Leupold FX-3 6x42 with LR duplex for coyotes?

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700xcr

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Was thinking on getting a Remington 700 SPS stainless sporter in 223rem and a walking calling gun. Would the 6x scope be up for the job? All I have now is the Remington 700 SPS Varminter with a heavy 26" barrel and has a Burris Signature Select 8x32x44mm with the Ballistic Mil-Dot that I use for target and ground squirrels.
 
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Thanks for replying. I was just wondering if it would be too much power if I was able to get them in real close and was wondering if a work if they hung up out to 300yds?
 
It oughtta' be a great scope for either of those apps. IMO. I always crank my optics down to ~6 or so while calling, in case one ends up in my lap. Shot one couple days ago in fact at ~60 yds. and the optic was set at ~6x. Shot another couple months ago at ~400 yds., and the optic was once again set at ~6. Never felt under(or over)-powered at all really.

You sure wouldn't need the LR Duplex for it though for shots to only 300 yds. Std. Duplex itslef offers a great 1-stadia ballistic (and rangefinding) reticle at 4.5 inch per hundred yds. down to the reticle's lower post tip.
 
I depends alot on the way you hunt and the ground you hunt on. I like to get into the cover instead of calling them out of it. I hunt the west side forest and high sage and russian olive groves of central WA. I like a 1x4 or 1.5x6 and rarely take them off of the lowest setting, most of my shots are 10' to 150yrds. There is plenty of time to turn them up if need for that rare coyote that I can see out there aways.

I have hunted that calf high sage and croplans of central MT and see where a higher power scope would be handi. I built a nice LVSF clone in 22-250 for that type of country and have a 2.5x10 scope on it. I still like as much FOV as I can get there you never know when on is going to pop out of a little depression that you didn't know was there.

Out to 300yrds or so you don't need anything more than a stright duplex or Ger.#4 as you can hold on fur for any shot with a good flat shooting 223 to 22-250. Beyond that you chances of a hit without wind flags and a rest better than sticks sitting go way down and you'd be better off coming back another day and setting up for a better shot.



AWS
 
I hunt open CRP/range ground and have a farm with circle pivots that I hunt here in Eastern Washington. I want a scope that I do not have to play around with. I want to have rifle up to shoulder and shoot. These coyotes around here always seemed to be call shy and shot at. So you opinions a duplex would work just fine. So do I sight in like my old 300 H&H with the Leupold 1.5x5x20mm dead on at 200yds? If so I would get the FX-3 6x42mm with the wide duplex and save money.
 
If your comfortable with a 17' FOV compared to a 60' to 90' FOV at 100yrds remember that works out to 3' compared to 12' to 18' at 20 yrds, go for it. For me that would be a disaster waiting for a place to happen. With a coyote jinking through the sage at 20yrds I like being able to see the dog and 10 feet in front of a dog instead of just getting part of the dog in the scope if you can keep him in the scope at all.

Remember you have a kill zone of 6x8" and that isn't that hard to hit with iron sights at 300yrds.

AWS
 
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fixed power scopes really stink for predator hunting, unless it is a 2x or a 4x, 6x is too much for shots within 25' and often not enough for shots where you can only see a yotes head sticking out over the top of a bush staring at you. I too keep my variable set on 4x-7x quite a bit, but yotes do hang up past 300 and will more often than not but a bush between you and them only giving you a partial body shot.

Of course, the type of terrain that you hunt in is what determines the kind of scope you hunt in.

3-12's and 4x-12, or 4-16's are much better choices than a fixed power of any kind(depending on your hunting terrain, of course) with the great compromise in budget constraints being a 3x-9x.

My varmint rifle is not just a yote rifle but crows, rabbits,chucks, p. dogs, musk rat, beaver, what ever in any kind of condition kind of rifle.

For many years the Leupold 3.5-10 was used as a "standard" in the two Varmint Hunting Clubs I was in. As the years pile on, I found my wanting more power not less. I can only remember two times where yotes got in to within 3 feet of me where 4x was too much, and I don't think that it would have mattered because the brush was so thick, they were right at the end of the gun barrel laying in my lap one second and disappeared around a bush the next second.

If I were hunting the thick with scattered open spots that allow for longer shots, I have a rifle set up with a 2x-8x on it. If you are hunting the thick dessert brush, a shotgun will give you the edge over a rifle...learning that lesson cost me many yotes.
 
Good info Ack.

I just picked up the rig shown and it is getting to be my favorite close cover rig for coyotes. 12ga/5.6x50R(222 Rem Mag Rimmed)O/U w/Leupold 1x4x20mm. With the scope set at 1x and a load of #5 TM even the pheasant or duck that flushes on the way back from a stand are are in mortal danger. The dog shown is from the first stand with this rig.

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The cartridge carrier holds two high power rifle loads two small game/finisher loads one extra load of BB(bismuth) and one #5 TM, ready for anything. Most of the time we hunt large blocks of public land with no road access so usually make large 2-3 mile loops through them and make several calling stands.

AWS
 
Just set up where the coyotes have to come out in the open to get there. ie, up on a little ridge or on a hill. If you are calling in the really thick stuff, maybe a shotgun would be better. It really depends on your terrain. If you are comfortable with a 6x, by all means use one. Myself, I keep my scopes at 4.5-6 all of the time, but we have alot of open country around here.
 
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