Leupold Fx-Ii 2.5x28 Scout Rifle Scope, Duplex Reticle, Matte Black

[Gert Odendaal]

Good day members.
Please be so kind as to give me your opinion regarding the Leupold Fx-Ii 2.5x28 Scout Rifle Scope, Duplex Reticle, Matte Black, I build a .375 H&H Coggswell & Harrison in a scout scope configuration. The scope will be fitted onto a quarter rib in front of the magazine. I would like to know what members think about this scope . Especially members who used this scope himself? I need to purchase a scope with long eye relief for the .375 H&H Magnum rifle . I would prefer a Leopold scope..
Here are two photos of the quarter rib where I will attache the scope , the work on the rifle is completed a while ago but is still in the white. I still need to blue it and hand the stock in for checkkering ...
Keep in mind this is a .375 H&H Magnum, I need to know if this scope will take the recoil dished out by this rifle? In the top photo the Leopold 1.5x5 x 20 is currently on my 404 Jeffery...it did not give me the long eye relief I needed...

 

[dsmerrills]

Gert is the only purpose you don't want to drill and tap the action because a) do you not want to drill and tap the action or b) are you worried about the half moon club?

I have the Leopold vx3 1.5-5x20 on both the rifles you have mentioned and having a long eye relief has never been a problem granted that I never really shoot the 404 with a scope it's mainly unscoped as it's my 60m max rifle.

The 375H&H on the other hand has been regulated on 50 meters open sights and I have a Leupold vx3 1.5 on that with Warne QD and I have even had a Leupold 3-9x40 on it and it's never been a problem!

Jy moet net vas hou boeta!

 

[Gert Odendaal]

dsmerrills, I do not want to drill /tap the receiver. It is a scout rifle configuration that needs a scope with a long eye relief ( 320 mm) .This rifle will be my fun shooting rifle / warthog /bush pig hunting rifle, a fast target acquisition rifle for big bore shooting days as well. I like the "scout rifle concept , Col. Jeff Cooper defined. Hence my question regarding the scout scope and it`s properties.

( dsmerrills, ek doen daai ding, maar my dogter gaan die .375 H&H Magnum, Coggswell& Harrison skiet) Ek skiet maar my 404 Jeffery Westley Richards.)

 

[Bullthrower338]

Gert,
I have this scope on a Ruger Frontier in 300 WSM. I have only used it in the field once while in Kansas but it was quick to acquire running deer in the brush and put venison in the freezer. No problems with the identical rifle/scope set up that my buddy has either. He shoots his quite a bit more than I.
Cheers,
Cody

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Thank you Cody, I appreciate the feedback. I looked at the Burris scout scope as well...not much in the price difference but the reviews point out the Leopold to be the better product...

 

[Cousin Bongo]

Gert,

I have used many fixed power Leupold Scout scopes as well as Burris fixed and variable power Scout scopes. As far as I am concerned, you are definitely on the right track. I have a custom .375 H&H muscle-Scout I built on a Mauser 98 back in the early 1990s which originally wore an early model straight tube Burris Scout scope. I later replaced it with a 2.5x28 Leupold Scout scope and never looked back (the Burris went on another rifle and is still working fine; Burris' newer model fixed power Scout is very good and I've used them quite a bit. I really have no preference between the fixed power Burris and fixed power Leupold Scout scope usage-wise as both are good, but the Leupold is made in the USA and has a slight quality edge). The Leupold will without doubt handle the recoil. The eye relief of the 2.5x28 Leupold will allow you to properly position the scope clear of the loading/ejection port as it should be on a rifle in Scout configuration. Also, if you haven't used a Scout scope before, please be aware that it is meant to be used with both eyes open, and it can take anywhere from a few to a lot of shots fired before things "click" with a Scout scope, depending on the shooter and ingrained habits, etc. (some never do quite get the hang of it for various reasons - usually ingrained bad habits or, infrequently, eye dominance issues).

If you haven't yet machined the quarter rib for bases, I recommend, once you have the scope in hand, that you set it up for Weaver/Picatinny style - just two base positions with the two slots dimensioned for Picatinny - and utilize Weaver Quad Lock medium height rings or Weaver Grand Slam QD rings (part number 49325), and set the scope-to-receiver clearance to 1/16" (1.5 mm) or slightly less. (If you have already machined it, it looks like there is plenty of metal to re-do things.) Here's a link to a good dissertation on Scout scope mounting, etc. http://www.scoutrifle.org/index.php?topic=4850.0

Old photo of my .375 H&H muscle-Scout with straight tube early model Burris Scout scope attached (holds 5+1, weighs 8.2 lbs/3.7kg unloaded, but with sling and scope attached). Can't really see it in the picture, but it has a NECG front sight with flip up big white bead and a folding ghost ring rear aperture sight setup. (CW sling in the picture is set up for shooting, not carry - it can be removed or switched to carry mode in a few seconds.)

CB

 

[Bullthrower338]

Thank you Cody, I appreciate the feedback. I looked at the Burris scout scope as well...not much in the price difference but the reviews point out the Leopold to be the better product...

I would agree!

 

[Gert Odendaal]

CB , thank you kindly, this is the most information I receive regarding the scout scope. Opening both eyes seems to be somewhat confusing for me. I hope I will be able to keep my eyes both open while shooting the rifle. I am going to use the Lynx bases concept..it will keep the scope very low to the quarter rib and barrel, the two Lynx scope rings will be screwed into the quarter rib surface and can adjust to the sides . I already looked at dovetailing the two sides of the quarter rib..but it will be my second choice ...where will I be able to purchase these scopes? My brother in law will bring it to South Africa when visiting next year...thank you again for the informative reply..it is much appreciated. What is different when hunting your kudu with the scout rifle? Is it a better option in dense bush to use when hunting Africa plains game????

 

[Gert Odendaal]

I noticed your scout scoped rifle has a ghost ring as well? I machined a ghost ring for the .375 H&H Magnum scout rifle as well( in the second photo) . I only need to shorten the ghost ring post to adjust it downwards so I can use the scope as well..although it will take a while to remove the scope since it does not have QR scope bases,...but then I can shoot it with a ghost ring..I don`t like using a sling on my rifle ..I carry it on my shoulder since it is comfortable to walk and stalk this way...

 

[Cousin Bongo]

Gert,

It took me a couple of boxes of ammo or so (.30-06) to get the hang of the Scout scope. It's mostly a matter of practice and starting slow and being methodical until it becomes second nature. Up side is it really got me in tune with my rifle while doing so and that was a good thing. Some - mostly those who haven't shot scopes a lot - seem to catch on more quickly than those who have a long history of using conventionally mounted scopes. Where the Scout scope excels is with the snap shot and it's definitely superb in the brush where shots are normally under 150 meters. I've easily taken game from rock throwing distance in the brush out to almost 300 meters in more open areas with a fixed power Scout scope.

I neglected to mention that, when setting up your Scout scope, you must take stock comb height into account. Most stocks designed for conventionally mounted scopes have a comb that is too high for use with a properly mounted Scout scope (this is often overlook by those attempting to do a roll your own Scout rifle). The Scout scope, when mounted properly - i.e. with minimum scope bell to receiver clearance - usually sits a bit lower than a conventional scope which in turn usually requires a bit lower comb. This really helps with iron sight usage. (Your stock is wood, so it will not be a problem to set the comb height for the Scout scope once it's installed.)

The Scout scope works well because the further the scope is from the shooter's face, the less things are blocked and this results in better general vision/field of view. For an idea of how this works, close your non-shooting eye and hold a R2 or R1 coin in front of your shooting eye at normal conventional scope eye relief distance (about 7.5 cm) and see how much things are blocked. Then, move the coin away from your face out to where a Scout scope would be mounted (about 25 cm or so) and note the difference. Now, visualize the solid parts of the scope (scope tube, adjustment turrets, scope rings, etc.) in close to the eye at conventional scope distance versus the same out farther away from the eye at Scout scope distance. There is considerably less blockage of vision the farther away from the face things get. Now, with the coin at Scout scope distance, open both eyes - as I said, the Scout scope is meant to be shot with both eyes open - and note the general and peripheral field of view surrounding the coin. This greater vision allowance/less blockage of the landscape with the Scout scope setup is what amounts to, basically, an unlimited field of view. When a right handed shooter "tracks left, shoots right" (tracks the target with the left eye, shoots with the right eye when the crosshairs are on the target) the field of view of the scope is a non-issue as the "binocular effect" kicks in and the crosshairs "magically" superimpose themselves on the target while one's peripheral field of view remains virtually unlimited.

The thing about flush mounted QD sling sockets and swivels is that the sling can easily be removed leaving the stock "clean" - i.e. with no protuberances - when no sling is required/wanted. Definitely the way to go, in my opinion, as it's the best of both worlds.

There is a lot of very good information over on the Scout Rifle forum http://www.scoutrifle.org/index.php

CB

PS - Re: Ghost ring - Yes, I set mine up with a folding ghost ring. This required milling a dovetail into the aft receiver bridge. I noted you do not want to drill and tap the receiver of your Brazilian M98, so I'm assuming you would not want to do a dovetail either, which would seem to make silver soldering the only viable mounting option...

 

[Gert Odendaal]

CD, thank you again. This information really is great to assist me in using the scout scope. I will be purchasing the Leopold scout scope next year February . I looked at Midway USA, it seems they have the scout scope at a reasonable price. Although , looking at the Leopold Web page , the same Leupold Fx-Ii 2.5x28 Scout Rifle scope is more expensive????
I did register at the Scout Forum you gave me the link about , will browse the forum as soon as I am accepted as a member.
This is a project I need to complete when purchasing the scout scope and it will be in time for next year`s hunting season... I will contact you for more information regarding the use of scout scopes...

Thank you again for all the information, it is much appreciated..

 

[Cousin Bongo]

You are welcome, Gert.

If you are in no hurry, watch for sales on Scout scopes from MidwayUSA and other places such as Optics Planet, etc. Also, watch ebay too - I have bought a few used and new from ebay for good prices.

You can browse the Scout rifle forum without being a member, but to post and reply, you need to be one. Lots of good reading and information to sort through while waiting. This is a really good place to start: http://www.scoutrifle.org/index.php?topic=6707.0

CB

 

[Gert Odendaal]

I need to point out , my rifle is not a original build scout rifle ..merely a .375 H&H Magnum hunting rifle in a scout rifle configuration , the reason being I did not want to drill/tap the receiver, I always liked the scout rifle concept, this gave me a good reason to build it in such a way that I can fit a scout scope....
The rifle on the right hand side is the .375 H&H Magnum with a quarter rib to fit the scout scope onto..this stage it is in , I was still building it...

 

[Gert Odendaal]

CD, I noticed this scope is not allowed to be shipped to South Africa , this is according to Optics Planet web page..will this be a problem when my brother in law bring this scope to our country?
http://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold-25x28mm-m8-ier-scout-rifle-scope.html

 

[Cousin Bongo]

I understand, Gert. Scout configuration - even though not going the whole Scout route - makes a lot of sense for .375 H&H and up.

Optics Planet and other cannot ship certain things outside the U.S. due to compliance regulations (ITAR and such) - "anti-terrorism". I don't believe buying one and taking it with you as a personal item is an issue. Compliance/ITAR regulations are supposed to make it so they aren't sold to terrorists and enemies.

That cocking piece mounted aperture is a nifty set up. I investigated putting one on one of my Scout rifles when I first handled a Westley Richards with one on it. (Decided to go with the folding ghost ring as irons are a back up to the optics on mine. )

Forgot to mention, for those who interested in the Scout rifle and concept, that along with www.scoutrifle.org there is also The Scout Rifle Study http://scoutriflestudy.com/ Also, lots of good shooting/hunting information over at http://empty-cases.com/blog/

CB

 

[Scrumbag]

Hello folks,

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. Gert, like the cocking piece peep. Got one on my 9.3x62 which I enjoy shooting. Certainly was better than the notch and post in front of the action that was previously there.

Now, scout scopes. I have a Leupold VXR1.5-5x33 Scout Scope but with 6" of eye relief, it's not so easy to use on my 1892 clone. Thinking of changing for a 2.5x28. Would this be OK do we think?

Scrummy

 

[Luvthunt]

Other then no magnification, would it not be simpler to use a red dot, I have a Trijicon RMR on a 458 Lott and a Burris fast fire 3 on a 375 and have 100s of rounds thru both.

 

[HWL]

Hi Gert....

A Mauser M98 with a 2,5x Leupold and a A-Square Hannibal with a 2x Leupold.

Both on quick detachable.

Note, the scope position on the Mauser makes it much easier to reload the gun .....in a hurry…

 

[Scrumbag]

HWL, those are some nice rifles!