Hunting optics, What do you use?

[SJB358]

I use a lot of scopes, from NF, Trijicon, Athlon, Arken, S&B, SWFA, Leupold, Zeiss, Signtron and probably a couple others I’m forgetting. My favorite western open country scope is my Trijicon 10 Mile 3-18. I have one on my Mashburn and one on a Montana 7 WSM. So far my favorite eastern deer scope is the Zeiss 2-8 Comquest. Seems to work nice for my normal stuff around home.

I’ve had Meopta 10x42 Meostars for about 10 years now I have used out west mostly, back home here in the wooded country I have a Meopta 8x32 Meostars and Swaro 7x42’s.

I got a Sig 2400 RF from Fotis a number of years ago that has been my go to out west since he handed them to me, and I also have a Leica 1200 RF that rides in my truck daily for use around home.

Finding optics over the years has been as much of a journey as finding a favorite rifle. I believe this year I’m going to invest in Sig Kilo RF bins. I have used Zeiss and Swaro in the past and they worked well, but the lasers were lacking some, so I went back to a handheld RF and standalone Bins.

 

[JMRhino]

As primarily a "Whitetail" hunter in the southeast, I tend to favor the low to mid-range power optics with a priority to clarity and weight. I used to think that my Leupold VX-3 2x8x32 was the perfect scope for me until I purchased and used their VX6HD in 2x12x42 w/the Fire Dot. It may not win any marksmanship competitions but seems to be about perfect for hunting in any condition. I think that some durability may have been sacrificed for weight, but I've never had an issue nor am I too abusive my gear.

Ninety percent of my hunting scopes are Leupold's from the old Vari-Xs to new the new VX6HDs, with a few Nikon, Zeiss and Vortex's thrown in for certain applications. I don't prefer the "Boone and Crockett" and BDC type reticles, but I have had a great experience with Leupold's speed dial system that has been calibrated for my handloads. I was originally concerned that the CDS dials were gimmicky, but they have proven accurate and dependable for me within my hunting ranges 100-400 yards. I have developed two loads for my 7-08 (120s and 165s) and have CDS dials for each. On demand I can switch loads and the related CDS dial without the need for re-zeroing. I have validated the CDS swaps at multiple distances, and it was repeatable and reliable. I don't know how often I will actually do that but it's fun and nice to know that I can.

For the last three years I have experimented with a Vortex LPVO on one of my shorty bolts for hunting. Specifically, I tried the Strike Eagle FFP 1-8 on my Tikka 7-08. I figure that some of the traits that make it a good "tactical" scope would crossover to the hunting world with quick acquisition and two eyes open, red dot type shooting. I have killed 4-5 deer from 125 to 300 yards with the Vortex LPVO. The eye box and light transmission can get a little tight at full power which is why I transitioned to the Leupold VX6HD 2-12. This season, I will test my Vortex Strike Eagle FFP 1-10 on my REM 700 LTR in .308. Good times...