Rifle Scopes 1,000 Yard Scope

[Long1MD]

Right now I am very new to long range shooting. I can shoot well in 100yd range shooting. I would like to graduate to the 1,000 yard club and eventually the mile high club. I need help choosing a scope that would get me started (good,but not expensive unicorn) to shooting at least up to 1200 yards or so. Does anyone have any suggestions, let's say under a $1,000 for scope and rings?

This is what I'm working with

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/mobile/product/411540367/redirect

 

[Long1MD]

This is what I am starting with
Savage 308 24 5R THREAD BL

 

[Long1MD]

This is what I'm working with

Savage 308 24 5R THREAD BL

 

[cramey74]

Skip the shooting all together. If you want to join the "Mile High Club", all you need is an airplane and a willing partner, male or female, to accompany you. As for a scope, buy the best glass you can afford after your plane ride expenses.

 

[z71rat]

You definitely are on the right track with the Savage as far as accuracy goes, but I am not sure you are going to be happy with your results at 1200 yards with the .308 variety. With the .308, realistically you should stick with the 800 to 1000 yard shooting and get all your mechanics working. Otherwise, you will find yourself more than likely disappointed. Start slow, get in lots and lots of practice, work on your reloading in great detail, then stretch out farther. You will more than likely end up changing calibers to reach 1200 consistantly.

DK

 

[z71rat]

Back to the original question... Vortex would be my choice, for accuracy, features, function, warranty, and outstanding customer service. Talk to Mike @ CSTactical, he will get you fixed up right the first time around.

DK

 

[ScottVA]

Another option is looking for a good used scope. Sometimes, real good deals can be had. Nightforce makes good ones as well and can be in your price range as well on the used market in BR model. I'd suggest a reputable seller as well. I also agree with Gunny...I'd choose something other than a .308. for 1000yard+ shooting. Just my opinions.

 

[Long1MD]

My hope was that once I mastered the 1,000 consistently, I could afford to shoot the 338

 

[Long1MD]

Skip the shooting all together. If you want to join the "Mile High Club", all you need is an airplane and a willing partner, male or female, to accompany you. As for a scope, buy the best glass you can afford after your plane ride expenses.

...Maybe I should have said the "Mile Shot Club"...?

 

[Crosshair]

The Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 FFP can be had for under $1000 with base and rings. Overall one of the best values out there. Several other great scopes too (sightron siii, bushnell elite, SWFA SS, Weaver tac). I'd opt for a mil/mil setup and if spending a lot of time at known distances long range, a SFP will offer a relatively thinner reticle at high power. For most other situations I prefer FFP.

 

[Pinecone]

Another vote for Vortex.

Viper PST 6-24x FFP here. First round hits out to 1040 yards, 1200 took a few shots due to VERY difficult winds.

I bought from Sport Optics (Rifle Scopes, Binoculars, Spotting Scopes and Range Finders | Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss | SportOptics). They give a VERY nice SH discount

 

[Glen1978]

SWFA 5-20. Beast of a scope. Can be had for right around that mark.

 

[cramey74]

...Maybe I should have said the "Mile Shot Club"...?

Yes Yes, they are two totally different things. Both are real fun, but different all together.

 

[Nate O.]

My hope was that once I mastered the 1,000 consistently, I could afford to shoot the 338

its the wind calls you must master along with trigger control and numerous other things..not shooting the magical 1000

 

[bogeybrown]

Yep, for that money I'd definitely look at Vortex, you can get a LOT of scope for the money with great Customer Service. SWFA was mentioned and their great in that range also.

And depending on what you're wanting to shoot AT, the .308 is fine at that distance. I've shot steel a little beyond 1200yds with an 18" .308 and Black Hills 175 SMK. Is the .308 the "optimum" caliber at that distance, no, but it's completely capable and will really test your wind-reading (and in the process make you better at it).

 

[NewsShooter]

+1 for the vortex, I have an SFP version that I got from Mike at CSTactical. I wish I'd gotten the FFP but only for shooting the steel matches. Without the time constraints and multiple targets the SFP is great for everything else.

 

[Sniper260]

My .2 cents

As you are just starting out trying to shoot longer range as defined out to 1000 yards... I would seriously 100% recommend you buy a SWFA... You can not go wrong with one of these scopes. Understand you do not need a 25 power scope to shoot 1000 yards... Personally I do it with a fixed 10X SWFA SS scope ($399)... as where a variable power SWFA would work great too. What I am saying here is do not drop a ton of money on a scope until your marksman skills are there.. It's pointless, and it takes time and lots of practice to get there. Personally I recommend these scopes because you need to at the same time spend money on quality reloading equipment and get to where you are kicking out some very quality loads for your particular rifle. As a reloader myself I know 100% that it takes lots of experience reloading and learning learning learning until you are consistently kicking out very quality ammo that always has very low SD fps and is very consistent and predictable.

Thats my .2 cents. I have no idea what you have to work with but thats the path I would set you on. In the end a custom rifle and $3500 scope will do you no good if you don't know how to use them, read the wind, and reload like a champ. Finding your bullets drop to dial in takes a little time to figure out but is easy compared to reading the wind and making adjustments. Reading the wind is HARD and take LOTS AND LOTS OF PRACTICE. Hopes this helps some.

 

[Mayhem52]

My hope was that once I mastered the 1,000 consistently, I could afford to shoot the 338

How much are you willing to spend to shoot over 1k yards? Even doing your own loads the .338 will set you back some pretty good change. If you're not looking to shoot a mile or more consider the various 6.5 calibers. Much longer and flatter shooting than the .308 (I have both, and like both) but a 6.5 Creedmoor will be 1/4 or 1/3 the cost per round of a .338. heck of a lot less recoil too. Savage makes a pretty good line of 6.5 Creedmoor if you go for a factory gun.

 

[Rockhopper]

pst 6-24

 

[Cbob]

Sightron s3 for the glass. 6-24 or 8-32

 

[sib1948]

Alot of great advice so far. I've been shooting over a year and still haven't shot more than 830 yds. 308 or 260 would be your best bet out to 1000. It takes a lot of practice for greater distances and not many places to shoot 1000 yds in many states. Don't waste money on 338 ammo until you're very proficient with the other calibers I mentioned. Hitting steel is hitting steel and the caliber makes very little difference.

Be prepared to spend more money than you expect, since you'll need spotting scope, weather meter and even lessons. Having someone experienced in LR shooting when you've starting out will prevent you having to unlearn bad habits down the road. Lots of good information and knowledgeable people here who have been very helpful. Good Luck

 

[gstaylorg]

You mentioned taking the .308 out to 1000 yd, but you didn't really say what type of shooting you'd be doing at that range. If you're planning to bang steel at that distance, Vortex or Sightron as mentioned above are great scopes. If you plan to shoot something like F-Class TR at 1000 yd, 20-something magnification is not going to cut it. The Sightron 8-32 is a very good scope for that type shooting, and very reasonably priced compared to higher end scopes like March, NF, etc. Figure out the type shooting you intend to do most often and match the scope/reticle/magnification to that. In the long run you'll end up the scope best suited to what you'll be doing with it.

 

[LRRifleman]

I have been shooting NRA Long Range matches since about 1990 using an old 03A3 National Match, an M1NM, an M1A (all using iron sights) and a Remington 700 BDL Varmint Special with a Weaver KT15 ... I averaged about 92% at 1,000 yards.

Now that I am disabled, my handicapped F class thousand yard rifles are a Bushmaster XM15 with a White Oak match upper sporting a 26" Wilson 1:8" in .223 with a Wylde chamber wearing a BSA Platinum 8-32 (yes, very low end but I had it on hand). For windier conditions, I am building up a Remington 700 ADL Varmint in .308. This rifle is being fitted to an HS Precision stock and wearing an older (El Paso steel tube) Weaver T16 with dot and fine cross hairs.

In shooting F class mid range, I have learned that while I have 32X available, anything over 10X picks up the distortion caused by mirage and has an adverse affect on my scores. If I were in the market for a scope, I would lean towards the Weaver T scopes, preferably an older T10 or T16. I think they even made a T12. You don't have to spend a fortune to be a respectable shot at a thousand yards.

 

[FunkBass2008]

I 2nd those pointing toward used scopes. I formerly owned a Vortex PST, while it was a good scope the reticle was a bit messy. The new tactical Bushnell's are also worth looking into..

 

[GunMax]

Swfa 5-20

 

[agbm]

Leupold Mark4 8.5-25X50 LR/T I wanted to purchase one scope, not three or four. The only change I wish I had made was to get would be to get a Illuminated reticle. Buy once cry once, you can never have to much power!!!!!! If I had the cash for a March scope 8-80X56 I would have one!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mayhem52]

Sightron s3 for the glass. 6-24 or 8-32

+1

 

[wrongside]

+2 on the Sightron 8-32x56. They have a number of reticles to choose from.

 

[ChiefBull]

Reading the thread, entire, there is good input here. A chambering in .308Win.is as good as any, and while some may well say "...bigger is better..." one hellofa lot of after action battlefield stats and debriefs show that .308Win is still a killer in the battlespace, with one shot recorded in '03 by USArmypersonnel at 1200 yards, a single shot kill. Does this necessarily mean that you can do that all the time? NO! And so, I think that successful long range shooting with "ANY" chambering requires great skill. "Anecdotal", talked with a USMC colonel [he was in Iraq and had a brigade] who basically reinforced a lot of my thinking; the vast majority of single shot kills were made 600yards and under [high percentage hits] at Ramadi and Fallujah. He could not state in exactitude but the majority of those kills were .308Win. Start with .308Win. learn to read wind; above all learn to read wind; if you can't read wind then it really doesn't matter what chambering you have, you won't make it. If you want to go "bigger", you can later. Learn to "roll your own"; you simply cannot match the consistency of any ammunition you can buy against the loads that you can make with simple basic hand reloading tools at the bench, assuming good safe bench practice and attention to detail; the latest Berger and Sierra manuals are definitive and loaded with good information. Get Litz's book "Applied Ballistics for Long-Range Shooting"; read it front to back and then again; pay attention to Chptr9. 'Getting Control of Sights' and Chptr. 5 'Wind Deflection'. Read '5' until you puke and then read it again. For "Glass" ,you are going to have to spend on hellofa lot more money than you might be willing to spend if you don't purchase the SWFA SS series of scopes. I've mounted a SS16X42 [fixed power] on an 'F' Class that I took to Texas and got my L/R certification at a range down there. Built my own "M40A" and glassed it with a SWFA SS12X42 [fixed power]. The SWFA SS series come both in MOA or MilMil; there are arguable opinions on each and both are really good, not just good for the money values, but very good, very well made scopes with big fat turret drums that are responsive and crisp. They are 'purpose built' sniper scopes at a reasonably affordable price. You can go up the scale and buy the SWFA SS variables [and they ain't exatly given'em,away] and you can lay out major money, if laying out major money is an objective. For some it is very important to see and be seen "with only the very best". I'm not shilling for SWFA-SS scopes here I'm just telling you what is in my experience a good scope based on their recommendation to me by members on this website. Are USO, N/F, S/B, and Leupold good scopes? damn right they are!! They are very good scopes for very serious riflemen; the question you have to ask yourself is: "...How serious am I????...." What is Long Range?, don't want to hear any crap about tight groups at "100000000000 yards in the electronic rumorsphere" here. In the wood lots of New England a 200 yard shot is a "Long Range" shot, and you damned well better be on it, because you're only going to get one. Settle on .308Win. to get a good start; learn it and beware of "Experts". Everybody's got an opinion; some are good and well informed and some really stink. Put in two combat tours in VietNam, and there might have been not more than a ?regiment? [total number] of snipers and damned if I didn't meet all 50,000 of'em back in New England and Florida 30 years later. Good luck on your start up and have a ball. ---Anchor's Aweigh/SemperFi, Chief Bull---

 

[Speedster00]

Well...I have a co worker that shoots a mile consistently with a Sako 308 and fixed 10X SWFA scope...so very expensive high end glass is not needed for a 1000 yards. That's whats his is sighted in for all day long.

 

[AZ2000]

I go with, if you can't see it you can't hit it, so I put a NF 8X32 PR2 reticle on my SAVAGE .243, sub moa @ 1000 yds.

 

[yetigoode2]

I tend to shoot better on a lower mag. I prefer 8-10 power for 1000 yards. Doesn't make any sense to me but it's true.

 

[Flynn]

SWFA SS 3-15x42 Tactical Rifle Scope

Right now I am very new to long range shooting. I can shoot well in 100yd range shooting. I would like to graduate to the 1,000 yard club and eventually the mile high club. I need help choosing a scope that would get me started (good,but not expensive unicorn) to shooting at least up to 1200 yards or so. Does anyone have any suggestions, let's say under a $1,000 for scope and rings?

This is what I'm working with

Savage 308 24 5R THREAD BL