I've been shooting a 6/284 for the past 30 years. Have been very satisfied with it but want to save it. It was built by my father back around 1965. What I'm planning on doing is using it as my back up rifle and buying a new one. What I'm looking into is a Rem. 700 BDL S/S 7mag. I bought my son this same gun in 270 cal. for his birthday last year and topped it with a Leupold vx-ll 3x9x50.

My questions are?

(1) After shooting the 6/284 will I be happy with the 7-mag. I plan on working up a 140 gr load and bring down that factory trigger. I know I'm going to miss that 85 gr nozzler.

(2) Scope question I have both the VX-ll 3x9x50 on the 270 and the VXlll 3.5x10x50 on the 6/284. I've shot the VX-lll on the 6/284 for 2 years and only have shot my sons once, I can't remember there being any differance in the 2 scopes at a 100yrd range. Question is the VXlll worth the extra $100.00??

I think you would be happy with the 7mm Mag. It should fill in well for your old standby. To me the 100.00 difference would not be worth it. However thats because I don't have many 100.00 bills to spare. Both scopes will do very well at the range you are speaking of. A salesman at a gun store the other day told me that Leupold is going to discontinue all of the VX scopes. He did not know yet what they were replacing them with. I don't know if thats true or not but that was the second time I have heard that. Good hunting!

James, I think you are right on all acounts. I read in a post that a e-mail was sent to Leupold asking if they were going to be replacing the VX-lll. In a nut shell the relpy from Leupold Customer Service, Laura Peter. Said they were replacing the VX-lll with a improved VX-lll Golden Ring.

She went to explain the improvments, New index matched lens system, highly precise finger adjustment elevation and windage and reticle focus will be faster and easier with the lockable fast focus.

The reason for the changes were because sales on the VX-lll have droped and more hunters were buying the Zeiss Conquest and Kahles scopes.

I wonder what the price will be on those new VX-lll Gold Rings???

I think so! I shot an elk with my 7 Mag. in October, using the 175-grain Nosler Partition. The critter hit the ground so fast, when I rcovered from the recoil, he had disappeared from view. There were two other bulls with him (which were in the brush, and I had not seen them) and these two ran out to the side. I thought one was the one I had shot at. I didn't get reloaded fast enough to shoot at him again before he was in the timber again. I Went over to where the elk I fired at had been standing to look for blood, and lo and behold! There he was, lying behind a log!

Be advised that the 7 Mag. has a little more noticeable recoil than the 6mm/.284! But it is no worse than a .30/'06!! Mine (Ruger No. 1B) will fire a 140-grain bullet at right close to 3400 FPS! There are some people who use the 140 Nosler for everything, includiong moose, elk & grizzly bears with perfect success. I'm a heavy bullet man, and my one concession to Elmer Keith when using the "little piddly" 7 Mag. is to use 175-grain bullets in it.

NO!! I have a Vari-XII 2-7X, and a Vari-X III 2.5-8X. I personally don't see any diffference in their optics or the accuracy of their adjustments. My understanding is that the "Vari-X I, II, and III" scopes are being replaced with a line called "VX I, II, and III", which will have essentially the same power scopes in them that are in the current Vari-X lineup. What the differences in optics, lens couatings, and adjustment setups will be, I don't know!

Bet you were glad you didn't shoot that second Elk!!

I had the same thing happen to me in Sept. Was on a Axis hunt, guide starts freaking out saying get ready get ready!! I through up my rifle and scoped the deer I told her we had passed up bigger the day before, then he walked into veiw and all I could say was Oh My God. I squezed off a shot at 200 plus yrds. Saw him drop right there. Then she says reload he's getting up, I'm fairly quick at reloading and follow up shots from my dog hunting days, as I was going to pull another shot she says don't shoot thats not him. I had 1 1/2 pounds of the 2# trigger pull pulled. When 3 large Axis bucks that were in the brush all fled and the one I shot lay there dead.

The buck scored Gold Medal in the record books and weighed over 200lbs.
That 85 gr nozzzler went in lung high front shoulder and was in skin exiting shoulder.

Tried to send you a picture, it must not be available on this site. If you have another e-mail address send it to me. [email protected]