Scope ?

[tjen]

The VX3 is what I would get and consider where you use these guns the most. A 06 with either a 1.75-6 for 20-250 yards shooting or a 2.5-8 for say 30-300yards works real well. Better Glass and a sharp clear veiw is better than a larger less focused view.

If your 338 is wearing the 2.5-8 I would get the 1.75-6 for the 30-06 for a more woods friendly rig that can still provide a great veiw at 300 yards.

My dream scope is the VX6 1-6x24mm for my 358win from the muzzle to 300 yards I would be covered. I have never felt under scoped with my VX3 1.5-5x20mm in the field its at the bench I like more magniication. Meaning are my 1.5-1.7" groups realy 1", with my 14 power scope I know, but a 1.7" group will take deer all day long out to 200 yards and more.

 

[AzDak42]

Do you feel upgrading from a Bushnell 3-9 Trophy that is 16 years old to a Leupold 3-9 VXII will improve groups?

Personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

Personal experience says the two biggest factors in minimizing group size are barrel quality and trigger with the bedding of the action and FF of the barrel as a very close 3rd.

Optics tend to not reduce group size unless you are moving way up in magnification and are able to maintain a better sight picture. I'm not sure I've ever seen moving from between scopes in the same power range, on functioning scopes, ever having changed group size.

The biggest thing that you get by moving up in scope quality is mechanical repeatability. Lower end scopes tend to lose their zero more readily than those with better internals. Cheap scopes are also very bad about consistency in adjustment. Take a great scope, shoot 5 rounds, go up 20", shoot 5, left 20" shoot 5, down 20" shoot 5, right 20" soot 5. You'll see a neat and precise little box with the last group overlapping the first. Do the same with a poor scope a few times, and you'll find the last group will seldom overlap the first.

Is that a huge deal on a rifle that gets zero'd, taken out to a deer stand, shoots a few times, and goes home? Probably not. If it's a scope you're shooting mid to long range with, with a variety of loads.. yah, it is.

Go with the best glass you can afford. It has long legs and will last a lifetime.