Budget scopes

[257 Wby Mag]

I picked up 2 last Monday. First one was a Bushnell Elite 3200, 3-9x40. On sale at sunbirds for $140.00. Great scopes for the money.. Its sitting on my 22 Mag. Next one was a 3-9x36 swarovski Habicit for 2 bills. Bout *censored*, its sitting on my 243 now. Be patient and keep sniffin, you'll find the deals....

[Atroxus]

Now I gotta decide which vortex. Looks like my choices( at the discounted pricing) are 3-9x40 with vplex reticle, or 4-12x40 with the BDC reticle. I am not sure how useful the BDC reticle would be for me though. Should I stick with the standard reticle on the 3-9x, or spend a little more to get the BDC reticle on the 4-12x? Is only $15 dollar price difference.

[jackelope]

for me it's worth the $15.00 to get the dead hold reticle.
If you don't use it, then fine, but honestly another 15 bucks when you're spending almost 200 bucks is a drop in the bucket. You'll also get the 12x power.

[bobcat]

Where are you going to be hunting? If hunting blacktail deer or elk on the westside, I'd prefer the 3-9x. If you're planning on hunting more open country the 4-12x would be ok.

[Atroxus]

For now I am planning to hunt west side. Though depending on my success or lack thereof I may venture east as well. I am leaning towards the 4-12x. I just want to make sure I won't have problems with too much magnification for how I will be using it.

[bobcat]

It's nice to have the widest field of view possible when hunting in the timber and an animal jumps up out of its bed at 10 yards and only gives you a split second to shoot.

[Atroxus]

Since I seem to be getting mixed advice, I decided to try an experiment. I paced off about 10 yards in my house from one side to the other. Then practiced target acquisition on various items with my 3-9x scope first set at 3x, then with it set at 4x and did not seem to have any noticable difference between the two. So I decided to go with the 4-12x. I may never use the extra magnification, but for only $15 dollars more I figure why not leave myself room to grow in skill so to speak.   Thanks again everyone for all of the advice. First time I get it to the range I will post pics of the rifle and targets so you can all point and laugh though.  

[bobcat]

Yeah it is personal preference. Nothing wrong with the 4-12, it just does help to have a wider field of view sometimes, if you're hunting in the brush. A 2-7 would have also been a good choice. But when you have only one rifle it's all a compromise.

[Intruder]

If all that's changing is the power and the reticle then opting for higher power option may be nice.  If you have to drop down a level in glass quality to get the extra power, stick w/ the 3-9 w/ better glass.

Reticle choice is really personal.  Lots of dudes luv the BDC stuff.  I can take or leave em...  wouldn't pay extra for 1 anyway.   

[bobcat]

If all that's changing is the power and the reticle then opting for higher power option may be nice.  If you have to drop down a level in glass quality to get the extra power, stick w/ the 3-9 w/ better glass.

I agree. I should have said that in my post. If the 4-12 is the same model as the 3-9 you're looking at, and is only $15 more, then fine. But if you're dropping down in quality to go with the higher power, then it's definitely not worth $15 more.

[jackelope]

They're both Vortex diamondbacks, one's a 3-9 and one's a 4-12

[Atroxus]

If all that's changing is the power and the reticle then opting for higher power option may be nice.  If you have to drop down a level in glass quality to get the extra power, stick w/ the 3-9 w/ better glass.

I agree. I should have said that in my post. If the 4-12 is the same model as the 3-9 you're looking at, and is only $15 more, then fine. But if you're dropping down in quality to go with the higher power, then it's definitely not worth $15 more.

Ya, based on the advise here and other forums I would have stayed with the 3-9 if the 4-12 had been lower quality brand/model. My choice was between vortex diamondback 3-9x standard reticle for $150, or vortex diamondback 4-12x with BDC reticle for $165(tax and shipping included), so I went with the upgrade.

I picked up my rifle today, and got the bases mounted. The scope shipped today so I am hoping to have it on the rifle within a week.   I also picked up 2 boxes of federal vital-shok loaded with 180gr Nosler accubonds. Yeesh those are pricey. I figure 180gr should be enough to drop an elk, but not enough to demolish a deer too badly since I plan to use the same rifle for both.

[jackelope]

You'll like that scope...it's a great deal for the $$.

[bobcat]

Glad you ended up getting a decent scope.

The weight of a bullet isn't what will "demolish" a deer, it's more the velocity and the type of bullet. The heavier bullet will actually do less damage because the velocity will be lower. The heavier bullets are good to have for elk as they will penetrate farther. The Accubond is a good choice, they will work at a range of velocities, so performance should be good whether the animal is 10 yards, or 350 yards. The only real disadvantage to a 180 grain is the recoil. If you find that after shooting your new rifle, you are "afraid" to pull the trigger, you might consider going to a lighter bullet. With the Accubond, and other premium bullets, you will still get good results with bullets as light as 150 grains, even on elk.

[Deep Forks]

  Atroxus, you'll like the scope, great choice.  My son and I both own 4x12 diamondback's and can't believe the clarity of the glass, from low to high power it stays clear, sharp and has good color rendition.  Have fun shooting and I'm hoping your first animal is in the near future.  The meat will be the best part except coyote.