Which scope for .338 Winchester Magnum?

TWalker

I own a Ruger "All-Weather" stainless Model 77 MK II in .338 Winchester caliber. I have three scopes to choose from. Which would you pick for hunting deer, elk, and maybe bears? The 3-9x40 Leupold Vari-X II that's already on it, a 1.5-5x20 Vari-x III I just bought, or a M8 4x that I've had a while? Thank you for your suggestions.

DONDALINGER

I too have a .338 and I reccomend the scope with the longest eye relief. A scope will give you a nasty "biscuit cut" right above the eyebrow with a hard kicking rifle if you are not careful. Any of the scopes you mentioned should work fine. Good luck.

deerhntr

hello,If this was going to be strictly a dangerouse game rifle Grizz/polor bears I would recomend the 1.5-5 X 20mm leupold But being you mentioned deer and black Bear that are mostly hunted at dusk and dawn the 3-9x40mm has the larger objective that is IMHO very important for these conditions. The fixed 4X 33mm is an option but i would choose the 3-9x40mm hands down.

ern98

Personally I put a 2x7x33variII Leupold on mine. It has very good eye relief and is all I need for the type of shots it would be used for. Then again I'm not trying to shoot mine at long range. I'll take either my 300Wby or 8mmRemMag for those conditions. There have been some sales, Cabela's, and Leupold has had a free shipping offer for some time now, I'd be looking at picking up a 2x7x33 or a 2x8x33 VXIII or what ever the new designation is for your 338winmag.

cussedemgun

Mr. Walker,

Your question is without background information & thus un-answerable.

To be of the optimum use to it's owner, a rifle must have a sighting system that suits it's owner. The caciber will determine what the rifle is suitable for. The sights will aid him in acomplishing that purpose.

The various sighting systems are:

Open sights
Peep sights
ghost ring sights
holographic
red dot
scope (which includes 1x thru hi-power magnification)

The short version is: optics on a rifle is a crutch, just like the glasses on my face. I am an old GEEZER & I need opticaly compensated sights to put sights & target on one plane. If you are young & have good eyes, you don't need a scope for the average conditions. Start using a scope now, & you'll always need a scope (crutch)

Do you hike in to hunt? (no scope will keep the weight down)
Do you hunt in brush? (scope adds extra hang-ups)
What is the expected weather? (rain & cold can fog or cloud a scope)

If you answer the following questions, we can give you an educated opinion to answer your original question.

Eyes (near sighted or far sighted) do you wear glasses?
Maximum & minimum ranges this rifle will be used
Is weight a factor? Do you hike long distances with your rifle?
Will you be using this rifle for "dangerous game" protection?

schintzie

Hello TWalker,

The question that should be asked here, is "What is the maximum distance that you are comfortable shooting from?". If it is 250 yards or less I would go with the 1.5-5 x20 Vari-X III; 250 or more and I would choose the 3-9 x 40 Vari-X II. Fixed power scopes are no longer my first choice, as modern variable power scopes are as rugged as anything you are going to need, and are more flexible. As far as relative brightness between the two, the minimum exit pupil on the 1.5-5 is 4.0 and on the 3-9 it is 4.4, which I would call a wash do to the Vari-X III's better lens coating. Here's another thought: I would take the 3-9 out and view a roughly 20" object through it at your maximum shooting distance. Start at 9x, and turn the power ring down until you no longer feel comfortable that you can consistently make the shot at that power. If you are at 5x or less, I'd go with the Vari-X three due to it's lighter weight.

ghotie_thumper

I have a VX-III 3.5x10x40 on my 338, your 3x9 should be just fine.

TWalker

Thanks to all for the replies. I am 55 years old, wear eyeglasses and need a scope on all my rifles. My Ruger doesn't have iron sights. I bought the Leupold 1.5-5 this past week on a Rem.1100 with cantilever base that shoots rifled slugs and thought the 1.5-5 might be better on my .338 Ruger than the 3-9x40 Leupold, especially at close range. I think I'll keep the 3-9 on it right now, especially since it's sighted in. That wasn't the most fun I've ever had shooting those .250 grain bullets. Anyway, Maybe I'll put the 1.5-5x20 on my Ruger No.1 .458, leave the 3-9 on the .338, and put the 2.5 fixed Leupold from the .458 onto the 12 guage slug gun. The 4x Leupold I originally had on the .458 can then go on a Rem 7400 in 3006.
This is how it'll end up: (all Leupolds)
1100 slug gun: 2.5x20 fixed compact
.458 Magnum: 1.5-5x20 Vari-X III
.338 Magnum: 3-9x40 Vari-X II
7400 M7400 30-06: M8 Fixed 4X

How's that?

bpost

1.5X6 Burris Signature Scope in Burris Signature Mounts. Been there did that. Living in Alaska showed me that this combo was bullet proof.

texaswildman

I like your choice to keep the 3x9 on it. i have a browning 338 stalker with the same optics. I wear eyeglasses and have not had any problems with "scope rash". I like the distance the 9 power gives me. I shoot the rifle regularly and have taken WT deer at over 600 yds. I actually bought the rifle for a bear gun, but have not put it to that use yet (in the 15 years if have had it). Shot a Nilgai (a hard kill 400 lb critter) with it this year at over 200 yards and it fell in 2 steps. It also likes elk....