[bluehunter]

I am new to the hunting game becoming the first in my family. i have no one to ask for help on these things, quite frustrating. I am about to purchase a Remington 700 ADL .308. i was wondering if this is a smart buy for my soon to be deer hunting adventures. also wondering if so what type of scope would be appropriate for this gun and it being used as a hunting rifle.

 

[Luke2236]

for hunting deer, you would want a 3-9x40 probably.

As far as which brand of scope depends on the money you want to spend.

Leopold is on the upper end, they have a lower end Redfield.

Mueller and Millet are also good cheaper scopes.

 

[NBT]

I am new to the hunting game becoming the first in my family. i have no one to ask for help on these things, quite frustrating. I am about to purchase a Remington 700 ADL .308. i was wondering if this is a smart buy for my soon to be deer hunting adventures. also wondering if so what type of scope would be appropriate for this gun and it being used as a hunting rifle.

That's a great start for deer hunting...been hunting for...well let's say a long time.... :/
Regarding scopes... you will need to estimate what your average shot will be where you hunt.
If your in the Mountains of WV and your average shot will be 300 yards... and up to 500 your probably going to want a good variable that provides you some good magnification at these distances... versus someone who is hunting in Southern Michigan...that takes an average shot at 100 - 300 yards...this is where less magnification would be sufficient.

I put a Nikon Buckmasters 6-18 X 40 on mine... I hunt in WV. You would not need that much for a 300 yard average....the 3-9 would be sufficient.
Your also going to decide on reticle for your scope... I prefer the BDC (Bullet Drop Compensating) because I am not one to dial a scope into range while hunting when it's 20 degrees out...plus try it with gloves on...and not loose a scope cap...ect. Better for me to know which reference point is what yardage. This requires range time...and a good journal...log book....to highlight where my reference points are given a certain type/grain of ammo.

Here is a video describing the difference between dialing in your scope to estimate yardage...vs using a BDC reticle.... mind you this scope is built off of the .223 round...so they made it somewhat easier to get the reference points on the scope to be "right on" for the 55gr, .223 ammo used commonly in the AR 15 platform.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IZUfHYyZLc

 

[stex shooter]

Hey Bluehunter,

Welcome to the forum and to hunting. I am a Hunting Guide here in South Texas.
Sounds like you are off to a great start with the SPS .308. It should make a fine life long hunting companion. As far as scopes go a 3-9x40 will handle most hunting situations. I also use a 4-12x40 Leupold, it is nice but not nessesary. The Nikon Buckmaster is a nice hunting scope at a reasonable price. It gathers light well early morning and late evening and image is pretty crisp. It also has 1/4 moa click adjustments for windage and elevation.
The Leupold vx2 and vx3 are both Great quality hunting scopes. Clarity, "light gathering", ruggedness is all top notch and their warranty is lifetime. Both have 1/4 moa click adjustment for windage and elevation.
Buttler Creek flip open lens covers are a great addition also.
Just remember that the higher the magnification the more restricted your field of view and you might miss a quick shot on a deer if you can't find him in your scope.
Good luck this fall. Post picks of your kills.

 

[NBT]

Hey Stex... what line you running down there? Maxbo Baker? Goliath?, Highroller? Rolex? You fellas get into all that? You have a link? I always wanted to do a S. Texas hunt for Whitetail...you guys are a perfect example of game management...the bucks that have been raised in TX are something else.

 

[stex shooter]

I am a wildlife manager on a ranch in between San Antonio and Corpus Christi Texas. We are a low fenced fair chase operation. We manage our wildlife and habitat through selective harvesting of game animals, controled burns, brush management, and we do feed some protein as well. We also do our best to keep the feral hog population under control.
I see you are from florida. We did a hunt for a wounded warrior from Iraq, working with the folks from "Hunts For Heroes" which is based in Florida. It was the most rewarding hunt that I have ever guided. The soldier harvested a nice 134 3/8 B&C 8 point buck. I have never seen anyone filled with so much joy as when he dropped the hammer on that deer. Those guys have given so much for us and it was great to give a little back to them.

 

[NBT]

I am a wildlife manager on a ranch in between San Antonio and Corpus Christi Texas. We are a low fenced fair chase operation. We manage our wildlife and habitat through selective harvesting of game animals, controlled burns, brush management, and we do feed some protein as well. We also do our best to keep the feral hog population under control.
I see you are from Florida. We did a hunt for a wounded warrior from Iraq, working with the folks from "Hunts For Heroes" which is based in Florida. It was the most rewarding hunt that I have ever guided. The soldier harvested a nice 134 3/8 B&C 8 point buck. I have never seen anyone filled with so much joy as when he dropped the hammer on that deer. Those guys have given so much for us and it was great to give a little back to them.

That''s awesome... we do our best to manage the deer population in WV (where I hunt). The deer up in WV are abundant....but small.....they average about #150 - #190. They eat good though.
I was lucky enough to get one of the fellas that I work with at the fire dept ...his first deer up at "huntcamp"... he was so pumped... the wounded soldier hunt had to be unbelievable.... those guys are all heart...we don't do enough for them IMHO.
To be honest...I have never been on a guided hunt. Never harvested a deer with a gun...all bow.... however that may soon change.
Sad to say I have not even hog hunted down here...and there's a lot of them.... I am in the middle of one of the most populated counties in the State. There is some public land N of here...but you know how that goes...and it's a lot of swamp...and that does not sound very appealing to me.
You ever need a few fellas in town to clean up the hogs.... I'm in.... maybe we need a 700Rifle.com group hunt in TX.

 

[djackson]

I am with XJosh95 as far as scouting alot before the season, but i am fearful of public hunting lands. There is no telling what idiot you have hunting near you. I always hunted lease land period!!!!! That way you get to know who you hunting with and be able to make sure you are hunting different areas. In i think 600 acres we had a total of 7 people hunting and not all at the same time. As far as your scope choices, they are abundant. If you price range is around $200 you can get a refield scope (made by leupold at the factory in oregon. great warranty. And the best glass I have found in that price range) - There again you can never go wrong with an actual leupold vx3 or vx4, but the are a little more $. If your pocket is bottomless you could do a night force or us optics. Anyway, welcome to the forum, good luck hunting and great decision on the remington.

 

[847600]

bluehunter,
Welcome to the site and congratulations on getting into hunting and getting a decent rifle. The .308 is a great hunting cartridge and the ADL is one of the standard hunting rifles.

You can get caught up on this site and others about what is the best and be pressures to spend a lot of $$$ up front and in upgrades. Im not saying getting good stuff is bad I'm just encouraging you to be realistic in what you want to do. Hunting is a great time. You can put a little into it and have a great time or you can spend a lot of time in the woods learning the habits of your game. Either way it can be rewarding...... but depending on what kind of hunting you do your rifle/scope/ammo may not be anywhere near the most important piece of gear.

You didn't say where you are or what type of hunting you are planning. If you are out west or in cornfields you will need a gun/scope/ammo combo that reaches out. I hunt in an area where taking a 100 yard shot is taking a far shot. I was 12 a bought a Remington 7600 and put on a Tasco 3-9 that probably cost me $40. (The equilivant scope today is running between 60-80) Being a 12 year old kid with a rifle and a 3-9 scope was just too cool. As I grew I realized a pump action gun is not the most accurate (Although the 7600 is known for exceptional accuracy but the trigger has a lot to be desired), and a $40 scope is well below the average price spent on optics. But the bottom line is that gun has taken deerfor the last 28 years. The scope has only been adjusted once. And that is because, as a 14ish year old kid, I thought I could take it off and put it back on and get it spot on. To this day I still use that set up and don't plan on changing it as long as I'm hunting in the same area.

Not knocking getting good stuff. I'm here because I'm in the process of getting a "precision rifle" but evaluate what you need for hunting and spend what you need. Don't go cheap either, that always burns you in the end. Just try not to go overboard. Spend the $$ on boots, etc.