Rifle optics

[Larry Cochran]

I am in the market for a new .308 or .300 and will be checking out Fine Firearms in La Mesa very soon. I wanted to know from my fellow hunters what scopes do you reccomend. I would like to get something for under $500. Do you reccomend something with the BDC reticle or a mil dot? Let me know what you all think.

Thank you,
Larry

 

[NBK]

Unless you plan on shooting beyond 400 yards you need nothing more than a standard duplex...

Leupold 2.5-8x36
Leupold 3-9x40
Leupold 3.5-10x40

Is there anything else? ;D ;D ;D

 

[Snake Charmer]

I second NBK's advice, cant go wrong with Leupold!

 

[josecasillas]

I'm with John on that one! But, if u go with the 300, u can make those 400-500yd shots like gravy! I have a 300win mag and i have a leupold vx2 LRD and it reaches out there pretty good. But its really up to u. Good luck

 

[Randomshot]

Larry I may be a stand alone one this one but I am also a big fan of some of the Burris scopes. I have a couple of black diamond scopes and would be happy to put them next to a leupold scope of the same price. Burris may be a manufacturer to look at if your on a budget. As far as reticle if you lean towards the 308 the mil dot would be a better choice. I would suggest picking a caliber, determine what bullet and velocity your going to shoot and then compare that information to the hold lines for the ballistic plex reticle your looking at. Many ballistic plex reticle are set to match high velocity loads.

 

[NBK]

Burris is a very good scope...a bit heavy though...

 

[NF7]

I would have to Say the Leupold 2.5-8x36 its a very light weight scope.
So I'm with John also

 

[3006Daddy]

I know I'm one of the new kids on the block but I looked at a lot of scopes before purchasing my Nikon monarch. It has a great feel positive adjustments and the glass looks great I would say comparable yo some of the higher end Scopes I looked through. What sold me was the spot on program on their website yo help with the BDC. I will be taking it out this Sunday for the first time. I would recommend a Nikon so farbut will let you know how it does out in the field. Just my two cents

 

[Snake Charmer]

I think you will find that shooting at distances that require bullet drop compensation doesn't require so much that you have a bdc system but rather that you have a good working knowledge of the cartridge. I have been shooting some of the rifles I own for close to forty years and every time I push the distance I've shot at previously I learn something I didn't know. Nikon is reputable brand and you should have no problem with the quality.

 

[White Smoke]

Hey John, on this same subject, what's your opinion of a Vortex Diamondback 4-10 x 40 on an AR .223 for coyotes? Vortex comes highly recommended by several members of my varmint hunting club and it has a full lifetime warranty. Also, compare it against a Nikon Prostaff 4-12 x 40. Thanks

 

[oneazbowhunter]

I have a vari-x 2 and a 3..I'm with you John you can't beat em..But if money is a factor you may want to take a look at the Redfield 3-9 its made by Leupold and pretty damn good

 

[Bowhunter_619]

+1 on the Redfields, they are darn good scopes in my opinion. I also have Nikon Prostaff on a .270 that I cannot complain about.

I have a vari-x 2 and a 3..I'm with you John you can't beat em..But if money is a factor you may want to take a look at the Redfield 3-9 its made by Leupold and pretty damn good

 

[josecasillas]

redfields, nikons and leupold are all great! u cant go wrong with any of them! heck, nowdays, bushnell makes some really good dependable scopes also 8)

 

[NBK]

WS - both the Vortex and the Nikon fill a specific budget. For the money they are both good scopes and both have a good warranty. For just a tad more money you may want to look into the http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/rifleman-riflescopes/rifleman-4-12x40mm/ or the http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-1-riflescopes/vx-1-4-12x40mm/. Both of these scopes are in the same market tier as the two you are looking at. The Leupold's are an American made product and IMHO it is a better looking scope too.

Aeon brought up a good point to me regarding scopes for coyote hunting. More often than not you may be shooting the dog on the run. After all, isn't that one of the main reasons for an AR style rifle when predator hunting? With that said, I agree with him in that a lower magnification scope is more useful. He is using a 3-10x42. I am now looking at the VX-R 3-9x40 Leupold with the Ballistic FireDot reticle. http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-r-riflescopes/vx-r-3-9x40mm-includes-metric/
.

You cant go wrong with the scopes you are looking at but there are many great options. Also what type mounts are you thinking about? I like the Leupold one piece Mark 2 IMS System (1" or 30mm) http://www.leupold.com/tactical/mounting-systems/integral-mounting-systems/mark-2-ims-1-integral-mounting-system/. There are more heavy duty systems out there like the AD mounts etc. but a .223 for hunting - does not need an overkill mounting system.

 

[White Smoke]

Thanks for the great info. I have Weaver rings that were recommended by Ammo Brothers where I bought the upper. I'm not sure what model they are. I can't find a picture of them here on the Internet. The rings are Extra-high and are secured by fluted allen screws. They seem really solid, but are too low. I'm coming into the store Monday afternoon for a 1" (or thereabouts) riser. You can see them then and give me some suggestions.

 

[NBK]

We have the riser rails so no worries Jerry!

 

[White Smoke]

Weaver Grand Slam 1" Extra-high. Part number 49306

 

[NBK]

Got it...

 

[Aeon]

White smoke... You will want the scope up and forward. While not as tacticool as larue the Burris PEPR mount is a steal at it's price point and the quality good at any price

Thread jack over

 

[White Smoke]

Thanks to John's expert advice, we added a 1" riser and threw on a Leupold VX-1 2-7 x 33. The back of the scope is even with the charging handle so there's plenty of eye relief. It looks great and is all I could want. Fine Firearms rules!