Scope for the Swede

[TotalNovice]

I am in position, or will be very soon, to purchase a new scope for the 6.5x55.

What would you recommend for a rifle built solely for stalking?



Regards
TotalNovice

 

[www.yorkshireroestalking.]

Budget? hill or woodland?

 

[biker1]

I am in position, or will be very soon, to purchase a new scope for the 6.5x55.

What would you recommend for a rifle built solely for stalking?



Regards
TotalNovice

this is my new swede topped of with a schimdt and bender 8x56

 

[www.yorkshireroestalking.]

My 6.5 x55 is fitted with a 3-12x56 zeiss varipoint with a bdc turret.
This even allows the big slow 156RN bullets I use in the summer to be dialed in and shot out to distance with out guess work.

 

[TotalNovice]

Biker1,

Very nice mate.




Yorkshireroestalking,

Budget I would say is about £1k max, mainly woodland but the odd visit to the hill.
I have a Nightforce NXS on my .243ai but reckon that the glass is not as superior as Swarovski, Schmidt and possibly Zeiss.

I do, however, like the idea of being able to 'dial' the shots for extended ranges, as you say 'without guess work'.

 

[Paul 600]

I have a PM11 on my 6 1/2. Set zero, aim off with the mil dot or dial in.

 

[caorach]

I'm a fan of simple scopes, because I'm a pretty simple person I guess, and have got away with using an 8X56 S&B for everything as I can't imagine what else I'd need a scope to do. If you want the best glass take a serious look at Nickel and your budget should reach to a fixed Nickel. If you want the best value for money then look at a second hand S&B as they don't seem to hold their money quite so well as the Swaros at the minute, I think Swaro are putting big cash into marketing and this is lifting their perceived value a bit. You could buy a 2nd hand S&B and spend the rest on some stalking and still be sure you had glass that wouldn't let you down on the rifle, that's probably the way I would go. I've tested the 8X56 Swaro and S&B side by side at last light and all of the people present agreed that there was nothing to chose between them in terms of the ability to resolve detail at last light but that the field of view of the Swaro was slightly wider and this made the image "feel" a little better.

 

[Dalua]

Budget I would say is about £1k max, mainly woodland but the odd visit to the hill.

I do, however, like the idea of being able to 'dial' the shots for extended ranges, as you say 'without guess work'.

How about a Schmidt und Bender 6x42?

What sort of 'extended ranges' are you thinking of having to dial in for? My, albeit limited, experience suggests that with a sensible 6.5x55 zero (i.e. 2" high at 100yds) you don't have to hold very much over at ranges within 250yds. No more 'guesswork' than you're likely to need for windage at longer ranges, at any rate!

 

[www.yorkshireroestalking.]

How about a Schmidt und Bender 6x42?

What sort of 'extended ranges' are you thinking of having to dial in for? My, albeit limited, experience suggests that with a sensible 6.5x55 zero (i.e. 2" high at 100yds) you don't have to hold very much over at ranges within 250yds. No more 'guesswork' than you're likely to need for windage at longer ranges, at any rate!

like i said handy feature for the big slow rounds.
i'm weary of point blank range on smaller deer.
2 inch high at 100 can be even higher at 140 then shooting off sticks your group might be 3-4 inch thats now spine shot
also if you see a longer range fox its easy to dail in.
for normal stalking my scope is zeroed @ 100m's but i leave it set at 140-150m's.

 

[Apache]

If I was in your position I'd buy

For Sale: Schmidt and Bender Klassic 3-12x42 Iluminated

Doesn't matter if you usually leave it on 8X. Having the ability to zoom in can be useful and you have the option with a zoom scope that you don't with a fixed.

 

[TotalNovice]

Thanks for the replies fella's, it is appreciated.


Dalua, I have a .243ai with a Nightforce on it and it is zero'd at 100yds, anything beyond that I dial for, normally, 1/2moa for 200yds, 2moa for 300yds and so on. I stalk with this rifle but also enjoy 'long range plinking'.

On a side note, and not wanting to start a debate, my opinion is that 2" high at 100yds isn't a 'zero', it's simply 2" high at 100yds, where does that bullet strike at say 300yds or 75yds? Anyway, I digress.


A 6x42 would be more than enough, along with the 8x56 it would give the 'magic' 7mm pupil exit, so I may end up going down that route as it is, as I have said, more than enough.

I'm asking a bit of advice/info as to what others would opt for, including yourself, before I part with some hard earned cash.

 

[Dalua]

On a side note, and not wanting to start a debate, my opinion is that 2" high at 100yds isn't a 'zero', it's simply 2" high at 100yds, where does that bullet strike at say 300yds or 75yds? Anyway, I digress.

You do indeed digress!

2" high at 100yds is a zero. With my 6.5x55 it was a 190yds zero. At 75yds, +1.5" and at 300yds -10.5". Happy?

Any other interesting points you don't want to start a debate about?

 

[TotalNovice]

You do indeed digress!

2" high at 100yds is a zero. With my 6.5x55 it was a 190yds zero. At 75yds, +1.5" and at 300yds -10.5". Happy?

Any other interesting points you don't want to start a debate about?

So your zero is 190yds then, not 2"high at 100yds.

I appreciate your input.....................

 

[Dalua]

So your zero is 190yds then, not 2"high at 100yds.

Could you explain the difference?

Good idea about the 6x42, by the way!

 

[TotalNovice]

Could you explain the difference?

Good idea about the 6x42, by the way!

I'll try, but I'm no wordsmith!

For me, and like I said earlier it is just my opinion, a 'zero' is where the bullet strikes and is exactly on the center of the crosshair, you can set that at whatever distance you desire. But, if I set my .243ai zero at say 200yds, the 'zero' will not be an inch high at 100yds, it will be 200yds. It's good to know where the bullet will strike at various ranges, obviously.


Now, I'm not wanting to get into a debate or even an argument about it, this is my opinion. You have a different opinion, that's fine. As long as the way you do things works for you then you carry on. I don't do it the same way, but my way works for me!

 

[Dalua]

But, if I set my .243ai zero at say 200yds, the 'zero' will not be an inch high at 100yds, it will be 200yds.

Really, I just wanted you to explain the difference between the above things, but you have in fact just said they are the same: I think therefore the mixup involves my using the term 'zero' to describe the setting of the sight and your using it to mean a distance from the muzzle (in fact, you are using the further of the two such points) at which the POI and the POA coincide.

I often set my zero on a 100yd range. Generally, I know I get a good point-blank range for the hill by setting zero at 2" high at 100yds. Further field-testing then allows me to find out the distance at which the rifle is zeroed.

It is clear that if you say your AI is zeroed at a range of 200yds, that the zero (meaning the the setting of your sight) is such that the POI is 1" high relative to the POA at 100yds. The shorter zero range is presumably about 50yds or so.


Pax.

 

[TotalNovice]

Really, I just wanted you to explain the difference between the above things, but you have in fact just said they are the same: I think therefore the mixup involves my using the term 'zero' to describe the setting of the sight and your using it to mean a distance from the muzzle (in fact, you are using the further of the two such points) at which the POI and the POA coincide.

I often set my zero on a 100yd range. Generally, I know I get a good point-blank range for the hill by setting zero at 2" high at 100yds. Further field-testing then allows me to find out the distance at which the rifle is zeroed.

It is clear that if your say your AI is zeroed at a range of 200yds, that the zero (meaning the the setting of your sight) is such that the POI is 1" high realtive to the POA at 100yds.


Pax.

"POI and the POA coincide", thats my take on it, anything from the muzzle to beyond the 'zero'd' point is simply part of the bullets trajectory path and can be accounted for, but, again just my opinion, the 'zero' is where, as you correctly say, POI and the POA coincide.

 

[TotalNovice]

So, to get back on track, anymore opinions on a scope?

 

[Dalua]

There are always two ranges at which POI and POA coincide, and you're only bothering with the further one.

I think the sematic difficulty is that you are referring to 'zero' as the further range at which POA and POI coincide, whereas I think zero is a property I impart to the sights (I set them to zero, if you like) which gives me a reference-point on which to base any further adjustments I might make.

Therefore, I would say the way you've adjusted your AI is that the zero setting of the sights is 1" high at 100yds and on at 200yds. Which actually is what you've said yourself, isn't it?

 

[jimbo1984]

a schmidt 6 x 42 would be plenty i like fixed magnification scopes many animals are missed because the shooter is messing around with magnification and many variables stay on the same setting too! schmidt are quality scopes and bombproof there was one in the buy and sell for 300 quid i think