I'll probably get some of this wrong (not being a hunter)...

Here are some of my thoughts:

[1] If hunting is the primary consideration, you want a really good light gathering scope (particularly for deer which are more active in the dusk/dawn hours) so look for larger objectives like 50mm with 30mm tubes and excellent coatings which are designd to maximize light. I'd also want to have lower powers of magnifiaction as these are the brightest settings for hunting (not to mention that you need to have a larger field of view for tracking).

[2] If longer range shooting is a priority, look for a scope with enough elevation adjustment (which might negate the need for a 20 MOA mount). This typically means that variable magnifications of multiples of 4 or less are better (as well as the need for 30mm tubes vs 1")

[3] If shooting paper at long range, I'd probably set my minimum magnification at 24x (but I could live with 16x if necessary as long as shooting paper was a lower priority)

So I went looking at the Viper line-up (since this was you choice) and I found only 1 that I think is worthy of meeting ALL of these criteria...

Vortex Optics Viper HS LR 4-16x 50mm (30mm tube) Long Range Scope

As far as the 0 MOA base... I would think this scope would have more than enough elevation adjustment to go with a 0 MOA base in 300WinMag with a maximum range of 600 yards. I would not recommend a 20 MOA base for hunting with this rig. Consider using the Burris Signature line of scope rings which will give you the added ability to swap out zero and ten MOA inserts when necessary (or wanted).


All the best,

Jim