# Scope Recommendations



## straight shooter (Oct 15, 2007)

I plan on buying an H&R .223 handi rifle for coyote hunting. Can anyone recommend a good scope. :sniper:


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## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

Good rifle choice. I have a few Leupolds, and LOVE them. Have friends with Nikons, and they are very nice as well. Take a look at the Bushnells, they have come a long way.


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## straight shooter (Oct 15, 2007)

hagfan72 said:


> Good rifle choice. I have a few Leupolds, and LOVE them. Have friends with Nikons, and they are very nice as well. Take a look at the Bushnells, they have come a long way.


 What magnafaction would you go with? :sniper:


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## Rich Cronk (Nov 8, 2007)

straight shooter,
A Nikon "BuckMaster", in 3x-9x 40mm would be ideal.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Rich nailed it for magnification

You don't need much more than a 3-9 power. I have a 4.5-14 on my 223 and sometimes I think I may have overdone it. Remember if you are calling those coyotes in you are going to have them in your lap sometimes. Call with your scope set low you can always dial her up a bit.


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## 25-06rem. (Jul 6, 2007)

burris awsome scopes inexpencive 2.


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## lotero (Dec 12, 2007)

i have no first hand experience with it but i have heard good things about the BSA sweet 223.


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

Can't go wrong with a Leupold. All of the people in my group use them.

3X9 might be ok. You might want to go bigger. I'm not sure if your carrying your rifle a lot, and weights an issue.

Check the new Leupold VX-7L 4.5-18x56mm Long Range. It has the bell cut so it fits low on the rifle. Like a regular scope.

I'm sure it's not cheap.

:sniper:


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## hagfan72 (Apr 15, 2007)

usmarine0352 said:


> Can't go wrong with a Leupold. All of the people in my group use them.
> 
> 3X9 might be ok. You might want to go bigger. I'm not sure if your carrying your rifle a lot, and weights an issue.
> 
> ...


Yeah, what he said, but the VX-7's are PRICEY. As far as magnification, I have settled on 4.5X14 for most of my varmint and big game rifles.


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## Rich Cronk (Nov 8, 2007)

The "can't go wrong with a Leupold", is no longer true. I learned that when I looked through one of their VX-1, 3X-9x scopes a few years ago. The fuzzy image was a surprise to me. Since then, I have to spoken with a few other folks who no longer look at Leupold as king. Like Remington firearms, Leupold has suffered a loss of good quality control. Leupold still makes some good scopes, but I have lost respect for their company. That's just my opinion, but I'm sticking to it.


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

Nikon, Ziess, but my favorite is Khales. Comes off of the same line as Sworovski, but in my eyes it is a better scope. I think it is much more crisp. I like higher magnification. The smallest scope I have is a 4.5-14.

I would check out the Khales though. Many times Cabelas Has those cupons where you get $100 off if you spend like $500 those make a huge difference. Let us know what you decide. Your gun is only as good as your scope many people skimp on the glass, it is #1 in my eyes. No pun intended!


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## ay tee (Jun 11, 2007)

some guys might say that i am a poor guy who doesn't know quality... but i dont follow name brand stuff, a product doesn't make a name, and a name doesn't make a product... 
a few months ago i tried out a tasco varmint scope on my 10-22 and was quickly convinced to never change that... its a 2.5-10X42 it was 65 dollars, for a 22 it was worth the money, but it is actually a clear crisp scope to look through, mil dot for easy locating... how can you go wrong for a 22 ya know?... this may not be the exact scope that someone might consider for coyote hunting, but it fits in that 3-9 power range that was stated above
they also make a 6-24 i think it is... that would possible be a bit much though...
every eye sees things in a different perspective, for some people one scope might be clear as air, and for another person it could be clear as mud... go to a store and look through a few different scopes to see what you feel produces a better picture for your eye...


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

Important rule:

*Spend more on your scope then you do on your rifle.*

Most any known brand name rifle will perform well. You need a better scope.

With alot of scopes today, you get what you pay for.

If you buy something cheap and it lasts 1 year, or breaks after one drop.....don't be surprised.

:sniper:


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## hunt4P&amp;Y (Sep 23, 2004)

If you buy a custom $3000 rifle, and put a $100 scope on it. You have a $100 scope IMO.

US marine is on the money!


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## windowlicker (Dec 17, 2007)

I bet US fricken jarhead was a reservist! 8)

Nevertheless, he is correct, spend as much as you can on glass!

(fricken TOW gunners) :wink:


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Straight shooter
Rich is right about Leupold. I have a Mark four that cost over $1000 and I have scopes that cost under $500 that outshoot it.
The best scope for you will have to be answered by you. What size groups do you want, and are you willing to pay for a scope that will do it? You will never know the potential of your rifle until you spend the money on a good scope. I once had a Leupold that I had t much faith in. The new rifle I purchased would not shoot good, so I traded it on another identical rifle. It shot the same type groups. I switched from a $900 Leupold to a old 1977 $37 Bushnell and shrunk my group to less than half. Leupold replaced that scope.

How experienced are you with scopes. Can you find a running small animal at 20 yards on 10X, how about 6X, or do you need to go to 3X? This is one of the most important things, and will differ among people and with experience.

OK, you purchased a Handi Rifle so my guess is you want a relatively inexpensive scope that will do the job. Years ago I had mostly 3X9, but I have switched to 4.5 to 14, and my favorite is 4 to 16 power. I have scopes from $35 to $1100 and they all work. My last scope I purchased from Marv's Hardware in Mandan (closed now) but the same scope is still available from Natchez Shooters Supply. It is a 6 to 24X Bushnell Dusk to Dawn series with mil-dot and cost me $120. At Natchez I think it is $114. On my new Remington XR100 Rangemaster it shoots ¼ inch groups at 100 yards. For an inexpensive scope it's hard to beat Bushnell. BSA isn't that bad a scope either. Currently one of my favorite scopes is the 4.5 to 14 Nikon Buckmasters with side parallax adjustment. They are clear, accurate, and for an old guy like me the side parallax is really nice in the prone position. Adjusting the front parallax in prone position often includes a trip to the chiropractor for me.

I know I haven't given you a clear answer, but I hope I gave you some things to think about that will help you.


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## sodakhunter (Dec 17, 2007)

Anyone here ever used Scheels brand optics? They are affordable, claim to have 3.5" eye relief, and also claim to have 91% light transmission. A 4.5-14 X 42 has a price tag of $229.99. Looking through that glass in the store its great but what about once its mounted on that rifle. Just lookin for a little insight.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

sodakhunter said:


> Anyone here ever used Scheels brand optics? They are affordable, claim to have 3.5" eye relief, and also claim to have 91% light transmission. A 4.5-14 X 42 has a price tag of $229.99. Looking through that glass in the store its great but what about once its mounted on that rifle. Just lookin for a little insight.


I have two Scheels scopes. The 229 dollar one you mentioned is sitting on my 223. Then I have a 3.5-10x42 on my 243. I have had the one on my 243 for 4 years. Never had a problem with it. They are very clear I think. And they have a lifetime over the counter warranty (bring it in and they give you a new one). I would spend the money to buy another when I get another rifle.


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## yooperyotebuster (Dec 13, 2005)

I have a bushnell 6-18x40 AO. It is very clear if you have time to focus on the target. It is a good target scope but I hate it when hunting. I was also charged $260 at Jays in Michigan. I got ripped off! Their whole store is over priced. I am leaning toward a 4-14x50 with out the AO. Check out Natchez shooting supply. They usually have good deals on scopes.


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## johngfoster (Oct 21, 2007)

I have a Bushnell cheap scope 3-9 power with "low light reticle". I paid about $40 at MidwayUSA.com. I got what I paid for, no more. In bright daylight it works OK, but no paralax adjustment. Because of this I've missed shots I should have made. The worst about this scope is that when the sun goes down, I might as well be looking through a pinhole. The image is dark and hard to even find the crosshairs. So much for the "low light reticle".

I previously had a Leupold VXIII on a 22-250. It had amazingly clear optics. Especially around dusk. This is when the weaknesses of the optics really become evident. This scope made it look like the sun was still shining 30 min after sundown. Huge difference between the scopes!

There are other things to look at with scopes as well, like repeatability when adjusting the dials--do the cross hairs come back to the same place each time? Other things to look at would be durability, sharpness of image at the edges, eye relief, etc.

*You get what you pay for.*

I gotta agree with usmarine0352: *Spend more on your scope then you do on your rifle.*


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## usmarine0352 (Nov 26, 2005)

windowlicker said:


> I bet US fricken jarhead was a reservist! 8)
> 
> Nevertheless, he is correct, spend as much as you can on glass!
> 
> (fricken TOW gunners) :wink:


LOL.

"Honor, Courage, part-time commitment?"

Nope, not me.

:beer:


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## Rich Cronk (Nov 8, 2007)

I just won the bid on a new in box, made in the 1960's 3x-9x-40mm Bushnell ScopeChief that I found on eBay. You guys are jealous now I bet.


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## iwantabuggy (Feb 15, 2005)

I like my Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40 the best out of all the scopes I own. I rarely need the 18x magnification and never need it to pull the trigger. I bought it because it has 1/8MOA adjustments. If you have a really tight grouping gun, the 1/8 MOA adjustements are very nice. If you gun doesn't group less than an inch anyway, 1/4MOA are probably fine.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Rich Cronk said:


> I just won the bid on a new in box, made in the 1960's 3x-9x-40mm Bushnell ScopeChief that I found on eBay. You guys are jealous now I bet.


Ya Rich, we all hate you.  
I seen a used one in great shape at Scheels for $60, and I didn't buy it because all the turrets for the bullet drop compensator were missing. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I should have bought it anyway.


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## Varmint_Hunter_007 (Nov 29, 2007)

I've got a 4.5-14 Nikon Buckmaster on my .223 also and very happy with it. I've had it on my rifle for over 4 years now and have no complaints.

I just recently put a 3-9 BSA cats eye illuminated reticle on my 5.45x39 ak-74 and I am very pleased with it also. Over the summer I have been shooting prarie dogs with it at over 180+ yards.

Just my opinion. I think I paid right around $280 for the nikon and $170 for the BSA


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## varmintz (Apr 25, 2006)

I got a Leupold VX-I on my Rem 700 Tactical with 223, I got the 3-9x40 and works great. I also purchased the flip caps ($40) each which are nice because the magnet holds them closed until Im ready. But the glass is awesome on these jewals, just with there was a way to get target turrets on the scope......


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