Rifle Scopes 1-8 for an SR-25

rvphoto

rvphoto

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Minuteman
Nov 25, 2011
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Kentucky
#1
Ok, so I am about to need a new optic for my ACC. I purchased a S&B US 5-20, even though I knew it wasn’t what I needed, I had to get it an see for myself.
This weekend I got the chance to go in and it rang clear that I have way to much optic.

So I am about to list the US. Now to the problem of what to buy next.

I have a Kahles 1-6, which I love that on one of my 11.5 rifles. I am have tempted to just grab another one of those, but I feel a 308 needs at least a 1-8, I don’t really know why. I love the eye box and clarity of the Kahles.

I have been looking at the S&B 1.5-8 with the CQB reticle, but it doesn’t look like it has the field of view or eye box the Kahles does. Also looking at the Swaro 1-8, but am worried about ruggedness, not that I’ve read anything bad, they just look like they weren’t build to take a very tough hit.
I’ve never been a big fan of nightforce, I know the nx8 is coming, but if it has the eye box of the 1-4 and 2.5-10 then I’m going to pass.

I use my ACC for the same as my 5.56 guns, punching paper and ringing steel out to 500, that’s it.
I just want a good piece of glass that will cover the bases from 10 yard run and gun to 500 on 6 inch plates.

Trying to stay under 2500.

What are your guys thoughts? Thanks in advance.
 
#2
I would encourage you to take a hard look at the Steiner M6xi 1-6x, if you are looking for fast target acquisition. If you want longer-range magnification, you have three real choices: 1) wait for the new S&B 1-8x with dual focal plane, or either of the NF 1-8x scopes: the NX8 or the ATACR 1-8x. Both are great. The NX8 is a little more affordable and also more deliberate. The ATACR, like the Steiner, have a bigger eyebox and easier target acquistion, much like a 1x Red Dot, like Trijicon MRO with a big ocular lens.
 
#3
There are two new contenders in the 1-8x game: NX8 and ATACR F1. We don't really know too well how they perform yet, but reviews should be beginning to come out, first for the NX8 and then for the ATACR F1.

Until such time, I think the king of the proverbial 1-8x hill is still Minox ZP8. I am not sure if you can find one within your budget, but you should be able to come close.

Or you can wait a little and see how this category shakes out. I was pretty impressed with both Nightforce designs when I saw them at SHOT and I know a few other designs are coming in not too distant future.

ILya
 
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#4
I have about every flavor of S&B Short dot 1-whatever available on the market.
The High Power 1-8x would be geared well toward the distance stuff, but because it's illuminated and had no "flash dot", it's worthless under about 4x and is lost on the versatility of the ACC.
The 1-8x24mm Short Dot CC has been a decent Jack of All Trades. It's a great close-up 1x optic and a decent 8x optic. I'm not wild on the locking turrets on these models, but it's a good enough. I may also mention I'm selling one

On the ACC that I had, I had the 1.5-8x26 Short Dot with the P3 mildot reticle. I'm not a PRS guy and suck compared to most of the whizzbangs here, but I could score decent and consistent hits on 2/3 IPSC out to 850 in IL (plains winds, 750 ft elevation) last winter and spring. Despite being a large scope (very long), I like how it feels like a real PMII scope with the single turn turrets. I've only ever seen the CQB in the 1.5-8 once in person and remember it being fairly thick on 8x so I went P3.

Personally, I think the ATACR 1-8x sounds pretty impressive with the eyebox and reticle well-matched for this type of rifle.
Also, Kahles is coming out with a more...feature rich reticle for the 1-6 line in the "3GR" reticle. If you're staying inside 500, 1-6 might be OK
http://www.kahles.at/verwaltung/uploads/20180123163429Absehen 3GR Deckmaße.pdf
 
#5
Thanks for the replies. I need to look at the Minox ZP8, Haven't thought about them. I guess my issue with the Nightforce is it will be hard for me to spend S&B money on one, I know that may come off as stupid to some. I just bought my First S&B, But wasnt as blown away by the glass as I though, my older USO seems to be damn close.. Iv had many a Nightforce, but I guess I should hold the other scopes against the new atacr 1-8.
I really like the Idea of the 1.5-8 S&B, plus from the looks of it, they are on Eurooptic for 2400ish.
right now im still leaning towards the K16I, I really like the SM-1 and had no problems hitting with my 11.5 at 400 this weekend.

Edit - That 3GR looks pretty dang good, Makes me start thinking about the Swaro 1-8 with the BRT-I again.
 
#6
Knights Armament had the NF 1-8 on their SR25 in the Knights booth at SHOT... Might be a reason for that :)
7npZIWg.jpg
 
#7
rvphoto said:
Thanks for the replies. I need to look at the Minox ZP8, Haven't thought about them. I guess my issue with the Nightforce is it will be hard for me to spend S&B money on one, I know that may come off as stupid to some. I just bought my First S&B, But wasnt as blown away by the glass as I though, my older USO seems to be damn close.. Iv had many a Nightforce, but I guess I should hold the other scopes against the new atacr 1-8.
I really like the Idea of the 1.5-8 S&B, plus from the looks of it, they are on Eurooptic for 2400ish.
right now im still leaning towards the K16I, I really like the SM-1 and had no problems hitting with my 11.5 at 400 this weekend.

Edit - That 3GR looks pretty dang good, Makes me start thinking about the Swaro 1-8 with the BRT-I again.
Click to expand...
Have you tried any of the ATACR Nightforce optics, or are you basing your comparison off the older NXS scopes? It isn't even the same sport when comparing the difference of the two...
 
#9
The Z8i is the most amazing 1-8 I've shot and I've shot them all. The flatness of the image, clarity, resolution, color, contrast are all amazing. The scope is plenty rugged. I've shot them on 458 lotts and other dangerous game calibers and the scopes perform flawlwssly.

The NX8 is probably the one scope I'm excited about this year. I got to shoot it and the ATACR 1-8 at the Daniel Defense range day and I was really impressed with the NX8. The ATACR would work great on a 7.62 but I think the NX8 would get the nod to go on a 5.56 because of the length/weight.

The Kahles 1-6 is a killer instrument. I've just never really dug their reticles. There is a new reticle coming down the pipe that would tempt me to get one.
 
#11
Chris@InterstateGuns said:
The Kahles 1-6 is a killer instrument. I've just never really dug their reticles. There is a new reticle coming down the pipe that would tempt me to get one.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to figure out between the NX8 and the K16I for my "grab the one gun" gun. From my understanding, the Kahles is probably going to be a better 0-300 choice where the NX8 may start being better further out 300. the Kahles may be better at close to medium range due to the better eye box and FOV. If that's an incorrect assessment, I'd love to know, as I can get the NX8 for a good bit cheaper than the K16i.
 
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#12
Chris@InterstateGuns said:
The Z8i is the most amazing 1-8 I've shot and I've shot them all. The flatness of the image, clarity, resolution, color, contrast are all amazing. The scope is plenty rugged. I've shot them on 458 lotts and other dangerous game calibers and the scopes perform flawlwssly.

The NX8 is probably the one scope I'm excited about this year. I got to shoot it and the ATACR 1-8 at the Daniel Defense range day and I was really impressed with the NX8. The ATACR would work great on a 7.62 but I think the NX8 would get the nod to go on a 5.56 because of the length/weight.

The Kahles 1-6 is a killer instrument. I've just never really dug their reticles. There is a new reticle coming down the pipe that would tempt me to get one.
Click to expand...

Hi Chris, if you had to choose between the Z8i and new ATACR on a 5.56 gas gun which would you choose and why? I was heavily thinking about the Z8i but with the new ATACR coming out might reconsider.
 
#13
StevethePirate said:
I'm trying to figure out between the NX8 and the K16I for my "grab the one gun" gun. From my understanding, the Kahles is probably going to be a better 0-300 choice where the NX8 may start being better further out 300. the Kahles may be better at close to medium range due to the better eye box and FOV. If that's an incorrect assessment, I'd love to know, as I can get the NX8 for a good bit cheaper than the K16i.
Click to expand...

Pat what happened to that Vudu you were keen on?
 
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#14
dms416 said:
Pat what happened to that Vudu you were keen for on?
Click to expand...

I had it for a while and liked it a lot. There were a couple things that made me trade it away. The zoom adjustment was the whole eyepiece, basically, and I always ended up moving my focus ring in the process. The fact that the dials neither locked nor were capped also hurt it for my uses. Last, it's kind of heavy for what it is. The glass is nice for the price, the reticle is good, especially up close. I ran it both illuminated and without illumination, and had no problem either way.

That said, I want something built a little tougher, with better glass, and hopefully lighter. I saved up some money, and with the money I'll get from selling other stuff, my replacement optic budget nearly doubled. That puts the NF in reach, a Kahles in reach, or for little more than the Vudu's value, I could get the lighter weight Razor HD-E
 
#22
Wildcat96 said:
Hi Chris, if you had to choose between the Z8i and new ATACR on a 5.56 gas gun which would you choose and why? I was heavily thinking about the Z8i but with the new ATACR coming out might reconsider.
Click to expand...

Couple factors to consider for me would be weight and reticle and thene which is more important.

Z8i for me because its the lighter of the two. I think the BRTi reticle works just fine and the fact that it's based in mil or I can use their ballistic app is nice. I just think the ATACR is too big/bulky and the reticle doesn't make sense for typical carbine use. For a MK12....DMR application it does.
 
#23
StevethePirate said:
I'm trying to figure out between the NX8 and the K16I for my "grab the one gun" gun. From my understanding, the Kahles is probably going to be a better 0-300 choice where the NX8 may start being better further out 300. the Kahles may be better at close to medium range due to the better eye box and FOV. If that's an incorrect assessment, I'd love to know, as I can get the NX8 for a good bit cheaper than the K16i.
Click to expand...

I would agree with that assessment.
 
#25
Well, I may be more stuck now than I was.
I am still leaning towards the 1.5-8 SB with the CQB ret. But Im worried about the eyebox. But i guess the only way to find out is to get one.

I can make myself spend the money on the Atacr, all the NXS I have had I have felt they had tight eyeboxes. If that was better on the nx8 I would jump on it.

Now I guess its down to the SFP 1-8 and the 1.5-8 shortdot..... unless something else jumps at me over the next few days.

I appreacite all the post. they have been helpful.
 
#26
Well. I kinda flipped the Switch and Bought a Z8I. I think it was what i was looking for and didn't know it.
Wanted something lightweight with good glass and a Daytime Illum.

I am get it and not like it, but I figured Why not try, also I got a great deal. So it was hard to pass up.
 
#27
You know you guys want this
 

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#28
Guess I'll Post an Update. Got the Swaro Z8I in, Damn I'm impressed. It is crazy light, glass is bright and crystal clear. I have zero complats and it will be staying put. For the price, I think this is one of the best choices on the market.

C5BCE70A-402D-418E-9234-E14B56C3EFB1.jpeg
 
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#33
RA2- Not stiring up anything for me. My decision to go 1-8 over a 2-10 or 3-15 was practicality. I bought a Leupold 3-18 first, way to much fro up close work. Then I bought a NF 2-10 but didn't like the reticle for up close faster work. The 1-8 allows me to shoot out to 400, which I did last weekend with ease, while also being very very fast from 0-25 yards.
The range I mostly go to only goes out to 400, so I see no reason to have a lot of magnification I'm not going to use. Plus the FOV is HUGE on teh 1-8 compared to the NF.
Again, this is just me.

for a little video of the above rifle, hit the link, sorry i'm not better looking. (SR-25 is at the End)

KAC SR25
 
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#34
rvphoto said:
RA2- Not stiring up anything for me. My decision to go 1-8 over a 2-10 or 3-15 was practicality. I bought a Leupold 3-18 first, way to much fro up close work. Then I bought a NF 2-10 but didn't like the reticle for up close faster work. The 1-8 allows me to shoot out to 400, which I did last weekend with ease, while also being very very fast from 0-25 yards.
The range I mostly go to only goes out to 400, so I see no reason to have a lot of magnification I'm not going to use. Plus the FOV is HUGE on teh 1-8 compared to the NF.
Again, this is just me.

for a little video of the above rifle, hit the link, sorry i'm not better looking. (SR-25 is at the End)

KAC SR25
Click to expand...

ok, thanks. my 1-4 has become a 1-6 on my 5.56 gas guns. a 308 gas gun is a different animal and din't know if it required a bigger step up. thanks for the reply and the video...
 
#36
I'm sure the Trij 1-8 is an amazing optic. but at 25oz it almost weight what My SB 5-20US did.
The Swaro is 18oz, weight was a big factor to me.
The purpose of this gun for me was not a RunandGun persay, but I wanted something light and fast with a lot of Knockdown. I have another Sr25 that is more of a long range gun. It may be Stupid to some, but I try to have each Gun tend towards a Specific purpose istead of going after a coverall weapon. Below is My EMC and then below that is the Above Gun wearing the S&B US, the US didn't stay on there for long.
C08CE5BA-9581-4D85-982F-739666F8E5A1.jpeg


317CA296-C646-4862-947E-D786493621D5.jpeg
 
#37
rvphoto said:
I'm sure the Trij 1-8 is an amazing optic. but at 25oz it almost weight what My SB 5-20US did.
The Swaro is 18oz, weight was a big factor to me.
The purpose of this gun for me was not a RunandGun persay, but I wanted something light and fast with a lot of Knockdown. I have another Sr25 that is more of a long range gun. It may be Stupid to some, but I try to have each Gun tend towards a Specific purpose istead of going after a coverall weapon. Below is My EMC and then below that is the Above Gun wearing the S&B US, the US didn't stay on there for long.
View attachment 6879609

View attachment 6879610
Click to expand...

nice stick... no I don't think it's stupid, I have a couple set up with RDS focused on lightweight as general pupose carbines, but I also have what I consider a RECCE with 1-6. I consider this 400yd effective even though I have shot it accurately out to 600.

I have my 308 set up for longer range. to use a label, I consider this more of an SPR than 5.56. right now it wears a 3-15 but I'm considering dropping back to something smaller/lighter. I like your ideas...
 
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#38
After having suggested the accupower 1-8 and then reading your reply you are of the same mind that I am. I like light weight optics on my gas guns as well. My answer to this problem was looking at some of the 3x9 options. Right now I am running the Burris Fullfield E1 with their illuminated ballistic reticle. The glass is good(not European excellent), the illumination works well for dusk, dawn, night shooting and it is very rugged. To top it off it only weighs 13 oz and costs a little over $300 dollars!!!!! I own a Bushy G2dmr and the glass is not quite as good as that either but it is good enough for what it weighs and I can easily engage targets out to 600 yds with my 5.56 recce/spr. The other scope I would look at is the Accupower 3-9. It weighs 17 oz and come with matching MOA or mil adjustable turrets that are covered. You can find it that scope for around 500. You may have to get 20 MOA base to get past 700 yards with a sr25 though.
 
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