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Scope Recommendation for Plain Game Hunting

2024-09-25

Plain Game Hunting Definition

Plain game hunting: Plain game hunting refers to the pursuit of herbivorous wildlife in open field, such as savannahs, grasslands of Africa. It often involves long-distance spotting and stalking due to the open and expansive terrain.


Distance: Most common ranges for plain game hunting are from 100 yards to 500 yards.


Environment: Usually the plain game hunting happens in the open grasslands, savannas, bushveld (grassland and forest), scrubland (bushes and shrubs).


Animals: The hunting includes a diverse range of animals, from large animals, like kudu, eland, wildebeest, to small animals, like springbok, impala, etc. Plain game hunting do not binclude the "Big Five", lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo.


Features of Scopes You Should Consider Based on the Specialty of Plain Game Hunting

Focal Plane: SFP is still preferred in plain game hunting, where extreme long-range presision is unessential. FFP works well for long-range precise shooting.


Magnification:

Everyone has their own shooting preferences. When considering the shooting range for plains game hunting, which varies from 100 to 500 yards, a scope with 1-12x magnification is suitable. A 3-9x magnification scope sufficiently covers ranges from 100 to 300 yards, while a 4-12x magnification scope extends the effective shooting range up to 400 yards.


The power range provides flexibility of varying shooting distance. At the low power, hunters will get a wide field of view for closer shots. At the high power, hunters are able to take precise shot at 300 yards.


Fiber/Etched reticle:

Etched reticles are highly durable, capable of withstanding heavy recoil. They enable intricate reticle patterns that assist shooters in calculating bullet drop compensation(BDC). VE's etched reticle scopes typically feature a center dot illumination, which helps mitigate one of the limitations of etched reticles by improving visibility in low-light conditions. Considering the common range of driving huntering are within 100 to 200 yards, an etched reticle with simple BDC should be enough.


Fiber-optic reticles improve visibility in diverse lighting conditions by providing a brightly illuminated center dot, facilitating enhanced aiming precision in low-light scenarios. However, the primary limitation of fiber-optic reticles lies in their restriction to simpler designs, typically the G4 pattern.


Since the animals, I mentioned in the first section, are usually active in the early morning or late afternoon, fiber reticle may be preferred for its excellent performance of brighter center dot illumination compare to that of etched reticle.



Reticle Pattern

Both the Duplex Reticle and G4 pattern facilitate easy and rapid target acquisition through their bold lines, which naturally draw the shooter's attention. When enhanced with an illuminated center dot, these reticles significantly improve target acquisition speed, especially in low-light conditions such as dawn and dusk, providing clear visibility and precise focus on the intended target.


For experienced shooters, the Christmas tree reticle is an excellent option. This reticle features graduated markings both horizontally and vertically, allowing hunters to make rapid and accurate shots at various ranges without the need to recalibrate or continually adjust settings. Typically, the Christmas tree reticle is designed for hunting in open terrain and over long distances. This is because the reticle itself may be cluttered to obscure some details especially when the background is messy.


Mil-dot reticle is another good option. It allows for distance estimation and ballistic compensation. It could be largely utilized during long-range hunting.


The mil-dot reticle is a another good option for experienced hunters. It combines distance estimation and ballistic compensation. It is especially useful in long-range hunting where precision is crucial. By using the spacing between the dots, hunters can gauge distances to their targets and compensate for factors like bullet drop and wind, allowing for more accurate shots over great distances.


Light Transmission

Given the time and location considerations for driven hunting, choosing a scope with high light transmission is advisable, as it ensures sharp and crisp imagery, facilitating quick and easy target acquisition. However, if you're on a budget, you have to compromise some features. Choosing a scope with HD glass instead of ED glass is a practical alternative. This is because, for close-range shooting typically associated with driven hunts, the superlative clarity provided by ED glass is not strictly necessary; HD glass suffices for effectively spotting targets.


Recoil

Due to the potential long-range shooting, calibers for plain game usually range from .243 to .300 Winchester, depending on the size of the game. Therefore the recoil should be considered when you pick 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

Plain game hunting may need hunters stalk or ambush the animals for a long period, therefore a lightweight scope is preferred to be carried around. It also facilitates quicker and more fluid movement of the firearm, enabling faster targeting and repositioning.


Summary

Plains game hunting typically occurs within a range of 100 to 500 yards, making a 2-12x magnification scope an ideal choice for covering all shooting distances. A magnification up to 16x is quite generous and sufficient for precise hunting.


Considering the variable light conditions during plain game hunting, a fiber optic reticle enhances visibility and facilitates easy target acquisition. For shots over 200 yards, a G4 reticle with a simple BDC (Bullet Drop Compensator) pattern offers accuracy and ease of use. Although a large objective lens diameter improves light transmission, it also increases the scope's weight, potentially making it cumbersome to carry.


Scope Recommendation

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

VE Top and Premium line


SCFF-11

SCFF-17

SCFF-28


Taurus 3-18x50FFP Riflescope

Taurus 4-24x50 First Focal Plane Riflescope

34mm Continental x6 3-18x50 VCT FFP Riflescope

Objective lens dia

50mm

50mm

50mm

Glass

HD Glass

HD Glass

German Schott HD, >90% light transmission

Weight

750g

770g

820g

Price

$299

$319

$729

Reticle

Advantages

-Large objective lens dia for good light transmission, excellent viewing for shooters to distinguish the target from background even at the long distance

-FFP with the reticle pattern for windage and elevation adjustment for precise shooting at any ranges


-Large objective lens dia for good light transmission, excellent viewing for shooters to distinguish the target from background even at the long distance

-FFP with the reticle pattern for windage and elevation adjustment for precise shooting at any ranges

-Shoot longer with 24x

-German Schott HD and large objective lens dia for good light transmission, sharp and crisp image

-Christmas tree reticle for windage and elevation adjustment



SCOM-47

SCOM-45

SCOM-39


Continental x6 2.5-15x56 Fiber Riflescope

Continental x8 2-16x50 SFP ED Riflescope

Continental x8 2-16x44 SFP Scope ED

Objective lens dia

56mm

50mm

44mm

Glass

German Schott HD Glass

ED Glass

ED Glass

Weight

670g

672g

630g

Price

$559

$649

$629

Reticle

G4 Fiber

BDC Etched

BDC Etched


Advantages

-German Schott HD and large objective lens to expand light transmission to >90%, sharp and crisp image

-Fiber reticle, brighter center dot for fast target acquisition even under daylight bright situation

-ED glass and large objective lens dia for 93% light transmission, crystal clear image

-G4 reticle with simple BDC for precise fast target acquisition

-ED for 93% light transmission, crystal clear image to distinguish the target from the background at long distance.

-G4 reticle with simple BDC for precise fast target acquisition




SCOM-15

SCOM-34


Continental x6 2-12x50

G4 Hunting

Continental x6 2.5-15x56 Riflescope BDC

Objective lens dia

50mm

56mm

Glass

German Schott HD

German Schott HD

Weight

605g

670g

Price

$449

$539

Reticle

Etched G4

Etched Mil-dot reticle


Advantages

-Lightweight to be carried around for a long time

-Etched G4 for rapid target acquisition

-More power to play with

-Large objective lens dia for better light transmission, crisp and sharp image

-BDC reticle for precise hunting



SCOM-38

SCOL-X21

SCOC-47


Continental x6 2.5-15x56 BDC

Continental 3-18x50 SFP

Continental x10 1-10x24i ED Fiber

Objective lens dia

56mm

50mm

24mm

Glass

German Schott HD

German Schott HD

ED Glass

Weight

670g

653g

530g

Price

$539

$469


Reticle

Etched

Etched

Fiber


Advantages

-Large objective lens and German Schott HD glass for better light transmission, up to 90%, for sharp and crisp image

-Etched BDC reticle for precise hunting

-the same as SCOM-38, but the image may performace not as good as it, because of smaller objective lens dia

-would be your best 1-10x LPVO


VE Classic and Entry Line


SCOM-28

SCOM-44

SCOL-30


Matiz 3-9x50 SFP Riflescope

Hugo 3-12x40i Fiber Reticle Rifle Scope

Hugo 4-16x44GT SFP Riflescope

Objective lens dia

50mm

40mm

44mm

Glass

Qualified glass for hunting

Qualified glass for hunting

Qualified glass for hunting

Weight

500g

612g

650g

Price

$129

$199

$185

Reticle

Advantages

-Large objective lens dia for good light transmission

-Etched G4 reticle for fast target acquisition

-Highly visible fiber center dot for fast target acquisition even under bright daylight

-Reticle for both windage and elevation adjustment

-Upgrade etched reticle with illuminated center dot for fast target acquisition

-Large objective lens dia for good light transmission




SCOM-42

SCOC-35


Grizzly Pro 3-12x56i Fiber

Constantine 1-10x24 Riflescope Fiber Dot Reticle

Objective lens dia

56mm

24mm

Glass

Decent glass for hunting

Excellent glass for hunting

Weight

605g

525g

Price

$379

$429

Reticle

Fiber G4


-Fiber G4 pattern for fast target acquisition

-True 1x power for two eyes open shooting

Advantages

-Large objective lens dia for better light transmission, for decent image

-Fiber G4 for fast target acquistion in bad light condition





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