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Mountain Hunting Scope Recommendation

2024-09-26

Mountain hunting: Mountain hunting is the pursuit of game in mountainous terrain, characterized by steep slopes, elevation changing, and rugged conditions. Hunters need specialized skills in navigation, stalking, and precision shooting and also


Distance: Mountain hunting often involves shooting at mid to long distances, typically ranging from 100 to 350 yards. It occasionally extends to 500 yards or more if conditions allow and the hunter is skilled and experienced.


Time: The best times for mountain hunting are usually early morning and late afternoon. However, during specific periods like the elk rutting season, midday hunting can also be highly effective.


Animal:  Mountain hunting offers a variety of game species, depending on the region and specific mountain ranges, like elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats.


Features of Scopes You Should Consider

Focal Plane: Mountain hunting frequently engages long-range shooting. The terrain may demands quick adaptability to varying distances, therefore FFP scope may be more advantageous. It enables shooters to make precise windage and elevation adjustments without needing to re-estimate distances. This scope type maintains consistent holdovers and adjustments across all magnification levels to quickly delivering accurate shots across varying distances.


Magnification: It largely depends on your personal shooting preference, but a 2-16x scope is generally recommended. This range offers flexibility for shooting from close to longer distances, 100 to 400 yards. At 2x magnification, the scope provides a good field of view for closer shots, while 12x or 16x magnification enhances detail observation for distant targets.


Fiber/Etched Reticle:

Considering that mountain hunting usually engages long-range shooting, it may be beneficial to implement a reticle with distance estimation and bullet drop compensation. Usually etched reticle would offer more complex pattern. Another benefits of etched reticle is its durability. Mountain hunting may encounter variable weather conditions and different terrain changing, an etched reticle would bring more convenience. All VE etched reticle provides illumination for daylight bright or low light condition.


Fiber-optic reticles improve visibility in diverse lighting conditions by providing a brightly illuminated center dot, facilitating enhanced aiming precision in low-light scenarios. Besides, since mountain hunting may happens during the midday, when the sunlight is super strong, fiber reticle would be highly recommended. However, it is generally challenging to incorporate complex reticle patterns with fiber-optic technology. Consequently, this limitation may result in less versatility for long-range shooting situations, where more detailed reticle patterns are beneficial.


Reticle Pattern:

For mountain hunting, a BDC (Bullet Drop Compensating) reticle is preferred due to the common long-range shooting. The Christmas tree and MIL dot reticles are effective options, as they allow for both range estimation and bullet drop compensation. These reticles work particularly well in scopes with an FFP (First Focal Plane) configuration, where the reticle size adjusts with magnification, maintaining accuracy across all ranges. Both reticles are straightforward to use, providing hunters with versatile tools for precise shooting in challenging terrain.


Light Transmission:

The light condition within the mountain terrain are unpredictable, and sometimes can be dim. Many animals are active at the low light condition, like dawn, dusk. Therefore, a scope with high light transmission, over 90%, is recommended. A high light transmission rate refers to a sharp and crisp image, which enables hunters to acquire a more detailed image from a distance and take a precise shot.


Recoil:

Shooters will need to consider the impact of recoil on the scope. A scope with sufficient shock resistant, at least 750G, will prevent unexpected issues during use. All VE scopes are at least 750G.


Weight:

Weight is an important consideration for mountain hunting, as hunters must carry their equipment during climbs. However, the differences in weight may not always be significant, around 200-300g. Typically, a heavier scope suggests greater durability due to robust materials, a larger tube diameter which allows for a wider adjustment range, and high-quality lenses that can add weight. Therefore, if shooters prioritize the shooting accuracy, the additional weight of a durable, well-equipped scope may be a worthwhile trade-off.


Zero stop/Balistic Turret

When hunting in the mountains, due to the changing terrains, you may often need to adjust your scope's turret. Therefore, a zero stop feature is essential to help adjust the elevation or windage for bullet drop compensation to ensure precise shot.


Or it's even better to have a DIY turret for your hunting firearms to enhance the shooting efficiency. The customized turret would allow hunters to do the bullet drop compensation at predetermined distances, so that they don't need to calculate before each shot. That further maximize the accuracy and speed even in a dynamic environments.



Sunshade 

As noted, hunters might choose to hunt at noon or in snowy mountainous areas based on animal behavior or personal preference. During these times, intense sunlight can create significant glare. A sunshade may be essential to reduce the glare, helping hunters maintain clear vision and improving their efficiency despite the challenging light conditions.


Summary

We would recommend you to pick an FFP scope with high light transmission and delicate BDC and range estimation reticle. 3x to 16x magnification is a reasonable range. ED glass is highly recommended, while HD also works well.


Scope Recommendation

*The price listed below are the retail price with no discount.


SCFF-47

SCFF-48

SCFF-62


Continental x10 1-10x28 ED FFP

Continental x10 1-10x28 ED FFP

Continental x10 1-10x28 ED RAR-C

Objective lens dia

28mm

28mm

28mm

Glass

ED Glass

ED Glass

ED Glass

Weight

651g

663g

651g

Price

$999

$999

$990

Reticle

Etched Glass, Christmas tree like reticle

Etched Glass, MIL dot reticle

Etched Glass, Christmas tree like reticle


Advantages

-ED Glass, 93% light transmission for crystal clear image, benefiting detail observation at distance

-Christmas tree reticle for range estimation and bullet drop compensation to take a precise shooting

-ED Glass, 93% light transmission for crystal clear image, benefiting detail observation at distance

-Red ring at low power for fast target acquistion and the MIL dot reticle for precise long-range shooting


-ED Glass, 93% light transmission for crystal clear image, benefiting detail observation at distance

-Red ring at low power for fast target acquistion and the Christmas tree like reticle for precise long-range shooting



SCOM-15


Continental x6 2-12x50 G4 Hunting

Focal Plane

SFP

Objective lens dia

50mm

Glass

German Schott HD

Weight

605g

Price

$449

Reticle

Etched reticle, G4 with simple BDC


Advantages

-German Schott HD glass with large 50mm objective lens dia, reach 90% light transmission for crisp and sharp image

-G4 & simple BDC pattern for fast target acquisition and simple BDC calculation for precise close to mid range hunting



SCOM-45

SCFF-11

SCFF-49


Continental x8 2-16x50 SFP ED

Taurus 3-18x50 FFP

Orion MAX 3-18x44 HD FFP Rifle Scope

Focal Plane

SFP

FFP

FFP

Objective lens dia

50mm

50mm

44mm

Glass

ED Glass

German Schott HD Glass

HD lens excellent for hunting

Weight

672g

750g

798g

Price

$649

$349

$299

Reticle

Etched glass, G4 with simple BDC

Etched Glass, MIl dot reticle

Etched glass, Mil dot reticle


Advantages

-ED Glass with extra large 50mm objective lens dia, 93% light transmission for crystal clear image to distinguish the target from background even under low light condition

-G4 with simple BDC reticle pattern for fast target acquistion and simple BDC calculation for precise close to mid range hunting

-Extra large 50 mm objective lens dia, German Schott HD glass, for >90% light transmission for crisp and sharp image

-MIL dot reticle with illuminated center dot for precise long-range shooting

-Large 44mm objective lens dia with HD lens for excellent image to distinguish targets from background

-Mil dot reticle with illuminated center dot for precise long-range shooting



SCFF-59

SCOM-42

SCOM-44


Orion Pro MAX 4-16x44 HD

Grizzly Pro 3-12x56i Fiber

Hugo 3-12x40i Fiber Reticle

Focal Plane

FFP

SFP

SFP

Objective lens dia

44mm

56mm

40mm

Glass

HD lens excellent for hunting

Decent glass for hunting

Qualified glass for hunting

Weight

756g

605g

612g

Price

$229

$379

$199

Reticle

MIL dot reticle

Fiber G4

Fiber, MIL dot reticle


Advantages

-Large 44mm objective lens dia, HD lens for good light transmission, excellent image for hunting

-FFP combined with MIL dot reticle for precise long-range shooting




-Extra Large 56mm objective lens dia, better light transmission, for decent hunting image

-Fiber G4 for fast target acquistion in bright light condition or low light condition



-Large 40mm objective lens dia, with qualified lens, clear image for hunting

-12x magnification with fiber MIL dot reticle works for over 300 yards hunting

-Your first mountain hunting scope with limited budget.


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