maritime363

First time elk hunting this fall, wyoming teton area. technical question re scope choice-- on 30-06 bolt, have a Leupold VIII3x9 40 on now-- also havea VII 2x7 33...from another rifle.this may bestupid question-- would one bea better choice than the other for hunting elk and mulie?any insight oropinions? obviously either could do the job, just trying to makebest decision, thx guys.

maritime363

wanted to clarify, the VX II is the 3x9 40mm, the VX III is the 1.75x6 32mm-- thanks.

700xcr

Either one will work. the 1.5x6x32mm will work better for shots close in brush do to the lower power. I had a Leupold 1.5x5x20mm on a 338win. mag. I used it foe elk and worked perfect and use a3x9 on the 7mm mag. for elk and it worked perfect too.

WYObowfisher

If your going to be doing any hunting on horseback your going to want to make sure it will fit in your scabard (spelling). I had to changescopes on my .270 a few years ago because it wouldnt fit.

SILVERTIP-CO

3-9x40 is ideal.

beech18

I second the 3 -9. Its works for all situations.

wyotimberghost

I use a 3-9x40, and I've never felt like I had too much or too little magnification. 3x works dandy in the timber and elk are so danged big that if you feel they look too small in your scope at 9x you shouldn't be shooting anyways.

Colorado Bob

VX-II 3x9 40 mm is on my 30/06 Tikka. Got a nice 5x5 last year. CB

Wolf killer

3x9x40mm is a perfect choice.

homers brother

Oh the decisions. On a whim one year (thinking I might be wise to have a "backup rifle"), I hauled along my M700 Safari Grade .375 with a VXIII 1.5-5x along with my Vanguard in .300 Wby Mag with a VXII 3-9x. Loved carrying the Weatherby, but found the elk "escaping" my 3x field of view entirely too easily (maybe I'm just slow?). So, I swapped out and carried the pig of a Remington. That 1.5x was just the ticket for the dense timber I was hunting.

The 3-9 should be perfect though under every other circumstance BUT thick timber and probably the best choice for most western hunting.