experienced 45-70 whitetail hunters, please reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rebel57]

I just got a new-to-me 45-70, wood, ejector ....I deer hunt in the woods in nc,I want a good scope on it....money is important, but I want the best VALUE.... i intend to keep this gun  ..i know all these will work, istarted out with a $25 BSA on my 30-30, killed plenty of deer....but my vx-1 just looks, feels, and hunts better...here are my short list....\
     
simmons 4x pro diamond $60-70

nikon  2x7 x32 shotgun hunter......95

leupold vx-1 1-4 shotgun hunter...200...heavy duplex
leupold vx-1 2x7 x33 shotgun hunter.....200..heavy duplex/


in real world deer hunting, what advantages/disadvantages would i see on a 45-70 between 1-4 and 2-7.....my heart tells me to buy leupold...........i bought my 1st two last year, and I must admit, I kinda get pride of ownership from them, my sons have simmons/bushnell....please take time to give me your opinion....GOD BLESS ROBERT E LEE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shu]

Optics are like women. Everybody has an individual taste that can't be explained. Go with your favorite and treat her good. Your choice should last a life time even though they got some quirks.

I think you answered your own question by the way.

[kevinsmith5]

Where in NC are you going to be hunting? In Eastern brush or Western Mountains? The cover and ranges make a difference in the knid of scope you'd want. Personally, I use iron sights on both my 45-70's. The 32" BC has the factory front globe and the rear sight off a '94 Krag. The 22" barrel has the factory irons.

[cwlongshot]

The best VALUE is to buy one USED!! Let someone else take the hit for the hi-dollar new price tag!!!

I like the VXII Leupold, my all time favorite is the 2x7x33 in matte finish. You can find them for under 200! Quailty is second to none!! LIFETIME warenty, on the SCOPE NOT the purchaser!! That means NO WORRIES buying a bad scope!!!

CW

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=Leupold+scope&_sacat=See-All-Categories

[petemi]

I bought my .45-70 used and it came with a 3-9x50 Simmons 8 Point.  I never saw any reason to change it.  Most of my other rifles wear Bushnell Banner 3-9x50 or 40.  They hold up well and deliver when needed.  You'll love the .45-70.  Just understand you've got to shoot it and learn it.  If you just sight it in at 100and quit, that's all you'll have.  The rifle's good for a lot more., but ya gotta learn it.  It'll dump bullet on top of bullet at 200, 250 and 300 yards.....but you've got to do your part.  If ya don't reload, I'd reommend starting.  The .45-70 is an easy one to do, and will save you a bunch of bucks.

Enjoy it,

Pete

[carbineman]

Again, The Redfield Revolution 2-7x33 is made now by Leupold with Leupolds lifetime warranty. Check one out and you'll be impressed.  I'm sure this would fit your needs. I have two of these and they are great for the $129.00 price tag.
I also own two Leupolds 1-4x20mm that you mention. Great scope and you can make it sit lower on the rifle which helps for quick target acquisition. Both scopes (Redfield and Leupold) have approximately 4-5 inches of eye relief that would be almost necessary on a 45-70. The Simmons and Nikon I have no experience with.

Check the other thread you posted as a bunch of us answered that one as well.

[kmbrown]

I've got two of the Nikon 2x7 Prostaffs, one on my 45-70 and the other on my .357 Max.  The one on the 45-70 has handled several hundred hot handloads flawlessly and is a bright clear scope.  I've got several other Prostaffs and they are hard to beat.

[Hit or Miss]

I have a Burris Fullfield II that I'm pretty fond of.  The Nikon's are nice too.  Great clarity and light gathering ability.

[handirandy]

I have an old 3x9 Bushy Banner on a knight 50 cal that previously saw hundreds of rounds thru a 444 that is beginning to get a little foggy.  Have a 1.5x4.5 Tasco on my BC 45-70 right now.  Has too much parallax at the lower settings.  Will probably put it on the 50 and buy a Nikon for the BC.  Nikon Bushmasters and Prostaffs both get good reviews on Cabelas site.

[jason045]

I got a 1.75-5x20 Burris Fullfield II that I would put up against dang near anything.  Its been subjected to a couple hundered rounds of 300 grainers @2400+ fps with no ill effects and you can dang near see in in the dark with it.  I think I gave in the neighborhood of $150 for it.

[MSM]

  I have rattled three scopes apart on my NEF .45-70 over the years. Two were entry level offerings from Simmons and Tasco, but one was a Nikon Pro Staff. I am currently using a Simmons scope, but am probably going to replace it with a Leupold VX-I when I can. A lot of folks like open sights, but for hunting in low light situations I prefer a low power variable, no matter how far or close the shot.
  Thanks,
    MSM

[LONGTOM]

1---nikon  2x7 x32 shotgun hunter......95

2---leupold vx-1 1-4 shotgun hunter...200...heavy duplex
3---leupold vx-1 2x7 x33 shotgun hunter.....200..heavy duplex/

Any of these should do fine.
I have one each of #s 1 and 3 on 2 of my 45/70 Handis and all seem to be holding up just fine.
1---nikon  2x7 x32 shotgun hunter===about 80 rounds so far, no problems.
3---leupold vx-1 2x7 x33 shotgun hunter===This one has well over 200 rounds through it and is my best shooter.
      22 deer so far and all but one have been head shots out to about 80yds.

Redfeild 2x7x32 widefield ===This one is on a 18" shorty===limited use so far as I just had it shortened.



LONGTOM

[RickC.]

I just replaced the Simmons 4x32 Pro Diamond on my .30-30 Handi with a Leupold M8 4X I bought off Ebay for $125.  Side by side, the Leupold doesn't seem to be much brighter than the Simmons, but it's much sharper to the edges than the Simmons, something I had not noticed before I had an A/B comparison.  I do prefer the click adjustment of the Simmons to the friction/dial the Leupold has.

 I still like the Pro Diamond and still have one on my .45-70 Handi-- the scope is light, compact, has very generous eye relief (really helps now that I have bifocals!), and the diamond reticle does help you get on target very fast.  I've killed a few deer using those scopes and have no complaints.  I also had one on my Marlin 1895 .45-70 and it did a super job on it as well.  Shot some surprisingly good groups with it at 200 yds at the range, and that combo brought home meat and horns.





                                       Rick

[cwlongshot]

Rick,
 Even the cheap scopes look pretty good at 50-100 yards on the range on a mid summers day. Where the hi-dollar scopes earn their keep is at longer ranges and in the wee hours of the morning and as the last light fades from the sky. The "periscope" effect you mention, is from poor optical quality in the glass grinding.

The friction turrets can be different fpor some, but they hold zero very well, allow you to mark position and return easily. 

CW

[RickC.]

CW, exactly.  One of my favorite spots on our lease is a long ravine that is heavily wooded on each side, "The Hole", as it's known.  It gets dark down in there quicker than most spots on the property, and that's where I've been mostly using my .308 Vanguard because it has a VX-II on it.  When the light gets low, the better glass is worth the money.  Even though the VX-II is not the most high-dollar fancy scope out there, it's a vast improvement over what I have used over the years.

I had planned to hunt with the .30-30 Handi down in there yesterday evening, but forgot my extra box of handloads and shot up all my 125 gr Ballistic Tips during sighting-in... 

I'm thinking back, and I have not had to pass up any shots because of the little Simmons, and I have killed both bobcats and coyotes at over 100 yds offhand with both Handis, so I can't say I'm unhappy with them.  For the money they are hard to beat but I think if a shooter is choosing between a new Pro Diamond and say a used Leupold and can spend up to $150, the used Leupold is the clear winner.




                        Rick

[cwlongshot]

Something else I didn't mention about some of the cheaper scopes, The fixed power ones can be more respectable than the variables. So by chance was that Simmons a fixed power? For the same reasons a fixed power scope is stronger its also clearer because its got less glass. So the poor quality grinds and coatings don't have as much a detrimental effect.  Less and fixed power is better, for clarity in a cheap scope.

CW

[RickC.]

CW, yep the Simmons scopes I have (and the ones mentioned in the original post) are fixed, 4x32-- the shotgun scope.  They're really not bad.

 One old timer in our hunting club who has handloaded for years is now swearing by Nikon Pro Staff as the best bang for the buck and several of his rifles are wearing those.  I don't have any experience with them so I can't speak to that, but I do respect his opinion-- and I have to figure if a guy in his 70s who wears tri-focals likes these scopes and has owned them ALL over the years, there must be something to that.  He hunts all over the country in many different kinds of terrain and weather conditions, and is s big supporter of those scopes.



                                                 Rick

[petemi]

Scopes to not "gather light"....they allow it to enter.  The better the glass the better they work in low light.  My eyes aren't good enough at dark thirty to worry about it.  I usually quit when the sun drops below the trees.  The other end of it is I'm too old and lazy to be tracking a deer around in the dark or gutting him with a flashlight in my mouth.  That's probably why I don't kill a heck of a lot of deer.  I did put a nice 8 point in the freezer yesterday.  The cheapest scopes I own are NC Stars, they are on about 4 of my rifles without ever a problem......but, ya gotta understand, I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other.......almost, but not quite.  The cataract on the left eye is coming off Jan 11.  If I ever get my eyes corrected, perhaps I'll be able to see a difference in scopes, but today I can't and the Tascos, Simmons and NC Stars work fine for me.  I've never shot one apart either, and I shoot some stiff loads.

Pete

[S.E.Ak]

Remember the lower price lines of Leupold are made in China. Most of the boxes have some kind of stickers covering that bit of info.

[quickdtoo]

All Leupold rifle scopes are made in Oregon, even the Redfield Revolution which is their entry level scope, some of their entry level binos are made offshore tho.

Tim

http://www.redfield.com/riflescopes/

[siamese4570]

rebel57, I've hunted for years with two 45-70's using fixed 2 powers.  Never felt under scoped.  Have thought about the leupold 1x4 just haven't worked up to parting with the $$.  Don't be afraid of a fixed 4 power.  Have an old weaver steel tube on my 30-30 handi.  It's low enough for close up and has enough magnification for 200 yds.  I don't have any 1st hand experience with the burris timberline 4x but the 4-6 inch eye relief did catch my attention and they have a lifetime warranty, of course so do the leupolds.  On a 45-70, the eye relief is the deal breaker.

siamese4570

[MSM]

  I agree on the eye relief, I forgot about that.

  On the scopes rattling apart, I should clarify. They never physically came to pieces. They just wouldn't hold a zero. With the lighter loads it didn't seem to matter, but with the hotter ones it certainly did. I would have two bullets about an inch apart and then two others about an inch apart, but six inches higher. This was at 100 yards. For quite a while I thought it was me. Then I took my Marling Guide Gun to the range, shot much better and found out it was not me flinching. I switched out the scope on my NEF and it now shoots much more consistently. I also wonder if the break action of a Handi affects the scope life. From time to time mine would get snapped shut smartly, and I always wondered how that affected the reticle or other internal scope parts. 

   MSM

[s_hawk]

I hunted with the Ruger No. 3 in 45-70 for about 3 years using the Bushnell Banner 4x32 with the circle x reticle which I really like. Cheap & reliable little scope. I shot the 405 Remingtons & 300 Federals. The Rems were comfortable and the Federals hurt, but the scope handled either well. Both were very accurate and great for deer!
Hawk

[petemi]

I've got a Bushnell Banner 3-9x40 on my Ruger .308.  It has the circle x reticle.  A while back I necklassed a yote with the circle and put him in the dirt at 240 yards.  I've got quite a few Banners, and they all work and hold up well.  I think it's a fine scope for the bucks......and yes....now they're made in China.....these days, everything but yer kids is.

Pete

[rebel57]

heres how it worked out.....my scope arrived today...leupold 1x4x20 shotgun/muzzleloader.....mounted  and boresighted with med rings...removed front sight, only tip of barrel slightly visible @1x....i think this will be a whitetailed-deer's worst nightmare...im happy............rebel

[cwlongshot]

heres how it worked out.....my scope arrived today...leupold 1x4x20 shotgun/muzzleloader.....mounted  and boresighted with med rings...removed front sight, only tip of barrel slightly visible @1x....i think this will be a whitetailed-deer's worst nightmare...im happy............rebel

GOOD CHOICE!!!

 I have two one on esch of my USH's great little scopes!!!

CW

[Slufoot]

Ya done good Rebel, real good!

GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot