I went out prairie dog hunting with a .17HMR, .223 rem, and .204 ruger, with the scopes being respectively a Scheels 4.5-14×42, a Barska 6-24×42, and a BSA Platinum 36×44 (fixed magnification).

The scope on the .17HMR seemed to be pretty decent, so I will probably leave it alone. 200 yards is about the distance that round is happy with, and the 14x is a good magnification for that.

The scope on the .223 is pretty nice, for the $90 I paid for it new (less than the lower power Scheels scope on the .17) it performs very well. The mil-dots allow me to fire once holding dead-on (200y zero) and identify where the bullet struck the dirt, using the dots like a grid, so I know if I put the P-dog at three dots down and two dots right, it will compensate for drop and wind, and I can get 2nd shot kills easily for not having a rangefinder. The magnification of 24x seems a little low for the range this rifle can shoot, when it comes to trying to hit golf-ball sized heads sticking out of holes, at 300+ yards. 32x would probably be a perfect fit.

On the .204, my 36×44 unadjustable BSA was a nightmare and almost ruined my mood for the trip. Sure, the scope seemed great for when I was zeroing and shooting paper targets in my field at 200 yards, and I had high hopes for it being the ultimate tack-driver of my three rifles. BUT then I show up for my first time hunting p-dogs, and find that they are very difficult to spot at anything above about 10x when panning around, and where my other rifles allowed me to spot the p-dogs at 4.5x or 6x, and then scoot my sandbags around so I could begin running the ring for the magnification all the way to max as I held the p-dog in the center of the scope, the BSA did not let me do this, instead I had to spot with binoculars and then look down the side of the barrel to get it roughly aligned to the target while moving sandbags, and then hope that once I put my eye to the scope, it would be looking at scenery my eye could recognize from the previous binocular view, to then pan over to the p-dog I intended on targeting. The ONE time I was happy with the .204 was when we found this valley of p-dogs, offering shots out to about 500 yards on the other side of the valley, which would have been a waste of ammo with any other rifle, but with this one, the distance was far enough off that I could finally pan the view through the scope to locate the fence posts, count left 6, and locate the p-dogs that thought they were safe since they were a quarter mile away from me. Boy were they wrong. Lacking mil-dots, I had to turn on the target drums, but lacking any rangefinding, it was trial and error, which at $0.80 per round is irritating. But once the wind and distance/elevation were compensated for, I could proceed to pick off about five p-dogs that had been sitting out there sunbathing.

So, now that I have experience with these guns in usage, and with how their scopes have performed, here are my observations, and I would be interested to see the feedback.

1) Adjustable magnification is a MUST-HAVE, to allow for target acquisition, and then to zoom in to an accurate level of magnification

2) Magnification (max) must match the caliber being used. Seems like .17HMR likes 14x, .223 Rem could be around 24x-32x, and .204 Ruger could be 30x-40x

3) Putting an underpowered scope on a rifle for long-distance shooting will lead to human-aim caused inaccuracy, so spending $800 on a 3-9×30 Nikon is a blatant waste of money on my .223 or .204 when being shot at a minimum of 300 yards at tiny dirt-colored prairie dogs.

4) Cheap scopes like the Barska, available as a 10-40×50 for $105, seem like so long as they would hold a zero, they will give me the best performance for my dollar.

Now yes, one big thing I hear is that if you turn the target drums off zero, and then come back, the expensive scopes will shoot a clean zero again, but the cheap scopes will be off their zero. The other thing I hear is that the cheap scopes fall apart. I also hear that the optical clarity of the expensive scopes is far superior. BUT, so long as I’m okay with the first shot missing, to then make my target drum adjustments based on its impact (moving incrementally, rather than absolute, from zero) and so long as the optical clarity is enough to identify the prairie dogs (compared to trying to see a deer in the middle of dark woods and identify if it has antlers), and so long as I have read reviews of guys shooting the scopes I want to buy on larger calibers like the .308 with no mechanical failures, then I have to think that something like the 10-40×50 Barska is going to be a scope that is perfect for my application. Then again, for a little bit more money, I can get a ZOS 10-40×60 with lit reticule and side parallax turret for
(Continued) Then again, for a little bit more money, I can get a ZOS 10-40×60 with lit reticule and side parallax turret for just a little more, so long as I’m okay experimenting with a new brand that is even less reputable than the Barska brand. But Barska is working very well for me, and my Scheels carries those along with their BSA, Nikon, Leopold, and NightForce scopes, so I have to think the brand isn’t too “made in china”. Except that the ZOS scopes are the scope of the chinese military, thereby embodying “made in china”… But I figure I’m risking much less on a cheap scope than with an expensive one. I figure the $2000 price tag on the NightForce that has the specs I’m looking for, is a worse bet than $179 shipped for a ZOS that has similar specs. It’s not like I’m shooting magnum rounds, or hiking with this rifle through woods and smacking trees with it and praying it will hold a zero well enough for a first-shot-kill.
I am always learning and basically every year I realize that what I thought last year about guns and scopes was completely uninformed and fledgling, so I have to keep actively learning about this stuff, because I am pretty sure a year from NOW, I will look back and be able to understand all the flaws in the logic I hold at this moment, and I’m hoping you can help me see the errors in my ways by offering constructive criticism and explanations of my misconceptions, in ways that can only have been learned by time, and experience. Thank you for all your contributions and for the efforts you all make on this forum to help ensure people are safe and responsible with their firearms.

It is a .308 Savage (I believe it is the 10fp) left handed package that comes with a 3-9x scope for $600. I was interested in spending up to $1000 (Remington 700 Varmint Nikon scope) for something like this, so I am very interested.

All I will be using it for is for target shooting. My club has ranges from 100 yards to 1000 yards, and I would like to move up to the 200-300 range (I am just on a .22 on the 100 yard).

I have a spotting scope up to 45x, so that’s not an issue either.

Thoughts?
I looked up the gun package. Here it is:

http://www.savagearms.com/10gxp3.htm

So it is a 10gxp

Thank you… I appreciate your effort.
Butch… you surely may and thank you. I suspected as much but I wanted to hear it from someone who KNEW… not SUSPECTED. I’m off to do your suggested reading.

The advent of technology has brought many new gizmos for man which not only makes his life easier but also helps him retain the good memories in life. One such favorite gizmo is a Camera. Of all the gadgets in your house a camera is indispensable which is like a friend you always want to stay in close contact with. Be it the photograph of your grandparent, your father’s childhood, your first birthday or a click with some superstar, these moments are always special and to retain them a camera is the best equipment that the human mind could have offered to you.

With the increasing instability and threat to human life the movement towards a robotic and mechanical life is an eventual predicament which will end in the fall of mankind. The scenario is still very much under control and every now and then we do have some new technological invention which does bring to us that momentary happiness. The monotonous routines of metros and the hectic work schedules some times do incorporate some outstanding fun-filled, thrilling and adventurous moments which one would like to remember all their lifetime. The new small and portable cameras with different shapes and sizes as well as loads of functions and user friendly features offer fabulous opportunity to capture these moments. The camera and their features are exceeding in number with each new model and launch of some new technology. The latest to join in the league are Canon DSLR Cameras.

Amazing image quality and outstanding performance are just two of the many benefits photographers, from beginners to professionals want in their cameras and therefore the wide range and variety offer great scope for good quality. The best cameras are those which simply make you love those pictures more. Comparing these cameras is like comparing two apples. So the question is that how do you compare and choose the apples for your kitchen? You choose the one with no spots, may be a bit greenish and the one you want to pick going by your instincts. The choice of the camera should be based on your requirement like the images that you would like to capture be it still photography, portrait photography or night and low light photography. The devil is always in capturing the details and intricacies that you would like to store for a life time. Therefore a camera with suitable and user-friendly options is the most important thing in your tech collection.

Whether it is for the holidays, a birthday or some other occasion finding a gift for the deer hunter in your life can be a difficult task. Being a hunter and being around other hunters has given me the insight to know what it is we typically like to receive. This list of deer hunting gifts isn’t exhaustive, but it is a good start and you could definitely get away with something listed below. If you have any other ideas for things to be added to the list, let us know and we’ll get it updated!

Rifle or Shotgun & Ammunition – Can be purchased at most sporting goods stores. Better yet, a gift certificate to Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops or a local Gun Shop would also suffice. Binoculars / Spotting Scope – Bushnell, Leupold and Nikon are brands that typically receive very high marks in effectiveness and durability. Rifle Scopes – Again, Leupold, Bushnell and Nikon make excellent rifle scopes. Another brand to check out is Trijicon, who makes an excellent red dot scope. Camouflage clothing – Take into consideration the type of hunting that the person you are buying for is involved in and what season he or she hunts as this definitely should play a role in the type of camo purchased. If you have any questions about specific camouflage patterns, don’t be afraid to ask a sales associate. After all, that is what they are paid for! Hunter’s Orange – Vests and hats are always welcome as more and more states have safety orange requirements. Recipe Books – What better way to put your harvested animal to use than on the dinner table. There are recipe books for singular game animals like deer or elk or books covering most big game species. Hunting Club Membership – Do some research and find local hunting clubs with the best reviews. Also inqiure about the number of hunters per 100 acres and shoot for the lowest ratio which ultimately means less hunting pressure on a piece of land.

Every true sportsman knows that he wants a quality rifle scope to improve his hunting skill. Rifle scopes are also used in armed applications, and from time to time for trap shooting. Scopes are available for crossbows, shotguns and handguns as well as for rifles. Spotting scopes are used by diversity of people including golfers, hunters, and for birding. The basic reason of a range is to allow the user to see clearer and additional than he would with the bare eye. The scope magnifies the target and its environs. Even lower class rifles are greatly improved by good rifle scopes. Nikon, Leupold, Bushnell, Sightron, Aim point, and Burris are all manufacturers of quality scopes.

Let’s start by researching the fundamentals of rifle scopes. A simple one has an optical lens, an elevation and wind age adjustments, and an objective lens. The glass is usually coated to increase visibility and to decrease glare. The size and enlargement of the lenses are extra considerations when purchasing rifle scopes.

The cross hairs on scope are called reticles. Reticles may also comprise dots and other configurations to provide a variety of functions. These help to line up the firearm to the target, however if you are using the rifle to shoot slighter targets, the dot in the middle of the scope may be too large and in fact hide the target. Some manufactures, including Nikon, Leupold, Bushnell, Sightron, Aim point, and Burris, in addition to others produce excellent riflescopes.

Many manufacturers, Aim point for example, also have a laser dot scope that shows the hunter where his shot will hit when the rifle is ablaze. There are night scopes obtainable for rifles as well. Nikon makes an outstanding all purpose scope, while Bushnell has a lens that is water repulsive. Leupold and Burris rifle scopes have outstanding optics, and Sightron is well recognized for producing quality riflescopes at a lesser price.

A higher enlargement is not always essential or even advantageous. It takes great care to not only decide the correct scope for the rifle itself, but to also choose the right scope for the task it will be used for. Over magnification can spoil a good shot and, at close range make it hard to acquire your target. It is essential to understand the not only how high it can enlarge and collect light, but also how low it can go.

After choosing the correct rifle scopes from no matter which manufacturer you prefer, it is very important to site in the scope. To do so, a good laser foresighted will be priceless. This will make sure accuracy, and save bullets.

It is advisable to purchase the binocular according to the uses like watching bird, marine application, astronomy, military applications etc, Depends on usages the binoculars are available in different capacity. The capacity of the binocular is defined in magnification of the lenses. It describes the power of the binocular, Based on that the capacity of the binocular defined. There are different types of magnifying capacity binocular available in the market. Higher the capacity better the picture or image you see from the distant. There are different types of criteria while purchase of binocular.

Here are the tips to select the binocular :

1. The first one is the vision of the binocular. It defined in magnification of the lenses or prism is most important criteria for the selection of the binocular. Depends on your usage the user select the different capacity binocular. It is available from 6x to 20x capacity.

2. The second one is durability of the binocular. You must have to select there binocular in either metal or plastics. At present, the companies use the plastics based binoculars.

3. The binocular use to see the long-distance thing. You must have to select the binocular handy and easy to carry it.

4. There are different models of same quality are available for sale. It is ideal to see the model specifications according to your usage. You must have to decide the price by comparing the various models of the binoculars from prime companies.

5. It is advisable to see the various models of popular companies like Nikon, Cannon, Bushnell, Steiner, Leopold, Olympus etc.