Quote:
Originally Posted by TimBone
Hey guys, I recently bought a Savage 16 .300 WSM. No scope, I've been looking online and doing research on the scopes last few days. I have no experience with buying scopes whatsoever, so I'm playing it safe and reading a lot before making a purchase. You guys have any tips?
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First, figure out what you want to do with it.
300 WSM is a flat shooting cartridge, and it can reach out there, but how far do you anticipate shooting with it? Many people way over-scope their rifles. 3-9x is almost always good enough. Often times, even less magnification will do. Do you need variable power? Do you need an adjustable objective? I tend to like variable powers, but whether you need it or not is a different question. What type of backgrounds are you shooting against? that will help you determine the reticle you need.
Second, figure out how you are going to mount it. Lots of people cheap out on the mounts. That is a bad idea, especially on a heavy recoiling cartridge. You want the scope as close to the bore as possible without touching.
Then start looking at scopes. Believe it or not, in my opinion, my Vortex Viper PST 1-4x is my best scope. I think Vortex is making really good glass now, and it is fairly affordable. You can still find Bushnell Elite 3200's for great prices. Leupold VX-II's are good scopes that aren't that expensive.
There aren't nearly as many bad scopes out there as there used to be. For new scopes, without knowing more about your needs, I would look at:
- Vortex Viper PST 4-16 $799 msrp
- Vortex Viper PST 1-4 $599 msrp
- Vortex Viper HS 4-16 $589 msrp
- Vortex Viper HS 2.5x10 $489 msrp
- Redfield Revolution 3-9 $249 msrp
- Leupold VX-2 3-9 $375 msrp
- Nikon Buckmaster 3-9 $230 msrp
That list is in no particular order. Generally you can get the Vortex scopes for $100 less than msrp, the others track pretty closely. I have however, purchased a Leupold vx-2 from Cabelas, on sale for $220.
That list is skewed towards "hunting." If you are doing something different, you might want different magnifications.
I want a scope with great glass first and foremost, and that means bright and clear. I generally favor lower magnification, target style turrets, at least 1/4 moa clicks (1/8 is even better), and thinner reticles. I have one scope with an illuminated reticle, and I really like it. But my focus is largely target shooting from field positions/3 gun style action shooting.
If you are going to sit on a bench, you might want a ridiculous 32x magnification scope. If you want to make 1000 yard shots, you probably want more than a 3-9. Most of my shooting is inside 300 yards, speed and accuracy matters.