308 scope advice please

[Ausmade]

Hey gurus, I have just ordered a Lithgow LA102 308 signature series over the weekend and while I am waiting for it and the PTA to arrive, I am trying to figure out what scope and ring set up to use. I have a spare Leupold VX3 4.5-14x50 with the varmint reticle and as I am looking to use it for a mix of hunting and long range target work, I was hoping this might cover my bases.
I have never really done any long range work (over 300 metres), so I am hoping this may get me out of trouble as my budget is blown after the rifle purchase. I could probably move the VX3 along and use the coin for something better but it is in really good nick and I am partial to it. As for the rings, I have a cheap set of Leupold Rifleman rings but I don't think they would be up to the task and would probably have a ring budget of around $120.00 or so. Any advice would be appreciated, cheers.

Aus.

[Wm.Traynor]

G'day Aus,
Haven't seen your name before so, Welcome to the forum.
The 308 is a versatile calibre as you probably know but scopes .............................not so much IMO.
That is, your requirements are a mixture and if you are hunting at close range, you need low power to give you field of view. My scope is a 1.5-5X and was very good for pigs where the longest shot was 100 yards. For target shooting, it is just about, "The sky is the Limit", where magnification is concerned. I used a 36X when I shot Fullbore and it had a Very Fine crosshair, whereas my pig scope had a coarse duplex that you could not miss at midnight
So, to sum it up, there is the reticle and magnification to be considered, for the range you shoot at.
With that Leupold that you mention, I think that you will be handicapped under 50 yards and over 300 but what is the harm in trying it out to see if you like it?
That Lithgow sounds like a nice rifle. The velocity you get out of that length of barrel should be good for 800 yards; you need about 2850 fps with a 155 gn Sierra Palma bullet for good elevation at 1000.
Anyway, you might have to think some more about your requirements. I know you want an "All-round" outfit but it's a bit difficult and you might have to compromise.
Good Luck

[SCJ429]

Burris Signiture rings are probably the best budget rings you can get, with their inserts they are also very kind to your scope tube.

For target shooting at 300 metres you can do well with a 25x scope. At 500 metres you will wish you had more magnification. From there on you will have more aiming errors with the smaller magnification until the mirage makes it hard to see and everyone starts winding the power back.

[Oldbloke]

Budget,,,use?

3-9 or 2-7 are both popular.

[TassieTiger]

Keep the hunting scope you have and buy a cheap fixed 30x or similar for range work?

[Ausmade]

Thanks for all the advice guys, much appreciated.

Cheers,

Aus

[Vicko]

I just put a Vortex Razor HD LHT 3-15x42 on my 30-06. Very nice glass. Eyebox gets tight at 15x but below that it’s very generous.

I intend to use it for pigs, deer and target work. So the 3x low end has a great fov.

Sighting it in tomorrow

[mickb]

Mate I think its a pretty fair choice for squeezing both tasks in personally. I dont shoot long range but can say 4.5 is fine for regular shooting, and I know people using 16x for 800 yards. Im a minimalist though and I think the days of scopes, rifles, and calibres for every day of the week are coming to a close, or unless you are on a dentists salary. A good all rounder is always worth a shot. US marines got by with a 3-9x redfield on their sniper rifles for a long time after all and I think they are still using only a 4-12x these days. They arent trying to win target shoots of course but they do what they do to 800 yards.

[solarpak]

i personally like my hunting rifles to weigh a maximum of 4kgs scoped - and the weight of the bare rifle (no scope or rings) will dictate as to what scope i will tend to choose . The lightest scope i currently run is a fixed 6x Lynx which weighs 260 grams ( superb optics!!) and the heaviest would be a couple of my Hawke Endurances around the 700 gram weight.
Having said that for my next rifle - another re-visit to the 30-06 calibre - i will probably plump for a 3-9x variable - lots to choose from.

C.