Help scope a 300 wsm xbolt

[nitis]

Helping a friend pick a scope for his rifle. I have him talkied into dumping the monarch he has on it now as he is fed up with the bdc and wants a turret.

He is going to come look through some of mine to try to choose the best reticle for his liking

Now we just need to get the right scope. Money is not a real big concern but the right fit is he has cut himself more than once with his nikon and I think part of the problem is the nikons are a little on the long side and really picky about eye relief. Plus the xbolt is a rather compact platform so the shorter the scope should be better

I am pushing him to either the vx3 lr that has teh 30 mm tube and side focus in a 4.5-14 or a vx3 3.5-10 is all he really needs. But I also see the new vx6 might have it all.

What do you guys think

 

[FOTIS]

vx-6 2x12

vx3 3.5x10

 

[sask boy]

I agree VX6 with CDS and Boone & crocket I am just waiting to hear back from Corlane Sports about getting my new rifle topped with the above :mrgreen:

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Woodycreek]

VX-6 2-12x or 3-18x.

 

[AzDak42]

Take a long, hard look at the VX-R. The last few weeks, I've been playing around with both the 4-12x40 Firedot CDS and the 3-9x40 Firedot #4 (illuminated German #4) and early impressions are really good.

http://www.leupold.com/lightbox/features/fire-dot/

Hopefully I can get a more formal review written up at some point, but here's the short version.

- Simple side by side viewing at dawn and dusk, puts the glass on par with my Zeiss conquest 3-9x40. (The VX-R is sporting a 30mm tube though vs. the 1" Zeiss")
- They both mounted well with Warne low 30mm rings providing a good cheek weld.
- The illumination system seems to work well. The variable brightness is great and it doesn't halo like most red dot point sights do for me. (And it really helps shooting against a dark background)
- Mechanically they are very accurate and repeatable. I ran a 12" box drill twice and both times the shots lined up just as expected. (Shoot 1 - adjust 12 moa left, shoot 1, adjust 12 moa down, shoot 1, adjust 12 moa right, shoot 1, adjust 12 moa up, shoot 1 - repeat.) The groups in each corner were in line with the groups I'd shot without adjustment. (About 1.5moa)
- My barrel break in ammo for the 35 Whelen was a box of Hornady Superperformance. That's a 200g bullet at 2815, putting out a fair bit of recoil and almost exactly on par with a 300 WSM with a 200g load. I like a nice, tight, repeatable cheek weld, and had no issues with scope bite. There was plenty of eye relief.

Hopefully soon I'll get my pet loads worked out on the 7mm08 and get them over a chorno so I can send off for the custom dials.

 

[sask boy]

Thanks ArDak42, I am waiting for a VX-R for my son's 270 BDL as he has some trouble with contrast in his right eye so I think that that scope will work out great for him.
I have become a Leupold man almost exclusively in the last few years.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[nitis]

Can someone remind me why there is a preference between the 3.5-10 over the 4.5-14

 

[Guest]

If it were my rifle, I'd scope it with a good, compact, 3-9x40. I'd look at three - Zeiss Conquest, Meopta Meopro, and Minox ZA3. Your friend should be able to find a superstore that handles these (or several stores in your area) so he can look through them, handle them, and get a feel for which one he likes. I'd do a little shopping, as you can find each of these for anywhere from $250-350 new as a demo, and go with the one that is the best fit for the dollar. All are going to be relatively compact (around 12-13" long) and are going to have stellar eye relief. I personally like the Minox and would love to grab a 3-9x40 for my Colt Light Rifle, as it's a lightweight scope with phenomenal glass.

I'm just not sold on Leupold at this point. I've looked through them, and you spend more to get less glass, in my opinion. Add to that the relatively high number of warranty issues I'm aware of, and it becomes a lower percentage shot for my dollar. Leupold is a great, storied old company. But in the past decade or two, they've rested on their laurels and name, without making the kinds of improvements other makers were finding. Now, for the same or less money, you can pick up a Conquest, Meopro, or Minox, and get better glass than all but the most expensive Leupolds. It's your friend's choice, and he can certainly buy what he wants, but I suspect if he looks through these scopes I've mentioned, he won't be disappointed.

As for the preference for the 3.5-10 over the 4.5-14, I can't speak to that. Maybe it's a parallax issue, if Leupold is still shipping the 4.5-14's without adjustable objective or side focus? But maybe they've started including that focus capability? Beyond that, in my world, a short mag in a light rifle like the X-Bolt just begs for a good, compact, simple scope like the 3-9x40. It will maintain the balance and handling of the rifle, while giving plenty of optics for shots out to 500yds, if the rifleman is capable of those distances.

 

[nitis]

While I respect some of the other optics that are out there leupold is the best answer for this due to him wanting a drop turret

Now for myself that minix at camera land looks like a bargain right now for the right application

 

[nvbroncrider]

Well if money isn't an issue look at swarovski 3.74 inches of eye relief and they have a turret system that you can modify with your load or you can have a turret for a specific load made.

 

[R Flowers]

All I can tell you is that both my 300 WSM rifles wear Leupold 4.5 x 14 x 40 LR scopes and I would not change a thing. Both are mounted in Leupold Dual Dovetail mounts. Both have the Boone and Crockett reticle.

I am an avid turret fan for long range varminting, but for big game, the B&C reticle works for me.
The last 6x6 elk I shot was with my 300 Wby Mag wearing the same scope. I had ranged a tree line at 437 yards. This elk came out of there to feed in a meadow. I put the 400 yard line on him and it was all over.

 

[sask boy]

I have also heard good things about other scopes. I did a little checking Minox and Ziess are using the same glass, but the Minox is assembled in the US.
I just do not know about their service as I have only dealt with Bushnell and Leupold. My dealing with Bushnell was not satisfactory and I will not buy their scopes any longer although I have 4 of them counting my B & L 4000. I will eventually replace them with other scopes likely the Leupold as I have only had one problem with a gold ring and it was resolved immediately.
I guess that I am from the old school, if it ain't broke why fix it :wink:
I know Leupold uses Japanese glass but I have looked through most of the scopes out on the market as Leupold is as good as any.
At least for my tired old eyes :lol:
Blessings,
Dan

 

[nitis]

Boon and crocket or bdc retucles of any kind are out of the question. He wants to range dial and shoot no counting circles or hash marks etc.

So it's down to one of three vx3 3.5-10 CDs. Vx3 lr 4.5-14 cds or the new vx6 2-12 cds

 

[JD338]

Tough to beat a VX-3 4.5-14x40mm for an all around scope.
The CDS dial is pretty nice too.

JD338