What one scope could you hunt anything with….

[BryceM]

I have an ancient Leopold 2-7X that is just solid. Nothing fancy. No turrets. No illumination. It has helped me kill a ton of game.

Unless you are building a rig dedicated to long range hunting and shooting, I’d stick with something that is in the 2-12X range. There’s nothing so horrible as accidentally being set to 20X and missing an opportunity on something up close while you’re fiddling with the scope. Ask me how I know.

 

[CBeck]

Steiner has a 1-10 scope that might be interesting, no personal experience however.

Ranger 10 1-10x24 | 1-10x24 | 3010900204

www.steiner.de

Likewise I had considered the Hawke 1-10, I used the Hawke 1-8 on the 375.

https://us.hawkeoptics.com/frontier-30-fd-1-10x24-mil-fd-10x.html

 

[CBeck]

Sometimes the price is important. My friend bought a March 2.5-25x42 and was very pleased. But now he takes care of this scope and rarely takes it hunting. It's very funny.

My choice of a relatively inexpensive, but high–quality and time-tested scope that is suitable for various hunts is the Leupold VX-6 2-12x42.

Price is certainly a consideration

 

[CBeck]

I like the idea of this magnification range and considered both of these scopes for my 16.5" .308 deer rifle. It seemed ideal for a Wisconsin Whitetail rifle where most shots will be between 25-100 yards with possibly poor light, but still suitable for the occasional shot across a farm field. In my mind, that versatility also makes it a consideration for a .375.

I found that I couldn't bring myself to drop the $2600 on the Swaro, and have never seen a Meopta in real life. My local gun shop did have same GPO scopes in stock though and I ended up with a Spectra 6 in 1.5-9x44. It has the illuminated reticle with basic mil holdovers. I wanted illumination, and the holdovers are nice for longer range target shooting without cluttering up the reticle.

I haven't had the opportunity to compare the GPO back to back with a Swaro yet, but it's certainly not bad optically. It is a bit bigger and heavier than the Swaro. It's also about 1/3 the price for a very similar feature set, so it deserves mention for those of us on a budget. There's a pretty fair chance I'll buy another for the .375 Ruger build I'm working on.

I’m strongly considering the GPO…thanks for the info. That’s the 1.5-9 (but in the 32mm) I’m considering as well. Glad to hear you are liking it.

 

[CBeck]

For the 280AI, what about the Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50?

It has an incredible range of magnification but I’m thinking the largest objective I will clear in medium rings is going to be 44. I’ll have to check the specs a little closer. Th aks

 

[WI-2021]

I’m strongly considering the GPO…thanks for the info. That’s the 1.5-9 (but in the 32mm) I’m considering as well. Glad to hear you are liking it.

I considered the 32mm as well. In my application it didn't gain me much, just a bit less weight. My limitation on mounting height was bolt clearance to the ocular bell, not barrel clearance, so I couldn't have gotten the 32mm any lower than the 44mm version on that particular rifle. The 32mm version might be the better option on a rifle with better bolt clearance. The .375 I'm building has a 75 degree bolt lift so the 32mm version is a consideration for that rifle.

The 32mm version also doesn't seem to have the option of the G4i Drop reticle that I preferred for the .308.

One rather odd thing to be aware of about the GPO is that the illumination control is a continuously variable rheostat, rather than the more typical knob with discreet brightness settings. This is kind of nice, but it does mean that there's no ability to turn it off and have it come back on to the previous setting like there is with the more typical design with an off position between each setting.

I'm curious whether anyone on this site has compared the optics of the GPO to a Swaro back to back. The Swaro's are very popular here, with good reason, but they sure are expensive.

 

[dogcat1]

Swarovski Z6i 1.7x10-42 with turrets
Or the new Z8i

 

[buffybr]

When I built my first centerfire rifle, a .30-06, in 1967 I put a cheap 3-9x40 scope on it. Over the years I upgraded the scopes, but stuck with the 3-9x40 power and size. With it I've killed a variety of North American animals from prairie dogs to caribou, moose, and a mountain goat.

In 1977 I built a .257 Ackley mainly for deer, pronghorn antelope, and varmints, and I have also used it for caribou, elk, and my 4 bighorn and Dall rams. Until recently it wore a Leupold 6x scope.

I built a .375 RUM in 2004 for an African Cape Buffalo hunt, and took it on another South African PG hunt where I shot a variety of animals from Steenboks to Eland. I had a Leuold 2-7x scope on it. A few years ago I took that rifle to Alaska for a Brown bear/moose hunt and I changed the scope to a Leupold 3-9x40.

Currently I have Leupold VX 3i 4.5-14x40 CDS scopes on my 7mm RM and .300 Wby rifles. I've field verified and marked the top of the range scope cap for the bullet impact at 100, 200, 300, and 430 yards.

 

[dneaster3]

Well if I may be so bold as to suggest this one from the classifieds

Seriously, though, for a hunting scope you don't need more than

• 2x, 2.5x, or 3x on the low end
• 8x, 9x, or 10x at the top end
• slim profile, covered turrets
• duplex, post, or German #4 reticle

So a vintage 2-7x33 or a classic 3-9x40 or a brand new 2-10x42 or something similar from a reputable builder can cover everything for your 280AI from 4 yards out to 400 yards. Inside that range, know your rifle, know your trajectory, and be a rifleman. Outside that distance be a hunter, not a sniper, and get closer.

 

[coreydb]

What ever you decide, make sure you have an illuminated reticle.

 

[Uncontrolled_round_feed]

Leupold VX 5 2-10x Firedot

 

[RR 314]

I am a huge fan of the .280 AI. For my Ed Brown I opted for the Z5 5-25. I seem different than most here, but really prefer higher magnification. I usually prefer illuminated reticles, but went without on this one. This particular scope has a larger bell at 52 mm, but works great for my needs.

 

[CBeck]

I am a huge fan of the .280 AI. For my Ed Brown I opted for the Z5 5-25. I seem different than most here, but really prefer higher magnification. I usually prefer illuminated reticles, but went without on this one. This particular scope has a larger bell at 52 mm, but works great for my needs.

Obviously as am I. I started hunting with a 280rem around 30 years ago and purchased this 280ai 3-4 years ago. They are fantastic calibers rivaling 7mm rem mag performance with less recoil, noise, powder usage. And I like being able to shoot 280rem out of the AI in a pinch!

 

[CBeck]

I considered the 32mm as well. In my application it didn't gain me much, just a bit less weight. My limitation on mounting height was bolt clearance to the ocular bell, not barrel clearance, so I couldn't have gotten the 32mm any lower than the 44mm version on that particular rifle. The 32mm version might be the better option on a rifle with better bolt clearance. The .375 I'm building has a 75 degree bolt lift so the 32mm version is a consideration for that rifle.

The 32mm version also doesn't seem to have the option of the G4i Drop reticle that I preferred for the .308.

One rather odd thing to be aware of about the GPO is that the illumination control is a continuously variable rheostat, rather than the more typical knob with discreet brightness settings. This is kind of nice, but it does mean that there's no ability to turn it off and have it come back on to the previous setting like there is with the more typical design with an off position between each setting.

I'm curious whether anyone on this site has compared the optics of the GPO to a Swaro back to back. The Swaro's are very popular here, with good reason, but they sure are expensive.

Excellent point. I’m thinking the ocular will be my problem as well. On my 375 I had room for low rings with the exception of bolt clearance, thus going with medium.

I may would do the 2-12x50 but would prefer a trimmer scope.

SPECTRA 6x 2-12x50i – German Precision Optics

gp-optics.com

Unfortunately I don’t like the reticle on the 2-12x44

So back to

https://gp-optics.com/product/spectra-6x-15-9x32i/ or 44

 

[ftrovato]

I've always been a less is more kind of guy having several 1.75 x 6 and 2 1/2 x 8 Leupolds being of my favorite with an objective 40mm or less to help mount the scope low.

However as my eyes age I have to admit I find magnification helpful in ways I didn't when my eyes were younger. Not sure why but I find myself turning the power up these days.

 

[CBeck]

I thought this thread would make things easier….it hasn’t. lol

On one had I could do a Hawke 1-10x24 on the 280 and have two identical rifles, Hawkeye Africans. A 375 with 1-8x24 and a 280 with 1-10x24. Functionally identical in shape, form, operation.

Or I like a 2-12x40 but then, if you do that, why not the 3-18x44…..dammitman! where does it stop?