Traveling Hunters Need Durable Riflescopes

Trijicon Credo HX Perfect for Saskatchewan Whitetails Despite Hard Knocks

By Jack Orloff, Associate Editor

Originally published in the 2025 March/April issue of Safari Magazine.

Ever so slowly, I shouldered the Weatherby Model 307 and centered the scope’s reticle on the buck’s vitals. I had been sitting for the past five days, from dawn until dusk, waiting for an opportunity that had not come easily.

After thousands of miles of travel in the air, a clumsy Canadian border guard and bumpy rides on the back of a side-by-side to my blind every morning, would my scope still be on when it mattered most?

Many hunters have accidentally bumped or dropped the rifle scope and have had that dreaded feeling of uncertainty.

Years ago, I was on a whitetail hunt in North Carolina. While getting into the tree stand, I accidentally hit my rifle scope on the ladder. An hour later, a big buck walked out at 200 yards. I felt good about the shot, but when I pulled the trigger, the deer took off without a scratch.

Later, I found that bumping the rifle had adjusted my scope just a hair, which caused me to shoot a few inches high.

“Durability is important to us because you never know when that once-in-a-lifetime hunt might happen,” said John Fink, Trijicon’s product manager of magnified optics. “This could happen on a deer hunt near home or that dream hunt you have planned for years. Your scope must perform at the moment of truth.”

In the case of a dangerous game hunt, your life or the lives of others might depend on the scope doing its job.

“We do everything we can during the design and development phase to ensure you can count on your scope under any circumstance,” said Fink.

Trijicon’s scopes are designed and engineered to withstand extreme hunting conditions. All optics undergo rigorous testing during the design and development process and are tested to military standards and protocols.

Some of those tests include thermal shock testing, where scopes are held for 24 hours in cold and hot storage. The optic is then pulled from the freezer or oven and brought to ambient temperature. This simulates going from hunting in freezing conditions to taking the scope into a heated cabin or going from a vehicle in the desert into an air-conditioned building. In both scenarios, the contraction and expansion of the materials will expose leaks or glass cracking issues.

Then, there is immersion testing, where optics must pass 30 minutes at a depth of 10 feet with no water intrusion.

Next, a recoil simulator where scopes are subjected to 5,000 rounds from a SCAR-H, a known scope-wrecker.

After that, a vibration test simulates vibrations and abuse that might be encountered bouncing around in a pick-up truck, Humvee or ATV.

Finally, the company produces a drop test where scopes mounted on rifles are dropped at various heights onto different materials like hard-packed soil, plywood and concrete.

The company’s commitment to durability can be traced back to its military roots, said Fink, who was on the hunt with me.

“We hold all of our optics to the same standard,” he said. “We know when we are building scopes for a military contract, we also sell those same scopes, with different external markings, into the commercial market. We know that optics sold to the commercial market are purchased by soldiers and can end up in combat. We assume that no matter the distribution channel, someone’s life might depend on the optic performing in the time of need.”

Fink said that Trijicon uses the best quality materials that will survive and still perform.

“This includes the best seals that will not allow any nitrogen to escape or moisture to enter,” he said. “You can rest assured that zero will be maintained throughout the hunting season despite changing weather conditions, inadvertent drops or other heavy use.”

I used Trijicon’s Credo HX 2.5-15×42 on the whitetail hunt in Canada. I traveled over 1,800 miles from Texas to northern Saskatchewan but first had to connect in Minneapolis and then Calgary.

When I arrived in Calgary, I had to clear customs. The officers there were friendly and polite but fascinated with my rifle. One officer even took the rifle out of the hard case to get a better look before aggressively placing it back, hitting my scope on the side of the case.

This was not how I wanted to start my trip, with the feeling of uncertainty that my scope would now not perform.

After a full day of travel, we finally arrived at Safari River Outfitters in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. We were greeted by the manager, and went right to the range to ensure our rifles were correctly sighted in.

After three quick shots at the target, about 100 yards away, I was not fully confident I was on. But the manager, who was spotting for me, said everything looked good.

“You’re on target,” he said. And then, “Next guy up!”

Each morning before light, the guides would drive us in a side-by-side to our ground blinds. Some of these blinds were far, and the rides were long and considerably bumpy.

My rifle was placed in the back of the vehicle in a soft case. After each bump or rough turn, I would wince, knowing my rifle might be bouncing around back there like a beach ball. The rides were long, so I wasn’t able to hold it in the cab with me the whole time.

My ground blind was located in a small clearing in the woods. I would sit for the next five days from dawn until dusk, waiting for an opportunity at a Saskatchewan whitetail.

Although slow at times, each sit was filled with excitement. On Day 2, two bucks came in. I scanned them thoroughly but decided to pass as they were not the age-class buck I was after.

As they fed, occasionally looking up to ensure the coast was clear, the two bucks began to spar just 70 yards from me. The sounds of them grunting and twigs breaking as they battled erupted the forest. After 20 minutes, they drifted off, seeming to have enough of each other. But soon after that, one of them appeared again, showcasing a battle wound of a large gash under his eye.

You don’t see that every day!

Most of the other hunters had already tagged out during the first few days. Hunting buddy Eddie Stevenson, also of Trijicon, killed a fine buck that scored approximately 150 and weighed a whopping 290 pounds.

But I had yet to see a shooter buck.

On Day 5, the last day of the trip, after sitting for 11 hours each day. It was now or never.

My guide Ashton had moved me to a different location closer to camp, hoping that a buck would finally show. I was hopeful that my luck would change, and it sure did.

Around noon on the last day, a doe made an appearance. I could tell she was anxious, and she didn’t stay long.

Suddenly, I noticed movement in the woods and could faintly see antlers moving through the trees. It was a buck, and he was on her scent!

As I shouldered my rifle, I couldn’t help but think about what my scope had gone through the past few days. I took a deep breath, exhaled and slowly squeezed the trigger.

As the shot rang out, I watched the buck flinch and then take off into the woods out of sight.

The unknown was torture. I waited for Ashton to arrive to begin the tracking process.

When he did arrive, we found the buck 35 yards away. I had made a great shot right through the boiler room.

My first Saskatchewan whitetail weighed in at 245 pounds. This buck would likely not get much of a bigger rack due to its genetics and age. It was the perfect buck.

Traveling while hunting or even shooting in your back 40, we know that anything can and will go wrong. It’s good to know that companies like Trijicon work to ensure the utmost performance and durability when it matters most. It gives us hunters one less thing to worry about.

The Rifle: Weatherby Alpine CT

The Weatherby Model 307 Alpine CT is for hunters who want a light, accurate bolt-action rifle that they can customize.

Weatherby’s Model 307 action is a 2-lug, fully cylindrical action. It complements the historic Mark V and Vanguard lineups yet is compatible with many modern aftermarket accessories, such as stocks, triggers, rails and mounts.

Weatherby teamed up with the carbon-fiber experts at Peak 44 to make this rifle ultra-light for mountain hunters. Alpine CT’s will have the option of Peak 44 Bastion stocks, which weigh just 24 ounces. Peak 44 puts a proprietary 3D-Hex recoil pad on that stock.

The barrel on the Alpine CT is a BSF carbon barrel, which is generally shorter than most other Weatherby barrels but is highly accurate. The lightest configuration will start at 6 pounds. The rifle is offered in 13 chamberings from 240 Weatherby to 300 Weatherby, including 300 PRC.

Weatherby also adds its directional self-timing brake. This lets the shooter angle the direction of expelled gases emitted during the shot to reduce muzzle jump — an extremely effective way to increase accuracy.

Although I was not mountain hunting and was in a ground blind most of the time, I was very pleased with how light the rifle was and how easy it was to shoulder quickly.

The muzzle brake and 3D-Hex recoil pad made the recoil almost unnoticeable.

— ­Jack Orloff

The Cartridge: 6.5 WBY RPM

The 6.5 Weatherby Rebated Precision Magnum, or RPM, is based on a lengthened version of the existing .284 Winchester. The cartridge has a rebated rim, making it compatible with standard .30-06 bolt faces and reloading equipment.

Basically, you don’t need a heavy magnum action to use this magnum cartridge. The large body diameter, low body taper and 35-degree shoulder mean that the case capacity is greatly increased and that leads to higher velocities.

The 6.5mm is highly efficient with less drop and wind deflection than many heavier calibers.

Weatherby wanted to create a round that would fit in their standard 6 Lug Mark V rifle action yet would take advantage of the full cartridge length that action is capable of chambering.