Happy to join your ranks!

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

I'm jealous. I keep waiting for that the happen to me! Seriously though, congratulations. You know you're pretty far gone when you're taking pictures in the gun store

Ha, your 100% correct!

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Nice Rifle. A good 1-5, 2-8, or 3-9 would do her proud! That's why I dont go into gun shops anymore.......I HAVE THE INTERNET, plus my hunting partner tells me to buy stuff....yeah I'll go with that!

Hey, a question on this, if you or other members don't mind, what is a good power? I had one fellow at the gun shop say that I would want the most powerful I could get, another say 3x9, another mention the 1x5 and then a third say the 3x9 would be way too powerful! I have to say it's left me very unsure on this. I just want something good for this rifle that wont break my bank (hopefully not over $300.00 which, I know, I'm cheap, I'm sorry but this gun is going to mean Ramen Noodles featuring prominently in my supper plans as it is heh)

 

[Nyati]

Nice rifle, if you plan to use it as an all around gun, 3x9 would be the right choice. However, if you are going to use it only for DG then 1x5, or even 1x3 would be it.

 

[8x68]

Hey, a question on this, if you or other members don't mind, what is a good power? I had one fellow at the gun shop say that I would want the most powerful I could get, another say 3x9, another mention the 1x5 and then a third say the 3x9 would be way too powerful! I have to say it's left me very unsure on this. I just want something good for this rifle that wont break my bank (hopefully not over $300.00 which, I know, I'm cheap, I'm sorry but this gun is going to mean Ramen Noodles featuring prominently in my supper plans as it is heh)

I have an old Bausch & Lomb Balvar 3-9x40 on my BRNO 602 in 375H&H due to the area I used to hunt which was open country. It all depends on where you are going to be hunting. Open areas - a good 3-9x. A mix of bush & open country - a 2-8x. Close in heavy bush hunting - a fixed 3x or 1-4/5 power. ONE THING TO REMEMBER DO NOT SKIMP ON OPTICS. YOU MAY BE VERY SORRY! If you have to eat cardboard so that you can afford a good scope then eat cardboard.
Everyone has their choice of favourite mid price brands but I have found that for the money the Nikon Monarch 3's are excellent scopes, and clarity wise as good as Leupold VX 3's, and Zeiss HD 5's. I have them all and there is very little difference in optic quality. Where the Zeiss has the advantage is that it has a 5x zoom magnification ratio and handles low light a bit better. Leupold VX 2's would fit the bill but optic quality may not be as good.
Just my opinion and experience of course.

 

[ChrisG]

Hey, a question on this, if you or other members don't mind, what is a good power? I had one fellow at the gun shop say that I would want the most powerful I could get, another say 3x9, another mention the 1x5 and then a third say the 3x9 would be way too powerful! I have to say it's left me very unsure on this. I just want something good for this rifle that wont break my bank (hopefully not over $300.00 which, I know, I'm cheap, I'm sorry but this gun is going to mean Ramen Noodles featuring prominently in my supper plans as it is heh)

Under $300 limits you a great deal. But Leupold makes a pretty good VX-I (2-7x32 I believe) that will take the recoil and I believe it is right at $279 or $299. Definitely don't want to cheap out on a scope for a .375 H&H. While a lot of what you read is that the recoil is quite tolerable... and it really is quite shootable, it is still MUCH more substantial a slap than a .308. After shooting a .375, a .308 will feel like a .223. Point is... a .375 will eat cheap scopes for breakfast unless you get one that is renowned for its durability under recoil. My first .375 was a Post '64 Model 70 and it had Talleys and that same 2-7 VX-I on it. It shot great and that scope held up wonderfully. My new CRF Model 70 has a VX-6 on it and it is night and day compared to that VX-I. Once my .416 comes in, it will have a VX-6 1-5x on it. $800 bucks is really not a lot to spend for that kind of quality and it will last you a lifetime. After replacing four $200 scopes that the rifle pummeled to death, you might as well have bought the VX-6.

 

[Grumulkin]

I had a Leupold 2-7X (don't remember if Vari-X or VX-1) for awhile on a CZ-550 Safari Magnum in 458 Lott and it held up just fine. I then put the same scope on another gun and used it to take a crow at over 300 yards among other things. If you're not against buying used, that scope should be available for under $200. Since Leupold honors their warranty even if you're not the original buyer, I see no downside to buying a used Leupold on eBay, gunbroker.com, etc.

If you get the Talley QD rings, you could even get two optics; one low power and one of higher power and switch as needed.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I know I shouldn't cheap out on it, but paying more for the scope than I did for the rifle just strikes me as strange

 

[ChrisG]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I know I shouldn't cheap out on it, but paying more for the scope than I did for the rifle just strikes me as strange

Actually... that is one of the unwritten rules of rifles... spending $1000 on a rifle and putting a $200 scope on it is like buying a Ferrari and having Walmart put Hanook tires on it. I don't mean to sound like a snob but... if you ever use a nice scope... you'll never go back. Save up your money and get Leopold's, higher level Nikon's, etc. They are well worth it. I have heard a lot of people say that you should spend AT LEAST as much on your scope as you did on the rifle... I don't know about that because you can get a Super nice scope for $600-$1000. If you buy a $6000 AHR CZ 500. You could get a $6000 scope I'm sure, but you're wasting your money. I have never regretted buying a NICE scope... I can't say that about other scopes. Save up your money for 6 months and gets nice Leopold (or similar quality) and it will be a once in a lifetime purchase. Only painful once ya know

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Just wanted to update you all on the rifle. I was prepared to get slammed hard (because I'm kind of a recoil pansy, I admit it lol) but it just didn't happen! I don't know if its because of the recoil pad (looks like the stock one CZ attached) or because of the rifle weight or what but I was so surprised I ended up putting 40 rounds of 300 grain through it with my last grouping sitting at about an inch and a half at 50 yards. Granted my should was a bit soar the next day but it was nothing like the beating I was expecting. To be honest it kicked way less than the Rugger 300 Win Mag that I had to sell because I couldn't take the punishment!

 

[AZDAVE]

Welcome and congratz on the new rifle. With you being in NM I can attest that 375 is good for everything from prairie dogs to elk. Coyotes at 300 are just to much fun with that rifle. Like most of the folk have mentioned don't scrimp on the optics. Nikpon, Leopold, Vortex all have a decent scope in the 2x7 1.5-5 or 3x9 range that will let you shoot out to 350 with no problem. Suggest that you shoot with irons and save a little longer for better optics. If you get into the 450-600 dollar range you option and the optics quality go up ALLOTT.

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Hello all! I found a Nikon SA on sale for a very cheap price, put it on and it seems to be doing pretty well. I read that Nikons are tough and that the only +/- when it came to the more expensive models was in lens clarity and such. I did take it to the range today and thought the first shot at 100 yards was a bulls-eye everything else ran around the rings like it was the first time I'd ever pulled a rifles trigger. Pretty much happened every time, the first shot would be dead on or very close, everything else was scattered in a 8 inch group. Kind of frustrating. Still there was no massive "off the paper" drop so I'm guessing that the problem is my own and not the scope.

 

[Steve Steyr]

Nice purchase. And always remember, we are all enablers here on AH. When in doubt, just ask us for advice and we will all chime in "BUY IT". That's what we're here for.

 

[rinehart0050]

Congrats on the rifle! Time to upgrade the menu on your first safari to include DG!

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

Congrats on the rifle! Time to upgrade the menu on your first safari to include DG!

Maybe in 2020 if I go again lol. I'm afraid the current selection is making my wallet scream and the credit card executives ecstatic lol.