Speaking of scopes, Couple years ago I got a couple new Redfield/leupolds and they have a really nice add on that probably don't amount to a lot but I like it. Then few month's ago I had a Nikon give up the ghost on me and replaced it with a Vortex. Vortex has a similar addition to the Redfield I like. The adjustment turret's can be turned by hand. In fact it's the only way you can adjust the Redfield. Just a small convenience I though I'd mention. I do not change sight settings in the field hunting. I sight is MPBR at an 8" target and can hold dead on out near 300 yds and I simply don't take shot's at game that far, other than one time and I have a really poor excuse for that one!
I think I already mentioned my favorite hunting scope. Denver Redfield 2 3/4x fixed widefield I bought new about 1971. It's on my 30-06 these days. Something about hunting, your either a hunter or a shooter. Well, almost. I think I'm a shooter, like to shoot target's a long way off. But when I'm hunting I like close shots. I have no desire to risk a bad shot trying to kill something. I take a great deal of pride in a DRT shot. As such low power hunting scopes are my first choice. That little 2 3/4x widefield is perfect for me. On a 308 I have another Denver Redfield in a 1-4x. Never take it below 3x as get to low and I can see the barrel on the rifle with it, distracting. I think the best hunting variable I have are my 2-7x scopes. They are smaller, light weight and seems I never carry them or shoot at animals with them over 2x! had a 4 1/2-14x on my 6.5x06 for quite a while, biggest scope I've ever used. To me it was a monster but justified it target shooting out to 500yds, never shot it at over 8X! Killed three elk with that rifle but to hunt I took off the 4 1/2-14x and put on a spare 3-9x I had and killed all three elk, one shot each, on 3x. Guy wants more power than I use on his rifle for whatever reason that up to him but I just found scopes that suit me. Thing about that Vortex I got, put it on a 243 and was out plinking last week out to a bit over 400 yds and never took the thing off of 3x, worked out just fine. I think once you get comfortable with a scope of certain qualities it becomes your go to scope. I read of how much light those very expensive scope's gather for shooting in poor light, but those low power scopes I use gather more light than I need to shoot well. I hear how fast the expensive scope's get on shot's, bet they are no faster than my inexpensive scopes on low power! and I hear how much better the glass is on them. Guess I can't deny that, I simply don't know! What I do know is the glass on my scopes are more than clear enough for me to shoot well with. That old Denver Redfield 2 3/4x was about $80 brand new, don't know what that is today. Say it's $400. For $400 that thing has kept going over 50yrs now. Most companys selling $1000+ scopes haven't been selling then that long. So you can spend $1000 on a good scope, let's face it, it probably is a good scope, and you've no idea how long you'll get out of it or you Can spend $400 on a less expensive scope and your looking at maybe 50+ years! Come to think of it, had nothing to put this other really old scope on so it's on my 22 mag. 4x El Paso Weaver. I got it use for around $20. Probably the best $20 I ever spent!
Don't blow a lot of money on a scope unless you have money to burn. Blow your money on shooting practice!
