re: Sako rifles

There was a post earlier in the week talking about scope & ring combo for a 35 Whelen. The DNZ one piece is a good option. I put a $250 vortex on there and the recoil would knock it off zero. Switched it for an older Burris 4x and it's been good ever since. Would think a Leupold VX3 3-9x44 would be perfect.

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How many deer have you shot at 300 yards with a 9 power scope?

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W/ a rifle, zero, but I've killed a number of game animals at distance w/ lower power scopes. I've not been deer hunting w/ a rifle in 25 years or so. When I was rifle deer hunting, I didn't have the opportunity for any long shots. During my rifle deer hunting days, I started out w/ a 3-9X, but later changed to a 2-7X.

Yeah, like bbvd said, I hunt w/ specialty pistols using a scope and rifle type cartridges. Using various handguns, I've killed pronghorn antelope at 225 yards and 275 yards using a 2-7X scope set a 7X. I've killed deer at 200 yards (4X scope), 190 and 170 yards (both scopes set at 7X).

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They get to looking pretty small out there. Can it be done? Yes. Can most people do it? No.

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Actually, I think most people CAN do it if they learn good shooting technique, have a good set up/gun rest in their stand and practice shooting at long distance. Cranking a scope up to 15X doesn't make a 300 yard shot at a deer any easier than if the scope is at 9X. When I started hunting, 9X was a lot of magnification so I learned to shoot w/ lower magnification scopes than today's hunters. OTOH, I'll admit that higher magnification is addicting. I just got back tonight from a prairie dog hunt. My handgun scopes are 3-12X. Even on a closer shot at 100 yards or so, if I had time, I found myself turning the scope to 12X.
When I first started prairie dog hunting w/ specialty pistols, the most powerful scope for handguns was a straight 10X and I killed lots of dogs. Now I use the aforementioned 3-12X. Admittedly the dogs are small at 12X, but that doesn't keep me from taking a shot.

Making shots at longer range is doable w/ a lower magnification scope can be done by you, Tiger 79 and many others. Iit just takes a different mindset and practice.

Prairie dog hunting w/ 20 VarTarg yesterday.