximum light transmission.

[Artos]

I'm with M16...I like 40mm with a 1" tube & 44mm with a 30mm tube.

[stxhunter]

Over the years I've found I like a larger diameter tube (30mm and 34mm) with a larger objective (46-56mm), especially for long range and higher magnifications. For reticles I'd consider something like a standard mil dot or one of the variants. If you're wanting to do long range shooting, learn to dial with your turrets or hold over on your reticle.

Lots of things on a scope are really personal preference. I like the larger 34mm tube mainly for elevation adjustment. In my opinion larger objectives really help increase field of view when increasing magnification. If you get something with 20+x on the top end, smaller objectives really reduce field of view quickly.

Not sure what your budget is, but I've been fairly pleased with the Bushnell HDMR 3.5-21x HDMR2 that I've been using on my 260ai.

I really like the quality Athlon has been producing on their scopes. Glass is better than anything I've seen in their price range. Since you're looking more for a hunting scope first and a target scope second, they may not be the best choice for you since most of their scopes don't have locking turrets.

Leopold makes a solid lightweight all around scope in their VX3i or VX6HD.

[Mike D]

Quality glass makes all the difference in the world. As to objective size I typically run a 50mm. M16 is pretty close in his explanation of exit pupil, however the pupil only dilates to 7mm in total darkness. 4mm is the acceptable standard for dusk/dawn.

Most if not all of my 50mm scopes sit in medium rings.


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