I bought a Savage .308 a while back just because I wanted one in that caliber. It is a target rifle with bull barrel - very heavy. It came with a 24x target scope that I rarely can see clearly through. The front lens has to be adjusted to distance. So, I want a different scope. My shooting will be pure target shooting at 100 to at very max 150 yards. Since all scopes are now mostly variable, what would I need? A 3-9 or 4-12 or??? Does the measure of the front lens only help with increased light intake? We have plenty of light here in AZ. I can handle brand selection, but what power?? Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

Get a 6x Leupold if they're still being made. Plain duplex crosswire, nothing exotic or troublesome, no batteries needed. Works very well at distances much farther than you intend to shoot. A desirable scope that will retain value well and be easy to sell or trade should you decide to do so. Few like simple today, but simple still works best for most needs.

As has been said a fixed power scope will do just fine for your expected use. Quite frankly a fixed power would do fine for 99% of the shooters out there.

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Randy

It depends a lot of what works for you and what you are comfortable using. You can shoot 100 yards with open sights, target sights or a scope of any power.

I shoot 100 yard and 200 yard benchrest with scopes including 36 and 45 power fixed and variable scopes from 6x24 to 14x60.

If you are only shooting 100-150 yards, you can set the parallax on any of the better target scopes pretty much once as well as your focus.

The other issue is your budget.

Bob

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Sag Harbor & Manhattan, N.Y.

I use 2-7 on my Savage 308 for 250yd and under deer hunting... 3-9 or similar should work well for what range you have selected... your hardest choice will be reticle not so much power...

Because so many are sold, a 3-9X variable is usually the best buy. That said, most 3-9X variables spend their lives frozen on one power setting. We've gotten obsessed with power as all shooting is for bench rest scoring or extreme long range hunting. I have a few fixed power scopes, mostly 4X and continue to be impressed with how compact, light and rugged they are. Sadly, fixed power scopes just don't sell well.

I have a 3x9 on my rifle.. have for the last 40 years.. it has been on 4x for 39 years 364-1/2 days...

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

6x 42mm and 4x 28mm scopes work great almost anywhere. I have a 4-12x 42mm on a Swiss K31 and at 12x it really shows whether you are steady or not. I couldn't look at a cup of coffee and hope to shoot a 24x or 36x.

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Release the Kraken

The biggest power scope I have is a Leopold 1.75 x 6
I have a 1.5x5 and a 1.5 x 4. I use the higher range for sighting in and then turn them down to the lowest for hunting. Down here a 75 yard shot is LONG. My drudgers would be 2x fixed if they still made them

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Forum consigliere

It depends on the size of your aim point. If that is a 6" black dot, just about every scope ever made will work! The smaller the aim point the higher the power. A common is the 5Meter BB gun target used a 200 yards. The bullseye is 20mm (about 5/8"), at that distance I need 14x or more some people get by with around 12x

For a better challenge I like M&M's at 200 yards but that takes more power

The quality of the glass makes a big difference too!

Ivan

I shoot at 100 and 200 with a 5.56x45 bench rest rifle. I use a 4-12x but I think it's set on 8x all the time. I don't really want or need anymore magnification then that. So with that, I would say 3-9x will get the job done nicely.

I agree that most don't need a variable scope but 3-9x seems to be the best sellers so you're going to get a lot for your money there.

Back when scopes became popular in the 60's 6x was considered nice for hunting in open country out west. Some people even thought 4x was adequate. 4X was the hands down most popular. I think glass quality is actually more important than magnification but that's just my opinion.

I use a 4x on my 5.56 carbine out to 200 and don't feel handicapped. It's a $350 scope tho so it's exceptionally clear which makes all the difference in the world.

Years ago I was told by someone who was a military sniper that all they used was a fixed 10x scope and made shots out to 700. I would bet that the glass quality far exceeded what was on the commercial market at the time. Cartridge was 7.62x51.

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That's just somebody talkin.

The usual rule of thumb out here is 1.5 power
times the multiples of 100 yards.

So for 300 yards you need 4.5 power. But the
kicker is to have the largest objective lens
you can get so you can grab light at both
ends of the day. That's for hunting.

Since you are punching paper I would follow
ggibson511960's advice and get a 3X9 for cost
reasons. I would still get the biggest objective
I could.

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never get out of the boat

The front lens has to be adjusted for distance on most any scope, it's called a parallax adjustment. If you're only going to shoot at 100-150 yards, you can probably get it set somewhere between and just leave it there. However, 24X is a lot of magnification for that distance. "Power" magnifies not only the image, but your movement as well. If you can practice to the point of punching a half-dollar sized hole with that scope, it will make you a better (steadier) shooter. As recommended above, a 3-9X variable would be plenty, or a 6X fixed. The last number, usually something like 40, 45, 50, is the objective (front) lens diameter, and along with the scope's tube diameter, is responsible for image brightness. The brighter the image, the clearer the target will look. A 1" or 30mm tube and a 50mm objective will be a bright scope.

Any reason you only want to shoot to 150 yards? Is it the range limit? .308 can go out a lot further if you get the opportunity.

Là-bas, dans cajun land, les créatures se faufilent sur vous.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Having shot rifles at targets (.22RF @ 100 yards) open sights (peep sights), DCM 200 yard with Garand's (open sights), and Prairie Dogs from 50 yds to 500yds with scope's, I recommend a variable and go a little higher than you think you may need. As you age, (unfortunately we all do), you may want to crank up the power a little more. For a walking around I have a nice light Sako .222 and put a 4-12 Redfield on it. It is normally set at about 6X, but when the occasion calls for a small target at 100+ yards I might crank it up a X or 2.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

surtout quand vous chassez la nuit

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Forum consigliere

For your stated application, I would recommend a Leupold fixed 12x or a 6 x 18 x 40 target scope.

I use a 12x fixed powder on a .243 heavy barrel varmint rifle and have one on a Kimber M82, .22 LR that I use to practice slow fire prone at 100 yards. Both of these scopes have the standard duplex reticle and have never had any issues.

One thing to consider is a variable scope with side focus. I have three scopes that are equipped with the side focus option and this is a great option when shooting across the course, especially at 600 yards. It is difficult to adjust the eyepiece focus scopes once you are in position.

As far as the manufacturer, we all have our favorites. The majority of my scopes have "gold ring" on the bell and are made in Oregon. I have a Nikon 6 x 18 x 40, with side focus, target dot reticle on another heavy barrel rifle and it works great. A Vortex Diamondback 4.5 x 16 x 42 with side focus in on one of my modern hunting platforms and I would highly recommend this optic.

MidwayUSA is currently having a sale but, don't be afraid to buy a preowned scope, especially one with a transferable lifetime guarantee.

Good luck and good shooting!

For .308 target work, I agree with the 3-9x consensus.
I say get the larger (50mm if avail) objective model. It will cost a little more, but will be much brighter on overcast days. Me thinks you will reach out further than 150yrds at some point and .308 is quite capable. You can then dial the power up on a cloudy day with the 50mm objective.

Who knows, maybe you will hunt some open county with it someday?
Never hurts to have more than you need...unless you have to carry it a long way.

Just a thought: Have you considered using what you have and spending a little time to figure out how that adjustable objective lens can be very useful, especially when shooting at known ranges consistently?

The larger objective lenses do collect more light, so the image tends to be much brighter.

When I lived in the SW, I used 3x9 for hunting big game and 4x12 for ground squirrels and such.

As mentioned previously, the size of the target (aim point) will mostly dictate the power of your scope. My 100 yard target for verifying zero is a 1" circle with a 1/2" bullseye. My 'light' PRS rifle has a 4-20 XTR2 that mostly lives at 15x and will put 5 rounds inside the bull every time.

The advantage for me with the higher magnification scope is I don't have to go look at my target to check where my group is.

Just one more thing to consider, hope this helps your decision making.

Recently I decided I wanted a ‘Light’ Rifle.
Common caliber, not super expensive.
And I am a Lefty.
Scope? I want a light Rig.
Have used 2-7 Scopes for years.
So it’s a Savage Axis in 223 with a 2-7 Vortex Crossfire II.
Yes Ugly! Over the years I have owned a number of Savages.
They are usually good shooters.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

I use 2.5 X 8 Leupolds on My hunting rifles and 6.5 X 20 Leupolds on My target and varmint rifles. Never had a need for more power and I shoot 25 - 1000 yards. If one breaks, another is right handy.

I would recommend this scope. The Leupold VX-Freedom
3-9x40, 30mm tube, Red Dot reticle, Matte finish.

It was reasonally priced, at one of our New Big Box Farm
stores. The $50 Debt Card that came with it, really sealed
the deal.

Meant for another Rifle, but to try it out I Clamped it on my
stock Remington Model Seven Black/Synthetic 308Win.

When sighing it in the Tracking is very precise. Some how I
lucked out and only had to adjust Elevation. 6" high, adjusted,
then 1" high, adjusted, 1/4" above center of Point of Aim.

I really like the FireDot. I can pick up Center of Reticle real fast
and doesn't overwhelm the target. For Hunt'n it will be really
useful, and for my off and on target shooting I like it.

The Scope is now on a 270 Winchester Short Magnum I'm doing
Reload development on.

The Best to you and your Endeavors.

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SD social distanc'n since 1889

That’s an adjustable objective to correct parallax. Whatever you buy, you absolutely want an adjustable objective for target shooting. You do not want the 2-7X and 3-9X non adjustable objective scopes being recommended. They're great on hunting rifles, but you stated "target shooting".

As far as power, the higher the better for target shooting provided you buy high quality. Most $300 and under 24x or 36x scopes just aren’t that clear. Fixed powers are fine for target shooting, but I do like the flexibility of adjustable power. You can get a decent adjustable objective scope in the 3-12X or 4-16x range that would make a good casual target shooting scope.

I just put a 2-7x Vortex on my Browning BLR 308.

I have poor naked eye vision and at high magnification I can't find the target with the tiny field of vision.

This is a lesser Leupold than the 6x36 fixed power. However, it may be a great scope. You don't really need a "Fire Dot" reticle or anything else exotic at this stage. Spend a few dollars more and get the best scope for your money. Simple works best for most persons.

My first new cf rifle was a Win 70FW 308. The only new pre64 I was able to buy before Win went under. It has 6x on it. Reason 6x is about most I can handle off hand on running game. The 6x 40mm sucks in extra light for early and late shooting. I bought K10x scope for this rifle when new. To much power for the woods. I ran 6x on my HV Bolt guns. I ran 1.5x to 4x on lager caliber guns and pumps, autos and levers. I can’t claim extreme long range kills. 250yds being my longest kill on deer, which happened to be with said 308 & 6x scope. I did kill lots of varmits at 400yds + with same rig. Still have that 308 and will literally drive nails at 100yds.

Thanks Pilgrim. Unknowingly, you made my decision simple. I recently bought a new Savage Predator 110 with the scope on it from the factory. Wanted a bolt action 223 with threaded barrel in anticipation of my suppressor. Shot that gun today and really like the scope a lot. It is a Vortex Crossfire like yours, but mine is 4-12x44. Yes, a 3-9 would work for me, but the next owner might want more magnification. I measured the diameter of each end of the Vortex and both are smaller than the scope currently on the 308. So, I have shot the scope, like it and it will fit the 308. Will look for it locally tomorrow, otherwise e-bay. THANKS to everybody for all the good advice. Chuck