fixed power scopes

[rachunter]

i've been fighting myself about scoping my 3030 lever gun,but after shooting today the reality that my eyes aren't what they use to be.i get better groups patterning a shotgun.

all my rifle have 3x9x40 set on 4x so i'm thinking of going fixed power.after looking around the Leupold FX-II Ultralight Rifle Scope - 2.5x20mm Wide Duplex 39.5' 4.9"  is looking good.anyone have this scope or a fixed power scope ? this gun will be used for close range quick shot stalking.

[moog5050]

I have the leupold fx-II 4x on my 3030.  Love it and it's small enough that it works on my Henry.  33mm

[bugsNbows]

I have (and frequently use) fixed power scopes. They are usually light weight and, with the correct reticle, very usable. 4 X seems to be a good choice for me. 

[airedale]

I had the same problem with my little Marlin 94 44 mag carbine, when the lighting was dim I could not get a good enough sight picture with a receiver sight for a confident shot. I picked up one of those little Leupolds and mounted it. Love the scope, light and compact, big eye relief and wide field of view, about as perfect as I could want for that particular rifle. Go back a few months in this section of the board and there will be a little writeup called early season woods rifle about that scope. Like the scope so much I bought another and am going to mount it on a Marlin 94 357 mag.

Al

 

[Pygmy]

I am a huge fan of fixed power scopes...I have two Leupold  M8  fixed 4 power scopes that I have used on several rifles

I have also used  a Burris compact  4x and and weaver K 1.5 and K2.5 scopes on several different firearms.

Long heavy scopes with big objectives  ruin the handling qualities of  hunting weight rifles and cause more problems than they solve.. My long range scope is a Leupold fixed 6x with a 36mm objective..

There are very few  hunting situations within the ranges that most of us shoot ( I am talking 400 yards and closer) that cannot be handled very efficiently  with a quality fixed 4X scope.

[rachunter]

nice gun and write up airedale

thanks guys going to check out 2.5 and 4x after the holiday.

happy holidays!!!

[Buckmaster7600]

Nothing better than a light fixed power scope!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tuckersdaddy]

i rarely change the power on my variables.. all of the stay around 3 so a fixed power is smart move.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[GreeneHunter]

I've never used a scope .... this past season is changing my mind !  I was given an old 270 with a flip - over scope ... meaning I could flip it over and use the iron sights but its a bolt action . I know for a fact I would have potentially another deer or two in the freezer if I carried the 270 into the woods with me .  I've been shooting my old (1973) Winchester 30-30 since I bought in new and find it hard to give up , its like an old friend to me .Its top eject and could never see putting a scope way down the barrel .  The eyes just are not what they used to be .

[Jdubs]

I have a 2.5-10x variable on my rifle, but darned if it doesn't stay on 3x for each hunt.  The only times I have dialed it up were to get a closer look through some thick areas.  If you can save weight with a fixed optic, then lighter is better, IMO.

[rachunter]

Finally made to the range to test out the 4x Leupold  on my dirty thirty. Nice can't get any better then this the group next to the circle was 5 on the bench at 100yrds. The three fliers where me  off the bench. So the gun can do it I just have to tighten it up.

The pic is sideways hitting left. 

[Dinsdale]

That'll work!

[Lawdwaz]

I only have one fixed power scope; a M8 4x Leupold.  It is mounted on my Ruger 10/22.  I enjoy the heck out of it and would have no qualms hunting big game with it. (the scope, NOT the gun)

Only thing is I don't have a reason to swap out any of my glass because I've never had an issue with my variable scopes.  Oh I'm sure someday I'll monkey one up but for now I'm GTG. 

Edited January 14, 2017 by Lawdwaz

[Lawdwaz]

You gotta be kidding me......I type the above and hit "submit" THEN remember I do have another fixed scope!  A 12x Leupold with a target dot sits on top of my Sako 22-250 woodchuck gun.  12x is certainly a specialty glass, not the easiest thing to get on target at closer ranges but I'm good with it on that gun.

[rachunter]

i have a nikon prostaff 5 3.5 x 14 on my remington 22-250 and my ruger hawkeye 3006 there never move from 6x.

hopefully i'll be throwing some lead down them tomorrow!!!

[Pygmy]

I'm currently about 1/3 of the way through a book full of Jack O'Connor's articles...

He's killing stuff at several hundred yards and I have not read of  a variable scope OR a hunting scope above 4X yet...

Of course, most of the stories so far were written in the 1950's or early 1960's...<<<GRIN>>>...

In all fairness, I must admit that  variable scopes became a lot more dependable in the late 60's  and thereafter..

However, there are still issues of size, weight, eye relief etc., which often makes a good quality fixed power scope a good choice..

So many hunters feel that a wide range of power variation and a big objective lense make a rifle a BETTER hunting tool, and in very many cases that is not true...

 

 

[Lawdwaz]

8 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

 

 

So many hunters feel that a wide range of power variation and a big objective lense make a rifle a BETTER hunting tool, and in very many cases that is not true...

 

 

Very true........I was using a few 3.5x10 Leupold scopes and have since sold/traded all of them off and gone back to the 2.5x8 scope in their line.  Always had a couple of them and liked them a ton but somehow got off track with the 3.5x10's.  I know they're not really high power or have REALLY large objective lens (mine were the 40mm models) compared to many scopes these days but they were big compared to the rest of my glass.  Heck, if you added up all the deer I've killed with 2x7 Leupold's, they'd easily be the winner as that's what still sits on my Ithaca 87 DSII and hasn't been used in close to 10 years!

[Rattler]

I have a 1960's era Marlin 336 in .35 Rem that sports an old Leupold fixed power in 2X.  It is perfect for that rifle.  Doesn't upset the balance too much and works very well out to 100 yards.

[rachunter]

i looked at a 2.5x leupold but it was a scout extended eye relief  i didn't like that at all.plus the whole light transfer deal.if i do pick up another scope it will be 2x6 power my eyes aren't getting ant younger.

[Pygmy]

The extended eye relief scopes  are for pistols or for rifles that cannot mount a scope over the receiver...

On any other firearm, they don't make much sense to me..

A good quality 2x to 4x conventional  scope, on the other hand, is a VERY useful  sighting system....

I just read a 1965 vintage  article written by Jack O 'Connor about elk hunting

His rifle was a custom 7MM Rem Mag....The scope was a Leupold  fixed 4X.....

 

[rachunter]

i have an eer nikon  on my 22/45,put it on last year just haven;t gotten around to shooting it yet.

i liked the 4x so much i put a nikon prostaff 4x  scope on my 10/22 today.

Edited January 16, 2017 by rachunter

[rachunter]

this is the scope i wanted but no one had one around here,my only concern is the low light.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/998519/leupold-vx-2-rifle-scope-1-4x-20mm-duplex-reticle-matte

[airedale]

The 1X4 Leupold is a great little compromise scope for someone looking to stay light and compact but yet have a magnification up to 4 power. Your assumption of the 20 mm objective from lens in low light is correct, it will not be as bright as a scope with a larger diameter objective. That being said NY law for big game states there is no shooting before sunrise or after sunset, a 20 mm objective lens on a good quality scope still lets in plenty enough light to get a good sight picture prior to the sun actually setting. I checked sighting ability of my little 2.5X compact several times this past season with actual sunset and time by my watch and would have had no problem seeing well enough to take a shot during legal shooting times had one been available.

Al

Edited January 17, 2017 by airedale

[Pygmy]

I have never had an issue with my scopes gathering enough light anywhere NEAR legal shooting times, and that includes hunting in PA where the shooting hours are 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after  sunrise & sunset.

I have always been amazed  at how bright and clear my Leupold  fixed 4X scopes are in low light, even comparing them to my 8 x 42  Leica binoculars, which are not exactly  bargain basement glass.

[rachunter]

Thanks guys I'm going order one when I get home