Optics advice.

[The bearded oaf]

Hi all.

I am very much a stalking newbie ( I've not actually shot a deer yet! Gralloched, yes, shot, no).
Anyway, I'm after some advice on what optics to buy for my first deer setup, which will go on a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle and will be solely for deer, as I have a Sako .22-250 with thermal for foxing.
I will be shooting in woodland and from high seats, at predominantly fallow and muntjac.
I'm in the fortunate position of having a max budget of £3000, but I'm not sure of how much I really need to spend?
I have been doing some research on scopes, but to be honest, all the premium brands look good. I thought this would be a good place to get some practical advice from the experts?
I would rather "buy once, cry once," than waste money on something that isn't suitable.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Herb64]

Delta Titanium 2.5-5x56. Though I fear it might be to ‘cheap’ for you.

 

[trickie]

It won’t be long before a stalker (the good kind) drops in, with a decent budget you’ll get some decent recommendation. If possible you need to get to look through the glass at not all scopes suit everyone.

trickie

 

[The bearded oaf]

Thanks, I'll take a look.
Believe me, if I don't need to spend a fortune, I won't.

 

[The bearded oaf]

It won’t be long before a stalker (the good kind) drops in, with a decent budget you’ll get some decent recommendation. If possible you need to get to look through the glass at not all scopes suit everyone.

trickie

Thanks, I'll do that.

 

[75]

Swarovski for me but other premium brands are as good. Zeiss, Leica, S&B etc. Best thing to do is look through a few to compare.

I’ve had a z6i 2.5-15x56mm for more years than I can remember and it’s been faultless.

 

[Tazz]

Swarovsk, Zeiss and S&B not much to choose between the there. I am a Swaro fan my advice would be Z8 great glass and function, I have 2 on different rifles 2.3-18 x 56 great bit of kit

 

[Sampo]

One of the Vortex or Leupold would work just fine for a high seat unless you are planning to shoot past 200 yards and assuming that your eye sight is good. I am personally a fan of American scopes as I cannot bring myself to justify the price range for a Swaro or Zeiss.

 

[Stumpy2]

Welcome!

How much do you need to spend?

I shot my first deer with a £100 Meopta scope on a £200 rifle...

For your budget you have all options open, but as already mentioned try to look through as many scopes as you can and choose what suits your eyes at the time of day you will be shooting the most. Great low light performance and an illuminated reticle should be at the top of the list.

Pick a reputable brand so if you change direction in the future you can get resale value (but you won’t need that once you’ve got bitten by the bug!)

Leupold and Meopta are often overlooked

 

[NullMac]

I have been doing some research on scopes, but to be honest, all the premium brands look good.

They are.

Your choice mainly depends on your shooting style. Hold x inches on the target; dial it in; hold on a reticle mark or combinations of the above? So do you need/want simple crosshair and no turrets; second focal/ first focal subtended reticle with matching turrets? Or go the whole hog and go 21st century with the Swaro DS?

Otherwise you will just get a load of useless comments along the lines of Swaro has the best glass/ S&B make the best scopes etc etc.

 

[mak]

Best to look through them and even better look at them in low light if you can. 24 years working for Premium optics company’s and I could give you all the data etc, but in the majority of cases, let your eyes decide. Have an open mind when testing and you decide. Best glass????? Yes, but what glass type, I am waiting for some to answer this, when they post (product x has the best glass???) 56mm or 50mm objectives. You may not require high magnification based on your description of your shooting environment, unless you want to use your scope in other shooting environments (non stalking)

 

[Steff]

The best all-round stalking scope you can currently buy is the S&B Polar 2.5-10x50.
Best in class light transmission.
The most rugged of them all.
Available in FFP or SFP. A Z-rail is also available if this is an option.
Still compact enough to be carried around.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Swarovsk, Zeiss and S&B not much to choose between the there. I am a Swaro fan my advice would be Z8 great glass and function, I have 2 on different rifles 2.3-18 x 56 great bit of kit

Unfortunately Z8 only have 1cm clicks at 100m. Not much good in my opinion. I much prefer the 5mm clicks on my Z6.
Regards
JCS

 

[mealiejimmy]

Keep it simple - S&B 8x56
It will do everything you need and the glass is top quality

Cheers

Bruce

 

[Steff]

Unfortunately Z8 only have 1cm clicks at 100m. Not much good in my opinion. I much prefer the 5mm clicks on my Z6.
Regards
JCS

Would you post a pic of this spec please? I‘m not aware of ANY scope with 5mm per click neither at 100yrd nor m.

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Keep it simple - S&B 8x56
It will do everything you need and the glass is top quality

Cheers

Bruce

Fine if you are only going to shoot deer, however if you reload or compete, a more sophisticated scope might be useful.
Regards
JCS

 

[jcampbellsmith]

Would you post a pic of this spec please? I‘m not aware of ANY scope with 5mm per click neither at 100yrd nor m.

A lady called from Swarovski and we had a long discussion about this the other day. She understood that some Z6 and Z6i scopes have 5mm click resolution at 100m
Regards
JCS

 

[HandB]

Have a look at the new Sightron S8

 

[sikasako]

Take your time when deciding. My advice would be to go for a quality scope, with good light gathering capability for woodland shooting, as if you go for an inferior scope you shall regret it and end up spending more money upgrading it to something more suitable. I have had Swarovski, Zeiss and S&B scopes. All are good, but personal preference is Swarovski.

 

[Tazz]

Unfortunately Z8 only have 1cm clicks at 100m. Not much good in my opinion. I much prefer the 5mm clicks on my Z6.
Regards
JCS

I also have a Z6 on a 243 1CM or .5CM clicks makes no real difference at stalking ranges, if you are in to long range target work then it may, however the OP wants it for stalking