[Ammo08]

I bought a Ruger M-77 Ultra-light in 257 Roberts and I want a lightweight scope for it. I have about $250.00 to play with. I'm thinking a 3x9x40 would be the most practical, but has anyone out there got any other recommendations. I mostly hunt in the woods and edge of fields, 99% of all my shots are under 100 yards. PS, Will be used for whitetails and coyotes, occasionally groundhogs.

TIA

 

[clodtruck]

.257 roberts, good round, how much does ammo cost? my personal choice would be a bushnell elite series 3200 or 4200. ive heard they compare to leopuld vxII and vxIII scopes. they also have a lifetime warranty and a 1 year money back gurantee. i have a 10x40 elite 3200 series on my anzio .50 bmg and a .308 winchester stealth. i also have a 3x9x40 elite 4200 series on my steyr prohunter 25-06. never had a problem, their bright and crystal clear. the 4200 i beleive is out of your price range but the 3200 was much cheaper and you can barely notice the difference. you cant go wrong with either one.

 

[alagator]

I second clodtruck's recommendation for Bushnell Elites. I have 4200 2.5-10x50 on both my Steyr Prohunters. The rainguard is a plus in wet Alabama. The 50 would be overkill on a light rifle for close range. You can probably find a 3200 in your price range if you shop the net for specials. A lesser known possibility would be a Sightron 3-9x42. Really good optics,coatings, warranty, customer service. That scope is $199.95 from Lock Stock and Barrel, http://www.lockstock.com with free shipping. Buddy of mine shoots their stuff and it looks really good. Hope this helps.

 

[alagator]

The Optic Zone theopticzone.com has good prices on Bushnell. SWFA riflescopes.com shows higher prices but has a 110 % low price guarantee- they will go 10% lower than other advertized prices. I got one of my Bushnells from them-- they are good guys to deal with.

 

[bigtaco]

regardless of what brand you get...

for under 100 yards, i personally would forget about variable power. a good 4x fixed is all you need.

40mm is plenty of objective lens.

i like a reticle that has a solid bottom post coming into the cross hairs. at that point it almost works like an iron sight. put tip of post on target. they're very fast to pick up and stand out very well during low light/ dusk hunting.

don't know how many scopes out there are available wih alternate reticles, but it would be a very important consideration of mine.

 

[mikey]

i like a reticle that has a solid bottom post coming into the cross hairs. at that point it almost works like an iron sight. put tip of post on target. they're very fast to pick up and stand out very well during low light/ dusk hunting.

I agree! For anything outside of fine target shooting, the "post" reticle is terrific.

But, for some reason, it seems to be extremely unpopular in America. I hear the post reticle is much more popular in Europe, but even so, when I went looking at some of the high-end scoopes from Zeiss and Swarovski in the Cabela's catalog, the "post" reticle wasn't among the available selections.

I topped my vintage Steyr model "M" rifle with a well-used 4x Redfield scope - one with the "post" reticle - and I'm completely happy with the selection.