Rifle Scopes Hilux Phenom 5x30x56 Questions

[Reaper350]

I have a couple questions. I am getting into long range shooting and have picked up a Savage 110BA Stealth in .338LM I put a Hilux Phenom 5x30x56 on it with a Spur 20MOA one piece mount. Has anyone had any experience with the Hilux Scope? With my Mil Discount I got it for right at 1000 and it seems to work very well so far but I have only been able to get out to 300 yards. I still need to pick up a Kestrel 5700 and Im having doubts about the Red-field 20x60x60 spotting scope.. Any advice please. Also the American Eagle ammo was for the first rounds. The last rounds have been Hornady AMAX and I am waiting on the 277g mtac solid copper rounds and the Lehigh 245g solid copper to get here.

 

[D_TROS]

only advice I can give is they are selling for $750 all over the internet w/o "mil discount" so I would return and save some $$$.

Second, will be interested to see how it holds up to 338 recoil. Good luck keep us updated!!

Regards,
DT

 

[Dirty8404]

I am getting into long range shooting and have picked up a Savage 110BA Stealth in .338LM

Hate to say this, but you fucked up big-time with that rifle. The scope as well. A .338 is the worse LR choice to start on, both in ammo cost and recoil. It’s a fucking flinch machine, and ammo? A 6.5 Creed or would be 80 cents a trigger pull for a 1400 yard rifle.

I don’t know those scopes but I’ll bet money it’s Chinese... you could have bought a nice LOW optic for that money.

At this point, I dunno what to tell you except sell/return everything and start over. Seriously.

 

[Reaper350]

Hate to say this, but you fucked up big-time with that rifle. The scope as well. A .338 is the worse LR choice to start on, both in ammo cost and recoil. It’s a fucking flinch machine, and ammo? A 6.5 Creed or would be 80 cents a trigger pull for a 1400 yard rifle.

I don’t know those scopes but I’ll bet money it’s Chinese... you could have bought a nice LOW optic for that money.

At this point, I dunno what to tell you except sell/return everything and start over. Seriously.

Why is it a bad choice? So far the grouping at 300 is 5 shots inside a quarter. Yea she has some recoil but the AAC Titan suppressor is already purchased but in the meantime the Fat Bastard GEN2 is in the mail. Yes its expensive to shoot but thats why im going to reload. The scope is more what I am looking at. So far its holding up to the recoil. The company was supposed to design it on a .50BMG. As far as parts Im not sure but they are assembled in California. I want to get a Nightforce Beast at some point.

 

[fdkay]

As said, those scopes are available for 750 from SWFA.
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/leatherwood-hi-lux-phenom-5-30x56-ffp-scope.6587170/

I also agree, not a great choice for a beginner rifle.
if you've got the money to burn on ammo, you could have bought a Savage in 6.5 CM and a much better scope and been farther ahead.
A good scope, you keep and change the rifle underneath it.

 

[Reaper350]

I looked at the 6.5 but when I got this I was told they were on back order and this was on the shelf. Honestly I wanted a .50 but once I did the research I found I couldn't shoot it anywhere around here except down at Fouled Bore and that's almost 2 hrs away.

 

[Mwalex]

I looked at the 6.5 but when I got this I was told they were on back order and this was on the shelf. Honestly I wanted a .50 but once I did the research I found I couldn't shoot it anywhere around here except down at Fouled Bore and that's almost 2 hrs away.

It sounds like you have large caliber fever and while that can be fun, as pointed out, there are much better calibers for long range shooting. "Better" meaning less recoil (which helps with accuracy), lower cost to shoot and longer barrel life. The 6mm and 6.5mm might be a better option to start with and work up to the larger calibers.

Also, you shorted yourself on the scope from a quality standpoint for long range shooting.

 

[beetroot]

I have a couple questions. I am getting into long range shooting and have picked up a Savage 110BA Stealth in .338LM I put a Hilux Phenom 5x30x56 on it with a Spur 20MOA one piece mount. Has anyone had any experience with the Hilux Scope? With my Mil Discount I got it for right at 1000 and it seems to work very well so far but I have only been able to get out to 300 yards. I still need to pick up a Kestrel 5700 and Im having doubts about the Red-field 20x60x60 spotting scope.. Any advice please. Also the American Eagle ammo was for the first rounds. The last rounds have been Hornady AMAX and I am waiting on the 277g mtac solid copper rounds and the Lehigh 245g solid copper to get here.

What are you actually wanting to know?
I don't think many if any folk here will have any experience with these scope as they tend to steer clear of lesser known brands.
If it's tracking well and you are happy with it then keep using it.

I agree with others that 338 Lapua is not the best round to start with, and even if someone is a proficient long range shooter is overkill unless shooting regularly over 1200 yards. Although reloading will bring down the price reloading a smaller round will be even cheaper.

Again if you are happy then keep shooting it, but personally a Tikka CTR, Bergara, Ruger RPR etc in 6.5CM would be much easier to learn to shoot with.
Top that off with a Vortex PST Gen 2 or a 2nd hand Razor Gen 2, and you would have an awesome set up that would take many years to outgrow.

Not really sure what you are asking with your post, so hard to give any useful feedback.

 

[Dirty8404]

I don’t mean to shit on you dude.

Wait until you squeeze off a round from that braked 338 for the first time. It’s gonna suck after a 150rd range session. It’s good you have a can on the way to take the edge off, but flinching is real and it’s not an ego thing, big stuff is harder to build a good foundation with. If you really want a 338, a Norma can get a lot better speeds with the 300gr class bullets than a Lapua.

You could be BUYING 6.5Creed ammo for the cost of 300gr Bergers alone.

I have fucked up and spent a lot of money using bad ideas as well, just move on and learn from it.

Always research before buying, and not all sources are created equal.

 

[fdkay]

I looked at the 6.5 but when I got this I was told they were on back order and this was on the shelf. Honestly I wanted a .50 but once I did the research I found I couldn't shoot it anywhere around here except down at Fouled Bore and that's almost 2 hrs away.

Not busting your chops, if you can afford it, have a great time!

 

[Eoddave27]

As long as you are happy with the scope and it hold up to the recoil then I wouldn’t worry about it. I would really look into getting something that shoots a little softer than a 338 though. There are a lot of drawbacks to the excessive recoilbut the big thing is cost. Even reloading that rifle is going to be very expensive to feed. I probably shoot 300-400 rounds a week between all my rifles. Some are cheaper to shoot than others and they get the most action. For my 6.5 or 308 which are my two most expensive to load I usually pay $25-$30 for 100 bullets. Once you have your brass that is the most expensive component. I get about 200 rounds out of a pound of powder which averages $26 a pound. With the 338 you are going to spend about $40 for 50 bullets and be able to load less than 100 more than likely with a pound. Factor in that the brass is going to cost you three times as much up front and that is a pensive beast to feed.

 

[Reaper350]

Yea the Lehi solid coppers were @60 for 50 and for brand new Lapua Brass 289 for 100pcs.

 

[supercorndogs]

I ended up at a 300WM for a big gun, due to 338 Lapua component cost. My 6.5 creed and 308 are more fun to shoot. My 300wm is more fun to watch hit the target.

 

[Reaper350]

I actually did the math;
Bullets - $60 for 50 = 1.20
Brass - 290 for 100 = 2.90
Primers - 30 for 1000 = .03
Powder - 30 for 1lb = .30

So with this math im looking around 4.50 a round during reloading BUT that does not take into account the press, powder trickle etc BUT i would have to get that stuff with any caliber. Im happy with the .338, even though now I know i have picked the wrong caliber to start on. I cant take it back but the next rifle will be a 6.5 def. I will have to keep you guys updated on the optics tho.. So far the Phenom is working and tracking good while holding up to the recoil. Cant wait to do a back to back comparison with the stock Savage brake and the Fat Bastard Gen 2

 

[Dirty8404]

Just a note about your reloading costs.

Lapua brass should be good for 10 loadings if you don’t overwork/hotrod it.

285gr eld-ms can be had for ~70 cents a pop.

Powder by the keg should be $25 a lb or so.

That math should make your cost a bit more manageable.

 

[Bender]

“Wrong” or not. The important part is that you enjoy what you’re doing and you can figure out what you want to change on your next rifle. Not one person in here “got it right” with their first rifle.... and even if they did, they still had fun and have a different or another setup. This isn’t a cheap hobby, it’s only money. Read, listen, learn. Who cares if you took the long road there. Unless you’re a commie.... then you can just leave. Lol

 

[Reaper350]

Just a note about your reloading costs.

Lapua brass should be good for 10 loadings if you don’t overwork/hotrod it.

285gr eld-ms can be had for ~70 cents a pop.

Powder by the keg should be $25 a lb or so.

That math should make your cost a bit more manageable.

I can get 10 reloads out of the brass?!?!?! I was told 3. I have purchased this neat little annealer for the brass as well. If I can get 10 reloads that's awesome!
https://www.cartridgeanneal.com/home.html

 

[Reaper350]

“Wrong” or not. The important part is that you enjoy what you’re doing and you can figure out what you want to change on your next rifle. Not one person in here “got it right” with their first rifle.... and even if they did, they still had fun and have a different or another setup. This isn’t a cheap hobby, it’s only money. Read, listen, learn. Who cares if you took the long road there. Unless you’re a commie.... then you can just leave. Lol

I enjoy shooting it! It attracts a lot of attention when i set it up which is annoying at times but after a couple shots wit the stock brake on it most people leave anyway. I was going to try and get into some NRA shoots here in Tulsa but the place that does it (Red Castle) said I had to take the brake off to be able to shoot or put a suppressor on it..

 

[spife7980]

I can get 10 reloads out of the brass?!?!?! I was told 3. I have purchased this neat little annealer for the brass as well. If I can get 10 reloads that's awesome!
https://www.cartridgeanneal.com/home.html

I would be pissed if my brass only lasted less than 10 firings.

As others have said, you kind of jumped into the deep end of the pool with a not so common scope and a heavy round but that doesnt mean you cant still swim perfectly fine. Enjoy shooting it and if you dont you can always get an additional toy too, no such thing as a bad excuse to get another rifle.

 

[Bassmags]

So this guy asked a question about a scope and Nobody answers the question, yet gives him hell over his caliber choice. I have not had experience with Hi-luck scopes. Being this is several years old, has anything about these scopes changed?

 

[fdkay]

So this guy asked a question about a scope and Nobody answers the question, yet gives him hell over his caliber choice. I have not had experience with Hi-luck scopes. Being this is several years old, has anything about these scopes changed?

And yet you resurrect a thread that is 2 1/2 years old.

 

[smoothy8500]

Maybe he was searching for info on Hi-Lux scopes and all he found were dusty, old, orphaned threads that had no pertinent info......Hmmmmm, "I wonder why there's no pertinent info on these scopes, it's like no one here owns one?"

 

[Reaper350]

So I am going to resurrect this thread a little. So it’s been a hot minute and the first phenom scope lasted exactly 37 rounds. It broke apart on the inside, and the scope went completely white couldn’t see through it. I will say this, I called them and within four days I had a brand new one setting on my table so customer service is top notch. Since I have put about 150 rounds through it, but with the price of ammo going through the roof, plus you cannot find large rifle magnum, primers I haven’t shot it in a while. In dealings with it the magnification isn’t that great, the clarity at 500 yards let alone 1000 is less than to be expected. Plus they have now discontinued it. I’m just going to bite the bullet and find either a Schmidt & Bender or a Nightforce and go that direction.

 

[Asiparks]

So I am going to resurrect this thread a little. So it’s been a hot minute and the first phenom scope lasted exactly 37 rounds. It broke apart on the inside, and the scope went completely white couldn’t see through it. I will say this, I called them and within four days I had a brand new one setting on my table so customer service is top notch. Since I have put about 150 rounds through it, but with the price of ammo going through the roof, plus you cannot find large rifle magnum, primers I haven’t shot it in a while. In dealings with it the magnification isn’t that great, the clarity at 500 yards let alone 1000 is less than to be expected. Plus they have now discontinued it. I’m just going to bite the bullet and find either a Schmidt & Bender or a Nightforce and go that direction.

sorry to hear, both on the scope and the rifle: that's ~30 rounds a year...
Did you get another rifle or still holding onto the Lapua dream ?
Nothing wrong with S&B or NF scopes, but loads of excellent mid range options out there, so maybe more research before diving in...?

 

[Reaper350]

Yea I’m still looking at scopes. I want something to stretch her legs with while having the mag to see plus the clarity.

 

[Asiparks]

Gen 3 Razor 6-36; I’m predicting you’ll hear a lot about that …..

 

[Reaper350]

Ok let me look at it. Just want to be able to use the rifle for what it was intended. Eventually I would like to go out to 3500 yards

 

[Reaper350]

I say that I know the rifle is good I have to work on myself