maximus otter Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 I’m looking to put together a .223 rig for rabbit, corvids, fox and small deer. Rabbits out to a maximum of 300 yards; everything else closer. My permission is flat agricultural land. l have my eye on a Schmidt & Bender 3-12 x 50 PMII. Is that enough ‘scope for 300 yard bunnies? It’s an illuminated ‘scope and l believe it’s first focal plane. maximus otter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catch-22 Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 More than ok - with the 3-12x50 PMII, you can easily see clearly enough to hit chest size targets at 1000m. The PMII's are lovely scopes (I own a 5-25x56 myself) but IMO it might be a bit overkill (and expensive) for 300m bunny shooting. You'll eek out the best from the PMIIs (and other top end scopes) when shooting at very long distances - that's where you get the real benefit from the top end glass and build quality. Why not look at a Sightron SIII or Vortex PST which have higher mag than 3-12, will be plenty clear for shooting st 300m, and will save you loads of cash to spend on bullets & powder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodlander Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 Personally,I would want more mag for 300 yards,but my eyes are getting dodgy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 12x is doable but it would also depend on the thickness of the reticule and how precisely you want to aim, if centre mass is enough then it will be fine, if your wanting to pick out a headshot you might find it harder. I like high mag so long as I can shoot from a rested position 6-24x has always been a good compromise for me and latterly 8-32x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VarmLR Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 I used to use a Vx3 4.5-14 x 50 Leupold on my 223 and that was just about perfect for rabbit sized targets to 300 yds. I usually had it set at 12 or 14x. Glass was good in contrast and the varmint ret perfect for the job. I wouldn't advise going any less than 12 for 300 yd precision shooting. Personally, I think that the Leupy is a good optic for that purpose and a lot less expensive than the PMii, great scope that it is. Have a look at the Gen 2 Vortex scopes or the Delta scopes too. Something up to 16x would be perfect. One's I'd recommend looking at would include: vortex Gen II 3-15 x 44 PST vortex Viper HST 4-16 x 44 Leupold 4.5-14 x 50 VX3 Sightron 2.5-17 x 56 S-Tac As Big Al says, you also can't go far wrong with a good 6-24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palo Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 I also prefer higher mag as I enjoy a bit of target shooting with my rifles as well. 12 power is ok if the reticle is still fine but I find the reticle too thick on a lot of ffp scopes at that power. I use a Zeiss 6-24×56 on my 204 and I find it great for long range rabbits. I had a mate though who had a 6x42 scope with a really thick reticle on his 204 and I watched him shooting 300 yard plus rabbits with it. I don' know how he done it. I would definitely go for something with at least 16 power. That way you know it will be enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximus otter Posted March 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Thanks to one and all. Perhaps I didn't make my question clear: I wasn't looking for recommendations for brands of 'scope; I already have one particular make and model in mind. I was asking specifically about magnification for a particular type of target. My (current) four rifles are fitted with three Schmidts and a Leupold. The Leupold is a Vari-X III 4.5 - 14 x 50mm with a varmint hunter reticle, and I'm not too keen on it: It has no parallax adjustment, no illumination and target-type turrets. I'm after tactical turrets and illume; also a more appropriate reticle, maybe a "Christmas tree". maximus otter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VarmLR Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 In which case, if you have the funds, any of the PMii's from the 4-16 x 56, the Ultrabright 5-20 x 50 or 5-25 x 56 would all do the job well using one of their finer rets including the P4F. If you're not going to be using it past 300m, then the 5-20 would be ideal on mag for a 300yd bunny. One of my scopes (in this case my NSX) gets used a lot in the field to those distances on that sized quarry and usually is set at around 18x. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximus otter Posted March 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Gents, call off the dogs, p*** on the fire: I've just bought a Schmidt & Bender PMII 4-16 x 50 FFP Mil/Mil with the P3 reticle and a KillFlash. All I need now is the big bit that goes underneath it... maximus otter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VarmLR Posted March 6, 2018 Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 Great choice. What .223 are you looking to stick under it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximus otter Posted March 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2018 2 hours ago, VarmLR said: Great choice. What .223 are you looking to stick under it? I have my eye on a nice Sako. I've been pipped at the post a couple of times recently, so I won't say too much... Photos here if/when I assemble the outfit. maximus otter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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