For as much time as I have invested in making proper scope selections, I have to admit I haven’t achieved very good results. Even my 20″ barrel Model 70 Compact has a 4.5-14x44mm scope that’s better suited to a varmint rifle. I am always aware of the gun’s potential exterior ballistics, as well its intended purpose. I’m even aware of what would constitute an optimal scope solution, but I never seem to buy scopes consistent with that knowledge.
This time I had two rifles to scope and, based on their intended purpose, I thought I might use the same model for both. The 1895 Marlin is a short barrel .45/70 level gun, designed for sub 150 yard use on relative large game. The .416 Weatherby has a 26″ barrel, shows ballistics with Barnes bullets that seem to make it suitable out to 300 yards on very large game, where it still retains 4,200+ ft/lbs of energy. But most people wouldn’t take a 300 yard shot at a Cape Buffalo, they’d get closer in to better utilize the gun’s 6,300 ft/lbs + muzzle energy. So I will work with loads to experiment with long range shooting with the .416, but for practical purposes I will define the outer range limits as less than 200 yards.
The .45/70 can produce some exceptional results if loaded to modern levels for lever guns. Buffalo Bore Cartridges, as one example, offers 405 grain bullets at 2,000 fps and 3,500 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. Up close, this is definitely a whopper on anything from moose to bear. Out at 200 yards, with over 2,000 lbs of retained energy, this is still a good deer cartridge. Unfortunately, at 200 yards gravity seems to begin to take a heavy toll on trajectory and the big bullet plummets like a stone. Working with a 6″ target size, and zero at 170 yards, I’m dead on through 200 yards, but 24″ low at 300 yards.
I felt the Vari-X III 1.5-5x20mm Leupold was a little light in magnification for these rifles, the 5x is actually 4.5x, although the field of view was excellent for close up shots. Next up was the Leupold Vari-X III 1.75-6x32mm.This scope had basically what I wanted in specification, plus it has a matte finish and a duplex reticle, but it was priced at $383, which would quickly climb into the $435 range with base and ring sets. I thought the price was too much for such a basic model scope.
My wife’s Browning BLR in .243 is fitted with a Leupold Vari-X II 3-9x40mm scope and she’s very happy with the combination. The scope holds adjustment, has decent image quality and is a nice looking piece of equipment. The Vari-X II is assembled to the same tolerances as the Vari-X III, and must meet the same test criteria. The significant differences reside in two areas; the ” III” series has a different lens coating and offers 4% greater light transmission, and the adjustments are click type in the III and friction type on the II.
The Vari-X II 2-7x33mm seemed just about right. The only problem is the scope is listed in gloss finish only and I really wanted matte. There is a matte version listed, which is really a slug gun scope, but it has a heavy duplex reticle and focus/parallax is adjusted to 75 yards. Priced at $254, I thought it would be worth pursuing, along with some not so easy to get mounts for the Model 1895 Marlin and a Weatherby Euromark. I contacted Premier Reticle to verify the information I had collected on model types and features.
Premier Reticle low cost Leupold solution
I guess I’m one of those people who takes scopes for granted. I tend to skim through the specs, pick one out, mount it on the gun and forget about it. I am careful with mounting, I use the correct tools, I bore sight after installation, and I know enough to fiddle around with the mechanical parts so the scope will have a full range of adjustment after the scope is mounted. I also live with the reticle that ships with the product, accept the parallax settings as set by the factory, and use the click or friction adjusters as delivered. Unfortunately, as I acquire more firearms and spend more time shooting them, trying to adapt to this myriad of different scopes and features has become a distraction. In fact, the most recent Burris illuminated reticle scope I purchased has a duplex reticle so thick it obstructs the target. Consequently, I find myself using only the central 20% of the field of view, straining to find a red micro dot on the target. It was nice to learn it doesn’t have to be this way.
Burris does have a custom shop. For about $50 in charges, plus another $20 or so for round trip freight, on a non-illuminated reticle scope, I can have a reticle changed. $70 added to a mid range priced scope is a significant cost, and I would be without my scope for some period of time. Burris also offers target and hunter type adjuster installation for between $40 and $60, and a couple of more specialized reticles in the $125 range. Leupold offers a similar service. Their reticle charges are almost identical to Burris, however they also offer parallax resetting for approximately $15, however, their conversion to target adjusters runs $80 – $100.
Premier Reticle sells Leupold scopes exclusively and provides their own extensive list of warranted custom services, any of which can be ordered with a new scope, or performed on a customer’s Leupold scope. When I encountered the choices of a Vari-X II 2-7x33mm with a medium duplex reticle, or a gloss finish, or a Vari-X II 2-7x33mm in matte with a heavy duplex reticle, for $15 I had the matte version with the medium reticle. Parallax is set at 75 yards with this scope, however, Premier would have reset this to my specification at no charge. In this case I left it as is, at least until I get a better feel for where the scope will be used on a more permanent basis. Not bad service for a $259 scope. Premier Reticle was able to answer any questions I had, all of the mounts and ring sets for both rifles were in stock, and the scope shipped, complete with modifications, the day after I placed my order.
The Premier site has a great deal of information regarding all Leupold products, custom services and technical information regarding scope features and applications. In addition to standard reticles, they also produce custom reticles and they have charts and diagrams to guide selection. Premier can swap between target and standard adjusters, and they also offer the Vari-X II product with click type adjusters that are standard in the Var-X III series. Prices are always current; you click a link and a current price list is immediately e-mailed to you. If you miss any of the features and services on the site, a booklet containing very similar information is packed along with each new scope.
The Stoney Point adjusters
If you are not familiar with Stoney Point, they produce a rather odd array of shooting products, odd in the sense they are not all directly connected in purpose. They make headspace gauges, but they also make shooting sticks. They make bore sight equipment, but they also sell a hiking staff. I typically bump into them in one of the large catalogues from Brownells, or Midway USA, or…
One of the regular contributors to the Real Guns discussion groups mentioned the Stoney Point adjustable target knobs, and they seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Rather than converting my scoped to target adjusters, I really only wanted to be able to temporarily put something on my scopes that would permit easy adjustment at the range and transfer from one scope to another.
The Stoney Point Target Knobs are well made and easy to install. For a Vari-X II users, they screw on in place of the factory dust caps with a knurled knob that connects to a short spindle and engages the slot in the factory adjuster. Once installed, the knurled knob is aligned with an index mark on the collar that had been screwed on to the scope. When done shooting, or when you want to change the knobs to another scope, just reverse the procedure and install them on the next scope selection. They don’t slip, they are precise in adjustment, and the fit and finish will blend in with any quality rifle. If you are a Vari-X III owner, installation isn’t much different, you just begin with a quick step of removing a flat spacer from the assembly. The caps cost about $50 for the pair, which is inexpensive compared to having target adjusters more permanently installed, and since they haven’t been more permanently installed, they can easily be swapped around on other Leupold scopes.
Bases and Rings
I’ve now tried virtually every type of Burris and Leupold mount offered, so I know from experience which configurations slips and which don’t – the answer is…. none of them. I can honestly say even the various weaver type mounts I’ve used on my handguns don’t slip. It’s not like I don’t try. I’ve used them on the hardest kicking firearms I own, and I’ve never had any move out adjustment within their mounts when properly installed. I have shaken hardware loose and I’ve had scope rings come apart, but only when I didn’t check them periodically. Now that I use Torx head fasteners, it’s getting almost impossible to have anything loosen, even after long exposure to shock.
I have not found more than a theoretical advantage to dual dovetail ring setups. I also have found no strength benefit in either one piece or two piece mounts. I’ve found no indication of one piece mounts obstructing ejection or feed. In some circumstances I’ve found a two piece mount more flexible to work with.
I look for a reversible two piece mount for my Weatherbys. Two Torx fasteners in each short section make them rock solid and the front mount can be flipped around to accommodate scopes of different tube lengths.
I chose the one piece (center) mount for the Marlin; it’s the only mount they produce for this rifle so the choice was quite simple. Beside, one piece Leupold mounts are stout and always seem to line up correctly. The rings are the same for both rifles; one dovetail, the other flat to fit in the adjustable read of the Leupold standard mounts. With this rear adjustment, I can typically get the scope dead on the bore sighter with the adjusters in the neutral position. Neato.
Thanks
Joe
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