I have been looking for the right scope to put on my newly acquired Remington 700. Over the course of much internet searching, talking to long time hunters and playing with countless scopes in the stores, I learned a few things. Because I am a sharing person here is some of my notes.
Its all about light:
Every hunter I talk to says its all about the light the scope lets in. The more light the better. The main variable here is the objective lens diameter. Followed by whatever coatings have been applied to the glass. When I make my initial list of possible scopes, most were 40mm lenses. After going and playing with many a scope is because abundantly clear that if I was going to invest in a nice scope the objective lens diameter should be the first features that I pay extra for. The 50mm lenses let in sooo much more light. The picture was sharper and it was just that much nicer to look through.
Magnification, not what I was expecting:
I generally expected, having poor eyesight, that the greater the magnification the more I would like the scope. But greater magnification has a side effect. The sight picture takes longer to acquire. With the 3-9ish scopes, when I held them up to my eye, I was instantly able to acquire the picture. The higher magnification scopes tool longer to and more fidgeting to work. I have to say, in this area the Redfield really shined. I was able to get a great sight picture very quickly.
Windage and Elevation:
I at first I wanted windage and elevation adjustments that did not require the removal of a cap. The ideal system, in my mind is Leupold’s CDS or Custom Dial System. Basically, you send them your ballistic data and they make you a dial with range marks. This works better than having finger adjustable knobs as you don’t have to do any calculations. Here is the thing. You can add CDS to any Leupold scope. So why not put your money into getting some really great optics and add the fancy stuff later?
My general requirements:
So after looking around a doing my research this is my list of requirements:
- 3-9ish power
- 50mm (although I could settle for 40mm)
- Highly fogproof
- Finger adjustable windage and elevation
- Great warranty
- Preferably make in the USA
The List:
- Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x50mm, Duplex: By far the best scope I looked though, CDS can be added. Around $549
- Redfield: Did not note the details, but thing thing felt good and it was the value deal. Looking at this scope in 50mm its hard to say exactly why I would spend the extra $300 to get a Leupold. Around $200.
- Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40mm, Duplex, CDS: Has the CDS but also the smaller lense. Around $499
