Advice on 416 scope

[flatwater bill]

Appreciate any thoughts on what scope some of you like best for my application: Bolt action .416 Rigby, short to medium range, dangerous game. Hopefully some buff hunters can comment on reticle......thanks.............FW Bill

 

[lwaters]

I would get a low powered variable. It all depends on what you want to spend. I have a 1.5 x 5 Leupold on my 375 ruger and a 1x3 weaver on my 450/400 Ruger no.1.

 

[Dirtdart]

Appreciate any thoughts on what scope some of you like best for my application: Bolt action .416 Rigby, short to medium range, dangerous game. Hopefully some buff hunters can comment on reticle......thanks.............FW Bill

I have very little experience hunting dangerous but will offer a few of my experiences setting up a few different rifles in .416 Rigby, .404 Jeffery, and .416 Remington. For anything in the Rigby you are going to have a fairly large action and depending on whether it has bases machined into action or not like a Sako or CZ could influence your mounting options. We are fortunate these days that there are several top manufactures that offer scopes with a large field of view on the bottom end and give you enough top end to handle most any situation you would want to try with that cartridge. A straight tube scope gives you lots movement front to back to get the perfect eye relief. A 1- whatever power gives a very wide field of view for shooting with both eyes open up close. With quality glass in 1-6 or even 1-8 now days you can't go wrong. If some low light shooting is on the menu then I would consider an illuminated reticle. I do not know what your budget is. I recently returned a Zeiss Victory 1-8 power intended for a .416 because the 34mm tube looked out of place to me. The illuminated dot on the Zeiss #4 reticle also got a bit fuzzy to my eye when turned up to the higher setting. I chose to go with the Swarovski Z8i and love it, except for the price. The Z8i replaced a Swarovski Z6 1-6 power that realistically is all that was needed. The skin on the Swarovski seems a bit slicker than some makes so I recommend friction tape depending on ring type when at this level of recoil. The plex reticle from Swarovski is too thin for me regardless of application. I had a Leupold 1-6 VX-6 that I felt was a really nice piece of glass especially at that price point but did not care for the illumination control in the least. If the illumination control is located on the side of the scope I prefer to have an off in between each brightness setting. The lack of the off between settings aggravates me on the Schmidt Bender Zenith, but that is a larger scope for a different purpose. If you are in the field and have to really thread the needle from a makeshift rest the "eye box" is critical. Crocodile or Hippos in the water staying up for about a 3 second count comes to mind. These are only some thoughts from my personal experiences.

 

[1dirthawker]

flatwater,

i ended up putting a 1-6 trijicon accupoint. i opted for the circle cross reticle. a duplex would likely work as well. the thing i like about the trijicon, great glass, the reticle (green dot) always works, no batteries. a lit reticle was important to me, because hunting brown bears, they come out the last hour of daylight it seems. so a precise aiming point that does not need batteries is worthwhile to me.

it is a heavy scope for its size. you could likely pound nails with it. if i had to do it over or pick another....i would buy it again.

that said, there are some 1-8x scopes out there now as well that seem like a great choice. i like the lit dot in the cross hair. used a leopold on a bush pig hunt in SA a couple years ago, and it worked great. Leupold has a 2-7x VXR with a lit reticle that i like as well. if the batteries ever fail, you still have a scope cross hair to work with.

 

[rookhawk]

I've owned a few of the scopes mentioned above and I can't say that I've particularly enjoyed that fact. (I really don't like the 2-3 Leupold 1.5-5x24mm scopes I've had...I still have one on my crossbow and I hate every time I use it. Light gathering is terrible. The illuminated version is 30mm tube, but same 24mm lens as the 1" version. Terrible light gathering.)

I think there is nothing better than a 1-4x extended eye relief scope for a .416. Best deal I've seen going is on vintage Schmidt & Bender 1-4x scopes on eBay. I got one for my daughter's .243 for around $400-$450 with a #4 reticle. I think that's a great option. A used Swarovski Z6 EE 1-6x24 is another outstanding option in the ~$1200 range used. Or for around $1800 you can get a demo Z6i 1-6x24 EE illuminated through the major dealers which is a top choice. The 416 is a straight shooting gun and with such a scope at 4x or 6x power you can take reasonably long shots on game in the 150-250 yard distances with no problem. I've used that scope on game out to 345 yards with great clarity. Dial it all back to 1x and its a clear as day, fast acquisition dangerous game scope.

 

[TTundra]

I just had this discussion with my PH two weeks ago on my hunt. I purchased a CZ550 in 416 Rigby two years ago to begin shooting and work my muscle memory in getting used to the larger action for a future DG hunt. While I understand for the PH you might not need or want the magnification, for a client with a few more moments on their first shot, the magnification can be nice to have.

I went with a Leupold 2-8x36mm....has everything I want. On 2x it is very little difference than shooting an 1x scope. there is always distortion from the magnification effect on a 1x, even a true 1x, so going to 2x was fine with me. Being able to dial up to anywhere from 2-8x is also nice as mentioned above with any 1-8. I have the scope in a set of nice QD rings so after my first shot I can dismount if need be and am practicing it religiously. In our conversation my PH stated that he prefers a client with a scope in that 6x-8x max range (depending on the DG hunted) that they can line up for a more precise shot if need be. I guess this all depends on what your conditions are, but thats also why I practice the shot with shot and then without

 

[Milan]

flatwater,

i ended up putting a 1-6 trijicon accupoint. i opted for the circle cross reticle. a duplex would likely work as well. the thing i like about the trijicon, great glass, the reticle (green dot) always works, no batteries. a lit reticle was important to me, because hunting brown bears, they come out the last hour of daylight it seems. so a precise aiming point that does not need batteries is worthwhile to me.

it is a heavy scope for its size. you could likely pound nails with it. if i had to do it over or pick another....i would buy it again.

that said, there are some 1-8x scopes out there now as well that seem like a great choice. i like the lit dot in the cross hair. used a leopold on a bush pig hunt in SA a couple years ago, and it worked great. Leupold has a 2-7x VXR with a lit reticle that i like as well. if the batteries ever fail, you still have a scope cross hair to work with.

I will second the Trijicon, both in weight and toughness. I used to have a green triangle 1-4x24 and the triangle on this one is bigger than the green dots or triangles on other scopes. Shot a boar with it, but unfortunately in Africa I used a Leupold 2-7x33 for its bigger magnification, so not sure how it would have done there. The 1-6 was not available then and if my eyes were better I would not have bothered changing it, probably. Mind you I like how small and light those VX-2 scopes are in 2-7. However, I might now pick the same 1-4 for the bigger triangle and run a second scope with more magnification for the longer shots. I use quick detach mounts anyway, so no harm having 2 scopes for the same rifle.

 

[flatwater bill]

I appreciate all of the posts. Still considering. I bought this rifle at auction, just cleaned it and adjusted trigger. Bought rings, as they were not included with the used rifle, bought dies and brass, ordered bullets. Am looking at Trijj, and Leupold 2.5-8, but Swaro and S&B out of my price range. .....Was thinking of Leupold 1.5-5 until Rookhwk post, and agree, want a little more light gathering..............FW Bill

 

[Dr Ray]

I’m looking at the 416 Remington magnum. I like the long eye relief on Leupold scopes. I’m thinking of a 2-7 power variable.
I figure I wouldn’t want anything higher in magnification - distance of shot and I wouldn’t be targeting anything small in the first place.

 

[Bullthrower338]

I have a VX-6 on both of my 416 RM’s and a Swarovski z6i on my RSM 416 R. Got a Vortex on my CZ 416R. Happy with all of them except the vortex. Not a bad scope, just not the right scope for that rifle.

 

[flatwater bill]

Dr Ray...............I have two 2-7 Leupolds, and bought a 2.5X8 Leupold......that I may put on a smaller rifle. I can easily see the difference in clarity in the VX 3 line of scopes like the 2.5X8 over my older VX 2 models of 2X7. At my age, I do not think I will go back to the VX 2's even thought I agree.....I don't need much magnification on a 416...........I bought 30mm rings.....so looking for 30mm scope...but I could take them back and trade I guess.....thanks for input.....FW Bill

 

[Dr Ray]

Dr Ray...............I have two 2-7 Leupolds, and bought a 2.5X8 Leupold......that I may put on a smaller rifle. I can easily see the difference in clarity in the VX 3 line of scopes like the 2.5X8 over my older VX 2 models of 2X7. At my age, I do not think I will go back to the VX 2's even thought I agree.....I don't need much magnification on a 416...........I bought 30mm rings.....so looking for 30mm scope...but I could take them back and trade I guess.....thanks for input.....FW Bill

Maybe a Swarovski??

 

[Shootist43]

I had a Nikon Monarch African with a German # 4 Reticle on my 416 Rigby and loved it. However I recently installed that scope on the 404 Jeffery that I'm taking to Africa in less than a month.

 

[flatwater bill]

DrR...........I went and looked at a Swaro, at your suggestion. It is exactly the right scope! Unfortunately, if I buy it, I cannot afford the eland/buff hunt that it is intended for. Shtst.....I am going to try to find a Nikon Monarch to look at....thanks to both....................FW Bill

 

[rookhawk]

@flatwater bill did you check eBay for a used or new old stock Swarovski Z6 1-6x24 scope? They go for $1200-$1300 used and that might make it a softer hit to the budget than a new scope.

Things to know: You absolutely want the EE model. (extended eye relief)

They used to make a non-illuminated Z6 1-6x24 EE model. That model is now discontinued. To get the EE model new now, you must buy the Z6i 1-6x24 illuminated models that cost more money but are of course, beautiful scopes.

A LOT of these scopes are bought by people planning to use them and they never get used. Then the affluent buyers realize they now have the Z8i 1-8x24 EE model available and they don't want the 6x version anymore, dumping them on ebay. Same for those that bought the non-illuminated model and then replaced with the Z6i illuminated. Bottom line: They are sublime scopes and they are out there. I've had MANY of them and there was a time where almost every rifle I owned had Z6 1-6x24 scopes on them because they truly are the best scope I've ever owned. Dig a little bit before you settle on something that is very inferior. Nothing straight tube has the light gathering or optical quality out there that I've seen at that price point.

 

[sierraone]

DrR...........I went and looked at a Swaro, at your suggestion. It is exactly the right scope! Unfortunately, if I buy it, I cannot afford the eland/buff hunt that it is intended for. Shtst.....I am going to try to find a Nikon Monarch to look at....thanks to both....................FW Bill

Just checked and the Nikon Monarch African is discontinued. It last sold for $259 at Midway. Have to look on the used market. I fully understand that a $2000 scope (new) could set your hunt back for a year. If I could afford it, I would probably have Swarovski scopes on all of my big bore rifles.

 

[Desperatezulu]

@flatwater bill did you check eBay for a used or new old stock Swarovski Z6 1-6x24 scope? They go for $1200-$1300 used and that might make it a softer hit to the budget than a new scope.

Things to know: You absolutely want the EE model. (extended eye relief)

They used to make a non-illuminated Z6 1-6x24 EE model. That model is now discontinued. To get the EE model new now, you must buy the Z6i 1-6x24 illuminated models that cost more money but are of course, beautiful scopes.

A LOT of these scopes are bought by people planning to use them and they never get used. Then the affluent buyers realize they now have the Z8i 1-8x24 EE model available and they don't want the 6x version anymore, dumping them on ebay. Same for those that bought the non-illuminated model and then replaced with the Z6i illuminated. Bottom line: They are sublime scopes and they are out there. I've had MANY of them and there was a time where almost every rifle I owned had Z6 1-6x24 scopes on them because they truly are the best scope I've ever owned. Dig a little bit before you settle on something that is very inferior. Nothing straight tube has the light gathering or optical quality out there that I've seen at that price point.

As Rookhawk says, the (best) answer is the Swaro Z6i. The S&B Exos and Stratos are also great scopes in this application, as I'm sure the Zeiss V8 would be. All top-end scopes with commensurate prices.

A left field option is a Japanese-made Vixen VIII 1-6 with the illuminated dot - I only mention this because I have one on my 416. It's probably half the price of the others mentioned and the glass quality is very good in my opinion. Eye relief is also in the 4" class. It comes with a lifetime warranty, although I haven't put that to the test. Mine has handled the 416 recoil without any issue.
Not sure how readily available the Vixen brand is in the US though?

 

[CAustin]

Appreciate any thoughts on what scope some of you like best for my application: Bolt action .416 Rigby, short to medium range, dangerous game. Hopefully some buff hunters can comment on reticle......thanks.............FW Bill

I have a Luepold VX-6 on mine and enjoy using it.

 

[Philip Glass]

I've owned a few of the scopes mentioned above and I can't say that I've particularly enjoyed that fact. (I really don't like the 2-3 Leupold 1.5-5x24mm scopes I've had...I still have one on my crossbow and I hate every time I use it. Light gathering is terrible. The illuminated version is 30mm tube, but same 24mm lens as the 1" version. Terrible light gathering.)

I think there is nothing better than a 1-4x extended eye relief scope for a .416. Best deal I've seen going is on vintage Schmidt & Bender 1-4x scopes on eBay. I got one for my daughter's .243 for around $400-$450 with a #4 reticle. I think that's a great option. A used Swarovski Z6 EE 1-6x24 is another outstanding option in the ~$1200 range used. Or for around $1800 you can get a demo Z6i 1-6x24 EE illuminated through the major dealers which is a top choice. The 416 is a straight shooting gun and with such a scope at 4x or 6x power you can take reasonably long shots on game in the 150-250 yard distances with no problem. I've used that scope on game out to 345 yards with great clarity. Dial it all back to 1x and its a clear as day, fast acquisition dangerous game scope.

Which Leupold do you have? I have the VX6 1-6X24mm DG scope and it gathers light well. I really like it and took elephant, hippo, Buffalo, lechewe, and baboon with it on my .416 Ruger. The VX 6 is quite expensive but in a class all by itself!
Philip

 

[Philip Glass]

I have a Luepold VX-6 on mine and enjoy using it.
View attachment 235186

We have basically the same setup my friend!
Philip