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Scope for M77VT

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TinysRifles View Drop Down
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    Posted: February/01/2015 at 22:02
I recently acquired a tang safety M77VT Ruger in .308 Win with a 26" bull barrel.  It has an old Redfield 3-9 on it.  Given the advancement in optics since the late 80's, I want to put a good modern scope on it.

I plan to use the rifle as a deer / walking predator rifle.  I know its heavier than a typical rifle for that application, but at 6'6" and 350lbs, the longer barrel swings better for me than your typical deer rifle and the weight doesn't bother me.  I live in Michigan, so 400 yards across a field is about the longest shot I would anticipate seeing with any regularity, but 600 or even 800 may present in certain situations.  I'd like to be able to hit Coyotes out to MPBR of the rifle (~275yds).  Deer or man size silhouette to 800 by dialing elevation.  I'm going to zero it at the MPBR; small predators don't often stick around long enough for dialing or figuring holds.

That all said, I've done lots of research and have come up with a few potential scopes I'd like your thoughts / opinions on:

Leupold Mark AR MOD 1 4-12x40mm - Pros: name, mil/mil, 4-12 zoom, large elevation range, 1" tube.  Cons: second focal plane mil dot.  Nearly the kiss of death.  That's a big hurdle to overcome.

nikon MONARCH 3 3-12x42 Side Focus BDC: Pros: price, larger zoom range, 1" tube, BDC reticle doesn't subtend much of the field of view.  Cons: SFP ranging reticle, lower elevation adj. range, shooter MOA clicks (as an engineer, I understand angular measurement while weird unit divisions really bother me).

leupold VX-R 4-12 X 40 W/ BALLISTIC FIREDOT: similar to the mark AR, but illuminated reticle and less loss of utility from SFP reticle.  It also subtends less.

swfa ss 3-15x42 w/ ffp Mil-Quad Reticle and mil turrets - pros: first focal plane, mil/mil, large zoom range.  Cons: can't view in person (as far as I know, no brick and mortar around here caries SWFA scopes), brand unknown to me, mil-quad seems very fine at low power and "busy" vs. mil-dot, price vs other options.

Mounts will be Leupold or similar steel which use the receiver dovetails.  No rail adapters for this rifle.

Feel free to suggest other scopes that meet these criteria:
2-4 minimum zoom - most deer are at 100yds, field of view is important.
44mm max objective size - I don't want the Hubble unbalancing the rifle and I have good binocs for glassing game.  I don't want to deal with the cheek weld problems either.
As much max zoom as I can get without tunneling on low zoom.
1" or 30mm main tube - don't want the weight of the larger tube and I haven't found mounts for it either.
FFP for ranging style reticles.
No x-mas tree style reticles - I want to see as much of the field as possible.
Illumination is a nice feature but by no means a necessity.
Budget - around $1k is the max.  

This is my second bolt action center fire rifle.  My other is a Remmington 788 in 308 from 1968 with an old Leupold 4x from 1972.  That rifle is currently at the gunsmith (again) for repeated trigger issues.  Its a fine looking rifle but its been a real problem child that doesn't quite fit me.  I'm hoping for more from this Ruger.

Thanks for your time.
“Blessed are those who, in the face of death, think only about the front sight.” - Jeff Cooper
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TinysRifles View Drop Down
Optics GrassHopper
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Joined: February/01/2015
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TinysRifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/01/2015 at 22:22
I should also add that although I haven't shot this rifle, I've shot my friends M77VT in 22-250 and it was about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.  Set my current longest record hit at 300yds on a gallon jug in windy conditions with it.
“Blessed are those who, in the face of death, think only about the front sight.” - Jeff Cooper
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