Good long-range Tactical hunting scope ?

[Magnum_Willys]

I've been happy with my Shepherd scopes but for my son went with a Cabelas Scope with dots out to 500 yds because it had a 4 - 20 power.  The Shepherd is 6-18 which is great in Montana but 6 is too much for brush hunting in W. Washington.   However we don't like the Cabelas nearly as well - dots are too coarse and we miss the circles the Shepherd has.  Going to get rid of it and get another Shepherd or a Tactical scope.

My experience - If you don't have a great rangefinder ( one that gets animal readings to 1000 yards - most don't ) then the Shepherd is the way to go.  Select whatever circle reticle that touches the deers back and belly and touch off - very quick and you have a chance at those long shots.   BUT you really need a good rangefinder for the really long shots - too much room for error using just the circles.  Considering a tactical turret scope ?  Anyone have experience with one ? 

[Jamieb]

If you already like the shepherd scopes, have you checked out any of thier other models. I use a P-1A in 3X10 on my 300 RUM. it works real well on that rifle.
Most of my rifles have leupolds with turrets on them, I prefer turrets over dots or circles.

[high country]

the sheps are too busy for me. I perfer a mildot. once you know how to use a mildot it does it all for you...at least minute of elk and minute of coyote in good hands. I like a scope I can make corrections on and hold bang on....especially on long shots. sheps are neat, but offer nothing in terms of windage and are pretty much a joke at long range....unless close counts.

take what ever scope you like and go shoot water balloons with it. when you can no longer poke em' on the first shot.....you know where the end of your range is.
As for a good one....the sky is the limit. I guess if you can swing a shep you can swing a leuy LR, 4200 with dots, a nikon with dots perhaps even a zeiss with dots. those would be my choices.

I should ask....is 400 yds long range to you? I am thinking more like 700 plus.

[carpsniperg2]

i like the Leupold vx-III LR 8.5-25 with the varmint hunters ret, depends on the rifle cal and drop but the one i have it on the bottom wire is 1000y

[jjhunter]

I like the NF with the NP-R1 reticle.   Each verticle line is exactly 1 MOA and every horizontal line is 2 MOA.   I keep my drop charts in MOA with individuals clicks as single numbers.....For example:   13 clicks (1/4MOA) would be 3+1 on my chart.   I can either grab the turret and spin 3 MOA plus one click; or, 3 1/4 lines on my reticle.  It works very well and is very quick and accurate.

[Magnum_Willys]

I didn't post yardage because it brings out the whiners.... but yea anything 500 or less you don't really need anything special.  Its the 600+ that I'm concerned with.  Thanks for the feedback.   Sounds like some of these are adjustable turret scopes and others have the yardage lines out to a 1000 like the Shepherd.

JJhunter - If your scope has lines on the reticle - do you use those or adjust the turret?  Which do you find the easiest ?

[high country]

mag, the shep and range marking bar scopes can be pretty close out to 100 depending on your particular setup and cartrige. things like the mounting height of your scope, variations in the loads you shoot, the elevation, humidity, angle of the shot, angle of the sun, wind......etc....these are the variables that a non adjustable scope can't overcome. if you shoot much in the mountains the turrets are really the only way to accurately make 1/2mile pokes. if you can find a critter that is dead level from you and no wind to mess with you, well the bit of spin drift is not going to make enough to miss a vital hit on a deer. if you want to seriously be a player in the beyond 600 club, trust me, you are gonna need turrets or good luck and a bloodhound. long shots can make for interesting recoveries. if you are lucky the animal is DRT, if it ran......well it can take 20 minutes to walk the 1k yds to get to where you "think" you poked it. if you thump one in a crp field it only gets trickier....woods trickier yet.
I suppose my point is unless you are going to use one of nightforce, IOR, USO or the like's reticles with lots and lots of hold points...turrets are the only way to reliably make good hits at range....and then it is still gonna take a lot of shooting to verify. my bal programs have NEVER been bang on the money at all ranges, sometimes up to 10" off.

[elkspert]

Check out Holland Shooters Supply and the reticle he uses. There is no dialing, 31 moa on the reticles. I had his reticle installed in my schmidt and bender, but if you own a leupold or nightforce I believe he can do the install also. Pretty simple. I practiced all summer out to 600 with no dialing.

[jjhunter]

Like HC said, the turret is the only way to fly on long-range hunting shots.   However, when the shooting is fast and furious (coyotes), I prefer to use the the reticle.   The NP-R1 reticle is the only one that I trust.   Each line is only (1) moa so there is much less guess work.  I don't care for circle reticles or standard reticles like BDC, BC, VH, etc......They are too generic for precision shooting.   Any reticle that uses 1MOA for each vertical line is the only way to fly for LR hunting reticles.


Even with a precision reticle like the NP-R1, you still have to break down fractions of MOA between the lines.....there is still some guess work involved....for sheer, no kidding, precision shots, you need to grab the turret!

[Magnum_Willys]

Thanks for the foodback - big help.