Need New Scope! Vortex optics?

[TexasDuckHunter]

Hi everyone, I am looking for a new scope. It will be used primarily for hunting but if it will server other purposes I might stick it on a target shooting gun whenever need be. I am going to be putting it on a Remington 700 BDL 30-06 ( I do not plan on spending twice as much on the scope as on the gun!). Value is everything at this point. I have been looking at the Vortex Crossfire II in either 4-12 or 6-18, but I am open to suggestion. Does anyone have any experience with the crossfire II (note that vortex as made two(2) different crossfires, I am not interesting in the first one) or any other scope I might want to look at?
Thank you for your help!

[Brian Pfleuger]

Unless you're hunting in wide open spaces where shots will be long and targets stationary but close-up, moving targets do not exist, 6X is too high for a minimum power.

4x will be fine if you are an experienced scope user. If not, you may have trouble with target acquisition even at 4x.

[TexasDuckHunter]

I have been hunting for a little over ten years. I have been shooting scoped .22's even longer. That being said in all my experience I truly don't know to much about scopes. I am confident taking shots at 500+ yards but mechanically I don't know much at all about scopes. May I ask you what you are refering to when you say "experienced"?... Also as I said I would like to be able to take this to the range and shoot at 400+ that is why I wanted to use the 6-18.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I can't really tell you. You just have to know how well you can acquire your targets in a scope.

I've owned literally one gun, even including BB guns, in my entire life that hasn't been scoped. That one gun is my carry gun.

I have a lot less trouble with "target acquisition" issues than most people because I've just always, always used scopes. It's second-nature. I normally have mine set at 5x all the time and have no trouble, even at 30-40 yards and running deer.

If you haven't used them as much, and especially if you tend to bring your eye to the gun instead of the gun to your eye (common mistake), you might have trouble even at 3X. I have the opposite problem. I have trouble convincing myself to pull the trigger without magnification. I'm so used to "picking a spot" with crosshairs and magnification that I have trouble shooting at (what feels like) a vague, general area without that precision.

Only you can know.

[allaroundhunter]

I shoot a 10x and 15x scope past 1,000 yards, so you don't need 18x to shoot at 400 yards. In competition I use a 1x-4x scope to shoot out to 650 yards with my AR.

The 4-12x is plenty of scope, a 3-9x would also be a good choice.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Yes, but I use 25x to shoot 150 yards when I can.

You can never have to much on high end. You can have too much low on end and you can USE too much in a particular circumstance but it's never bad to have it available.

[allaroundhunter]

Originally Posted by Brian Pfleuger

Yes, but I use 25x to shoot 150 yards when I can.

You can never have to much on high end. You can have too much low on end and you can USE too much in a particular circumstance but it's never bad to have it available.

Well, typically the higher magnification scopes weigh more. I prefer my hunting rifles to be lightweight, so the added weight that comes from a 25x scope (or even a scope up to 18x) is unnecessary. This is especially true when shots can be made using much less magnification.

[TexasDuckHunter]

I have taken a hogs from 150+ yards on 3 magnification. I am used to low powered scopes, but I want to get into the higher powered scopes. I have taken shots at long distance ranges that I feel if i had a better scope would be much easier. That being said I am currently using a 3-9 and it is not near enough. I do all kinds of hunting at various ranges. I have hunted through woods where if i see a hog I am going to be 30 yards or less from it and I have hunted hogs in pastures were I am looking at them from 700 yards. I feel I am capable of taking some longer distance shots such as 700-800 but I don't feel like my current scope is. Let me try to explain. aiming down the scope I can hold my gun on a hogs kill zone with a 3-9 scope from 200 yards for 60 consecutive seconds, but when I found myself aiming at one at 700 I couldn't hold it consecutively for 10... I feel like I can take the shot, but im not willing to attempt a shot that I am not completely confident in. Thats why I am looking for a new scope..... Oh and my scope broke (: ... I guess I could settle with a 4-12 but are they capable of taking such shots.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I suppose we all have to set out priorities.


The weight difference between a Vortex 2-7 and a 6-18 is 5 ounces. A 3-9 versus a 4-12 is between 2 and 5 ounces.

Some of my favorites (Sightron Big Sky II) have a weight difference of 2.2 ounces for 3-9 versus 4-16, only 4.2 ounces from 3-9 to 6-24.

I feel like I can take the shot, but im not willing to attempt a shot that I am not completely confident in.

More magnification does make you hold better. Actually, it makes it LOOK worse even though the actual hold is exactly the same whether you're using open sights or 50x.

Shots at 7 or 800 yards had better be from a solid rest.

[TexasDuckHunter]

What I am referring to is with a 3-9 I can't see the hogs kill shot well enough. Yes weight is important, I am already looking at a 7 pound rifle and I don't want to have a really heavy scope on it but I also want a scope that I can use 50 yards-800 yards. Also cost is vital, I am looking at the crossfire 4-12 because I can get one for under 200.

[allaroundhunter]

How far are you shooting at hogs that you can't make out the kill zone with 9x magnification? I have shot several feral dogs (which are smaller than feral hogs) at 400 yards with my competition rifle and a 4x scope.

If you want more magnification, that's okay. But if you are shooting so far that you actually can't make out the vital zone with 9x, then you may be trying to shoot too far. 12x really won't give you much more than 9x, you may even be a little disappointed by the little difference.

[TexasDuckHunter]

perhaps I am. I am talking about 700 yards.

[allaroundhunter]

.....well, if you can make the shot then go for it. But you were previously talking about 400 which would be much more reasonable. And for hunters, there is a difference between a shot we can make on the range and the shot that we choose to make in the field. While I can make shots at 1,000 yards at the range consistently, I would never take a shot at over 500 yards in the field. Even that is pushing it. I prefer to be within 400 yards, and stalking to within that close on game like hogs is not a difficult task. It makes the shot easier to make, and it the more ethical thing to do. Heck, here in Texas you really have to try to find a place to shoot over 600 yards at game.

[603Country]

I hunted for years with a fixed 6 power scope and it worked fine for me. That said, I'll suggest a 4-16 power range for you. The low end, 4 power is low enough and 16 should be enough on the high end. I'll also suggest fine crosshairs.

[Jim Watson]

You could get a March 2.5-25X and have it all.
We won't talk about the price.

Or maybe a Bushnell Elite 2.5-16 would be adequate, or a 4.5-30 for those long, long shots.

[JustinBiscuit]

check out the SS fixed power scopes. I have 6x42 for 600 yard and I really like it. Hard to best for $300.00


http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-MRAD-Scopes-C4225.aspx

[TexasDuckHunter]

thanks guys I think I am going to go with the 4-12

[SSA]

The Vortex Crossfire II 4-12 costs almost as much as the Diamondback the same size. I wonder how much difference in quality there is between them.