Need some advice.

Fiskamon · January 8, 2014, 05:23 PM

I pick up my new Savage Model 12 VLP DPM tomorrow night and I was wondering if any of you good folks had any ideas you can share with me on what scope mount(s) and scope to go with it. I would like to do some whistle pig and coyote hunting as well as prairie dogs.

DaleA · January 8, 2014, 06:31 PM

What caliber and what ranges are you shooting?

AllenJ · January 8, 2014, 06:45 PM

The items you are seeking can range in price greatly. How much do you want to spend?

A good setup to me would be Leupold 2 piece beavertail mounts, Leupold rings, and a Leupold VX-3. Magnification would depend on how far you are expecting to shoot?

Fiskamon · January 8, 2014, 08:17 PM

Dale A. It will be in a .243 caliber and I would like to shoot reasonable long range, maybe 2 to 300 + yards.

Allen J., I can't say that I'm not concerned with cost, but I'm not too shy to pay for what I know is of value, within reason that is.

Brian Pfleuger · January 8, 2014, 08:19 PM

DMZ mounts work well. I had a major objection to a "silver" set that I got from them and they handled my complaint poorly but the black matches blued receivers reasonably well and the mounts are solid and light-weight.

As far as optics, your budget is important.

I have a Minox 4-20x that has so far been excellent. I like magnification. The high-end Bushnell Elites are nice. The high-end Vortex get good reviews. Nightforce is absolute top-notch and top money.

5RWill · January 8, 2014, 08:57 PM

The High end bushnell and vortex are right there with NF

maybe not so much the bushy in glass but it's close: hard to beat for the money.

The ERS 3.5-20x50mm is honestly the best deal on a complete scope you can find. FFP, zero-stop, Locking Turrets, Mil/Mil, G2DMR reticle. Retails for 1999$ but can be found for 1700$ regularly and currently on amazon new for 1499$.

The Vortex Razor is a great optic as well right there with NF. I had a friend who swears by NF and saw a razor and now prefers it. Though it's very much preference at that mark. The razor is 2000$ new some can be found used for 1600$ range.

NF as Brian stated is great as well and GTG. Personally i'm not wild about their prices, that's just me though. If i'm going to pay around 2300$ for FFP, Zero-stop, Mil/Mil, etc. I'll probably get another USO. I own an SN-3 and i really love it.

That said the SHV is coming from nightforce and it will be around 1000$ SHV (shooter/hunter/varminter) it's going to be a very very great scope for the money, especially given NF's quality. It's 4.5-14x56, SFP, zero-stop, Mil/Mil or MOA/MOA.
http://nightforceoptics.com/shv/

When you say 300+ are we talking 600yds maximum or will you eventually stretch it to 1000yds?

Prairie dogs will stretch you past 600yds, so good optics with great tracking will be necessary. What's your desired budget?
This should help, note you don't have to spend 1000+ to do what your wanting to do, hell you don't have to spend 1000+ to just compete in matches if need be. That said i'm a firm believer in Zaks concept, the optic is every bit as important as the rifle.
http://demigodllc.com/articles/intro...-rifle-scopes/

Brian Pfleuger · January 8, 2014, 09:25 PM

I forgot Sightron, I like the BSII series. Depends on your budget.

5RWill · January 8, 2014, 10:00 PM

He'll probably want SFP too shooting at small targets. If the mentioned optics are too expensive, NF SHV would be my first choice. Followed by a look at the Zeiss HD5 5-20x50, Sightron as mentioned, and maybe a vortex Viper PST SFP 6-24x50mm.

Jay24bal · January 8, 2014, 11:42 PM

Is this your first Savage? The reason I ask is because Savage is notorious for their actions being longer than most (even in short action calibers like 243).

For most of my savage rifles in short action calibers, two piece bases could work, but not all. I do have a couple savage actions where a one piece base was required (I normally prefer them anyway, but that is another discussion) due to my scope selection as the scope has a shorter tube. The space between the rails on the two bases was longer than the tube of the scope. So it may not be the answer you want to hear at this point, but it may make sense to decide on the base last once you have the scope in hand and can measure the length of the tube and compare it to the holes for the base mounts.

As for optics, I generally turn to Vortex and have not been disappointed. I have everything from their Crossfire II line, all the way up to a Viper, and they all meet the requirements of what I bought them for.

January 8, 2014, 05:23 PM	#1
Fiskamon Junior Member Join Date: January 7, 2014 Location: Delaware Posts: 8	Need some advice. I pick up my new Savage Model 12 VLP DPM tomorrow night and I was wondering if any of you good folks had any ideas you can share with me on what scope mount(s) and scope to go with it. I would like to do some whistle pig and coyote hunting as well as prairie dogs. __________________ I would rather die fighting on my feet, then to live a life on my knees.

January 8, 2014, 08:17 PM	#4
Fiskamon Junior Member Join Date: January 7, 2014 Location: Delaware Posts: 8	Dale A. It will be in a .243 caliber and I would like to shoot reasonable long range, maybe 2 to 300 + yards. Allen J., I can't say that I'm not concerned with cost, but I'm not too shy to pay for what I know is of value, within reason that is. __________________ I would rather die fighting on my feet, then to live a life on my knees.

January 8, 2014, 08:19 PM	#5
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	DMZ mounts work well. I had a major objection to a "silver" set that I got from them and they handled my complaint poorly but the black matches blued receivers reasonably well and the mounts are solid and light-weight. As far as optics, your budget is important. I have a Minox 4-20x that has so far been excellent. I like magnification. The high-end Bushnell Elites are nice. The high-end Vortex get good reviews. Nightforce is absolute top-notch and top money. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

January 8, 2014, 08:57 PM	#6
5RWill Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,654	The High end bushnell and vortex are right there with NF maybe not so much the bushy in glass but it's close: hard to beat for the money. The ERS 3.5-20x50mm is honestly the best deal on a complete scope you can find. FFP, zero-stop, Locking Turrets, Mil/Mil, G2DMR reticle. Retails for 1999$ but can be found for 1700$ regularly and currently on amazon new for 1499$. The Vortex Razor is a great optic as well right there with NF. I had a friend who swears by NF and saw a razor and now prefers it. Though it's very much preference at that mark. The razor is 2000$ new some can be found used for 1600$ range. NF as Brian stated is great as well and GTG. Personally i'm not wild about their prices, that's just me though. If i'm going to pay around 2300$ for FFP, Zero-stop, Mil/Mil, etc. I'll probably get another USO. I own an SN-3 and i really love it. That said the SHV is coming from nightforce and it will be around 1000$ SHV (shooter/hunter/varminter) it's going to be a very very great scope for the money, especially given NF's quality. It's 4.5-14x56, SFP, zero-stop, Mil/Mil or MOA/MOA. http://nightforceoptics.com/shv/ When you say 300+ are we talking 600yds maximum or will you eventually stretch it to 1000yds? Prairie dogs will stretch you past 600yds, so good optics with great tracking will be necessary. What's your desired budget? This should help, note you don't have to spend 1000+ to do what your wanting to do, hell you don't have to spend 1000+ to just compete in matches if need be. That said i'm a firm believer in Zaks concept, the optic is every bit as important as the rifle. http://demigodllc.com/articles/intro...-rifle-scopes/ __________________ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me." Last edited by 5RWill; January 8, 2014 at 09:05 PM.

January 8, 2014, 10:00 PM	#8
5RWill Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2008 Location: Mississippi Posts: 2,654	He'll probably want SFP too shooting at small targets. If the mentioned optics are too expensive, NF SHV would be my first choice. Followed by a look at the Zeiss HD5 5-20x50, Sightron as mentioned, and maybe a vortex Viper PST SFP 6-24x50mm. __________________ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me."

January 8, 2014, 06:31 PM	#2
DaleA Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 5,313	What caliber and what ranges are you shooting?

January 8, 2014, 06:45 PM	#3
AllenJ Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,766	The items you are seeking can range in price greatly. How much do you want to spend? A good setup to me would be Leupold 2 piece beavertail mounts, Leupold rings, and a Leupold VX-3. Magnification would depend on how far you are expecting to shoot?

January 8, 2014, 09:25 PM	#7
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	I forgot Sightron, I like the BSII series. Depends on your budget.

January 8, 2014, 11:42 PM	#9
Jay24bal Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2011 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 735	Is this your first Savage? The reason I ask is because Savage is notorious for their actions being longer than most (even in short action calibers like 243). For most of my savage rifles in short action calibers, two piece bases could work, but not all. I do have a couple savage actions where a one piece base was required (I normally prefer them anyway, but that is another discussion) due to my scope selection as the scope has a shorter tube. The space between the rails on the two bases was longer than the tube of the scope. So it may not be the answer you want to hear at this point, but it may make sense to decide on the base last once you have the scope in hand and can measure the length of the tube and compare it to the holes for the base mounts. As for optics, I generally turn to Vortex and have not been disappointed. I have everything from their Crossfire II line, all the way up to a Viper, and they all meet the requirements of what I bought them for. __________________ I like guns. Once Fired Brass, Top quality, Fast shipping, Best prices. http://300AacBrass.com/ -10% Coupon use code " Jay24bal "