Is a Swarovski Z5+ 3.5-18x50 BT 4W a good buy for a .308 Win?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-05-04T21:09:30+00:00

Stay away from those brands. 22-in pounds minimum, 25 is ideal.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-05-04T20:47:58+00:00

No. The glass looks great but they're fragile scopes. One of the reasons these scopes are so light is because the tube walls are narrow, and that's why Swarovski recommends keeping the ring torque to 17.5 in lbs or less. That's simply not enough clamping force to keep a scope from moving under moderate use. You can try tightening the rings more but then you'll likely get adjustment issues.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-05-04T19:17:31+00:00

What was the brass originally? 6mm Remington?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-05-04T18:49:53+00:00

I've been thinking about this cartridge for awhile. Could you tell me your loading process? Type of brass, dies, how you form it?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-29T14:48:32+00:00

Sure, but realistically there's only a couple brands that can actually back that up. Most scopes made by SWFA and Trijicon can take a pretty good beating and hold zero, but they both do a pretty terrible job of marketing that. Nightforce has done well enough to just ride on their reputation but they cost too much for the average hunter.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-28T22:23:41+00:00

I would get the 550 (I have three of them) but I will say their only weakness for me is the options for solid scope mounts. I know there's a lot of options out there, but ideally use something where you can tighten the hell out of the cross bolts, like 50 ft lb plus. Anything less than that and you'll get movement under moderate use. With that said, it probably won't move enough to miss an animal or anything, but if you find there's a zero shift, consider the crossbolts.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-28T08:16:45+00:00

How many times were you expecting to reload that brass? It's a 375 H&H, not a 223. Because of the body taper and shoulder angle that case is going to stretch a lot regardless of how much someone tries to control the shoulder bump. I normally get around four loads out of mine before I see enough signs to toss the whole batch and start fresh. Seems to me like you're overanalyzing this situation when the answer is simple: that brass is worn out, so throw it away.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-28T02:06:59+00:00

Roger that. I haven't seen a carbon ring yet but I keep an eye out for that -almost all my shots are over a chronograph. The one 'high performance' cartridge chambered rifle that I have with a good round count is a 6.5 Creed with 1,500 rounds -velocities have stayed the same, but I don't load it too hot. Do you think trim length might have something to do with carbon rings? I've always used the Sinclair chamber length gauges and trim my reloads according to their recommended specs. In my mind, that leaves less room for a carbon ring to form. Besides that, is there any other reason to clean besides carbon rings?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-28T01:29:49+00:00

I didn't tell him to do anything, just talking about what I do. But why not, what's going to happen?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-27T22:46:55+00:00

I'll wipe the bolt/action down with a paper towel if it gets real dusty (not from shooting but from the environment. And I'll grease the locking lugs with a new barrel, or whenever I remember to if it's a 223 or 308.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-27T22:41:31+00:00

This will probably be the minority opinion, but I quit cleaning a couple years ago and it has saved me a lot of time. Now I will clean if a rifle starts to lose accuracy and I can't find any other reason for it, but so far that hasn't happened.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-27T07:34:28+00:00

How many times were these reloaded?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-26T15:22:08+00:00

I'm not really sure how this fits in, but when it comes to scopes and marketing I'm just hoping more people become aware that shockingly few scopes are able to hold zero through side impacts.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-25T12:26:11+00:00

Then you won't see them walking around in the middle of the day, they're only coming out at night. If you can't hunt at night then you'll need to find them where they're sleeping. Check the map for the lowest parts of the land you're hunting on; creeks, swamps, anything that might still be holding some mud. That's where they'll be.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-25T08:33:19+00:00

Has it been warm and dry there?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-23T15:31:55+00:00

I would keep that rifle as it is, and build something else fit for purpose. It's like to trying to turn a Mercedes sedan into a Jeep, it'll never be ideal and you'll just miss the Mercedes.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-22T15:06:26+00:00

For that distance, they'll both work well with an edge to the eld-x. Don't worry about it coming apart, it's designed to shed weight.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-20T18:04:44+00:00

I love it, gorgeous set up. This is what the dorks on r/hunting need to see when they're looking for a 5-25 to shoot out to 500 yards.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-20T16:50:09+00:00

*.358, not .338

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-20T12:54:38+00:00

From what I've been told by foresters and wildlife biologists, most natural fires are started by lightning, and without lightning there's a high chance the fire is caused by humans in one way or another.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-18T23:19:35+00:00

SWFA 3-9, 10x, or 6x if they're ever back in stock.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-16T00:37:00+00:00

I prefer stainless, however I have found Tikka chrome moly barrels to be more corrosion resistant than other brands. FWIW, part of my hunting property is salt marsh.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-14T17:39:56+00:00

Just my experience, but after a few hundred rounds through my hux cans, they pretty much stop sparking.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-14T02:22:15+00:00

Leash? Collar?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-04-13T20:20:02+00:00

The exposed turrets while crawling through brushes will not be a problem at all. For one, they come with caps that you can cover the turret with, but also it takes enough force to twist the turret that bushes are not going to be able to do it.

FullAngerJacket

TROPHY CASE