What scope for a BLR .308?

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MacEntyre
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What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by MacEntyre »

Never had a scope before, so when I decided to put one on my BLR, I realized I don't know much about modern scopes. Thought I would ask the kind and knowledgeable folks at Leverguns.com.

I have a nice one piece scope mount that came with the rifle.

What is appropriate for a BLR .308 from 50 to 300 yards, and is useful for both deer in daylight and coyotes at night?

Do they make night scopes that don't require batteries?

If it uses batteries, does it work just fine in daylight without batteries?

Thank you very much!

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Tycer
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by Tycer »

Ohhhh, here we go....
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Tycer
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by Tycer »

http://www.amazon.com/Accupoint-2-5-10- ... +accupoint

EDIT:
I put the wrong link up, I meant to put the 3-9x up. I have the 1.25-4 on mine and shots to 300 are fine on paper.
Last edited by Tycer on Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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86er
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by 86er »

Trijicon makes scopes that have a colored post in day and low light without batteries. Glow in dark when no light. Leupold has a series that has a tiny red dot center point on the crosshairs, on demand by battery power. The battery last for 3000 hours, or something ridiculous so they say. Aimpoint has lighted reticle scopes with battery life in the ridiculous hour range. Ten Point has inexpensive lighted reticle scopes with moderate battery life. There are a ton of options out there. A nice 6X would probably keep you accurate and good light out to the 300 yds you mentioned. Variable with a top end from 7X to 10X would too, but I'd want to keep the size and weight of the scope in balance with the rifle. Tough decision. Good luck!
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double post

Post by 86er »

sorry
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by Don McDowell »

Pick any good quality 4x32 or a 2.5x7 variable with the smaller objective lense, and low profile mounts.
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by Old Savage »

Mine has a straight 4x Leupold, works out very well. But, you are probably trying to make one gun do too much with the inclusion of night coyotes.
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MacEntyre
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by MacEntyre »

Old Savage wrote:...probably trying to make one gun do too much with the inclusion of night coyotes.
You mean a good scope for night hunting would not work well in daylight?

:?:
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by Blaine »

I have a 30mm VXIII, 1.5-5X with a lit reticle.....short, sweet, and can be used without the battery....I'm trending, in my thoughts and deeds, to scout scopes, and small, fixed power (quality) pieces....
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by Old Ironsights »

FWIW, my Savage 99 .308 wears a Burris Timberline 3x9...
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by BigSky56 »

this might work for you for day and night a 3-9x40 burris with IR. I have used a red dot scope for night time predator work. danny
http://www.burrisoptics.com/ffe1_3x9x_illum.html
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by Lastmohecken »

2 x 7 Leupold Vari-X II, the 2 x 7 variables have been my favorites for close to 35 years. They have a much better field of view on 2 power then anything I have seen with more power, and 7 is enough for most shooting situations on the high side. Here's is an eight point I took only today. He was about 30yds or so away, but moving pretty quick and I dropped with one shot, but if I had had to deal with more then 2 power, I probably would not have gotten the shot off. Some can use more power when it's close and fast, but I cannot so the low powered variable saved the day for me again.
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by M. M. Wright »

I have 2.5X fixed on a couple of BLRs and have used them out to 300 with good results. Please note my Arkansas buddy above and the meat makin' ability of his piece. I would not hesitate to recommend the same scope to you.
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by AJMD429 »

tonsofpulsar
I like my Pulsar DigiScope 550 - it ain't "Mil-Spec", but then it ain't $4,000, either, and I tend NOT to drop my scopes in mud, step on them, and throw them out of moving vehicles, then depend on them for a life-and-death COMBAT shot.

I just like to shoot at coyotes, or other nocturnal vermin raiding the livestock. :D

I also don't want a scope I will 'break' if I open it up in daylight, or can't even use in daylight.

This one fills-the-bill for me; it does use batteries, but it has a true 'one-shot zero' system (two independent reticles), and you don't have to do ANYTHING special to switch from bright daylight to twilight to midnight. My 'Night Scout' setups do fine out to about 80 yards for feral-cat-sized targets, but for anything farther out (which would probably include 'coyotes' most of the time, even if you bait them), the DigiScope is the one I would use. Here it is on an Encore in 300 Blk, with a Mystic suppressor, but it will mount on anything with a Weaver rail, including a BLR. Owners manual says it tolerates recoil up to the 375 Holland & Holland range. I guess the newer '750' model is even nicer.

Image
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45105
These are some of the things I found informative when I was checking out the infra-red scope I got...

Optics Planet review -
Hogs in digital infra-red -
Some Video that looks pretty accurate/real-world vs. what I see with mine -
Still I have to say the comment someone made earlier about preferring the compactness of an ordinary red-dot or holo-sight, combined with a visible-spectrum illuminator of some kind (an ordinary flashlight in my case) mounted under the barrel, is spot-on (pun intended). I think the infrared unit would be great for an in-place night time hog-hunt, where you wanted ranges out past 100 yards, but for closer ranges or if I'm out walking (i.e. checking livestock), I prefer the levergun/holo/laser/light setup.
As far as the most-often-used 'night' firearm on our place, it would be one of my 'Night Scout' leverguns - > Link to Night Scout thread (partway down on thread).

Minute-of-Feral-Cat at 80 yards (Marlin 1894 in 45 Colt):

Image
This was with the 357 Mag version at 50 yards - at midnight, with no moonlight...
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MacEntyre
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by MacEntyre »

BlaineG wrote:I'm trending... to ...small, fixed power (quality) pieces....
I like that way of thinking. Unfortunately, I cannot find a small fixed power scope with a lit reticule. I believe Trijicon is the only one that lights the reticule without a battery (except Bushnell Firefly, which is not a small scope).

The Trijicon TR24 would do nicely!

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375hh1973
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by 375hh1973 »

I have a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36 on my BLR. Great for close in or shooting across a flat.
BLR woods.jpg
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by getitdone1 »

I don't think you'll care much for what I have on my BLR but I like it a lot. It's a Burris holographic sight with red dot. Not for 300 yd shooting (well for most of us) but sure keeps the gun light in weight and that red dot is a lot better than iron sights. Uses a battery and has to be turned on. I'll have to check but think that battery could be left on DURING quite a few hunts before needing replacement. For close-in or woods hunting I think it'd be about as fast as any sight for that first shot and maybe even one of the fastest.

One big reason I use this sight on this gun is I have bolt-action guns for distant shooting and their cartridges shoot flatter.

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MacEntyre
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Re: What scope for a BLR .308?

Post by MacEntyre »

getitdone1 wrote:I don't think you'll care much for what I have on my BLR ...
It's closer to what I want than a traditional 3-9x scope.

When the Trijicon TR24 is set at 1X, it is the same thing as a red dot sight. I'll likely not use the 4X much. Low magnification makes for fast sights.

A friend of mine had one for 3 gun competitions... used it out to 500 yards. He replaced it so he could get a reticle with marks for longer ranges.

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