OT Rifle Scopes

Discussion in 'In The Stands' started by Austin_Bill, Feb 8, 2020.

  1. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    I'm in the market for a .338 Lapua and a scope for it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy an inexpensive Savage Arms Lapua but my question is what scope to use. I've been looking at Vortex lenses but last weekend I was at Saxet gun show and I stopped by the Osprey booth and was looking at their scopes. Has anyone used an Osprey scope? Price wise they are in line with other scopes like Vortex and Nicon but I have no experience with them. For now I am looking to use a 6x24x50, I know it's a bit under powered for a .338, but I can't hit anything beyond 1000 meters anyway.
     
  2. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    Whacha huntin?
     
  3. KillerHorn

    KillerHorn 25+ Posts

    Don’t go El Cheapo on the gun
    Check out Tikka
    I just bought a Tikka 300 win Mag and it is Awesome
    Beats the hell out of my Weatherby
    I’m putting a Swarovski Z5 scope on it for Elk
    400 to 500 yards is now in my wheelhouse
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    For now I'm going to be taking it hog hunting. Eventually I want to take it up to Idaho for some elk hunting.
     
  5. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    Funny you mention Tikka, my dad has a Win 270 Tikka with a walnut finish, it is a such a beautiful rifle. I did a quick search on the gun site I usually buy from and I didn't see that Tikka mades a Lapua. They do have a really nice .308 but I have my heart set on a Lapua.
     
  6. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    Extra very jealous!! AB, that is awesome!
     
  7. LazyHorn

    LazyHorn 25+ Posts

    Where in Idaho do you go?
    I go to the Bridger National Forest south of Jackson Wyoming for Elk. September 26th can’t get here fast enough
     
  8. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    My last Idaho hunt was near Moscow Id, in the St Joe National Forest. Not sure if I'll go back or find something a little more south this year. I pulled up the Idaho big game brochure this year. It looks like there are several places with above average objectives for Elk hunts. McCall, Hell's Canyon, and Weiser River look very promising this year. I love Western Idaho, absolutely beautiful.
     
  9. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    AB, I know it might offend some, but if there is a way to share any success story pics, it'd be cool....elk hunt on my bucket list, not sure if it'll ever occur, but don't mind living vicariously until then...
     
  10. LazyHorn

    LazyHorn 25+ Posts

    This past year I went Archery Elk. Day 3 walked up on a Black Bear. Day 6 walked up on a Grizzly. No Elk, but an awesome week in the mountains.
    Back to rifle this year.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    I did that on another site, I got lots of hate mail. Evidently, the snowflakes don't like seeing dead bambi.
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  12. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    I ran into a moose Canadian Rockies, we kept our distance and he went the other way, but it was tense. Wasn't hunting at the time but we still had weapons in case of bears.

    I was in Waterton National Park (the Canadian side of Glacier National Park) when we saw a massive grizzly walking in the middle of the street. Park rangers used their police cars to usher it out of town, but that was one big bear. Never seen so many bears in my life. Took some trash to the local dump and there must have been 50 bears there.
     
    • Winner Winner x 2
  13. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    Ugh
     
  14. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    I know the how it is. The snowflakes don't understand that herds grow larger and unchecked will eat up not only what grows in the wild, but then invade farm crops, among other issues. We had the same problem awhile back in east Texas, with the "don't murder bambi" crowd, but they soon saw the light and moved on.
     
  15. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    Lapua .338 sounds fun! Try Knight Force Scopes, they are made for the military and are indestructible. A cheaper option is Luepold. Both made in USA and high quality especially for long range shooting. Savage makes a good 6.5 Creedmore as well.

    Nightforce Optics - Rugged. Reliable. Repeatable.
     
  16. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    Those are some nice optics, but way out of th current price range I want to stay in, The rifle is only $1200 don't want to put on a high level scope on such an inexpensive rifle.
     
  17. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    Scopes, Binoculars, Sport Optics | Leupold

    Leupold is great and more affordable. I shot my first Javelina at 6 Yrs old with a Leupold scope.

    About Elk Hunting, Pecos County in West TX has some awesome Bulls now. Elk are starting to spread out to Brewster & Jeff Davis counties too. But Pecos is where the best ones live! Probably cheaper to hunt them out there but I’m not sure. Expense is why many Texans only dream of taking a nice Elk. W TX has a growing population.
     
  18. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    I plan to go hunting out here for mountain lion next year. Season is year round. Their populations have grown so that now they are wondering into town, so the State removed the restricted season limitation and made it year round. As long as you have a permit you're good to go. I want to have it mounted as well.
     
  19. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Good luck Joe. Those things are fast and spooked easily.
     
  20. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    They sure are! When we moved lat summer, he stayed at a hotel up in the Catalinas mountains. One evening just before dark, I was sitting outside on the patio and one went streaking across the golf course. He was moving! Disappeared into the rocks on the other side. Man, the things you see when you ain't gotta gun. That's the only one I've seen so far. My wife has a friend with a goat farm on the other side of those mountains. She told us she sees them frequently around her place. So I might check that out in the future.
     
  21. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    I know it could be merely a sales pitch but I've always heard optics over rifle..as in, as long as the rifle shoots true, it's the quality of the scope that is more important.....I'm very happy to know there's a group of hunters here in hornfans!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  22. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Were you at the Loews or the Hilton?
     
  23. uisge beatha

    uisge beatha 1,000+ Posts

    Watching EIU/SIUE bb game. They just ran an ad for elk hunting in KY. Any of you tried there?
     
  24. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    You know.......it would be cool to have a Horn Fans hunt before the spring game and then bar bq for the game later on. There’s lots of cheap options. I went hunting on a family members high dollar lease recently. Couldn’t shoot a thing. Had does and culls and hogs everywhere, nope can’t shoot. So I’m out of venison already.
     
  25. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    No, we stayed at the Lodge in Ventana Canyon right at the base of the Catalina Mts. on the north side of Tucson. We were there for a couple of weeks while waiting on our furniture and other stuff to arrive and then getting everything all set up in the house.
     
  26. LazyHorn

    LazyHorn 25+ Posts

    I hunted Mountain Lion in Utah in 2013. Got my cat on day 3. Impossible without good dogs.
     
  27. Austin_Bill

    Austin_Bill 2,500+ Posts

    About 80% of Idaho is public land. Much much cheaper to hunt up there than in Texas.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  28. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    I’m scared to hunt public land. Do people still shoot at sounds?
     
  29. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    I’ve hunted only private land before. I once went on a paid hog hunt on private land were they released hogs trapped elsewhere onto that ranch. 350 acres. Hunters just walked certain areas looking for hogs to run out. I felt that business/ ranch was creating extremely unsafe environments for the public to hunt in. I won’t go back. Someone’s going to get killed there. I am sure that does not depict a national park, but my answer to how expensive hunting has become is buying cheaper land to hunt on. It’s out there. If you hunt on 30k - 300K acres in a national park or wildlife management area your probably safe if you wear the blaze orange vest and hat. Finding affordable hunting land public or private is tough.
     
  30. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    Have been picked for Texas parks and wildlife draw hunts. Those are pretty safe.
     

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