I have a Ruger no 1 in 45/70 and would like to scope it. I am in the market for a fixed 2.5x or 1x4 or 1.75x5 all with 20mm tubes which is my preference. When I am done developing loads for this thing it will probably have fearsome recoil. I have been looking at Leupold,Nikon,Burris. Who else makes a scope for an application like this that they have used without problems?

YOU JUST NAMED THE TOP CHOICES IN THE INDUSTRY, I WOULD GO WITH THE VARIBLE LEUPOLD.

RON KONTOWSKY
DEANS GUNSHOP2

CUSTOM GUNSMITHING CUSTOM PISTOLSMITHING

One buddy of mine has the most beautiful custom rifle you have ever seen and it is chambered for .416 Rigby. <img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle> It wears a Leupold Vari-X II 1-4x20mm scope and he swears by it. Never had a single problem.

I've talked with others who have big bores and most of these guys go with either the above or the Vari-X III 1-5x20mm. It seems strange to me that these very expensive rifles don't have Swarovski or Zeiss scopes on top, but none of them do. I guess that should tell you something.

Good Dogwork and Good Hunting

Well if it can put up with a .416 rigby I won't have a problem with the 45/70...Actually Schmidt&Bender makes a real nice scope in this class but I am afraid to look at the real world price and it doesn't have the eye relief the Leupold has. Probably go with the VXII 1-4 . Thanks everyone for the input.

Oldelkhunter: I have a Buffalo Classic 45-70 single shot and am pushing a 405 gr Rem Bulk bullet @ over 2000 FPS out of it's 32&quot; barrel. I have the Leupold VXII 1-4 20 mm mounted on it since new with around 1000 of these rounds thru it to date. Other than tightening the ring screws every 250 shots or so it is holding up fine.
BTW I had a old Weaver K2.5 20 mm on my Handi Rifle in 45-70 with those same loads and it also held up perfect with over 2500 rounds thru it after I had it on a 35 Rem for years. sold the rig to my buddy when I got the BC and he still is using it .
That 45-70 has accounted for alot of elk for me over the years. BT

Thanks for the Input BT...seems like my choices are pretty limited but real good nonetheless. What kind of ring mounts are you using?

The ones on the BC are Leupold, an before you ask they really don't need to be tightened every 250 rounds...I just check them. Maybe once or twice I got 1/16 turn on one of them...I'm just paranoid cause of the loads I shoot.
last December I smacked a bison @ near an honest 350 yds with one of those 405 gr loads. flat on the shoulder. His tail went straight up and he dropped without taking a step.
I like that load cause the snot flies out one end and the sh!t out the other when you hit something with it.
recoil in my BC which is a light gun is not too bad. i added some lead cast bullets in the butt nut hole for extra weight. I'd say alot less then my 30-06 with 2700fps 165 gr handloads.
one more quick hunting tale: few years ago i shot a nice bull moose with that Handi rifle and those loads in BC. Hit him at the base of the neck while he faced me at 50 yds. the 405 gr JFN was actually at the base of his tail when we skinned him. and it was about a 1500#+ bull. I tell you this not to brag about my hunting exploits,rather to tell you that I put that old Weaver K2.5 thru alot of use and it's still going strong. So I don't think it's about the NAME on the scope but rather the quality in it. BT

Quote:

I like that load cause the snot flies out one end and the sh!t out the other when you hit something with it.

Oh BT that was priceless and makes me feel a lot better about buying this gun...You know you read the magazine articles and the experts say it is a 150-200 yard rifle...Shows you what they know.