Not sure where this topic goes but I’ll start here. One of my friends asked my advice for which scope to put on his newly acquired 6.5 Creedmore. He wants to use the gun out west to hunt with shots out to 1,000 yards. (I don’t agree with the ethics of a thousand yard shot on a game animal, but would like to save that issue for another day.
He chose a Bergara Premier HMR Pro rifle and asked about a scope. He indicated he would like something in the 4x32x56 variety. My response was that he’d never be able to get effective use of a 32x scope in a hunting situation unless he was resting from a bench. Additionally, I questioned :
Where he would be able to shoot to zero the rifle and then be able to set up the dope for a range out to 1,000 yards ?
Where was he gonna get sufficient ammo that was reasonably priced ? I did offer to reload for him if he could find the components.
What kind of spotting scope did he plan to use ? And who was going to spot for him during field conditions ?
He said he was considering a Nightforce but wasn’t sure he wanted to spend “that much” on the scope. I replied he might want to consider spending as much on the scope as he does on the gun. And. . . . . not to cheap out on the bases and rings. At greater distances it’s been my experience that scopes over 24x are more of a hindrance than a help. Parallax, wind drift, ,mirage, diminished field of view, and other factors come in to play at those distances.
So, if I’m not going to be able to talk him out of shooting at an extreme range, what suggestions would anyone give for scope brand name, magnification, and field of view ? My initial reaction was something in the higher end Vortex line (?) Or. . . . . . . ?
Perhaps not more than 24x with some type of long range crosshair.
My shooting experience has been out to about 500 yards on western prairie dogs with bolt action heavy barrel .22 caliber rifles using a 4x16x50scope where misses aren’t critical and there is no concern in wounding an animal.
Hoping to get any and all advice from folks who have done some long range shooting. Dope on the 6.5 would also be great. Info like scope selection, reloading advice, component availability, range access (Atterbury ?), etc.
Thanks in advance.
He chose a Bergara Premier HMR Pro rifle and asked about a scope. He indicated he would like something in the 4x32x56 variety. My response was that he’d never be able to get effective use of a 32x scope in a hunting situation unless he was resting from a bench. Additionally, I questioned :
Where he would be able to shoot to zero the rifle and then be able to set up the dope for a range out to 1,000 yards ?
Where was he gonna get sufficient ammo that was reasonably priced ? I did offer to reload for him if he could find the components.
What kind of spotting scope did he plan to use ? And who was going to spot for him during field conditions ?
He said he was considering a Nightforce but wasn’t sure he wanted to spend “that much” on the scope. I replied he might want to consider spending as much on the scope as he does on the gun. And. . . . . not to cheap out on the bases and rings. At greater distances it’s been my experience that scopes over 24x are more of a hindrance than a help. Parallax, wind drift, ,mirage, diminished field of view, and other factors come in to play at those distances.
So, if I’m not going to be able to talk him out of shooting at an extreme range, what suggestions would anyone give for scope brand name, magnification, and field of view ? My initial reaction was something in the higher end Vortex line (?) Or. . . . . . . ?
Perhaps not more than 24x with some type of long range crosshair.
My shooting experience has been out to about 500 yards on western prairie dogs with bolt action heavy barrel .22 caliber rifles using a 4x16x50scope where misses aren’t critical and there is no concern in wounding an animal.
Hoping to get any and all advice from folks who have done some long range shooting. Dope on the 6.5 would also be great. Info like scope selection, reloading advice, component availability, range access (Atterbury ?), etc.
Thanks in advance.