Scope advice needed

[SigsRule]

I have a friend with a brand new Remington 700 Elk rifle and I'm trying to help him decide on a scope for it.

Since I bought an ACOG for my XCR, I've fallen in love with both illuminated reticules and the Bindon Aiming Concept. I've even though about putting the ACOG on my hunting rifle. The difficulty in doing that, of course, would be the mounts. Enter the hunting version of the BAC concept from Trijicon, Leopold and others.

We live in Colorado and Elk shots typically can be as close as 50yds to over 300 yds - I once witnessed a Bull Elk taken at a measured (laser rangefinder) 435 yds under very special circumstances. So were thinking something in the 2-7, 3-9, or 4-12 range with an illuminated reticle. Unfortunately, my friend is like me, with champaign tastes on a beer budget.

Here's the question, what's a good value in an illuminated reticle scope that would survive on a Remington 700 - 300 Win Mag?

[shrapmetal]

i love my leupold mark 4 and it has survived my 50BMG so far but i dont think it will fall into your budget. elk season is a way off so pleanty of time to save up some cash and do it right!

[Hoser]

A loopy 3.5-10 or a 4.5-14 would be a good choice. Although my elk rifle wears a 1.5-5...

[SigsRule]

Yeah, the list on the Mark 4 with illuminated reticle was over a grand.

If I was to replace my Vari X-III 4-12, it would be with the Mark 4.

[ssf467]

Millett DMS would fit the bill.

[<MADDOG>]

Hoser +1

I can't speak for Millett. I can speak for the low end of "good" scopes, and Burris/Nikon scopes seem to be the best at that end. Friend o' mine got a Burris for coyotes, and the glass, repeatbility, and construction seems to be damn good quality for the $. A little higher end are the Luppy's or the Zeiss Conquest line.

Hard to beat the VX III's though. IMO, a Mark IV would seem to be a waste of $ in a normal hunting situation...

[samurai_sam]

I will stand behind Nikon's prostaff scopes.

[Spinone]

I am very new to rifle scopes, but after much research and with a limited budget I purchased a Bushnell 4200 Elite. Look at the specs, compare it to scopes almost twice a much and you will not be disappointed. Here is a link to their illuminated version:

http://www.swfa.com/pc-1283-185-bushnell-25-10x40-elite-4200-rifle-scope.aspx

I did not buy the illuminated version but I am very happy with mine.

[7idl]

something from Burris (http://www.burrisoptics.com)? (locally grown) ;)

[newracer]

I have a few Mueller scopes and they have all been great.

[Delphi]

I very much like the zeiss conquest line... i've looked through all the others including leupold but somthing bout having a zeiss just makes you feel allot fuzzier inside.

[BulletBill]

Aye I'll agree with the Conquest line. I Love mine. Of course my latest purchase was a Burris FullfieldII for my AR varmint. Very well made for the price and the glass is ok for the price point. Nikon was my first choice but the store I was going to purchase from pissed me off and out the door I went with my cash, I probably could have been talked up to another Zeiss but when you keep me waiting for 25 minutes I get a little agitated.

[Fourthwind]

After working retail firearms for many years, I can tell you the best bang for buck right now is the Nikon BDC (Ballistic Drop Compensator) scopes. I wouldn't concern yourself with lighted reticles. waste of time. If it's that dark you will not be able to properly ID the animal. The Burris scopes with the ballistic plex reticle are great too, but they no longer make the fullfield here in the US and have lost some of their quality. If you buy Burris go with the Signature series or above. With the ballistic reticles on either of these scopes, you will be able to put that bullet where it counts without having to guess how much your holding above your impact point.

[theGinsue]

I will stand behind Nikon's prostaff scopes.

Me too. After 8 seasons of hunting elk and not even seeing a bull during season I wasn't about to pass up on the huge 6x6 I scoped in 2006. While I knew he was quite a distance from me I had a very steady rest, had practiced for the long-shots extensively, and knew the ballistics I was working with. While I didn't drop the bull on the first shot, the first shot was good enough to stop him long enough to get the shot that did bring him down. Later my buddy who was spotting for me told me he lasered him at somewhere between 525 - 550 yards (I don't remember specifically what the number was as I was numb when the elk dropped. I had guessed about 475).

I used a Nikon ProStaff 3-9 (don't recall the exact model # and don't want to dig thru the safe to find out). I swear by the scope now.

[Elkaholic]

I can't say weather or not a lighted reticle is worth it or not, but I can tell you that it's nice to have at least a 3-9 or a 4-12 power scope. I helps to crank up the power to get a good look at the animal when it's across the canyon.

I have a Burris Fullfield II 3-9X40 with the Ballistic Plex on my .338 Win Mag and have the plex's figured out to 500 yards. I like the scopes with the marks and there are quite a few of them that would meet any price point. Nikon, Burris, Leupold to name a few. Another scope that looks nice is the Huskemaw Optics, it's a bit pricey but they set it up for your rifle/cartridge combination and you can shoot it out to well beyond most people comfort range.

[pierce33]

Burris all the way. If your on a budget of anykind they are hard to bead. Best bang for your buck

[cowboykjohnson]

i'm a long range hunter, so i buy equipment to fit the bill, i've made a kill on an elk at apx 500 measured by steps and range finder. If he wants to spend the money an IOR scope is an awsome choice. 3-18 x 42 with 35mm tube is what i trust. For my older rifle i use a burris 3-9, its clear and does the job

[GunTroll]

Definitely a Tasco Pronghorn. Or Leupold will do. I think calibers have to come into play when selecting the power. No need to have a Mark 4 8-25 when you shoot a 45-70. I like little zoom on big bullets for hunting guns.

[wolffo]

I'd say anything in quality from nikon and higher in a lower magnification setup - not more than 9x for big game

you can score deals on fixed power scopes in a brand that might be out of your range in a varaible setup - so like a fixed 6x from the gold ring people

anything over 9x will be twitchy and too heavy for big game

save the 14x + variable for your bench rest varmint rig

that said super sniper from SWFA makes a nice scope in fixed 10x with mildot for $319

illumination/electronics are just one more thing to fail in the field