Scope for elk hunting

RocHal32

I am just starting to get things together for elk hunting in Idaho and Colorado. What scope is ideal for being able to make the long distance shots that may be necessary? (brand and/or power) I have been told a 6.5x20x50. (I am shooting a 300 wby mag) thanks!

Travis Hallam

A 6.5-20x50 would be overkill (unless you are varmit hunting). You would need a 3-12x50 at best. I would suggest the 3.5-10x44 Zeiss Conquest or a 4-14x44 Zeiss conquest. I have a Swarovski 3-12x50 on a Sako Warbird that is flat shooting as you can get and it is plenty of scope. I shot my deer at 360 yards and the scope worked fine. Shooting any further than that requires an extremely steady rest more than a high magnification scope.

Mad Dog

drawn

I have a 6x24x40 Bushnell 4200 Elite mounted on a Weatherby Accumark .338-378 and it's been flawless through 224 rounds. (aprox $350.00) It was suggested to me by Tom Gresham from Guns and Ammo/Gun talk radio and the optics rival my 900.00 Leupold.

Here's one I found from several in the auctions
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=14771426

"LIFE IS NOT A JOURNEY TO THE GRAVE WITH THE INTENTION OF ARIVING SAFELY IN ONE PRETTY AND WELL PRESERVED PIECE, BUT, TO SKID ACROSS THE LINE BROADSIDE, THOUGHRLY USED UP, WORN OUT, LEAKING OIL, SHOUTING GERONIMO!!"

aglore

Any quality 3X9X50 or 4X12X50 will be more than suffecient. I have a 3X9X40 Ballistic Plex Burris Fullfield II on my 300 WBY and it will do whatever I need it to do as long as I do my part all the way out to about 650 yards on Caribou.

AlleninAlaska
Delta Firearms & Supplies
http://canadianfirearmsexchange.com

aglore@gci.net

pack rat633

You don't need a lot of scope for elk, even at long range. Elk are the biggest game you'll probably ever shoot at. For even long range a 2x7 is plenty. Make sure you have a quality scope, elk hunting is a ruggad game, and requires the best equipment you can afford, and that you be in good shape too.

SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI

scott

i live in colorado and have been elk hunting for the past 24 years...I have been within 15' of an elk and have witnessed several elk taken at 600+ yards...the group I hunt with uses 3x9 and 3.5x10 leupolds on 7mm's...i personally use a .340 with a 3.5x14 lps..the things that they all have in common are EVERYONE uses a bipod and everyone sights 3" high at 100 and every one uses premium constructed bullets.. thats for am and pm posting...once stuff starts happening and you go into the timber, you are better off with a carbine open sighted or low power range variable...you are best served with 2 different setups if you dont know exactly where you will be hunting and the habits of the elk in that area...there are times when a open sighted 45/70 would be the prefered weapon and you take 50 steps to the left and you would want a 4x16 on a 378 wby !!

Mobuck

The bigger the scope the more likely it is to get banged up. A good 3-9x40 scope is plenty. It'll work at 30 feet or 300 yards.

Mobuck

He Dog

I use a 3x-9x x 40 Burris Signature, and it works great. Usually never have it over 4-6x except at the range. To much magnification often leaves you with it set to high when you need more field of view and that makes the target much harder to find. You need to be able to get a bullet in the boiler room, not count the fleas on his ears. Buy a quality 3x-9x which will hold better resale value for the future and you will likely not ever need to replace it. Good Hunting!

He Dog

Bushnell Boy

I like the 2.5-10x40 or the 4-16x40 elite 4200




In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

-Beck (1993)

elkmaniac

Been hunting big game and everything from soup to nuts and never have had use for anything bigger than a fixed 6X I prefer leupold their isnt a gun out there in my opion that will shoot as far as you can see with a bigger scope except the big 50's.

RocHal32

thanks for everyone's input