I was told you can send Zeiss your scope and they will put a different reticle in for you. Is this true and what is the cost? Also is 12x magnification enough to be ethical at 500-800 yards on whitetail?

I like 20x at a thousand. A buddy of mine shoots 15x at 1000 (hunting rifle) . 12x is plenty. it all comes down to your skills. What's your experience shooting targets at 500+?

Zero. I just purchased a tikka t3 lite .300 win mag and put a used zeiss 3x12 56mm 30 mm tube on it. The reticle is the #8 reticle and it's great for low light but it covers too much of the target at longer distances. I'm 2 for 2 at 325 and 350 with my 30-06 so I'm confident in my ability. I'm wanting to go on an elk trip and Midwest whitetail trip next year so I purchased the gun hoping that if I needed to make a 500 yrd shot I could make it happen. I know I need a different reticle just not sure which one and wasn't sure if 12x was enough magnification at 500 yds. Any a disease and recommendations are appreciated. Oh and I'm shooting federal premium trophy bonded tip 180 grain factory loads

Any advise*

See if you can get turrets for it. Dialing might be a better option with a second focal plane scope and trying to make points on a reticle match impact at yardage.

Contact Kenton industries for a set of turrets and shoot many a hundred rounds at 500-600 yards, off a backpack or your jacket rolled up. You won't have the luxury of a solid bench style rest while elk hunting.

That's the place I was trying to think of. This advice above plus a good rangefinder I believe is your best route.

And maybe run a half mile before the shot to simulate the oxygen deprivation at altitude, lol.

I'm going on a mule deer hunt in October and the base camp is at 6500'. I'm a little worried about climbing hills from the base camp. I've spent plenty of time in Denver and west working and I can tell a big difference at that altitude.

Im still waiting on an answer to the Ziess Question.

Anybody know?

$200 depending on model

12x is not ethical for 500-800 yards. I'm not sure that shot can be ethically taken without the gun in a lead sled.

I know, I know, that shot is a chip shot for a lot of y'all.

You will need to call Zeiss about reticle change for your particular model scope. They will for some and not for others. A lot depends on how old the scope is. Zeiss changes models a lot and you wind up with an older model they won't even service. They will replace your scope but sometimes they try to replace it with a lesser scope. Most of the time if you stick to your guns they will upgrade you.

I know of a couple people recently who sent in the older Conquest scopes where Zeiss couldn't repair them because they had changed models and said they didn't have parts. They replaced them with Terra Conquest scopes rather than the more expensive HD5 Conquests. I seem to remember one guy though that complained and his was replaced with an HD5.

I'm sort of on the fence with Zeiss because of this issue. About the only way you won't get possibly screwed on service a few years down the road is to buy only their top end stuff. Then they will usually have no argument to replace you with the current top end version.

I also agree with Remington 270 above. I find the recent longer range trend a bit disconcerting that hunters seem to want to push the limit of their shooting as if the farther they can make the shot,the better it is. Once upon a time the measure of a hunter was in how close he could get rather than in how far he could shoot.I'm not saying that all long range shots are unethical but extreme long range shots with highly specialized equipment in the hands of highly specialized marksmen have given more hunters the illusion that they too are qualified to take such shots,which I fear will result is wounded game and fuel for the anti hunters.

The Marine Corps M40 sniper rifle only has a 3x12 on it. They upgraded from a 10x starting in .......

2007...

Use to have a 3x9.

Wait...huh? Those Mall Ninjas on the internet said you needed a 20x scope didn't they? That being said, probably shouldn't shoot animals that far anyway. Not really realistic in the field for most of the people that even think they can shoot that far. Mr. Clark above is spot on IMO.

Goat, my main point was just that anything near 800 yards is not ethical in my mind. That's a HALF MILE.

No, I agree. Just giving you a hard time. This long range phenomenon really blows my mind as well.

I completely agree with everything that has been said. I'm an avid bowhunter and would rather stalk to within 30 yards with my bow than make a 500 yard shot with special equipment. I'm a complete rookie when it comes to this kind of stuff so I really don't know what is considered unethical. In my mind, 500 is acceptable under the right conditions and you can't close the distance. Anything more than that I would feel like my accomplishment has been compromised. However, I would like to know I'm capable of making a 500 yard shot if I absolutely had to. I was just wanting to ask someone with experience whether or not 12x magnification was capable of producing ethical groups at 500 yards. I would like to take my bow but for my first trip I want to maximize my chances of bringing something home.

You can be able to shoot 500 and even farther with some practice and experience. I wasn't referring to you specifically and I don't think anyone else was either. I just think it needs to be repeated as much as possible that anyone who is considering long range shots needs to have a lot of trigger time under field conditions. Set up some field shots along a pipeline or power line where you can range the distance and set up on either a pack or tripod,or however you will be shooting when you are on your hunt. Get a piece of cardboard or whatever that will represent a kill zone and make sure you can make those shots 100% of the time.

I just see it as a trend though that more and more guys want to stretch their range,which has great potential to cause problems. That's why I think it always needs to be stressed that it should never be considered without field experience.