What to top my new rifle with

[hardi]

So I just recently ordered a Rem 700 Long Range in 25-06. Never owed a 25-06 so its something new to play with, what should I top it with for long range scope. Any recommendations?

 

[mcseal2]

SWFA scopes are hard to beat in fixed power for a cheaper option. I found a used SWFA 3-15x42 that tops my 25-06. It has dialed perfectly in my limited use of it and the MOA reticle works well. I personally would rather have a 2nd focal plane for hunting though. My hunting rifles that I dial elevation with mostly wear Huskemaw scopes. I have a 3-12x on my 300 win mag and a 5-20 on my lighter 264 win mag. My heavy 264WM that I mostly play with has a 5-30x Huskemaw. I like that they have covered windage and elevation turrets so I never check turrets before a shot until I need to dial when hunting. The 3-12x has survived a trip to Alaska and 10 days bouncing in a UTV in the last 2 years without issue. They are the toughest I have found and fit my needs.

If not dialing elevation the Burris Fullfield or the Leupold VX-2 or better series are my choices. I've had issues with the CDS system dialing elevation and also with the Vortex HST. Both companies have great warranties and will take care of it, but that does little good in the middle of a hunt. When not regularly dialing the scopes Leupold and Vortex have worked fine for me.

25-06 is a heck of a deer gun. I shoot 100gr Sierra Gamekings in mine because that is what it prefers. They are great for deer but not a real tough bullet, I want them broadside when I shoot. My top picks for an all around 25-06 bullet would be the 100gr Swift Scirocco 2 or the 110gr Accubond. I use mine during antlerless season and am picky with shots, I use the 264 or 300 when I want more penetration.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I have a Ruger M77 in 25-06 I bought in 1970 that has been my deer/antelope rifle since then. I have taken over 100 animals since then. I handload and use Sierra Gameking 117 gr BT's exclusively.

I have had quite a few scopes on top of it. By far the best is my current one, a Leupold VXlll 4x14 with a Leupold Ballistic Turret. I use Leupold optics exclusively and believe they are hard to beat.

Great choice.

 

[JimP]

I'm with CC. That scope is a great one.

However my loads are a Barnes 100 grain TTSX which shoots fantastic out of my Weatherby Vanguard

 

[Timr245]

I’m with CC on this one. On my last build I stepped up to a VX-5hd and honestly don’t see much difference from the XV-3i’s I have. Used the custom turret from Leupold from 300-600 and it held zero perfect and hit well at all distances. No experience with Huskemaw but hear great things. I’m just a Leupold guy through & through, ya know what they say, If it aint broke.....

 

[go_deep]

Buck the trend, go with a peep sight.

 

[mcseal2]

I was a Leupold guy for years and still am except for scopes I will dial. I had 2 of the VX-6 scopes that had issues dialing elevation and returning to zero. They went to leupold and came back with saying replaced erector system. I sold them and went a different route for dialing. I have a range set up to shoot 700 yards a mile from my house in a pasture. I probably shoot and dial a lot more than the average user of the CDS. Maybe it was just that series of Leupolds also. Either way I have been happy with the Huskemaws since the switch. If they fail I will report it also.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I have 4 Leupolds with their Ballistic Turrets. All VXlll's, 2 4x14, 1 3x9 and a 6x20. I have shot them all out to 500 yards and all perform as I expected. No matter what range setting I use, they all shoot and return to different range settings with less than moa groups.

 

[JimP]

I read where some of the Leupolds were having a return to zero problem but that it was addressed.

I have had zero problems with my VX3i 4x14

 

[Winchester]

I have a Leupold VXlll 4x14 that works great … but I don't have a ballistic turret.

 

[dan maule]

I do not have any with ballistic turrets but I have leupolds on all my rifles. I have tried others over the years and ended up selling them on Ebay. Lots of scopes look really good in the store but in the field I have not found anything that I like better.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

A lot of us have Ballistic Turrets (many of you don't ), here's why I do.

The one thing you must have before a ballistic turret makes sense is to have settled on one load for that particular rifle. The BT is setup for one load and if you change, the point of impact (poi) will probably change as the parameters will probably change.

I have worked on reloads for every centerfire rifle I own and have settled on one load that I use for each one. It took me years of reloading and shooting to find the load that satisfies me. This is why BT's make sense for me. I have a set of Swaro bino/range finder combination optics, so when I see something that I want to shoot in my optics, I press a button and it ranges the distance. I turn the elevation BC to that distance and I am ready to shoot. It is pretty simple and except for windage, takes the guess work out of the equation.

 

[Winchester]

Thanks CC.
That all makes sense.
I don't have a ballistic turret on my Leupold on my Winchester pre-64 Model 70 that I've had for years and years.
But I did put a ballistic turret on my new .28 Nosler that I had built last year. I'm still getting used to it and I really like it.

 

[dan maule]

I've been considering a ballistic turret but I am concerned with my lack of attention span under hunting situations. I have a tendency to get pretty excited in the heat of the moment and I am concerned that I will loose track of where I set/left the turret. Personal problem, I know the point of impact with my rifles and limit myself to 450 maybe 500 yards. I shoot several WBY magnum calibers and their trajectory when zeroed at 300 are all pretty close out to 500 yards.

 

[JimP]

You just need to get into the habit of turning it back to zero after shooting.

I have my 25-06 zeroed at 250 yards so I am good for 400 yards with just using a little Kentucky windage but like the turret if I have the time to get set up for longer shots or even those 400 yard ones

 

[Winchester]

I've been considering a ballistic turret but I am concerned with my lack of attention span under hunting situations. I have a tendency to get pretty excited in the heat of the moment and I am concerned that I will loose track of where I set/left the turret. Personal problem, I know the point of impact with my rifles and limit myself to 450 maybe 500 yards. I shoot several WBY magnum calibers and their trajectory when zeroed at 300 are all pretty close out to 500 yards.

That's what I've always done with my old 30-06 … and it works just fine.
Now I'm getting used to my new ballistic turret and I like it too.
Either way can work, but I think the turret will allow me to ethically shoot a little further if I choose to.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I limit myself to 500 yds....that's all the further I've shot any of my rifles on paper. The longest shot I ever tried was 425 with my 25-06 at a buck antelope. One shot, dead on!

 

[JimP]

I should also say that to properly use a turret on any scope you are to going to have to know the velocity and the BC of the bullet that the round is shooting. For those of us that reload and have a chronograph it is simple. If you only purchase factory loads it won't be as simple. Factory loads change some from batch to batch. Their velocity listed on the box is a average and is usually on the high sided so you would need to shoot the rifle over a chronograph to get the data to have a turret made for that load and that load only. It isn't as simple as buying a scope with a turret sighting it in and then cranking up the yardage on the turret to be able to hit at extended ranges.

 

[mcseal2]

I've been considering a ballistic turret but I am concerned with my lack of attention span under hunting situations. I have a tendency to get pretty excited in the heat of the moment and I am concerned that I will loose track of where I set/left the turret. Personal problem, I know the point of impact with my rifles and limit myself to 450 maybe 500 yards. I shoot several WBY magnum calibers and their trajectory when zeroed at 300 are all pretty close out to 500 yards.

That is one of the reasons I personally like the Huskemaw scopes, or any scope that can have a yardage or MOA turret but also have a cap over it. That is one of the things that attracted me to the VX-6 Leupold's in the first place. I set the turret to 200 yards and screw the cap on at the end of every range session. After doing that I know that my gun is set for 200 unless I take the time to unscrew the cap and change it. I never have to worry about it accidentally turning, or me turning it up and not re-setting it as long as I follow that rule. In the moment I have a 200 yard zero unless I unscrew that cap.

I have Big Sky overhead gun racks in 3 of my older vehicles. An exposed turret like the older VX-3 CDS had can rub against the foam padding of that rack and get turned over miles and bumps. That's part of what started my love for covered turrets. It might not be a big deal to most having the covered turrets for windage and elevation, but for me personally it makes me faster and more confident. Both of those help make me more effective in the field.

 

[Aldapow]

So I just recently ordered a Rem 700 Long Range in 25-06. Never owed a 25-06 so its something new to play with, what should I top it with for long range scope. Any recommendations?

I recently picked up the same rifle as you but in 7mm Rem Mag and I am thinking about using my Bushnell 3-12x44 LRHS on it for glass. I think this scope will allow me to shoot out at as far a range as I really need to be hunting at.
I found this great resource about everything long range scope that you might want to check out: https://ioutdoorpursuit.com/long-range-rifle-scope/