Rifle Scopes Re-Scoping my old Ruger M77 30.06 (Suggestions?)

[JINKSTER]

First I apologize for posting this here because my old M77 is more of a "Sporter" than a bench or sniper rifle but nevertheless it has more sentimental value than any other firearm I've ever owned because outside of a collection of childhood Hot Wheels cars and my Birth Certificate?...it's probably the oldest thing I own as I purchased it new in 1987 for a whopping $425 + Tax and that included a $50 upcharge for this "Laminated Stock" model.

Initially?...I wasn't very happy with it until I came to realize just how ammo sensitive it's barrel was as I discovered it was moa capable with generic 150gr Federal Hi-Shok despite 2-3" groupings of pretty much everything else including silvertips of the same bullet weight and eventually working up my own homebrew loading of 52.5grs of IMR 4064 behind a 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet which pretty much ballistically replicated the Hornady Light Magnum loading and on a good day before my 2nd cup of coffee wold print one big raggedy 5 shot hole at 100yds...as rare of an occasion as it was...anyways?....I'm now shopping for this 33 year old pet rifles 3rd scope.

The 1st was a Bushnell 4-12X40 w/ BDC bu it's coatings yellowed out after the first 15 years and being an avid whitetail hunter who sniped the hardwood bottoms?...I wanted something more "Light Gathering" for the Bushnell's replacement and went with a Baush & Lomb Elite 3000 3-9X50 perched in Redfield X-High steel rings...18 years ago...back when I didn't know jack squat about scopes and still don't know anywhere near as much as many of you here so I'm open to suggestions as follows...

I want as much Clarity & Magnification as I can get in the $400-$800 range and have been looking hard at Vortex and Leupold.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions cause there's so many choices these days?...I'm lost. LOL!

Here's a current pic of the rifle on my kitchen table taken this morning and a pic of me with a huge 7 Point the 1st year I hunted with it...like I said...

"Sentimental Pet Rifle" (but I still love printing small groups with it at the local range)

 

[black5.3]

Im a fan of vortex so thats what i will recommend.. you could look at the viper pst gen 2 the 3-15x model, it will be in your price range and perform better than the previous scopes you had on the rifle.

 

[Gatorshark]

Do you have a reticle preference? Simple duplex or prefer a mil dot?

A vortex Diamondback will surprise you at how much scope you get for the money. I was not impressed with the PST I owned after using the Diamondback. That was a sample of one however.

There are a lot of Leupold haters, but i own several from a VX-R to a VX5 HD. Great glass and clarity for hunting, or for me, target ranges to 500 yards.

I've peered through a couple of Athlon Argos and it was really nice for a street price of $400.00 or less.

 

[JINKSTER]

Im a fan of vortex so thats what i will recommend.. you could look at the viper pst gen 2 the 3-15x model, it will be in your price range and perform better than the previous scopes you had on the rifle.

I'm sure that's one heck of a scope but @ $1,199 msrp/$899 amazon?...it's a bit beyond my budget for this application and to be honest?...if I got into that price arena I'd be tempted to say damn the torpedoes and start looking at Night-Force offerings but more than likely I'll be leaning towards a less expensive Vortex but nevertheless?...Thank You for your suggestion!

 

[JINKSTER]

Do you have a reticle preference? Simple duplex or prefer a mil dot?

A vortex Diamondback will surprise you at how much scope you get for the money. I was not impressed with the PST I owned after using the Diamondback. That was a sample of one however.

There are a lot of Leupold haters, but i own several from a VX-R to a VX5 HD. Great glass and clarity for hunting, or for me, target ranges to 500 yards.

I've peered through a couple of Athlon Argos and it was really nice for a street price of $400.00 or less.

Historically reticle wise?....I'm a duplex kind of hunter guy but also a former US Marine who could put a mil-dot to good use toying around at LR plinking.

It's hilarious that you mention the Vortex Diamondback because I put one on top of my Savage A22wmr about a year ago and it played a huge role in me wanting to re-scope my M77 because I thought it ridiculous that my .22wmr had a scope that blew away the glass on top of my M77 30.06 and I just found the box & receipt to that B&L 3-9X50 and the purchase date was 04/01/1997...the dang thing is 23 years old! LOL!

 

[M_R_Woodard]

Leupold VX-5 Hd 3-15x44. I put one on my hunting/ plinking rifle and really like it. Killed 10+ animals with it this past season. If you call around you could probably get one for less than 800. I got mine from sport optics.

 

[TmisterE]

If you are looking at Vortex take a look at Eurooptics they are having a closeout on Vortex PST gen 1 scopes, I just picked up a 4-16x50 for one of my ar's for $450.00, they also have the 6-24x50 for $499.00, don't think you can beat this deal for these prices, they also have pretty good pricing on some gen 2 PST's

 

[JINKSTER]

If you are looking at Vortex take a look at Eurooptics they are having a closeout on Vortex PST gen 1 scopes, I just picked up a 4-16x50 for one of my ar's for $450.00, they also have the 6-24x50 for $499.00, don't think you can beat this deal for these prices, they also have pretty good pricing on some gen 2 PST's

Well they certainly sound like good prices and I thank you for the lead but whatever I buy (as low level as it may be) will be because I actually held it in my hand and looked through it first which pretty much limits me to brick & mortar purchases but fortunately?....I have a bass pro 10 minutes from the house...or I should say "Unfortunately"? LOL!

 

[Gatorshark]

Basspro is a great place to fondle glass. Then price shop. Buy a T shirt if you feel guilty about it.

 

[JINKSTER]

Basspro is a great place to fondle glass. Then price shop. Buy a T shirt if you feel guilty about it.

Well I spent a good 45mins-1hr aggravating the firearms counter guys fondling and looking through more than several vortex and leupold scopes when I found myself perplexed because I couldn't see a flips worth of difference between a $499 Viper HS and a $649 leupold of the same specs and that's when one of the more seasoned salesmen overheard my discussion and came over and told me that optics have gotten so good these days?...once you look through a few scopes?...they all start to look the same and most can't tell a flips worth of difference between a good quality $200 scope and a $2,000 scope after looking through them a few times as I chuckled and told him I thought there was a lot of truth in his words and that's when he mounted up two scopes on the scope trial stocks and had me adjust the focus on each while looking at the high contrast fish mural 97yds away on the other side of the store and then had me look through one and then quickly look through the other and the word that came out of my mouth was..."DAMN!"

One was a $200 Diamondback and the other was a $2,099 Razor...I left the store SMH with nothing to take a night and re-think things and I couldn't help but remember your words Gatorshark of...

"I was not impressed with the PST I owned after using the Diamondback."

I also re-thought things with the geometry of this M77 rifle...I went with a large objective for it's low-light gathering abilities but in doing so?...the lare objective required High-Rings and without a Monte-Carlo style stock?...that large objective and high rings see me welding my chin more than my cheek to the now too low stock comb so?...I think I'm going with something that offers up a lower profile with a smaller objective and no huge tuttets sticking out all three sides...no sense trying to make this rifle something it isn't but I do want low, clear and high magnification.

 

[black5.3]

I'm sure that's one heck of a scope but @ $1,199 msrp/$899 amazon?...it's a bit beyond my budget for this application and to be honest?...if I got into that price arena I'd be tempted to say damn the torpedoes and start looking at Night-Force offerings but more than likely I'll be leaning towards a less expensive Vortex but nevertheless?...Thank You for your suggestion!

Check with some of our hide vendors they will beat that by a mile. There are plenty of great options out there. Do your research and go from there. Btw im partial to the ebr7c milrad.

 

[johnnybravoo77]

Hard to tell the difference between glass in a well lit store. Low light performance- which includes color and contrast, not just how "bright" it appears. Ask if you can look though them outside, especially at dusk.
As far as mounting on the m77, 44m does fine in medium rings, a #4 and a #5 for ruger rings. I just ordered some warne mediums, which should do 50mm, so ill let you know how it does on mine.

 

[JINKSTER]

Check with some of our hide vendors they will beat that by a mile. There are plenty of great options out there. Do your research and go from there. Btw im partial to the ebr7c milrad.

Is there a "Sponsors Area/Forum" where these Hide Vendors reside?

 

[black5.3]

Just because i have done business with him several times and always been pleased check out @LibertyOptics and see what he can do for you. There are many other good vendors around here as well.

 

[JINKSTER]

Hard to tell the difference between glass in a well lit store. Low light performance- which includes color and contrast, not just how "bright" it appears. Ask if you can look though them outside, especially at dusk.
As far as mounting on the m77, 44m does fine in medium rings, a #4 and a #5 for ruger rings. I just ordered some warne mediums, which should do 50mm, so ill let you know how it does on mine.

I agree...even a low level scope can present crisp, bright images on a bright, crisp day but low light conditions separate the small toys from the big boys.

That said?...I have a tendency to get OCD with such things and with this being what will surely be the 3rd and final scope I'll see on this rifle in my lifetime?....the money only spends once and I have no room left for regrets which tells me I'll probably go big or stay home.

 

[JINKSTER]

Just because i have done business with him several times and always been pleased check out @LibertyOptics and see what he can do for you. There are many other good vendors around here as well.

This is a crazy coincidence! LOL!....in the pic below you will see some of my IPSC/USPSA trophies surrounding a Limited Class race pistol I built out of a box stock Para-Ord P-14 back in the early '90's and then look at the header on the letter in the background...it was from a nice guy with a new startup Optrics Supply Co. where he made me a great deal on a Nikon 4-16 Mil-Dot Tactical Scope that found a home on my Bushmaster BAR-10 named...

"LIBERTY OPTICS"

I guess I'll go ahead and patronize him again! LOL!

 

[JINKSTER]

Just because i have done business with him several times and always been pleased check out @LibertyOptics and see what he can do for you. There are many other good vendors around here as well.

Here's that scope from Liberty Optics on that BAR-10 circa Jan. 2005...

 

[black5.3]

Here's that scope from Liberty Optics on that BAR-10 circa Jan. 2005...

Thats pretty cool man! Hit him up and you won’t be disappointed!

 

[JINKSTER]

Well?...Plan's have changed so?...UPDATE:

I'm looking at Weaver scopes at Natchez...very good Jap glass/Build and for real reasonable prices and I may go with the 5-20X50 Grand Slam because it's a 1" tube that saves me from buying 30mm rings and just use these same Redfield Highs beeecause?...they will work fine with the Monte Carlo styled comb on the custom LOP Thumbhole Featherweight stock I ordered from Boyds which I'm bedding with pillars in acraglass from brownells...should be a rocking rig for a 33 year old rifle when I'm done.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

The only scope application where I'd prefer an FFP scope is hunting.

My trusty 30-06 (Win 70 Featherweight 30-06) wears (in my SIL's hands now) a Weaver V-16 (SFP and out of issue). Hard to find now, I'd look hard if I could. If that were to fail, I'd look for something that's as close to it as possible, especially if it's FFP. 50mm Objective can be useful on dawn/dusk hunts, My own current 30-06 is an upgraded Savage Axis II 30-06 and that's wearing an ancient 4.5-18x50 something (Simmons Whitetail?) or other.

For the most part, 3-9 has been the basic hunting scope for decades, but I think the 30-06 can handle higher magnification quite well enough. The one you mention would fill my bill, and I vote in its favor for your application. My only caveat would be that in woodlands, 5x can be a bit much for a close, moving shot.

Greg

 

[JINKSTER]

and that's a good point...one that makes the tough decision I've been wrestling with all that much tougher because the 2nd scope on my shortlist is a Weaver 800363 Tactical Rifle Scope - 3-15X50mm SF Illuminated EMDR Reticle and despite it requiring that I shell out and pay for a 30mm ring set ?...you just tilted my decision that way...Thank you.

This one...

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