Rifle Scopes 3-18x44 or 4.5-30x56 for 24inch 308

[smattmul]

Trying to decide between Trijicon's tenmile 3-18x44 or 4.5-30x56 both MOA FFP with christmas tree reticle
Gun: Savage Tactical 308 24in
Purpose: Long range tactical
Other consideration: I already have a Trijicon Credo 2-10x36 with christmas tree reticle

Thanks.

 

[stello1001]

I'm a FOV whore so I would personally go with 3-18 but both will work well for you. How far do you wanna stretch the 308?

 

[theLBC]

you can always dial down, jmo. certainly size isn't important here.

 

[smattmul]

I'm a FOV whore so I would personally go with 3-18 but both will work well for you. How far do you wanna stretch the 308?

thanks for your input, your saying that if both optics were on say 5x magnification the 3-18 would produce wider field of view?
I think I would be trying to split the difference between the army 800 yard max range and the marine's 1000 yard range.

 

[CodeMonkey]

When I'm not planning on dragging it through the woods, and I don't care too much about weight (i.e. range gun, competition setup) I usually go for the larger objective size, which usually means the higher power. You can always dial back to lower mag, and you'll usually get more field of view and a larger exit pupil at that power from the larger objective.

My exception to this is on my NRL22 rig. I run a 3-18x50 on that one because the lower power erector arrangement gives me more adjustment range, which can make a big difference on the longer range shots. On that one I still run with the bigger objective, mainly for the above reasons.

 

[smattmul]

thanks for the suggestion. I think my 2-10x can be switched out for when I want to go light weight and enjoy the large magnification on the rest of the time. I wanted to get something that wasn't so overlapping with the 2-10x and I think the 3-18x would. The 4.5-18x with 34mm body seems like it would may be over kill for a 308. Glad I was wrong and asked. The rifle is already pretty stout with the 2-10x and large AR mount. I think the larger body 4.5-18x is like 8oz more. at least compared to my friends hunting rifle setup.

 

[Rocketmandb]

If cost is an issue, then the 3-18 will be fine for the ranges you'll be shooting at. If not, go for the 4.5-30 as it gives you options for other rifles and longer ranges, if the opportunity arises later on.

The only time I go above ~20x is for ~1500+ when mirage is not an issue - OR - if I'm spotting for someone through my scope.