General rule of thumb is spend as much or more on glass than the gun cost......
I don't know how old you are, but the older you are, the bigger objective you'll need during low light conditions, providing you are keeping the tube size and magnification the same. Unfortunately, a bigger obj. means that the scope has to be mounted higher from bore centerline, and getting a good cheekweld is harder unless you have a high cheekpiece on the rifle. That Ruger doesn't have one.
Personally, I can do with a higher magnification than a lot of people. I'd throw a 3x9-40 on it, Leupold VX-3 or so. There's nothing wrong with the VX-III either. Depending on the distance of your shots, you could go even less magnification, or even a red-dot type sight if in thick stuff and need to get a really quick shot off. I have a 3.5x10-50 illuminated VX-III Mil-Dot scope on one of my slug guns, and I really like it. Unfortunately, Leupy doesn't make it anymore. When illuminated, only the very center "X" hair is illuminated.
At least one of those sold on Gunbroker for $570.00
Thanks esshup,
49, and I am going to have to go to the eye man and get some shooting glasses. These 7 level progressive bifocals don't work with scopes. At least they don't have lines in them, but if you move your head too much looking at something at a close distance, you can get dizzy.
All top notch info., and I really appreciate it.
Not too much worried about a good cheekweld with this caliber in a carbine. The .300winmag is quite a different animal. Ya need to be connected pretty good with that one, especially if your BIL is making up some hot loads. Shoulder Burger in 4 rounds. First one is the tenderizer, after that, it all depends on how long you want the black and blue to last.
