Looking for scope recommendation

[Quaticman]

I just purchased a .458 Winchester Magnum bolt action rifle and am looking for recommendations on a low power variable scope. My only other experience with heavy recoil was a Ruger # 1 chambered in .416 Rigby using a Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-6×32 which worked just fine. Are there other scopes which are known to tolerate heavy recoil that you might recommend?

 

[Standard Velocity]

458 gives up velocity pretty quickly. It’s just not useful at long distances so a low powered Leupold, Swarovski, Zeiss, etc will give you plenty of magnification out to 100 yds plus.

Just make sure it has as much eye relief as possible. I do like the VX-5 line. I think there is one in the classifieds now.
Good luck!

 

[Mekaniks]

Here ya go..https://www.africahunting.com/threads/for-sale-leupold-vx-5-vx-6-scopes.53784/#post-589690

 

[Standard Velocity]

Looks like it has the Firedot reticle too.
Nice scope.

 

[Fastrig]

I will highly recommend the Leupold VX-6HD scopes with the fire dot reticle...have them on a 300 win mag and 9.3x62...fantastic scopes and glass is exceptional

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I have a vx 6 (old model not HD) on my 375 and I love it the HDs are supposed to better.

 

[Ed Lally]

VX6HD are great but pricy. VX5HD gives you everything except 1-5X instead of 1-6X of the VX6 Series. I would go for a VX 5 in 1-5X24 or a 2X10 with Firedot and a CDS dial. Set up right, you can actually take 200++yd shots with confidence. This is the scope on my Blaser R8 in 458 Lott and I love it. Can easily ring 6" steel at 300 yds. Not sure how much ME is left in a 458 Win Mag at 300 yds but, on non DG, it should still work.

 

[ActionBob]

I've got 2 rifles in 505 Gibbs, one has an old VX3 1-5. Great eye relief, not illuminated. The other has a Trijicon 1-4 with the green triangle. Great close range scope and on 1x functions like a red dot. Both have held up to the recoil. If your overly susceptible to scope eye, stay away from the Trijicon. Many people have shot mine with no issues, except for @Royal27 , but he was shooting a right handed guns, left handed

 

[sgt_zim]

Leupold VX5 1-5x24 on my 9.3x62 is working out pretty well for me.

 

[grand veneur]

On my rifle caliber 460WM I had a Leupold VX-1 1-4x20 or a Zeiss Diavari C 1,5-4,5x18. Last again the latter. Both work well , despite the fact that I shoot very often with this rifle. Was changed once because of damage to the scope after a fall with the rifle.

On the other Big Bore rifle caliber 12,7x70 Schüler is a Schmidt & Bender 1,25-4x20. Also work well.

 

[ldmay375]

I would look at a Schmidt & Bender Zenith 1.1-4x24mm, with the FD7 reticle. This may be my favorite lower powered scope.
I like the reticle and illumination. I suspect that it would hold up well to heavier recoil.

 

[WAB]

I have two VX6, 1-6x24’s and one Swarovski Z6 EE, 1-6x. All are great scopes, but a watch out on the Swaro’s, they don’t have near as much adjustment range as the Leupold’s which has caused me problems. The Swaro eyepieces are also larger in diameter which may force you to mount them higher than the Leupold for bolt clearance.

 

[Philip Glass]

I just purchased a .458 Winchester Magnum bolt action rifle and am looking for recommendations on a low power variable scope. My only other experience with heavy recoil was a Ruger # 1 chambered in .416 Rigby using a Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-6×32 which worked just fine. Are there other scopes which are known to tolerate heavy recoil that you might recommend?

I’ve used Leupold VX6 and really like their scopes.

 

[Rule 303]

I've got 2 rifles in 505 Gibbs, one has an old VX3 1-5. Great eye relief, not illuminated. The other has a Trijicon 1-4 with the green triangle. Great close range scope and on 1x functions like a red dot. Both have held up to the recoil. If your overly susceptible to scope eye, stay away from the Trijicon. Many people have shot mine with no issues, except for @Royal27 , but he was shooting a right handed guns, left handed

I second the Trijacon as a great scope for heavy kicking rifles. Unfortunately they stopped making the best one which was the 1.5-4. This had 5" of eye relief. The 1-4 has only 4" from memory. The picket post reticle is very quick to use.

 

[rookhawk]

I just purchased a .458 Winchester Magnum bolt action rifle and am looking for recommendations on a low power variable scope. My only other experience with heavy recoil was a Ruger # 1 chambered in .416 Rigby using a Leupold Vari-X III 1.5-6×32 which worked just fine. Are there other scopes which are known to tolerate heavy recoil that you might recommend?

Like new, 15 year old 1-4x Schmidt and bender scopes hit eBay for $600-$700. Great optic.

Swaro z6i 1-6x24 runs $1600 new.

There are some bargain 1-4x zeiss on eurooptic for $400 which is a steal.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Stay with newer glass. Anything older than five years is ancient history in the scope world.

 

[rookhawk]

Stay with newer glass. Anything older than five years is ancient history in the scope world.

I’m holding a 1990 S&B mega in my hand (sells on eBay for $600) and a $2800 last years model illuminated. The glass has the same clarity and coatings to my eyes.

I’ve owned at least a dozen swaro z6 1-6x24 and z6i 1-6x24s. The ones made two years ago and the ones made 15 years ago are internally identical.

Zeiss 6x fixed scopes have had one change in 35 years, T coatings. I can’t tell one bit of difference from the 20 year old to new production of that model.

What would 5 years make a big difference? The coatings and glass from the Zeiss plants they all use to make all the high end scopes has been great for decades. Do you think a 20 year old $3000 MSRP S&B is inferior to a new $500 vortex or leupold? It may not be inferior to a new $3000 leupold.

My kid needed a rangefinder. We found a mint swaro for $400 in box. It was $1400 new 12-14 years ago. I challenge you with infinite budget to find a one hand rangefinder with better glass. Doesn’t exist. New isn’t always good, it’s just new.

 

[grand veneur]

Stay with newer glass. Anything older than five years is ancient history in the scope world.

That applies to the cheap goods.

The oldest scope I still have in use is a Kahles Helia Super from the end of the sixties.

 

[Standard Velocity]

Stay with newer glass. Anything older than five years is ancient history in the scope world.

I tend to agree with this statement on medium to high magnification scopes for low light hunting (typical deer hunting in the US) but wonder how true it is for low magnification scopes used in good lighting.

I use some low magnification older Leupold scopes for squirrel hunting and only see any disadvantage if I hunt until dusk.

I envision this particular rifle being used for buffalo or elephant correct? The internet wouldn’t lie to me and I have only seen videos of these hunts in full daylight. Is there a great need for low light performance on a DG scope if not being used for cats at night?

Older high quality scopes will still be fully multi coated but lack the extreme light transmission of the most modern coatings. Is the last 4.5% light transmission necessary?

 

[rookhawk]

I tend to agree with this statement on medium to high magnification scopes for low light hunting (typical deer hunting in the US) but wonder how true it is for low magnification scopes used in good lighting.

I use some low magnification older Leupold scopes for squirrel hunting and only see any disadvantage if I hunt until dusk.

I envision this particular rifle being used for buffalo or elephant correct? The internet wouldn’t lie to me and I have only seen videos of these hunts in full daylight. Is there a great need for low light performance on a DG scope if not being used for cats at night?

Older high quality scopes will still be fully multi coated but lack the extreme light transmission of the most modern coatings. Is the last 4.5% light transmission necessary?

You’re a dude and you’re going on safari... I assume you’re over 35. That means your pupil can max dilate 5.5mm more than likely.

1-4x24 scope at 4x, lets in 6mm of light and your eye can’t use it all. (Assuming good glass and coatings). DG scopes are low light optics and they do great. It’s the high magnifying optics that have the problems.