Scope for model 11 Lightweight Hunter

[shawnhu]

Hi guys. I'm looking for a scope for a model 11 lightweight hunter. This specialties series has a featherlight barrel, and should be able to accommodate a larger objective(I think).

Anyway, I'm not very experienced in high end scopes. This is my first centerfire, and lost likely will be my only one for a long time. It's chambered in .243 winchester, and Savage states 1.5" groups or better at 100 yards.

Since this is a thin barrel, and heats up rather quickly, I won't be shooting much with it at the bench. Ideally, I'd like to shoot 10-20 rounds with it at the range once every month or so, it'll mainly be my hunting rig.

My background with scopes is mainly Leapers/UTG, Center Point, and Hawke. I consider these popular air gun scopes, as they are budget friendly and have nice features such as 16x max zoom, side parallax adjustment, 30mm tube, and large objective lens.

I enjoy shooting my .25 cal Marauder out to 100 yards with the Leapers 4-16x56. I get a decent 2" spread at that range.

Now that I have the .243, I'd like to reach out a bit further, possibly 300-400 yards for deer sized game. If I can get 1-5" or better like Savage says, I should be at most 6" at 400 yards, if I do my part. That's the goal anyway.

Keeping with the lightweight theme, are there any scopes that you would recommend that would be ideal for this range and is lightweight? Adjustable objective would be ideal because most of my targets would be actually less than 100 yards. I do favor high power scopes such as 16x or more, but that may be because of the lower quality scopes I'm used to using, and having the reticle thick. If I can find a super thin reticle, I think I could manage with a lesser power scope when I'm punching paper at the range or going for pin point shots. At 1.5"@100 yards, I won't really NEED it, but if this rifle happen to cloverleaf at 100, then yes.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I'm excited to be part of the Savage Shooters community and want to get off on the right foot as far as scope goes for this rifle.

One last thing, I'd like to spend less than the cost of the rifle, so under $760 please! 300-400$ would probably be more ideal if there are any in that range.

[stangfish]

Great job of conveying your needs Shawn. I am going to suggest you go with a higher magnification multiplier something like the Bushnell 6500 series.
http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Retic...=bushnell+6500

It is a little heavy but bulletproof. You will find clearer glass but for the money these scopes are nice. Find one used and you can save some money. They also make a higher powered one as well as a lower powered on and the mag multiplication is 6.

[jpdown]

I also have a Savage 11 LWH in 260. I don't think you will be happy with the oversized appearance, weight and handling of a large variable scope on such a compact light rifle. I would go with a Leupold VX-2 2-7x33 or at most a VX-2 3-9x40 with duplex reticle and CDS dial if you want a proven scope with good glass and a lifetime warranty in the $349 range. Leupold scopes are also lighter and look more compact than other hunting scopes I have tried over the years. I beleive the maximum effective range of a .243 on deer sized game is about 300 yrds. A deer viewed at 300 yrds through a scope set at 9X is going to appear as if it was standing 33 yrds away (300 divided by 9) with the naked eye. Can I hit a 6" kill zone or pie plate every time at 33 yards? Those are some of the criteria I use when selecting the top end scope power I need for the intended use of each rifle. I currently use a Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36 with B&C reticle on my Savage LWH. Plenty of scope for anything I would want to shoot from dawn to dusk.

[Savage6x284]

I also have a Savage 11 LWH in 260. I don't think you will be happy with the oversized appearance, weight and handling of a large variable scope on such a compact light rifle. I would go with a Leupold VX-2 2-7x33 or at most a VX-2 3-9x40 with duplex reticle and CDS dial if you want a proven scope with good glass and a lifetime warranty in the $349 range. Leupold scopes are also lighter and look more compact than other hunting scopes I have tried over the years. I beleive the maximum effective range of a .243 on deer sized game is about 300 yrds. A deer viewed at 300 yrds through a scope set at 9X is going to appear as if it was standing 33 yrds away (300 divided by 9) with the necked eye. Can I hit a 6" kill zone or pie plate every time at 33 yards? Those are some of the criteria I use when selecting the top end scope power I need for the intended use of each rifle. I currently use a Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36 with B&C reticle on my Savage LWH. Plenty of scope for anything I would want to shoot from dawn to dusk.

Agreed with everything JP wrote.

I'd add the Leupold VX-2 3-9x33 Ultralight to the list however. The newest ones not the older Compact or Ultralight but the ones in the VX-2 series.
I've had two or three of these new Ultralights and they're really great scopes and uber-lightweight. The older models don't have such a good reputation but the new ones are way better.

You have a super light rifle, why destroy the balance with a Hubble type scope?

[chukarmandoo]

I have the vx2 3-9x33 on a 260 LWH and it's the way to go. You can also send the scope in and have turrets installed . Two different types. Scope weighs 8.8 ozs.

[shawnhu]

Thanks guys. I ended up ordering a whole bunch of scopes and rings from optics planet. They had a special where I can return anything, at no charge. I couldn't pass that up, so I ordered a bunch. I'll see what looks and works best for me and report back.