Florida B.S. Thread

Definitely kill shots on a deer. When you going hunting?

 

Big complaints on the eye relief. I hunted with my bolt action this morning which seemingly has unlimited eye relief. This one seems to be only a couple of inches. Feels like I’m going to get scope face every time I shoot it lol. But, like you had it, I’m going to put it on my .22. I think it would be fine for that. No problems getting it sighted in though, and the view is pretty clear.

I’m up here now trying to do some hog thinning. It’s opening muzzleloader weekend here so my dad is deer hunting with his, I’m here just to party though.

 

Huh, that's too bad. I figured that Nikon would be a great bush scope and it does have pretty nice clarity. I kinda have the opposite problem with the Vortex on my AR. I can't get enough eye relief unless I extend the butt stock all the way out and the length of pull was more comfortable for me when it was a notch or two in.

 

Hmm, I was going to look into the vortex brand for this gun, might be just want I need.

Another gripe though too is the height of the scope mount, I believe mine needs to be a tad higher too. I could easily move the scope back more to help with the eye relief but it’s already starting to interfere with the charging handle which I don’t like. I’ll keep playing with it though. It’s probably one of those things where I’m just so used to hunting with the same gun for the last 6 years, so a completely new gun just won’t feel right at first.

 

With your resources, I say go Leupold or go home. Either that or Night Force. Both are some of the best on the market. I like my Votex, especially that it has a first focal plane reticule (The reticule gets bigger as you zoom in), but it's a lot more scope than you would probably need for a Florida bush gun.

This is the rifle with the Vortex on it. I ended up changing the rings to 4 screw rings and used the six screw rings on my 6.5 CM.


Honestly though, unless you go with a reflex sight, you're probably not going to find a hunting-type scope that doesn't overhang the charging handle. I think you can get different charging handles with different handle styles.

Anyway, these are the two Leupolds I'd recommend for you.

I'd pick this one first due to the illuminated reticule...

https://www.leupold.com/scopes/rifle-scopes/vx-freedom-3-9x50-firedot-30mm

Then there's this one. It's the modern day version of the same scope I've had for nearly 30 years and it was slightly brighter and clearer than the brand new mid range Vortex.

https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-3i-3-5-10x50mm

I wouldn't even look at Night force unless you feel the need to drop the better part of a couple grand on a scope.

 

Have you tried a cantilever mount? Will put the scope higher and farther forward

 

This is the rifle with the old VX-3 on it with Leupold high rings. Looks like you'd have plenty of room to slide it forward passed the charging handle.

 

I’ll look into those more when I get home. Glancing at the prices though already has be worried haha.

For what it’s worth, on my bolt action .308, I run a Redfield Revolution 3-9x40 scope that I absolutely love. It is (or at least was when I bought it) owned by Leupold and designed/machined/assembled in the US. Their website is outdated so I’m not even sure they are around anymore, but I know if that scope is that good, a Leupold scope will be sufficient as well.

That’s what I have on there essentially. It’s not as far forward or as high as some of the other cantilever mounts, but it is to an extent (I'll have to take a pic of it and post it for an example). The issue though isn’t really a matter of it being forward enough as much as the fact that I physically have to have my eye too close to the scope to be able to see the entire picture. I need something that is mounted forward or flush with the charging handle that I don’t have to lean forward an exaggerated amount to be able to see through the scope correctly.

 

I always knew Redfield as an economy brand. A Leupold would blow them away for clarity and quality.

Those prices are actually pretty reasonable for the two I suggested. That's what you should expect to pay for any high quality mid-price range optic. Buy a Leupold and will be with you for life. They are worth every dime. I love my Leupold LCS 40x45mm (even though my wallet was sobbing bitterly at the $1800 price tag). The Vortex isn't bad either, but it lacks the clarity of the Leupold even if it's just a slight difference. Where it shines though is the FFP reticle. You just can't find that in anything but the high end models with Leupold or Night Force, and then you're talking in the thousands. But that's something useful for me that makes up for the slight loss of clarity and not something that you would need for a bush rifle.

Spend the money on one of the Leupolds (again, I suggest the first one, but that's mainly because I hate duplex reticles now days) and you will never be sorry you did.

If they ever get their custom shop open at the same time as I have the money, I will have my 1 MOA target dot reticles swapped out for a MOA type like my Vortex has. That would be a better reticle for long range since it's easier to hold off more precisely then the plain target dot.

Oh, and Midway USA frequently has Leupold scopes on sale and I think they are normally cheaper from places like Midway rather than paying Leupold's full MSRP.

 

Just a heads up. I have a dealers account with Brownells. Some items I can get decent discounts on that stack with with the frequent discount codes Brownells puts out as well.

If you ever see something you want let me know and I'll see what price I could get it for you for.

For example I just searched Leupold and this is one of the the first things that came up

 

Buy once, cry once, as I always see myself saying

I’m definitely going to do some research. I don’t need anything immediately so that gives me time to shop around. Maybe some sales will pop on as soon as Black Friday, though I won’t really be looking to buy that soon. I think I could see myself paying up to $600 on something.

I’ll have to look up all the different reticle options. I don’t know one from the other when they get named lol. I’d like to have one like what my redfield has, though I don’t know what they call it.

Nice, I’ll keep you in mind for sure. Here is a pic of the mount I have now for the scope. This was sorta a pandemic build so I went on the cheaper end for this when my hours got cut back at work (hence the scope that’s on here from @Taco No Baka that I got in trade for a little side job). Just needed something to get the job done for this season and then I could worry about upgrading later. It’s a decent mount, just wish it sat a tad higher

 

Another thing I already don’t like about this gun too is the loose, rattling adjustable stock. I wanted this rifle stock from the beginning but I got what I got because I bought a complete lower. Add it to the list of stuff to buy . I love expensive hobbies

 

Reticles...sheesh, Leupold has six pages of different reticles. The problem is they aren't all available on every scope. In fact I don't think many of them are available on any scope out of the box. I'm assuming their Custom Shop could put one in your scope though. In the price range your looking at, unless you go with my first suggestion, you'll most likely end up with a duplex reticle (which is what the Nikon has). It's a very popular and useful reticle for hunting since it allows for a crude range estimation.

A bit of wisdom I heard last year that should have been a no brainer is that resale value on used optics is shit. So you want to buy the best scope you can afford (buy once, cry once, as you say) and that scope will be with you through several rifles.

Personally, I want a Magpul PRS for my 6.5 CM when I go to the Chassis stock and I'd like to have one for my AR, but I'd have to go to a Mil-Spec buffer tube

 

I have fixed stocks on both of my ARs. I found ones that fit my length of pull perfectly and set them at that length. They don't jiggle, as you mentioned, and now I have storage compartments for snickers on both of my ARs

 

Is this trip on anybody else's radar?

Considering it myself.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wind-rock-wheeling-trip-11-6-11-8.687464/

 

If you want a cheap inexpensive scope look at a UTG great reviews and decent quality. If you want something that has clear as day glass look at a meopta

 

Primary Arms has some decent scopes as well. Military Arms Channel put one of their 4-14x44 scopes on a Savage 308 for a “1000yds For less than $1000” build.

 

Lmao, one can never have too many stashed hunting snacks

 

Each time I’ve started down the motor swap path for my 1st gen 4runner something has come up and I’ve had to use the money saved for that. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again! This time I saved up quite a bit more than what the swap should take. I’m setting my budget at 5K.


Ideally, I will be able to find a complete donor vehicle. I would like a 3rd gen 4runner or 1st gen Tacoma as a starting point. 3.4 motor with an automatic transmission. This does assume the transmissions have the same side t-case drop as my 1st gen. I know the 5 speed swaps are easier and I do drive stick, my daily driver is a 5 speed. I just prefer an automatic in the woods and in traffic. I certainly wouldn’t rule out a 5 speed donor vehicle if the price, mileage and condition were right or I couldn’t use the transfer case from the donor. I have notes on all of this somewhere, but will continue my research before buying a donor. *** Edit, Marlin and other do a conversion plate to run gear t-cases with the right drop. So, Auto vs 5 speed is less of an issue. Calling Toyota only swaps tomorrow to get an idea on the wiring harness.***


My runner has a tired 22re in it now, with an automatic to say it’s slow is an understatement. I don’t need a ton of power and a 3.4 will be a huge improvement. I’ve thought about doing a 3rz with a small turbo too. But, the more I think about it the low end torque of the larger motor wins out. I’ve also thought about an LS, but I don’t think my Toyota axles would be happy with that option for very long. The rear is stock except for gears and a locker. The front is more “built”, TG housing, 27 spine Longfields, gears, locker and 300M Longfield IFS to SAS lockout hub gears.


I’ll be doing the swap in my driveway, same spot I did the solid axle swap. So it will take a while, but I would like to get started soon and have the cooler weather to complete it. I have a 220 volt welder and a plasma cutter so doing the motor mounts shouldn’t be an issue. Other than that, basic hand tools and an impact will cover the rest.


Here’s where I’m asking for help. Please let me know if you see or know of any donor vehicles that fit the bill. I’ll also need an engine hoist and motor stand, I’m not opposed to buying them new, but a good deal on a used one would work too.


The last part of asking for help will come later, once I have the donor. I would welcome the help pulling the motor and trans and then again later pulling the 22re and installing the new engine.



Fingers crossed that this goes well this time. If it doesn’t, I may just sell the old runner and buy a new Tacoma.

Pics and BS thread to come when I start getting parts!


Guy,

The old Runner..

 

Hey man! Thanks for shepherding and pulling my ass out of the suck at Richloam, when the time comes that you need a hand shoot me a PM and I'll give you my number and try to help out when I can.