Optic Overkill?

[BWH]

Prob more than you need.... unless target & prairie dogs are your game. However, I bet it is one sweet ass beeeatch to look thru!

 

[MS 9x56]

The Tikka T-3 is a slim lightweight rifle that would suffer from the extra size and weight the comes with that scope. Unless you will be hunting after dark at which it might actually help. For no more than 250 yard shots you really wouldn’t need more than 6 power on the high end. Just one old hunters experience and opinion.

 

[Joker12]

I could happily hunt the rest of my life with a Leupold 2x7.

 

[Alistair]

I have the opportunity to put a Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25 x 50 Scope on my Tikka T3 30-06. I am not confident shooting over 250 metres. The great thing is that it is brand new and I am getting it for half of what it normally costs. Overkill or not ?

For me? A lot of scope for a hunting rifle.

On the other, good glass at a keen price is nothing to sniff at and at 5-10x it'll be very capable from 50-300m.

If you like it, it's clear and it's a bargain, why not? At least you'll have a good target / hunting cross over if you want to play that game and so long as it's not a DG or a running boar rifle, the only penalty is weight, which... meh.

You could probably get a Zeiss or equivalent 6x or 8x fixed for less money of course, which is as good or better for a hunting scope within 300m...

 

[Ray B]

I suspect that in the five years since posting, things have probably been decided. However with regard to a 5-25x scope, there's no law that says just because it's on the rifle, that you have to crank it up to 25. The shooter might be content with dialing it to 6, 10 or 15x- options!!

 

[MS 9x56]

T

I could happily hunt the rest of my life with a Leupold 2x7.

That is my most popular scope I have a leupold, vortex and Burris in that size and only 1 3x9 a Leupold.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I have the opportunity to put a Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25 x 50 Scope on my Tikka T3 30-06. I am not confident shooting over 250 metres. The great thing is that it is brand new and I am getting it for half of what it normally costs. Overkill or not ?

@ZDresner
That is way to much scope and it will upset the balance of your tikka.
If you get it for half price there's a reason.
A nice 3 to 10x42 meopta or a 2 to 8 x36 luppy would be ideal.
If you are not confident shooting over 259 meters a bigger scope isn't going to help you and in the real world 90% of game shot is at 200 meters or less.
Bob

 

[R eight]

I have the opportunity to put a Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25 x 50 Scope on my Tikka T3 30-06. I am not confident shooting over 250 metres. The great thing is that it is brand new and I am getting it for half of what it normally costs. Overkill or not ?

Over kill??….most definitely

If you’re happy with a Conquest and shooting up to about 300 meters, then this will probably be a good option

ZEISS Conquest V6 1.1-6x24 | Perfect combination of precision and reliability

A maximum magnification factor of 6.5x guarantees the flexibility required when hunting and intuitive handling ensures quick responses.

www.zeiss.com

In my opinion most people over scope their hunting rifles. Most of my hunting rifles run 4x fixed scopes or low magnification variable power (6x maximum) .
I’ve hunted the mountains for thar, chamois and Dall and was not underscoped.

good luck with what ever you use.

 

[R eight]

I have the opportunity to put a Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25 x 50 Scope on my Tikka T3 30-06. I am not confident shooting over 250 metres. The great thing is that it is brand new and I am getting it for half of what it normally costs. Overkill or not ?

I just realised that I've posted on something that started in 2017 ....so.....the question is what did you end up using ? And, what are your opinions ?

 

[geoff rath]

Think back, or if you're as ancient as I, remember when shooters /hunters all worked with open/peep sights, and did so very successfully

 

[R eight]

Think back, or if you're as ancient as I, remember when shooters /hunters all worked with open/peep sights, and did so very successfully

Way back...like last year.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I find high powered variable scopes are "fussier" to use. More critical eye relief, a smaller area where the shooter may have his head / eye positioned and still see a full field of view - not only fore and aft, but side-side and up/down as well. And scopes with powers over 9x or 10x also perform best with a parallax adjustment turret or adjustable objective bell. ALL that stuff makes the magnification work for precision aiming at tiny targets far away, but makes the scope less user friendly in "shoot now or go home" situations that are very common when hunting wary large animals. High powered scopes can be a serious handicap at close range, which I believe is more important than long range >300M capability. My highest powered hunting scopes ( other than varmint scopes) are no more than 3.5 -10 x.

@Longwalker
I find scopes with higher magnification with all the bells and whistles, like parallax adjustment, illuminated reticle and with more line than a drug users arm a complete waste of time I'm the bush
By the time I choose the right power, illumination and range it to know what line to hold on then focus it one of two things have happened.
The game has wandered into the next county or the game has died of old age. Either way I still haven't fired a shot.
A 3to 9 or 3.5 to 10, simple duplex reticle and set on lowest power. Game jumps ,rifle comes up and hopefully game goes down. If you have the time you can wind up the power and still take game as far away is sensible.
Bob

 

[Bert the Turtle]

The z6 on my 30-06 lives at 1.7. If I need/want more magnification, the animal is far enough away that I have time. I don’t know if I’ve ever shot an animal on more than 5x.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Randy Wakeman has written a couple of good articles about being "over scoped."

A Rational Look at Irrational Glass: Hunting Riflescopes

Are We Under-Scoped and Over-Magnified?

 

[RTG]

I have the opportunity to put a Zeiss Conquest HD5 5-25 x 50 Scope on my Tikka T3 30-06. I am not confident shooting over 250 metres. The great thing is that it is brand new and I am getting it for half of what it normally costs. Overkill or not ?

Depends how you hunt. I don't hunt long range but I observe game from a long ways away. Big zoom with premium glass helps me to decide which critters to pursue and eliminates the need for a spotting scope.

The younger me was offended by over scoped hunting rifles. I lived in Arizona and never saw the need. Now I mostly hunt in Wyoming where we often observe game a long, long, long, ways away. I put a Swaro 3.5-28x50 on my latest hunting rifle just for low light, long range observation. The scope is crap for long range shooting as it doesn't have enough adjustment. For observation however, it's crystal clear, even on max zoom with the lowest light.

I agree with RedLeg that the 50mm is bulky in the field. If you want big/clear zoom then your options are limited. I use lighter rifles with smaller scopes for big hikes/brush/forest. If parking my butt on a hilltop and observing critters for a mile around, then I like big clear scopes that out perform in low light. That Zeiss would check each of those boxes.

 

[MS 9x56]

Think back, or if you're as ancient as I, remember when shooters /hunters all worked with open/peep sights, and did so very successfully

And some of us ancients still do use irons to great effect.

 

[Angelo_orygun]

Old thread, I assume the OP has it figured out…but I’ll opine!

On my first trip to Africa, the 30-06 I was using had a 5-25 HD5, every stalk I tried to turn it down from 5 power.

My second trip to Africa I had a 1-6 V6 and never once did I wish for more magnification, even on a Gemsbok at 190 yards.

Less>more. Quality over quantity.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I put a 3.5-10X 40 Leupold VX3HD on my 25-'06 Ruger No.1. Perfect.

I love Zeiss optics, but I do not like 30mm tubes and overly large objective lenses... bulk and weight are the problem.

 

[JimP]

I put a 3.5-10X 40 Leupold VX3HD on my 25-'06 Ruger No.1. Perfect.

I love Zeiss optics, but I do not like 30mm tubes and overly large objective lenses... bulk and weight are the problem.

I put a Leupold VX3-HD 4.5-14 x 40 CDS onto my .25-06, I wanted that little bit of extra magnification for those longer shots. The first year that I had it on that rifle I took a coues deer buck at 420 yards.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I put a Leupold VX3-HD 4.5-14 x 40 CDS onto my .25-06, I wanted that little bit of extra magnification for those longer shots. The first year that I had it on that rifle I took a coues deer buck at 420 yards.

400 yards is a common shot on Coues whitetails. They are wary, flighty, and are usually found by glassing at extended ranges. That's a great set-up for a Coues rifle.

400 yards is about my personal limit... even with my 7 mm RM and 2.5-10 S&B. I just don't like to shot animals at really long ranges.