New scope on prairie dog rifle

[Colorado Redneck]

I have had several different scopes that I used on several rifles for shooting prairie dogs. Up until now, I had shied away from using those little knobs to adjust for bullet drop and wind. Been doing "Kentucky Windage" my whole life so why change now? Over time my ability improved and my loads and rifles had improved to the point I was shooting some at well over 300 yards, but it was a "by guess and by golly" proposition, and sometimes a waste of ammo. The scopes I had did not have an easy way to reset the knob to zero. Most of the scopes are touchy and fiddling with the knobs has resulted in frustrating fits of re-sighting that riled my ire.

So, I did some research and decided on a Nikon Prostaff 5 with Fine Crosshairs And Dot. Took the rifle to the range and was very pleasantly surprised. I worked up a chart on Nikon Spoton Ballistics for my altitude and load etc. Without making this a saga, the results were pretty amazing. After getting it zeroed at 200 yards, I alternated every other shot at 200--300--200--300 for 5 rounds at each distance. I likey!

The knob adjustments were darn near perfect, and the glass worked really well at those distances. Very consistent return to zero when dialing back down from the 300 yard target.

The weather is supposedly going to warm up and dry out where I shoot prairie rats, so later in the week it will get the real test.

[sako2]

I have 4 Nikon monarchs never had a problem with them. I saw a commercial where the new prostaffs have a 30mm tube.

[Colorado Redneck]

1" tube on this one. Measured it to make sure before mounting in one inch rings.

[taylorce1]

What power range? I don't like to go much over 12X as I get the crosshairs bouncing too much. I usually wind up with a 4-12 or 4-16 power, have one 5.5-20 but the resolution is crap at the top end, it's a Barska so what do you expect.

[bman940]

Great to read your range report CR. Nikon scope offerings continue to evolve depending on what you shooter's say you want to use. The PROSTAFF 5 has excellent glass and the brightness almost pops with low light. I'm a big fan of using Spot On and the BDC reticle for hunting situations and I'm happy to read it is working as it should for you as well.
Nikon has stepped up to 30mm tubes in the PROSTAFF 7 and MONARCH 7 line and included some First Focal Plane scopes too. I get suggestions everyday from guys wanting different features/reticles/magnificationchoices on Nikon scopes. I recently passed along suggestions for almost 30 new offerings from Nikon that I think hunters and shooters will appreciate. Hopefully in the next 16 months some may be in production.

I don't know if you are aware or not but your PROSTAFF 5 scope can also accept Custom Turret's designed around all your shooting data. MV, bullet,cal,atmospheric conditions and elevation. I have one on my .257 WbyMag and love it.

[Rancid]

I'm waiting on a Nikon with MIL/MIL turrets, some form of mildot reticle, FFP, and zero stop. Right now I'm looking hard at the SWFA 5-20X50 (no zero stop) the Burris XTRII 5-25x50, or possibly the new NF SHV-F1. Unless something has recently changed, Nikon has nothing to offer me. I believe they once offered a Monarch X or something similar but they dropped it.

Glad to hear that the prairie rats will soon be living in fear. 257 "Bee" !!!!!

[Colorado Redneck]

Bman940---the power is 4.5-18. I like a bit of higher power to see those pesky prairie dogs far away and sometimes they can be difficult to really pick out because of tall grass. As far as the customized turret knob, I want the flexibility to use the scope on any of my rifles. I printed the Spot On chart and will tape it to the stock for reference, including windage for 10 mph 90 degree cross wind. Just for a starting point.

The best scope I have owned (haven't owned THAT many---but several) up till now was a Nikon Buckmaster with side focus, 14 max power. It has been on several different guns and has been great. Better than all the Leupolds except one older VX-iii which has been great---except I like side focus.

It is interesting that Nikon has a good mechanism for actual product user feed back. Makes for better availability of desirable features.

After a few shoots I will try to get back here to relate more about this scope.

[bman940]

R., Have patience, good things come to those who wait...If you have as much patience as I do with a new rifle I bought Mon., by Sat. I'm at the range sighting it in. Nikon listen's and wants to make scopes that guy's like yourself want to use.

CR, If you were a Buckmaster fan you will really like the PROSTAFF 5, similar features with glass and mechanical upgrades. My Father In-Law has now gone 8 shots 8 KS deer with that T/C Icon and PROSTAFF 5 BDC scope.
I have a 4.5-18 on my Coyote rig though I don't use it often, hard to put the AR down when you are chasing deer killers. I look forward to your range report and hopefully pics.

[Colorado Redneck]

Sounds like your FIL is having a great time with his rig. Hunting is the inspiration that gets me through winter....planning for next fall, if luck and the Good Lord get me there in tact.
Ok. Going tomorrow, so will throw in a camera.

[sako2]

I just put a Monarch 5 on my 300 mag. Really clear scope.

[RC20]

I like the dot scopes.

Not sure what size the Nikon is, the Nightforce is maybe a bit small, Leopold has a 1/2 and 3/8 inch dot at 100 yds (around 20 power, it changes as the power is adjusted and I believe on all of them) as well as what range.

good bench rest, maybe a bit iffy for moving targets, probably good from varmints from a fixed position.

Leupold you can get any of their scope with it, ordered direct. Not bad price as they only add the labor from what I can see, reticles are the same cost.

Or if you get a Leupold on sale you can send it in and get changed.

They do have a target dot which I believe is 1/8 MOA as is the Nightforce.

[sako2]

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/en/n...anced-bdc.html The reticle on the monarch 5.

[Colorado Redneck]

Prairie dog shoot today was good---any day shooting is better than being in town. Wind was a factor that had to be dealt with. Then the battery went dead on my range finder (only 5 years old! ), so that put everything back into the old "guessing game." However, the Nikon worked fine, when I could get the distance figured out. Chuckled a few times when long shots worked. Having the scope adjusted so all I have to do is dope the wind and go from there is really nice.

Given my experience with making adjustments on various scopes--resulting in thinking bad thoughts about smashing the scopes-- this one is making a believer out of me.

The "dot" reticle just works best for me. The eyeball/brain connection seems to naturally work better with the dot-crosshairs. The dot on this Prostaff 5 is pretty big--might be better if smaller, but it worked today. Could aim the thing over 400 yards and still see enough of the prairie dog to make a shot.

Summer is on the way!

[garryc]

Most of the scopes are touchy and fiddling with the knobs has resulted in frustrating fits of re-sighting that riled my ire

Most of my scopes I can rezero without firing a shot. You can take my scope into another room and twist the knobs and I can return it to zero.

Simply, I sight my scopes from mechanical zero. I count the clicks from top to bottom in each direction. Then I take it mid way in both directions. That is mechanical zero. I sight the rifle by counting the clicks above or below that point. Any time I can take that scope and return it to MZ and then count off the clicks to actual zero.

[Mobuck]

I never was a "knob twiddler" and won't change now. I adjust my scopes to the preferred POI and then shoot to get an idea of longer/shorter range POI. I suppose if most of my shooting was on a range with specific distances, I might twiddle but I don't so I won't mess with the adjustments.
There are some scopes that are designed for constant twiddling but most aren't and sooner or later those will fail from all the twisting.

[sako2]

Redneck good to see your having fun shooting prairie dogs. I enjoy shooting groundhogs. Good target practice aren't they.

[Colorado Redneck]

garryc--the issue I find with most scopes is the unpredictable response of the reticle when adjustments are made trying to set the unit how you want it. I just moved one of my $600 scopes of well liked brand to another rifle. I recentered it mechanically. When making adjustments, the response is inconsistent and unpredictable. Thus, this Prostaff 5 is so refreshing. By turning the elevation knob back to zero the scope actually (!!!!) comes back to zero. The others don't do that.

[fatwhiteboy]

Nikons, even the less expensive ones are a great value. I put a Buckmaster 3-9X40 on my Model 70 in .270Win. 10 years ago. It has never lost zero and I have taken a hog with it every year since I bought it. My son put one on his Model 70 in .300Winmag at the same time with the same results. I just put a $149.00 Buckmaster on a friend's Howa in .308Win. It zero'd in 5 rounds and took a pig this year. Great results, great value.

[Colorado Redneck]

Sako--I have never even seen a groundhog, but from what I have read they are a pain in the rear to farmers that have them on their crop lands. If a guy can get a few shots over a couple of hours, is that a good day shooting ground hogs? What really makes the prairie dog thing worth while is making a few shots on live targets at various distances. Unlike big game, where a guy maybe gets one or two critters each year, shooting varmints gives us more real time practice.

[garryc]

Well Redneck, back in the 80's when I started shooting ground hogs 5-6 in a bean field in a morning was not uncommon. That would be in about two hours. It was until early July before the beans got big enough to hide them. Contrary to what people think, most woodchucks are down when you shoot them, they only stand to look for danger.

Three things happened around her that knocked the crap out of that population. The first was anhydrous ammonia. When a farmer would start using that I would go into large fields and sit and never see a darn thing. Hunt that area for rabbits in the fall, see very few.

Then they started drilling crops, beans would be planted right in corn stubble. Dang hard to see through that.


One of the best places is a second year hay field after a cutting. Farmers especially hate them in there as they dig in the middle of the field. Many a farmer has broken an axle of dumped a wagon on a hole cave in. The thing is you shoot them out on the first cutting and more are right back before the second. Problem is not many farmers around here grow hay anymore.


Then came the coyote boom, woodchuck population, and everything else for that matter, went south.

[sako2]

Redneck I guess you could say its the eastern version of a prairie dog. I have not met a farmer that will deny hunting. My best day was 11 hogs in 2 hours.

[sako2]

Garryc I usually take a whistle with me. Blow the whistle and 9 out of 10 times they sit right up.

[old roper]

We have Rock Chucks here in Co but have very short season.

[sako2]

No bag limit or season on ground hogs in pa. If their out shoot them.

[old roper]

Our Rock Chucks are pretty high up so only out 4/5 months. I live almost 7700ft and we don't have them here. I find most around timberline and since their mostly on public land so their not damaging anything, without bag limit wipe them out pretty quick.