Rifle Scopes Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

[pcweidman]

Ok guys I have been endlessly trying to talk myself into believing there is a deal or great new widget out there. Some new optic/company that will give me what I want in glass that has build quality, glass quality, warranty, toughness, beauty etc etc. but like my granddaddy told me "this is America, there ain't no deals. You get what you pay for!".

By this adage I should spend 3-5k on optics for my new:
-AICS
- Stiller tac300 action, 300wm
- Hart Helical fluted 6 button grooved rifled barrel 1:10
- holland brake
- kampfeld candy cane barrel and action paint job


So why am I trying to skimp on glass! Ugghhhh!

Gimme advice guys! What would you put on this?

I love USO, S and B, Nightforce, and Vortex. The latter of 2 I can afford and if I sold some stuff I could afford any of it. Considering that caliber and set up and the fact I want to push this thing as hard as I can; what would you do?

 

[GunKnowledge]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

That adage is completely retarded.

Buy enough glass until it isn't the weakest link and appropriate to your shooting.

I've had $1200 scopes on $250 rifles, and I've had $50 scopes on $600 rifles, and neither time the glass was the limiting factor.


As for buying, don't sweat the scope too much, it only takes 20 minutes to change your mind a week or year down the road. A few screws and you're done, not like changing a barrel or other more permanent build decisions.


Personally, whenever I'm shooting a new rig I always start out with a scope I already have. That way the scope/rings aren't on my list of "tweaking" variables when you need to test the rifle itself.


For a scope rec, since your budget is that high I would be considering one of the new Leupolds, specifically the Mk8 3.5-25x56.

 

[KillShot]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

Buy what you can afford, then save up some cash to put with your optic and resell it. Repeat until you have exactly what you want.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

Buy what meets your needs.

I shoot known and unknown distances at steel and paper. Mildots with 1/4 MOA adjustments and SFP are fine for me.

Take an inventory of what you need, what you want, and what you can afford.

 

[gstaylorg]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

In all likelihood, that adage came into being well before it became commonplace to own $3-5K precision rifles as many do these days. Trying to spend 1.5-2x the cost of a $4K custom bolt gun on glass would be pretty challenging (if not impossible) for most, and quite unnecessary.

 

[Temp9]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: gstaylorg</div><div class="ubbcode-body">In all likelihood, that adage came into being well before it became commonplace to own $3-5K precision rifles as many do these days. Trying to spend 1.5-2x the cost of a $4K custom bolt gun on glass would be pretty challenging (if not impossible) for most, and quite unnecessary.</div></div>

Also, the adage was made popular by the average shooter/hunter. Many hunting rifles were/are very inexpensive compared to our rifles. Not to mention, optics are improving across the board. Many $300 scopes now are much better than many $500 scopes twenty years ago.

Anyways... 8541Tactical's MCM video for this week addresses just this issue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI6V2_MKq7I&feature=g-u-u

 

[tylerw02]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

For one, its easy to inflate the price of the gun with things like spiral fluted barrels and fancy paint jobs. It simply makes the gun cost more without increasing the performance.

The adage may have been true 20 years ago, but these days you can get descent scopes for $500 that will track, hold zero, return to zero, and take a little bit of abuse.

That said, I'd still rather spend my cash on optics than the gun. Good optics tend to hold their value better, last longer, and help the shooter perform better.

 

[pcweidman]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

I agree with you tyler on the cost of flair. I am simply making this the best gun for ME not what everyone else likes. Be that as it may you are correct on one level. I am simply going to have to bite the bullet and purchase an optic that matches my needs and wants which will probably mean 2k or so. Your point of view is a direct one however the spiral does give me the rigidity of a much larger diameter barrel while decreasing weight. It will also disseminate heat better by the sheer amount of surface area it provides. On the other hand it is not a machine gun but for long distance Hog hunting like I like to do I am rolling through 5-10 or 15 rounds inside of 5-10 mins to dust a brood of leaners.

It also looks bad ass...

 

[pcweidman]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

GREAT POINT Temp 9! Thanks for the vid!

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KSwift</div><div class="ubbcode-body">That adage is completely retarded.</div></div>

Agreed. I have the same brand and model of scopes on everything from a $375 rimfire to custom rifles costing a full order of magnitude more. At the lower end, the scope was 4x the cost of the rifle; at the higher end, the scope wasn't even half the price. But the scope doesn't know the value of the rifle that sits underneath. It provides a function, and the degree to which it does that job is going to be a matter of not just retail price, but also matching the features and specifications to the task at hand.

Worry less about proportioning dollars in some sort of a predetermined ratio, and instead match the optics to the task at hand. Whether that costs $150 or $3500 is only of consequence to one's wallet.

 

[3-0-hate]

Re: Adage: Spend 1.5-2x on your glass than your rifle

Save some cash and buy a good optic at the same time. I went with a Bushnell DMR scope with the G2DMR reticle. They can be found in the 1200 range and offer excellent optics, awesome warranty, good durability and a host of other great features for the money.

If you don't want to blow your wad on NF, USO or similar, Bushy and Cortex have some very good offerings that will get you buy for a very long time. I don't find myself wanting anything "more" out of my bushy except maybe zero stops, but I can do without just fine. I love it so much in fact I'm considering picking up another one for my M98 once I rebuild it with the 6.5x55swede barrel.