Scope Recommendation for Muzzleloader ?

[Guyon]

I would post this over in Blackpowder, but there seems to be a few folks over there who think that muzzleloading is only for folks who shoot iron sights on a flintlock. So I'm posting here instead...

I'm new to muzzleloaders and just bought my first one. I'm putting a scope on a CVA Magbolt 150/26, and I'm leaning toward a fixed 4 power. Is this the right way to go? Suggestions?

 

[Art Eatman]

Well, a fixed 4X will deal with most any hunting need I can think of, this side of 400+ yards on prairie dogs. A viable alternative would be something on the order of a 1.5x5 variable. If you're really in close, even 4X is a bit much.

Art

 

[Guyon]

Thanks Art. Actually, a large majority of the shots here in TN are 50 yards and in. I'll look into the low-powered variables.

The only 4x scopes I have are on .22 rifles, and I don't really hunt with them. I might take one out in the woods next time I go, and just see what the sight picture is like in the field.

Mainly, I just was wondering if there was a "standard" sort of scope for folks who use them on muzzleloaders--sort of the way a 3-9x40 is such a popular choice on centerfires.

 

[Redneck2]

Trust me on this...

I had a cheap scope on my muzzleloader. Cost me a 14 point 27 1/2 inch inside spread buck.

I NOW (unfortunately too late) have a Leupold 2x7 on it. The cheap scope fogged up. Since you're in Tennessee I assume you may hunt in rain, fog, etc. My scope fogged solid. Also, the zero would wander.

Sometimes you'll get lucky and a cheap scope is good. Good scopes are almost always good.

If it doesn't say "Waterproof" it isn't.

The 2x7 seems perfect. Great field of view at low settings and enough power for 200 yard shots. You never know what you'll need 'til you need it.

I'd rather have a $150 rifle and $300 scope than the other way around.

Also get Butler Creek flip caps. Don't mess around with see-thru's and other crap. This comes from a guy that's deer hunted over 30 years in some real bad weather.

 

[Guyon]

More good tips. Thanks.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I think a perhaps a 1.5X5 variable might be your best bet, considering how short the ranges are likely to be.

I personally stay the heck away from opaque lens covers, because they're alwaus down when you need them up and up then you need them down, and a scope with a cover on it is worse than not having a scope at all.

 

[Poodleshooter]

I haven't scoped my muzzleloader, but if I did, it would be with a 1-4x variable. No matter how good that frontstuffer is, you shouldn't take shots past 125yds.

 

[Guyon]

Agreed Poodleshooter. In the woods where I hunt, a shot over 75 yards is a waste of ammo. There are a few cutovers where longer shots can be taken, but I'll save those spots for gun season.

 

[Redneck2]

Well, now that depends...

on the shooter, the rifle, and the load

In Indiana you may get 1/4 mile shots across a cornfield. Since I use a Knight rather than a 300 Win Mag I'll stick with 175-200 yard shots MAX. My hunting partner killed a nice buck at a measured 206 yards with his Knight.

To be an ethical hunter you must...

Have a VERY accurate rifle

have the proper load

Practice at that range

I have lifesize cardboard cut-outs of deer. They get REAL small at 200 yards. I have a Harris bi-pod, which is next to having a bench rest. At 200 yards you really need a rangefinder as a 25 yard error in estimation will cause real problems.

I hit a moving coyote at 130 yards with an 870, 3" Remington copper solid slug. Ruined his day.

My point is, it's possible, but it shouldn't be tried unless you have total confidence.

Hope the scope ideas help. Don't forget the Butler Creek's. I have them on all my scoped guns.

 

[griz]

I’m going to vote against the crowd here and second your original choice of a good 4X scope. Although the variables are fine scopes, the fixed power has at least a theoretical reliability advantage, is a little cheaper, and will do anything a scope needs to do. I’ve hunted a lot with a plain old 4X scope, and never found it lacking. Some will say that the variable’s better field of view at close range is a big advantage. I would guess that there have been more close range opportunities squandered because of a variable being set on the high end compared to game being to close for a 4-power scope. With a muzzle loader there is no long range problem so 4X (or even 2.5) should be enough.

I have rifles with variables on them so please don’t get the impression that I think a fixed power is the only way. It’s just that quality of the scope probably matters more than power when you’re talking the difference between a 1-5, 2-7, or 4X scope. Good luck with whatever you pick.

 

[Art Eatman]

griz, I reckon part of the deal with a variable is that ya gotta train yourself to set it by "situation". If you're not sitting in a fixed location, it oughta be down on low magnification. I have a pretty good long-winded yarn about how I messed myself up, one walking hunt, when I got an attack of the forgets.

Then again, I can tell you that a 4X is way too much on a hog at ten feet...

, Art

 

[griz]

Well I've never dealt with a hog at 10 feet. If I had to I think I would ignore whatever scope I had, take a long step toward the pig, touch the muzzle to the target, and hope for the best. That's my theroy, of course we know how that will translate in practice.

PS, as I write this, the variable on my "main gun" is set at 2X, I only turn it up when needed.