I chose to post this here in Big Bore Rifles, as opposed to the Optics Section of the Forum. The reason being, Optics for Big Bore rifles are completely different from other rifles. Choices in Optics for smaller bores are very poor choices for Big Bores, most of the time.
Big Bore Optics have very special requirements. If you are a novice beginning big bore shooter, you may not be aware of these requirements.
Most Big Bore shooting does not require large magnification. Rifles and cartridges are designed for close work, in the scenario we are talking about, Close Range Dangerous Game. You don't need 12X at 10-25 yards. Even most shots at deer, say with 45/70, will be less than a 100 yards. I like variable power, 1X5, or 1X4 is more than sufficient for these type guns.
Rule #1 Durable, Rugged, Reliable.
Big bore rifles are extremely destructive to most Optics. I have busted almost all of them, regardless of price. Rifle Scopes need to be able to withstand the recoil. There are not many that can hold up to the beatings that a big bore rifle can dish out. This is especially true of 1" scopes. I prefer 1" by a long shot, they are lighter, and less bulky than 30mm. But 30mm scopes are more robust and in some cases much tougher than the 1 inch versions. But not always, I have busted my share of very expensive 30mm scopes as well.
Rule #2 Field of View.
You want, need, a very large field of view at very close range in a Dangerous Game Rifle. At 10 yards, you want to be able to throw the rifle up and be able to see an entire length of bear or lion in your field of view, with it broadside. The last thing on earth you want is to throw your rifle to your shoulder and see a patch of hair and nothing more! You want to be able to see the entire animal if possible. At 10 yards you want to be able to see a good bit of elephant, buffalo and hippo as well. Field of view at 100 yards on Minimum Power should be high, my now favorite model is the Nikon 1X4 Monarch, it has 93 ft field of view at 100 yards.
Rule #3 Eye Relief.
You need a lot of eye relief with these rifles. You are dealing with a lot of recoil and need in the range of 3.8-4.5 inches of Eye Relief. Much less than 3.8 inches you might start getting banged in the head, especially if you do not hold on to that rifle tight, like you should. 4 inches of eye relief is a good rule of thumb. More is better.
Rule #4 Size.
You don't want to be over sized. You may be carrying this rifle/scope for many miles, you don't want a scope to be heavy, long, cumbersome. But even more important, the bigger and more cumbersome that scope is, the slower it is to get into action at close range. Remember, these are big bore rifles, setup for Dangerous Game. Things can happen very fast, and very close. Size Matters, but in this case, smaller is better!
Rule #5 Buy Two.
Whatever scope you choose, buy TWO and have a spare on a trip to far reaches of the world, where spares are not available. Even if your scope does not break or go haywire on a trip, other mishaps can take it out of action. I had a friend that fell on his rifle/scope in some really rough terrain. Be busted the scope off the rifle, breaking the rings. Fortunately, I had a spare scope, and we both used QRW Rings and bases from Leupold. It was simple to get him back in action.
These are the basics for Optics on Big Bores, with the main focus currently on Scopes, not various red dots, which we will take a look at during the process of this thread.
I suppose you could also make this a rule, but Dangerous Game Big Bore rifles, should always wear Iron Sights. While it might be rare, and dependent upon the individual, iron sights can be an asset under certain circumstances.
Scope should not be attached to a DGR with permanent or semi-permanent mounts/rings. I have used exclusively Leupold QRW Rings and bases on all my rifles. They are easy to remove and replace in the field with no tools required, turn the lever! In the case of having two scopes set up for the rifle, and sighted in, it is very simple to remove a scope, replace it with the spare. POI is close, I conducted many tests here, and never once had the POI off more than 1 inch at 50 yards, and the vast majority of the time less than 1/2 inch off. Again, this could also be made a Rule of Optics for big bores, and especially one that is going on a trip into the bush, where there is no corner Gun Shop available, and no Amazon Deliveries! One more note, use Low Rings. You want to be as low as possible on the rifle, not with your head poking up into the sky.
Big Bore Optics have very special requirements. If you are a novice beginning big bore shooter, you may not be aware of these requirements.
Most Big Bore shooting does not require large magnification. Rifles and cartridges are designed for close work, in the scenario we are talking about, Close Range Dangerous Game. You don't need 12X at 10-25 yards. Even most shots at deer, say with 45/70, will be less than a 100 yards. I like variable power, 1X5, or 1X4 is more than sufficient for these type guns.
Rule #1 Durable, Rugged, Reliable.
Big bore rifles are extremely destructive to most Optics. I have busted almost all of them, regardless of price. Rifle Scopes need to be able to withstand the recoil. There are not many that can hold up to the beatings that a big bore rifle can dish out. This is especially true of 1" scopes. I prefer 1" by a long shot, they are lighter, and less bulky than 30mm. But 30mm scopes are more robust and in some cases much tougher than the 1 inch versions. But not always, I have busted my share of very expensive 30mm scopes as well.
Rule #2 Field of View.
You want, need, a very large field of view at very close range in a Dangerous Game Rifle. At 10 yards, you want to be able to throw the rifle up and be able to see an entire length of bear or lion in your field of view, with it broadside. The last thing on earth you want is to throw your rifle to your shoulder and see a patch of hair and nothing more! You want to be able to see the entire animal if possible. At 10 yards you want to be able to see a good bit of elephant, buffalo and hippo as well. Field of view at 100 yards on Minimum Power should be high, my now favorite model is the Nikon 1X4 Monarch, it has 93 ft field of view at 100 yards.
Rule #3 Eye Relief.
You need a lot of eye relief with these rifles. You are dealing with a lot of recoil and need in the range of 3.8-4.5 inches of Eye Relief. Much less than 3.8 inches you might start getting banged in the head, especially if you do not hold on to that rifle tight, like you should. 4 inches of eye relief is a good rule of thumb. More is better.
Rule #4 Size.
You don't want to be over sized. You may be carrying this rifle/scope for many miles, you don't want a scope to be heavy, long, cumbersome. But even more important, the bigger and more cumbersome that scope is, the slower it is to get into action at close range. Remember, these are big bore rifles, setup for Dangerous Game. Things can happen very fast, and very close. Size Matters, but in this case, smaller is better!
Rule #5 Buy Two.
Whatever scope you choose, buy TWO and have a spare on a trip to far reaches of the world, where spares are not available. Even if your scope does not break or go haywire on a trip, other mishaps can take it out of action. I had a friend that fell on his rifle/scope in some really rough terrain. Be busted the scope off the rifle, breaking the rings. Fortunately, I had a spare scope, and we both used QRW Rings and bases from Leupold. It was simple to get him back in action.
These are the basics for Optics on Big Bores, with the main focus currently on Scopes, not various red dots, which we will take a look at during the process of this thread.
I suppose you could also make this a rule, but Dangerous Game Big Bore rifles, should always wear Iron Sights. While it might be rare, and dependent upon the individual, iron sights can be an asset under certain circumstances.
Scope should not be attached to a DGR with permanent or semi-permanent mounts/rings. I have used exclusively Leupold QRW Rings and bases on all my rifles. They are easy to remove and replace in the field with no tools required, turn the lever! In the case of having two scopes set up for the rifle, and sighted in, it is very simple to remove a scope, replace it with the spare. POI is close, I conducted many tests here, and never once had the POI off more than 1 inch at 50 yards, and the vast majority of the time less than 1/2 inch off. Again, this could also be made a Rule of Optics for big bores, and especially one that is going on a trip into the bush, where there is no corner Gun Shop available, and no Amazon Deliveries! One more note, use Low Rings. You want to be as low as possible on the rifle, not with your head poking up into the sky.