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Started By
Message
re: Building a western gun
Posted on 1/21/26 at 2:17 pm to saintsfan1977
Posted on 1/21/26 at 2:17 pm to saintsfan1977
Just curious, what's your issues with Leupold? I've had good luck with Mark 4's as well as several others on my lease, and we consistently shoot deer 500yds plus. Once dialed they are great, I've even got my wife shooting deer out to 500 with it on a 6.5 PRC.
This post was edited on 1/21/26 at 2:23 pm
3
Posted on 1/21/26 at 2:21 pm to SETH6180
quote:
Just curious, what's your issues with Leupold? I've had good luck with Mark 4's as well as several others on my lease, and we consistently shoot deer 500yds plus.
The Mark 4s and 5s are good. The VXs aren't nearly as reliable. If I'm shooting animals at 500yds I want a bulletproof scope. That's all I was saying. A small drop and the VXs will lose zero.
Posted on 1/21/26 at 2:38 pm to SETH6180
quote:
what's your issues with Leupold?
They are delicate.
Posted on 1/21/26 at 3:20 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
Interesting. I've not had any issues with it and it's been on several DIY elk hunts.
Posted on 1/21/26 at 3:37 pm to SETH6180
Leupolds were considered solid scopes before shooters started dialing turrets, then they got a reputation for not returning to zero. They seem to have overcome that. My 257 has a VX3 Leupold on it and it’s never been any trouble.
Posted on 1/21/26 at 3:46 pm to SETH6180
I have a couple I never had any trouble with but they lead a gentle life. As long as you don't expect to be able to drop them or bang them on stuff and not shift the zero they're generally fine. I have had a wandering zero on one (mk3HD on a 338), and lots of them that required adjusting year to year or after getting bumped on something.
Once I figured out that I could have something that could reliably take some bumps and still be on every time, I quit buying leupolds and started buying SWFA's. I'm pretty sure I could toss these off the roof of my house and still be zeroed, which is very comforting when it takes a few whacks riding around on my pack.
ETA: It's not something that's intuitive to do, but shoot a 5+ round group, drop your rifle from your waist on the scope, and shoot another 5+ round group. It's probably going to move. Not that people oughta walk around dropping their rifles, but at least if it holds zero through that you'll know that it's probably ok after it falls down when leaning on a tree or something of that nature.
Once I figured out that I could have something that could reliably take some bumps and still be on every time, I quit buying leupolds and started buying SWFA's. I'm pretty sure I could toss these off the roof of my house and still be zeroed, which is very comforting when it takes a few whacks riding around on my pack.
ETA: It's not something that's intuitive to do, but shoot a 5+ round group, drop your rifle from your waist on the scope, and shoot another 5+ round group. It's probably going to move. Not that people oughta walk around dropping their rifles, but at least if it holds zero through that you'll know that it's probably ok after it falls down when leaning on a tree or something of that nature.
This post was edited on 1/21/26 at 3:49 pm
Posted on 1/21/26 at 3:46 pm to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
I love buying used scopes.
Do you have a preferred vendor or are you buying from individuals? TIA
Posted on 1/21/26 at 3:55 pm to Joe_Dirte
Individuals
Posted on 1/21/26 at 5:22 pm to Joe_Dirte
quote:
you buying from individuals?
Most people take care of their stuff. Don't hesitate to use forums to buy used optics. It'll save you alot of money on top tier optics. You could find great deals on brand new scopes still in the box from individuals.
Posted on 1/21/26 at 6:12 pm to saintsfan1977
I shoot 264 Win Mag out of a Remington 700 CDL using a Leupold Vx3 out to 500 yds. Pretty good setup for me
Posted on 1/21/26 at 10:01 pm to WMTigerFAN
quote:
I shoot 264 Win Mag out of a Remington 700 CDL using a Leupold Vx3 out to 500 yds. Pretty good setup for me
I'm not saying it won't work. It will, until it doesn't.
Posted on 1/21/26 at 10:24 pm to saintsfan1977
I’ll second this, I’ve bought and sold multiple scopes on sites like Sniper’s Hide. Mostly higher end stuff, but there’s plenty out there. Just follow the guidelines and question every seller.
Posted on 1/21/26 at 11:26 pm to Ol boy
quote:
Not to derail your thread but what kind of shape are you in have you ever hiked the mountains ?
I consider myself to be in pretty good shape. I run 12-15 miles per week, swim a mile a day 3x week and bike 50-60 miles per week. Done a few marathons, and a couple triathlons. Usually do a core workout daily and a gym workout 1-2x weekly. I hunt western co yearly usually walking 3-10 miles daily.
Im not concerned about my physical fitness. Just trying to get recs on gun set ups because ive bow hunted only for so long. Ive got a browning A bolt mico .308 that isnt gonna get done what im wanting my equipment to do.
Ill be hunting MT ID NM AZ and NV in the next 10 yrs
Thanks for all the advice. Plenty to look at for sure
This post was edited on 1/21/26 at 11:32 pm
Posted on 1/22/26 at 7:15 am to Theotherpikecounty
I would die doing any of that 
Posted on 1/22/26 at 7:57 am to Theotherpikecounty
28 Nosler
Posted on 1/22/26 at 8:41 am to Theotherpikecounty
Take a look at the Backfire YouTube account. Great info. He’ll tell you that large caliber and light rifle hurts accuracy. Hard to escape that fact.
Rokslide will tell you Christensen and Leupold suck, but I’ve been around several that have shot great with suppressors.
The safe bet is to buy a Tikka and build the rifle you want.
Rokslide will tell you Christensen and Leupold suck, but I’ve been around several that have shot great with suppressors.
The safe bet is to buy a Tikka and build the rifle you want.
Posted on 1/22/26 at 9:11 am to Theotherpikecounty
quote:
got a browning A bolt mico .308 that isnt gonna get done what im wanting my equipment to do.
It might well be great for what you want to do. Does it shoot?
I'd do A LOT of reading on rokslide, particularly the shoot 2 hunt course threads. I don't think it should all be taken as gospel, but they have flipped a lot of "traditional" western shooting logic around on its head. Small calibers, small rifles, bomb-proof scopes, buy ammo instead of rifles, etc.
Again, I don't think it should be taken as gospel but there is a free opportunity to learn from people who shoot tens of thousands of rounds practicing in the mountains. For someone like me, the amount some of those guys shoot in a year amounts to several lifetimes of shooting for me, and their learnings are very relevant to what you are looking to do.
You could likely do far, far better for yourself by putting a good scope on the rifle you've got and popping a thousand rounds off before buying a dedicated rifle. You'll likely learn that what you think you need right now and what you actually need are very far apart from each other. I was in a similar position 6 or 7 years ago and bought my do everything everywhere rifle and now I'm finding out I really screwed it all up. I could have spent less money and had something more reliable, more accurate, and ultimately more effective at killing animals in the field, which is the end goal after all.
For the record, what I'd get is exactly what I suggested above, a tikka t3 .300 win mag with a swfa 3-15 and sportsmatch rings. I can't fully buy into the "hunt grizzly with a .223" extreme those guys have gone to, but I wouldn't have a 26" barreled .338 win mag either.
This post was edited on 1/22/26 at 9:17 am
Posted on 1/22/26 at 9:31 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
This is great advice and the same thing I have learned after a lot of shooting. I'm fortunate enough to have a legit 500 yard range in my back yard, I'm a hand loader and shoot a lot. Never hunted out west, but use to hunt a lot of open ag land, and had plenty opportunities to shoot 500 yards at hogs and deer if I wished. I havnt hunted that type of terrain In years, and don't even rifle hunt that much anymore as I prefer the bow, but I still shoot a bunch at steel out to 500 yards. When ever somebody ask my about rifle types and calibers, I've always advised spend half of what you have budgeted on rifle and glass, and use that other half to buy ammo and then go shoot all of it. As somebody who cut his teeth shooting a .300wby, and still very found of it, smaller less recoiling calibers are easier to shoot and cheaper to shoot and practice with. I've 2, 1/2" plate steel deer targets, life size, with the vitals cut out and swung on a hinge. I have one at 300 and one at 500. I have watched many many people who think they can shoot, and with high end scopes and rifles, be humbled on a cold bore shot, from a legit shooting bench, on that 300 yard deer target.
Posted on 1/22/26 at 9:40 am to CaptJJ
quote:
have watched many many people who think they can shoot, and with high end scopes and rifles, be humbled on a cold bore shot, from a legit shooting bench, on that 300 yard deer target.
This, and subjecting your precious $3k "long range hunting" rifle to a little bit of rough day and then trying it out, are both very eye opening experiences. Now take that same exercise and do it away from the bench, out of your favorite deer stand (for people who only hunt that way) or sitting down leaning on your pack (for the western hunters) and prepare to be VERY humbled. If more hunters had a more open mind about these things and tried them, we could shift the market towards things that actually work properly, do what they're supposed to do in any conditions, and help us kill game, not hinder us.
For us in Louisiana, learning from that experience requires admitting to yourself that you and probably everyone you ever knew were completely wrong their entire lives about what it takes to be able to kill game on demand past about 200 yards. You and probably everyone you ever knew probably never shot more than 20 rounds in a year from a centerfire rifle, much less actually practiced in field conditions and learned what you and your rifle were REALLY (not) capable of doing without getting lucky. Start popping some primers and challenging yourself, not cherry picking your best 2 shot group from a bench at 100 yards and declaring yourself ready to shoot deer at 500 yards because you have a creedmoor with a nightforce.
Start shooting 9 shot groups at 200 yards to see what you've REALLY got, and prepare to be very very disappointed....
Posted on 1/22/26 at 9:51 am to DownshiftAndFloorIt
quote:
Start shooting 9 shot groups at 200 yards to see what you've REALLY got, and prepare to be very very disappointed....
Especially if all you have is a front rest and you are supporting the rear of the rifle. Nobody is shooting bug holes that way.
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