3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

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3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by Kelsey Cooter » 03 Oct 2017, 11:52 am

What size scope does everyone have on their 308? Ill be using mine in the paddock and for hunting. Is 3-9 going to be enough if i need to shoot a pig around 300m away?
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by Dunxy » 03 Oct 2017, 12:38 pm

I have a 5-12 on my .22 and i desire more magnification for shooting at way shorter distances that you are talking about so I think maybe you should be looking at higher magnification level.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by albat » 03 Oct 2017, 1:16 pm

3-9x is plenty for the range your talking and in reality most of your shots will be inside 150m i have 2-7x on a 308 and rarely leaves 2x
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by Browning » 03 Oct 2017, 5:41 pm

I’d suggest a 3-9 will be fine. Rare that you’d take a shot at 300m on a pig. My advice would be to get closer. Get downwind and you can often walk right up the blighters, like shotty range.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by happyhunter » 03 Oct 2017, 5:50 pm

Running 3-9x40mm on mine
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by AusTac » 03 Oct 2017, 6:02 pm

Have a 4-16 × 50 on mine, still low enough for the close stuff but just enough for anything 500m+
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by marksman » 04 Oct 2017, 4:54 pm

you could get away with a 3-9 of course but a 4-12 can be a bit better at 300
I used a 4-12 vx1 for my 30-06 for many years successfully, I now use a vxr 4-12 much better optics than a vx1 but the vx1 filled mine and others freezers many time's
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if you go with the 4-12 you can always go back to 9 power
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by Stix » 04 Oct 2017, 5:50 pm

4-16x40 bushnell elite 4500 on mine...

Ive never been a fan of 3-9's although they have a purpose & many people like them.

Had a 4-12 & changed to the 4-16 & glad i did..!!!

Im stoked with the optical quality for the price.

Weight is perfect--i have it on a tikka lite & its a nicely balanced outfit-easy to carry ALL day.

Great in low light, ive shot goats in the last throws of daylight facing into & away from the sunset.
4x is plenty for close up activity (10m the closest on goats with no problem for me).

Covers everything hunting-having 16x up my sleeve with no noticable gain in weight, loss of light & clarity, or over the top $ is great...& ill get another.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by BRNO_Bigot » 04 Oct 2017, 6:38 pm

I run a fixed 4x on mine .... does what I want - I also have a 2-7x33 on my 30-06, so it's not like I only use the 308 for arms length.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by Jake peralta » 04 Oct 2017, 6:51 pm

3-9 is more than enough for .308
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by TBJ » 19 Oct 2017, 10:21 am

3-9 is just about right for a .308, a 4-12 is too much in the low end for close in brush shots, I personally have a 2-10x44 on my .308
Have: .17H .22LR .204R .222REM .223REM .22-250 .243WIN .270WIN .308WIN .300WM 7.62x39 30-06SPRG .303BRIT 30-30WIN 9.3x62 45-70GOVT 44RMAG 45LC 20GA 12GA .410GA
Want: .220SWIFT 6.5CREED .260REM .375H&H .416RIGBY .444MARLIN .458WIN 16GA 28GA
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by juststarting » 19 Oct 2017, 10:45 am

If most shots are within 100m, 3-9 is good. Even less. I am actually downgrading from 3-9 to 2-4 on my hunting 308, where all targets are easily within 100m.

Then you need to consider if it's snapshot or from a hide where you can adjust magnification, because if you're on the move and it's thick, you'd have it open to the max.

I am slowly coming to an opinion that 4 is neither here nor there. You either need wide angle of high magnification. All rounder I think should favour wide viewing angle over high magnification, 3-9 is good for it.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by nightforcenxs » 19 Oct 2017, 10:50 am

i got 8-32x56 nxs on my 308 but my leupold 3-9x40 on my 22lr is very nice can see a pig size target at 300m rather easily
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by MalleeFarmer » 19 Oct 2017, 1:43 pm

To be fair a good quality 3-9x40 is going to be priced pretty well around the spot of a cheaper 4-12 or 4-16 and will have better glass better focus and eye relief and be more likely to hold zero. Id buy a good quality 3-9x40 or even 2-7x32 for a hunting rifle. Something in the $3-400 range bushnell elite, leupold, burris, vortex etc.also for a .308 hunting rifle keep the scope simple a plain duplex reticle makes for quick target aquisition and less clutter and no paralax adjustment makes for simple set and forget scope that should be very reliable for years to come.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by scoobs » 19 Oct 2017, 3:47 pm

4-16x on mine
Tikka t3x super lite stainless .308/Nikon M-308 4-16x42 BDC-800.
Tikka T3X varmint stainless 22-250/Bushnell Trophy Extreme 6-24x50.
Lithgow LA101 22LR/bushnell rimfire 3-12x40
Adler a110 12Ga 20" tactical.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by straightshooter » 22 Oct 2017, 6:45 am

Over the years a lot of successful hunting was achieved with 4x or (gasp) 2 1/2x fixed power scopes or even (double gasp) iron sights so what has changed that now every beginning hunter seems to think they NEED a high powered variable scope.
The answer is marketing.
The hunted game hasn't changed and normally encountered hunting distance haven't changed. If you happened to be suddenly presented with a 300 meter shot the greater probability is that you would miss and it wouldn't be because of a puny low powered scope. I have been shooting for many years and I would probably miss as well.
Forget about one shot wonders.
What is really embarrassing is when somebody often misses at 50 to 150 meter ranges.
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Re: 3-9x40 or 4-12x40 for general use 308?

Post by on_one_wheel » 22 Oct 2017, 7:02 am

There's not much difference between 3-9x40 and 4-12x40 .

I'd be going for the 4-12x40 but you'll probably be looking for more magnification if you want to streach your shots out further.

Personally I'm running scopes around
6-24x50 on most of my hunting rifles and a fixed 6x40 on the .22 rimfire.
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