I know, I know, another thread on which scope should I get, but this is life on a forum.
So I turn 40 in November and the wife has green lighted me to get a kick ass scope to celebrate my impending downhill decent. What to buy, what to buy.... unfortunately I'm not familiar with a store near me that carries all the top brands for me compare, so here I am.
Currently I shoot a MPA-BA in a 6.5 CM with a Vortex Viper Gen II 5x25. Typical distances I shoot will be from 100 to 1200 yards, though to my surprise I took the little cartridge out to a mile. My primary use is 2-man Sniper Style matches, PRS style matches, Mammoth and other types of events that come up. I also like to hunt with my competition rifle, primarily prairie dogs out West but I'll sit in a deer stand from time to time as well.
The scope will go on a Spuhr mount I won at a Guardian Long Range Match (you guys are awesome). I'm looking for something at least 5x25 magnification, MRAD, and FFP. Everyone has a reticle preference and I can be a little flexible. My main requirements for a reticle is that it have a center dot or crosshair (not a fan of the open crosshair like on my Viper) and that the windage hash marks are in .2 mil increments. Again, not a fan of the .5 increments on the Viper (which btw has been a fantastic scope for that price point)
Oh, and I've been approved by the powers to be a budget of $4,000.
My original plan for this rifle was a Vortex Razor Gen II in a 4.5-27. I love the reticle and the scope has great glass at a really attractive price. (If only it came in black, I hate the color). It was only after I realized my wife was serious about the budget that I started to rethink this. At first my top choice was a Kahles k525i, but for an extra $300, I'm giving serious consideration to a Zero Compromise. I have heard nothing but extremely high praise for this scope, in spite of being a newer company. Then I got to looking at the Nightforce ATACR 7-35 and started to wonder if it would be nice to have that extra magnification? I already have a mid-tier 5x25 scope in the Vortex Viper, so would it be nice to have the extra magnification? Then of course there's Shmidt and Bender, and even though they're the "gold standard" in tactical scopes, they seem to be falling behind the times in innovation.
And then there's this one final little gem. I'm honestly having a little bit of guilt putting down $4,000 for a rifle scope. There is a very practical part of me that wonders if the extra $2,000 for a top of the line scope is worth it over the Vortex Razor. Lots of people shoot very competitively with a Razor. Is it because its that good? Or is it because its that good for the price? I'm not a professional sniper, LEO, or even semi-pro level competitive shooter. Is a premium scope worth it? I talked to two pros that shoot for the same team. One swears by Zero Compromise and says the Razor is junk, and the other shoots nothing but Razors and has four of them, go figure.
PS, I mentioned to my wife that I could get the Razor and spend the rest on a silencer (would still save a grand). She rolled her eyes and said that's not how it works..... women.... Kind of like when you to the home project yourself and ask for half of the money you saved as mad money..... hasn't worked yet....
Let the comments begin.
So I turn 40 in November and the wife has green lighted me to get a kick ass scope to celebrate my impending downhill decent. What to buy, what to buy.... unfortunately I'm not familiar with a store near me that carries all the top brands for me compare, so here I am.
Currently I shoot a MPA-BA in a 6.5 CM with a Vortex Viper Gen II 5x25. Typical distances I shoot will be from 100 to 1200 yards, though to my surprise I took the little cartridge out to a mile. My primary use is 2-man Sniper Style matches, PRS style matches, Mammoth and other types of events that come up. I also like to hunt with my competition rifle, primarily prairie dogs out West but I'll sit in a deer stand from time to time as well.
The scope will go on a Spuhr mount I won at a Guardian Long Range Match (you guys are awesome). I'm looking for something at least 5x25 magnification, MRAD, and FFP. Everyone has a reticle preference and I can be a little flexible. My main requirements for a reticle is that it have a center dot or crosshair (not a fan of the open crosshair like on my Viper) and that the windage hash marks are in .2 mil increments. Again, not a fan of the .5 increments on the Viper (which btw has been a fantastic scope for that price point)
Oh, and I've been approved by the powers to be a budget of $4,000.
My original plan for this rifle was a Vortex Razor Gen II in a 4.5-27. I love the reticle and the scope has great glass at a really attractive price. (If only it came in black, I hate the color). It was only after I realized my wife was serious about the budget that I started to rethink this. At first my top choice was a Kahles k525i, but for an extra $300, I'm giving serious consideration to a Zero Compromise. I have heard nothing but extremely high praise for this scope, in spite of being a newer company. Then I got to looking at the Nightforce ATACR 7-35 and started to wonder if it would be nice to have that extra magnification? I already have a mid-tier 5x25 scope in the Vortex Viper, so would it be nice to have the extra magnification? Then of course there's Shmidt and Bender, and even though they're the "gold standard" in tactical scopes, they seem to be falling behind the times in innovation.
And then there's this one final little gem. I'm honestly having a little bit of guilt putting down $4,000 for a rifle scope. There is a very practical part of me that wonders if the extra $2,000 for a top of the line scope is worth it over the Vortex Razor. Lots of people shoot very competitively with a Razor. Is it because its that good? Or is it because its that good for the price? I'm not a professional sniper, LEO, or even semi-pro level competitive shooter. Is a premium scope worth it? I talked to two pros that shoot for the same team. One swears by Zero Compromise and says the Razor is junk, and the other shoots nothing but Razors and has four of them, go figure.
PS, I mentioned to my wife that I could get the Razor and spend the rest on a silencer (would still save a grand). She rolled her eyes and said that's not how it works..... women.... Kind of like when you to the home project yourself and ask for half of the money you saved as mad money..... hasn't worked yet....
Let the comments begin.
