Let's Discuss Scopes for 308 Rifles

[Josh]

Alrighty then, what do you consider a good scope for a 308 rifle, I've been toying with the idea of scoping my Ruger Gunsite Scout, the thing only has a 16" barrel and is meant to be a modern twist on Jeff Cooper's idea of a scout rifle.

I've been leaning towards the 1-8, 1-4 or 2-10 power scopes, small straight tube optics that keep the rifle handy and emboldened the idea of a scout rifle. It's basically a rifle that will be my dedicated cast plinker and hunting rifle, I hate 308's but this gun makes a beautiful combo that I can't ignore. It's also a perfect suppressor host, same OAL as my Model 70 featherweight 30-06 but more utilitarian.

I'm a huge Leupold fan, I'm going to be buying one of their scopes for this rifle, the question is more what fits the bill best. So, after all that rambling, what are you're thoughts?

 

[fiver]

hmm.
6 power is probably plenty at the upper end if your not shooting like 400yds.
2 is good at the bottom if you have a decent field of view and some fairly open trees.

i'd break it down based on where i hunted.
hard woods, bean or hay field, swamp??


here? 16 power isn't too much many times, but a sunshade sure comes in handy about 10 am if your cutting across the bottom of a ridge.
i generally stick to a 3.5X10 or 4X12 and i use both ends waay more than anything in the middle.
that's here, where shots can be and quite often are over 300yds. or at 30 when your cutting through the pines peeking over the edges.

 

[RBHarter]

In a perfect world , with 40 yr of shooting experience, 30 yr of actually paying attention , and 20 yr of really seeing what I am seeing and doing .......

A fixed 6x with a 40 mm objective and a 6-8 MOA simple duplex with 2 caps and a 1" tube is all I ever really needed.

 

[Spindrift]

One thing to consider, if you're going to use it with a suppressor;
A low- mounted scope with low magnification will show you quite a lot of the suppressor within the field of view. Personally, I find it somewhat distracting.
I have suppressors on all my hunting rifles. My preference is, I rarely use less than 3x. This is where the field of view no longer involve the suppressor. It works for me.
While I rarely use high magnification while hunting (a week or two a year), I appreciate having the possibility to crank up the power at the range (the rest of the year). Something like a 3-9x40 always works with me.

Ballistic reticles- I've come to like them, actually. As long as they're not to cluttered. Something like a German #4 with some hold-over hash marks. It might allow you to use very different loads with the same scope setting, utilizing the hold-over function for subsonic or low-power loads.

 

[Rick H]

I have a short barreled (20") 308W model 788 Remington. Currently it wears an old compact 4x Leupold (one of the old heavy duplex shotgun/muzzleloading scopes). I use the rifle for deer hunting in Northern Michigan where shots range from 30-150 yds. It is perfect for my purposes. Light, bright, with a reticle that is distinct and easy to pick up in poor lighting conditions pre-dawn and post dusk. If I used my 308 as an all around rifle (I do not) I would put a 2-7X Leupold on it. I own a number of these mid range Leupolds and find them excellent for any big game rifle. I rarely use any at over 5x while hunting. Varmint/Med. Game rifles carry a 3-9.
I have never shot at game beyond 360yds and that antelope was killed with my scope set at 5x. Your use may vary, but for hunting medium to big game inside of 400yds the 2-7x does all I ask of it.

I own a few 1-4x/1.5-4x scopes (mostly on inline muzzleloaders) and find I usually have them set on 3or 4x. The lower range isn't used.

More power is nice for target and long range varmint (prairie dog/woodchuck) hunting.

Your use and your eyes might not like what I have settled on. I don't shoot at game beyond 400 yds. nor do I worry about bug hole groups from the bench. 1-1/2 MOA is plenty for my purposes.

 

[Ian]

Where are you going to mount the scope?

 

[Bret4207]

My preferred scope, in a variable, is either a 1x4, 1.5x5 or 2x7. 3X is too much for short range IMO. If you are mounting it Scout Scope style, then, as Ian alludes to, you options are limited. No idea at all what a suppressor equipped rifle would need, too much paperwork for me! The on'y things around here that wear anything like a 3x9 or higher are dedicated varmint or target rigs. Same goes for fixed power. I have a couple 1X and 1.5X. The 1.5 I like better as the 1x seems to make things smaller. It's an illusion, I know, but it has that odd quality.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

In the OP I see a big mix of applications:
"It's basically a rifle that will be my dedicated cast plinker"
"....... hunting rifle"
"it's also a perfect suppressor host...."

I think the OP's first task is to narrow down what the rifle will used for. Unless there's a real need for long range shooting, I'm a fan of lower power scopes. They provide a larger field of view, have better light transmission, and are generally lighter and more compact.
Hunting conditions will dictate the type of optics more than informal target shooting. A variable power with a low end power between 1.5 and 2 would be my criteria and an upper limit of no more than 7 power.

As for the the cartridge, I'm not sure why the OP would write, "I hate 308's but this gun makes a beautiful combo......". That 16" barrel might cripple the .308 Win a bit but the .308 is an outstanding all-around cartridge. The 308 matches the performance of the .30-06 under about 600 yards and does it with a short action. The 308 is an extremely veristile cartridge. If you think the cartridge is somehow lacking, I suggest you find a different rifle to shoot it from before you pass judgement. The 308 is an excellent cartridge.

The Ruger Scout Rifle has a detachable magazine, so there's no need for a forward mounted scope (despite the rail that's forward of the receiver).
A scope mounted in the conventional location over the action will provide more choices than a forward mounted scope. As much as I admire the late Col. J. Cooper, if you're not using stripper clips to load a Mauser style action from the top, you don't need a forward mounted scope.

 

[Winelover]

and a forward mounted scope requires more ambient light to use, than a conventionally mounted one. Only forward mounted scope I have is a Vortex 2 x 7 for load testing on my 357 Rossi carbine. Otherwise, it's a Romeo 5 red dot without magnification.

 

[Missionary]

Like Bret I do like the old Leupold 1-4 or 1.5-5 scopes for an all purpose, this will get things sorted out rifle.
From our 223 bolt to a Model 86 in 50 Alaskan those scopes work excellent.
LER scopes.... Leupold makes a nice 2x Pistol scope (M8).

 

[Josh]

Where are you going to mount the scope?

In the standard position, this rifle accepts AICS mags so I don't see a need for a scout scope that I'm not a huge fan of.

 

[Josh]

In the OP I see a big mix of applications:
"It's basically a rifle that will be my dedicated cast plinker"
"....... hunting rifle"
"it's also a perfect suppressor host...."

I think the OP's first task is to narrow down what the rifle will used for. Unless there's a real need for long range shooting, I'm a fan of lower power scopes. They provide a larger field of view, have better light transmission, and are generally lighter and more compact.
Hunting conditions will dictate the type of optics more than informal target shooting. A variable power with a low end power between 1.5 and 2 would be my criteria and an upper limit of no more than 7 power.

As for the the cartridge, I'm not sure why the OP would write, "I hate 308's but this gun makes a beautiful combo......". That 16" barrel might cripple the .308 Win a bit but the .308 is an outstanding all-around cartridge. The 308 matches the performance of the .30-06 under about 600 yards and does it with a short action. The 308 is an extremely veristile cartridge. If you think the cartridge is somehow lacking, I suggest you find a different rifle to shoot it from before you pass judgement. The 308 is an excellent cartridge.

The Ruger Scout Rifle has a detachable magazine, so there's no need for a forward mounted scope (despite the rail that's forward of the receiver).
A scope mounted in the conventional location over the action will provide more choices than a forward mounted scope. As much as I admire the late Col. J. Cooper, if you're not using stripper clips to load a Mauser style action from the top, you don't need a forward mounted scope.

I can very easily plink away with cast bullets and hunt with this rifle all the while doing it with a suppressor attached. There isn't much need to pick a use, but I did misuse the word "dedicated".

I've got 30-40 lb of 308 brass, so I can load many different bullet configurations and still have brass left over.

As far a hating the 308, I really do, it's not a cartridge that does one thing very well, there are cartridges using the same case that are much more effective. I've shot many 308's not one did I ever get warm and fuzzy over, until this one. It's a well balanced combo, minimal recoil and accurate as the day is long. So i can concede that my hate is irrational and that this combo is very utilitarian.

I do agree about scope location, putting a scope that far forward makes the rifle unbalanced, and in today's world, those scout scopes offer nothing over a traditionally mounted one.

 

[Josh]

hmm.
6 power is probably plenty at the upper end if your not shooting like 400yds.
2 is good at the bottom if you have a decent field of view and some fairly open trees.

i'd break it down based on where i hunted.
hard woods, bean or hay field, swamp??


here? 16 power isn't too much many times, but a sunshade sure comes in handy about 10 am if your cutting across the bottom of a ridge.
i generally stick to a 3.5X10 or 4X12 and i use both ends waay more than anything in the middle.
that's here, where shots can be and quite often are over 300yds. or at 30 when your cutting through the pines peeking over the edges.

This reminded me that I've got a small 2-7x33 Leupold sitting in the safe, this rifle probably won't see shots over 300, I've got other rifles for that kind of shooting. If hunting the fields I've got a few rifles much more suited for such. That said if I see a deer in the fields while skirting from woods to woods I'd like to be 300 capable.

In PA it's your typical hardwood with some mountain laurel mixed in, shots could be 10 yds but even that would be rare as most are between 30 to 150. I'm trying very hard not to over scope this rifle (weight or zoom) as then it will change the whole feel of the rifle.

 

[Winelover]

That 2-7 x 33 seems about prefect. My own 308 Featherweight wears a early model (3 x 9) Trijicon Accupoint. Only came in two flavors, back then. The other flavor was a 1.25 x 4 residing on my 338W Magnum. Anymore, a 2 x 7 is what I would choose for a bottleneck cartridge.

 

[Bret4207]

This reminded me that I've got a small 2-7x33 Leupold sitting in the safe, this rifle probably won't see shots over 300, I've got other rifles for that kind of shooting. If hunting the fields I've got a few rifle much more suited for such. That said if I see a deer in the fields while skirting from woods to woods is like to be 300 capable.

In PA it's your typical hardwood with some mountain laurel mixed in, shots could be 10 yds but even that would be rare as most are between 30 to 150. I'm trying very hard not to over scope this rifle (weight or zoom) as then it will change the whole feel of the rifle.

I think you have your answer right there. At least give it a try!

 

[Missionary]

Certainly the price is right. A 2x will cover all sorts of ranges.

 

[Josh]

This is why I like good discussion, I completely forgot about that little optic in the cabinet. I do believe we've found what might be an ideal solution.

 

[MW65]

This is why I like good discussion, I completely forgot about that little optic in the cabinet. I do believe we've found what might be an ideal solution.

I have a fixed 4x leupold on my 788, but a good little optic that you already have certainly is the ticket!!

 

[Ian]

I like a good 3-9x40 or 4-12x44 or 50 for hunting. Light weight, no parallax adjustment, simple, rugged. Always have it cranked down to 3 or 4 when stalking on account of sudden close shot opportunities. When a longer shot opportunity comes up, there is time to dial magnification but not when it's throw up the rifle and shoot right now.

 

[Josh]

I just bought a set of Warne steel rings, so, once they arrive, I'll get the rifle set up for this scope and see if I prefer this setup or go back to the little red dot I've got sitting on it. Either way I'll be posting a few pictures once things come in.