Planning to pick up an XL7 after the holidays in .270 Win. Now I need a scope budget. First. I'm fairly new to scope set up. So what parts will I need? Am I right that with the base already on the rifle I just need rings? Is/are the base serviceable or should I plan to replace? Second. Need some scope info. Thinking $200-300 installed. The gun I use now has a Nikon which I like, but don't have other experience to compare it to. What else should I consider in my price range? Third. I'm not opposed to buying used to save money on higher quality, but given my lack of experience don't know what to look for so I don't buy somebody's trash. This rifle is for hunting only, 300yds absolute max, 50-150 yards primarily. I'm thinking 3-9x is plenty. Thanks for the help. Seems to be a great supportive board. Jbo
A 3-9x is plenty for what you have in mind. If you are happy with Nikon and it is in your price range stay with it...they are good scopes. When picking out any scope make sure the ocular lense is adjusted for your vision before making any judgements. If your rifle comes with bases or a rail I would use it first before I go swapping stuff around. One small piece of advice is not to over torque your equipment. Nowadays a lot of the scope mounting parts are made from aircraft aluminum. It is good stuff, but still soft enough you can strip screws if you get carried away. BTW I like your choice in caliber. The .270 is a good all around deer rifle.
I've heard very good things about the Nikon Pro-Staff. Never had one but I hear that they are an excellent scope. I've had good success with BSA. They are pretty good despite the bargain price. Just my 2 cents.
The BSA isn't a bad scope for the money. I have two 3-10x44mm Catseye scopes. One still NIB. I forget who had them on sale, but I bought two when I had the chance. You never know when a rifle will follow you home and you will need a scope.
Bought a marlin xl7 couple of months ago and put a Nikon ProStaff 4 x 9 - 50 scope on it and absolutely love it. Happy shooting.
Had the opportunity for a no cost cheap Simmons 8 Point, so why not? I'm getting good groups and it's held up to .270 for months before I got it. I'm going to use it for a while. The scope I was using before was a Nikon Monarch. While I realize they aren't in the same league, I can't say I notice a night and day difference in the two. I can definitely tell a difference, but I'm not sure it justifies the difference in price. I even did some comparisons in low light conditions. Maybe I'm not sophisticated enough to appreciate a high dollar scope. Ignorance is bliss(for my wallet, at least). Jbo
