A couple months ago, I purchased a Browning X-Bolt in .300 WSM. It has a 23" barrel, glass bedded receiver, Walnut stock, etc. I'm searching for a scope for this gun, trying to spend $800 or less. Two questions:
1. What is the effective range of this gun?
2. What scopes would match up with the effective range?
If you're a good shot, 500 yards will not be a problem, maybe more. We put a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x on the wife's 300WM Xbolt. You might look to go up to a 3.5-10x scope as well.
Well as long as you have a super solid rest and practice with your gun and ammo .
Not at all saying you can shoot a deer that far , It would be up to your experiance etc.
Shots out to 300 yards or so with a 3-9x40 scope shuld be no problem .
Once you start talking 500 yards and more I,d move up to a 4-12x50mm or comparible ?
I shot my 10 ponter last winter with my Browning 270wsm at 640 yards . I had just installed a 3-9x40 Nikon Monarch with the BDC.
Without the proper equiptment it near imposible .
I have a Nikon BDC scope, Lieca 1200 yard range finder and near zero wind .
Without knowing the range or if I didnt have the BDC I would of never took the shot .
what types of terrain are you going to be hunting in? Wide open valleys? Dense forrest? Swamp? It would be pretty silly to mount say a 6.5-20X40 on the rifle if you are hunting in the last two areas. If you are going to be hunting in areas where long shots (300yds+) then you would want more than a 3x9. If 300yds is a long shot and lucky to ever see that distance I would say 3x9 is fine. If you are hunting dense forrest or swamp then a 1.5x5 or 2x7 would work well.
I have been looking at the Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16x50, but I'm concerned about quality control. The leupold 4.5-14x50 CDS is another one.
This going to be my son's gun when we go out west. Don't know the terrain just yet, trying to cover as many bases as possible.
I have been looking at the Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16x50, but I'm concerned about quality control. The leupold 4.5-14x50 CDS is another one.
This going to be my son's gun when we go out west. Don't know the terrain just yet, trying to cover as many bases as possible.
6x mag of the 6500 had me curious, but I read some poor reviews of that much power range getting foggy/unclear at max power. 4x is still quite a variable ie a 2.5-10x is 4x
if not the CDS, consider the B&C reticle.
checkout the zeiss z600 and z800 reticles on the conquest scope line, 3.5-10x or 4.5-14x44mm
I have yet to see a scope with 2.50-10x that was decent under $500. I have a pos Simmons that is blurry and is a paperweight. I recently looked at a Monarch 2.5-10x and compared it side by side with the Conquest 3-9x. The Nikon was garbage compared to the Zeiss, and they were close in price. Images werent as sharp, and the colors were not true. What I saw is what should be seen in a $80 scope.
I hunt in oak woods that in some directions will give me a 200 yard shot and others 50 yards. Then sit in a different stand where I can get a 300 yard shot accross a marsh. I use a 4-16 X 50AO with lighted dot and set it on 6 power. I've shot numerous deer at 50-100 yards with the scope set at 6 power. (Used to have a 3-9 X 40). It's perfect for me. If a deer is running full speed through these oak woods I will not take a shot. It is pure luck to hit no matter what sight you are using. In an open field I've downed running deer but in the woods you'll more then likely hit a tree.
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I have yet to see a scope with 2.50-10x that was decent under $500. I have a pos Simmons that is blurry and is a paperweight. I recently looked at a Monarch 2.5-10x and compared it side by side with the Conquest 3-9x. The Nikon was garbage compared to the Zeiss, and they were close in price. Images werent as sharp, and the colors were not true. What I saw is what should be seen in a $80 scope.
streetglideok
Look through a Mueller 4-16 X 50AO at $209 (swfa). It replaced my Nikon Monarch and I was swayed by a friend who has a sporting goods store. He could (and has) put the finest, most expensive scopes on this planet on his rifles. He had preferred Springfield scopes but they are impossible to get (making for Uncle Sam) so he uses these Muellers. He prefers them over Swarovski, Nikon, Leupold, Burris, Steiner, Zeiss and other expensive scopes. I've just ordered a second one.
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WBL
Last edited by warbirdlover; 04-01-2011 at 07:55 PM.
.300 WSM Browning X-Bolt
