Advice on a scope?

doonered

Well-Known Member
Ladies and gents. im after some advice re the purchase of a new scope. im looking for one to put on my howa .308. its going to be used for stalking in a mixture of open areas and woodland. the furthest shots will be no more than 200 yards. ive got a budget of appx £300.00. ive had a barska 4-16 x 50 ir before and was very happy with that. any advice would be welcome. thanks.
 
If you go through the Equipment and Accessories section, you will find loads of advice, what I have noticed is that many people will go for a fixed magnification scope, the Schmidt and Bender 8x56 seems to be a favorite, you might be lucky and get a second hand one for your budget, if not save for another month and then try again.

There is nothing wrong with second hand, scopes come up for sale on here regularly but there anr many other sites shooting related.

Good Luck

TJ
 
If it's just for stalking then I would say something like a 6x42. Alot of people get a S&B 8x56 as is good for stalking AND foxing, this is what my mentor did and what I plan to do 8) both on 243 rifles. If its a 308 just for stalking no less than 200 metres I doubt you need a huge mag scope that will be heavy or you not bothered by weight ? IF you want a variable get a 3-12x50 S&B or something that money allows :)
 
cheers bigthug/tartinjock. i have been toying with the fixed power secondhand idea. i dont think i need the massive magnification on some of the variables.
 
All good advice so far. I would also go for the Meopta as they are an excellent piece of kit. I have one on my .243.

They are also a great compromise as sometimes 8x56 is too big and 6x42 is just too small, particularly in a woodland environment where you may want a little longer light time.

+1 for meopta.

By the way, I have a mate that could be selling his, I will enquire if you want me to.

J
 
I really like Schmidt & Bender scopes. They seem really well made and work in low light very well. The 6x42 is good for close work in woodland, I have an 8x56 on my 6.5x55 because sometimes I like to take longer shots at foxes and vermin too. Like others have said I have found the 8x56 too much when I'm in really close, but from 30 yards or more it's fine.

I've never looked through a Meopta. I've been on a few forums for a couple of years though and after time you figure out which guys genuinely know their stuff and also the ones that try to pretend they do. A lot of the genuine folk I speak to have recommended Meopta, so I'd be happy to take their word for it (I guess what I'm trying to say is don't always believe what you're told unless it's from someone who's known on the forum).

I'd go for a S&B fixed mag myself if you can stretch to it. Really only because that's what I know to be good. I've tried several lesser makes on my other rifles and none of them come up to the standard of the S&B. The Hungarian range isn't that far out of your budget and it will last you a lifetime. They're not the lightest scopes on the market but I've dropped mine a couple of times and it hasn't even shifted zero! That's got to say something for them.
 
+1 for a S&B fixed mag. I have an 8x56 and a 6x42 one of which will soon have to go sadly. Decisions decisions...how soon do you need one?
 
thanks to all for the advice. i think its going to be a while until i can afford to go down the premium make route, but when i do the fixed power s and b hungarian is looking tops. thanks again.
 
A few years ago a friend and I compared a Meopta 7x50 and a Swarovski 3-9x42 American Line with 1 inch tube.
Both mounted on a rifle with correct eye relief. The test was done an evening at last light . We looked at a fence to see the details of the posts and the wire . We exchanged the rifles every minute or so till about total darkness . In this test the Meopta proved better than the Swarovski .
 
Wayne Davies had an 8x56 S+B for sale in the clasified section and im sure he's got another one he will be selling in the future.

I'm sure if it's off wayne you won't be dissapointed.

Ezzy
 
I have a Meopta and a S&B theres nothing to choose between the two at last light , both quality scopes ,you will not be dissapointed with either.
 
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