# .30 06 scope



## djm1369 (Nov 8, 2004)

I don't know a great deal about scopes for my gun. I have a remington .30 06 semi auto. I was wondering what are some respectable brands of manufactures for scopes i can look into? I usually shoot deer up to 150 200 yds so i dont need the best scope. i was just looking for something that would do the job up to 200 yds. would a 3x9x40 be good for this? if not what else and what brand? thanks a lot for the replies sorry if this seems like a dumb question


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

A 3-9 would serve you well for such a situation. I suggest you check out leupold.


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## matt25_71744 (Oct 31, 2004)

In my experience, a 3x9x40 just doesn't bring the deer in close enough for a comfortable view and shot. I would look into a little higher magnification; because at 200 yars with a 3x9x40 you're view isn't as close at what you would like to have.


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## SniperPride (Sep 20, 2004)

I disagree, before I had money I shot a doe at 425yds with a 6x.
for 200yds 3-9x should be fine. Or maybe im just used to it  
:sniper:


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## sdeprie (May 1, 2004)

Brand? The rule of thumb is to spend about as much as you can afford. I would have to say a 3-9 will probably suit your needs. I usually only leave mine on 3x unless I really have the time or need for a closer look. Mostly, though, that's what binocs are for.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

If i was on a limited budget I would buy a high quality like leupold fixed 3 or 4 power scope before I purchased a lower quality 3x9 fr similar money. You can easily accurately kill deer at 200 yards with a 3 or 4 power scope. I can do it with open peep sights without problem.


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## djm1369 (Nov 8, 2004)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MEWA:IT

would that be a suitable scope for me


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Bushnell scopes are of poor quality and you could probably by one from Cabelas or Walmart somewhere you could get some service help. Bushnell will repair of relace pretty much no questions asked so thats a good thing. With scopes you get what you pay for. IF you don't need it this year for hunting season I would strongly recommend you save up for a better scope and a good set of quality mounts.


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

Similar to a Simmons ATV that I got for my wife.. Simmons Whitetail The ATV has an adjustable objective and is 4.5-14X42. We used that last weekend and I am very happy now with the purchase.

Another place you may want to check out is SWFA. I am hoping that by next year I can get the 10X super sniper for $300. Just gets too good a review from everything I have read.

Check out their Sample List also. Just be ready to speng some money now. if what you want is on that list.


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## djm1369 (Nov 8, 2004)

thanks for all the replies what is the difference between leupold vx I and leupold rifleman both in the 3-9x40 which one should i go with if i choose leupold?


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

Bobm,
Stick to politics or dogs. The Elite series Bushnell is a much better scope than the entry level Leupold. Also Nikon is a good buy. Leopold is overrated. Most people buy the cheapest one, very poor choice. Leupold was much better when they only had one line of scopes.


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

Well, you asked for opinions so here's mine:

For what you are going to use it for a 3x9x40 will work fine.

At around $200 (and I would consider this as minimum)
Bushnell Elite 3200
Burris Fullfield 2
Leupold VX-1
In that order.

If you can afford $250 to $400
Sightron SII
Leupold VX-2
In that order

I cannot comment on the Nikon line except that a friend once had a Buckmaster and it....well....sucked. Turned me off on Nikon and I have not considered them since. Many others have them and like them.

If you can handle the cost check into the Sightron SII, I have a 4x16x42 Mildot on my .308 tactical rifle and love it. I like it better than the Leupold 3x9x40 tactical scope on the rifle issued to me by the PD.

As others have already said, spend as much as you can afford when it comes to optics. I have wasted soooo much money buying cheap scopes and then replacing them with good ones when they didn't perform.

:beer:

huntin1


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

First off quality is quality and is worth the money. I have a Vari-X III Leopold and a Bushnell Elite on my wifes rifle. In low light conditions early morning and late evening and cloudy days, side by side there is no comparison in the light gathering ability of the two. The Leupold is far superior. Mine is ten years old the wifes one. I should have spent the extra money and upgraded.

On power levels it is all subjective to use. For me the 2.5 x 7 is all I need or want. I seldom shoot it or adjust it above 4X. I missed a big buck a number of years back after looking at a deer in the distance and turning up the power only to forget to turn it down. Twenty steps later out of the tall grass he comes at 20 yards. All I could see was hair. By the time I turned the scope down he was down in a ravine and gone.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

Ron Gilmore said:


> First off quality is quality and is worth the money. I have a Vari-X III Leopold and a Bushnell Elite on my wifes rifle. In low light conditions early morning and late evening and cloudy days, side by side there is no comparison in the light gathering ability of the two. The Leupold is far superior. Mine is ten years old the wifes one. I should have spent the extra money and upgraded.
> 
> On power levels it is all subjective to use. For me the 2.5 x 7 is all I need or want. I seldom shoot it or adjust it above 4X. I missed a big buck a number of years back after looking at a deer in the distance and turning up the power only to forget to turn it down. Twenty steps later out of the tall grass he comes at 20 yards. All I could see was hair. By the time I turned the scope down he was down in a ravine and gone.


Unfortunately light gathering ability is not the defining factor of a good scope. Leupold however is at the top of the pack in reliability as well though as tested by rifle magazine.


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

M-T, you are right, kind of.

I suspect what Ron is referring to is light transmission, which in my opinion is a defining factor. A 40mm objective will gather a certain amount of light, how much of that light makes it through the scope to the shooters eye is what most of us call brightness. Superior quality glass and coatings allow more light to be transmitted, the Leupold VX-III allows something like 98% through, which is why it is so much brighter than his wife's Bushnell. Most makers of cheaper scopes will not tell you how much light is transmitted, if you knew how bad they were you probably wouldn't buy them.

:beer:

huntin1


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Zogman I never said anything about entry level anything and as far as what I'll should stick to, bite me :lol: . I know plenty about this topic. If you're not chasing deer in a truck like everybody is taking about then light transmission is one of the most important things to consider and Bushnell sucks. I use Leopuld and Schmidt & Bender scopes. I can hunt in the dark with the latter if I want to. Anyone with a limited amount of money should by the cheapest used good quality rifle in the off season and save up for the highest quality scope thay can possibly afford.


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

OOOOOOOOOO, Bobby you woke up a little crabby today oke:


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

I said it with a smile :wink:


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## Ref (Jul 21, 2003)

I also have a Vari-X III Leopold 2.5X - 8X on my 30-06. Works fine for me. I hunt Northern Minnesota woods so most of my shots are from 30-80 yards. I very seldon crank my scope up beyond 5X.


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## SniperPride (Sep 20, 2004)

Leupold is a very good scope. Although I dont own one, my friend and I compared during deer hunting season. Leupold was nice, but my springfield armory was alot better. But then again I paid almost 400 dollars more for it


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## northerndave (Dec 6, 2004)

Most guys around here are going to choose from Leupold, Burris & Nikon. Well, most guys who are somewhat serious. I should retract, most truck window hunters around here roll around with the tasco worl class. 
Anyways, the vari X I was the entry level, now it's the riflman, Nikon now has one just under it's buckmaster model too (kind of a trend they all followed. Burris came out with the fullfield II to replace the fullfield. These are all scopes that can be had inside of or just over 200 bucks. Burris recently pi$$ed me off with my most recent burris fullfield II purchase a 3-9 40mm. they use the "Made In USA" all over there webste & that apealed to me. I liked seeing the Made In USA printed boldly on my older fullfield II. Well this one didn't say made in usa, because they farmed the assembly out overseas. Tricky, use the old Made In USA thing to suck guys like me in & sell em something that school girls in the peoples republic of who-flung-dung put together.
Dang burris, I'm still mad at em for that.
Anyways, 3-9 40 mm will do it for you & it will land you in an afordable scope as it is manufactured in high volume for most manufacturers. Your auto recoils a little lighter, you could probably get by pretty cheap if you wanted to.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Oh well I might as well get in on this. I currently have Leupold, Nikon, Bushnell, Sightron, Simmons, and Tasco World Class.

Leopold M1 with mil dot. $935
This scope gave me problems on my 300 mag. I sent it in four times to Leupold and they said they could find nothing wrong with it. My $37 Bushnell was shooting better groups on the same rifle. They replaced it, and I purchased a Remington 700P in 308 for the scope. I replaced it on my 300 with a Sightron.

Sightron SII Tactical $339
Performs flawlessly on my 300 mag. Clear, accurate, tracks well, but eye relief is more critical.

Nikon Monarch $490 
Clear, accurate, tracks terrible. The clicks are more like 3/16 and not 1/8. I was shooting over everything when I used it for coyote. Ok to 300 yards, but at 500 yards I was two feet high. I put white tape around the turrets. Black marks for the first turn to 400 yards, red marks for the second turn, and blue for the third turn. Confusing if your in a hurry.

Bushnell 3200 and up are OK
Tasco poor, but World Class is OK
Simmons I had the 44 mag shake loose on a 270. I sent it in, they sent it back and I never had another problem. I think the Aetec is good.

My son really likes his Zeiss, and my friend has had good luck with Burris. Gun Magazine rated the 6X24 Weaver at the top for repeatability.

I think the bottom line is a Leupold beats Bushnell, but for $200 you may get a better scope from Burris or Bushnell than Leupold, and far better than Nikon. For slightly over $200 the Sightron is the best buy.


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