Rifle Scopes Best scope for AT

M

MrBen

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Minuteman
Mar 4, 2018
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#1
Hey folks, I have been shooting for about a year and have ordered my first rifle, which is an AI AT. I dont have the ability to go out and get my hands on a ton of scopes so I have to mainly go of what information I can find out online. I am looking for a suitable optic for my rifle and would like to hear what others have on theirs and what they think is suitable. Would also appreicate any advice on the best reticle to go for. I live in the UK.

I have heard good things about Schmidt & Bender scopes, but am still trying to figure out which version would suit me.
  • What is the platform for the scope? Accuracy International AT 26inch
  • What cartridge are you shooting? 308/6.5
  • What is your intended use for the scope? Target
  • What type of conditions will you typically shoot in? All. Mainly daytime.
  • What are the typical distances you intend to shoot? 300yrds, 600yrds, 900-1000yrds. I regular shoot at shorter distances, but want the ability to reach out as far as the rifle will allow when shooting at longer distances.
  • Are there any specific specifications you would like? Nothing specially.
  • What is the price range you can afford? Around $3000 at the most, willing to go slightly higher but would prefer not to.
 
#2
I also have an AIAT in 308 and I put a SB PMII 5-25x56 on it. I use mine for target and hunting and don’t have any complaints yet. I have the GEN2 XR reticle and it works great. Not too cluttered and can dial or use the reticle for hold over. You may not really need the 25x power, but it never hurts to have it either.
I just bought another for my Tikka TSR-1 and the price as come down quite a bit over the past year. I paid $3200 two years ago and bought the same scope for $2400 last month.
 
#3
Gamewarden102 said:
I also have an AIAT in 308 and I put a SB PMII 5-25x56 on it. I use mine for target and hunting and don’t have any complaints yet. I have the GEN2 XR reticle and it works great. Not too cluttered and can dial or use the reticle for hold over. You may not really need the 25x power, but it never hurts to have it either.
I just bought another for my Tikka TSR-1 and the price as come down quite a bit over the past year. I paid $3200 two years ago and bought the same scope for $2400 last month.
Click to expand...

Plus 1 on the S&B
 
#8
I bought an S&B 5-25 when I purchased my AT. It was an excellent combo.

However, I moved the S&B to my AR-10 and now I use a NF 7x35 ATACR with the MIL-C reticle on my AT. I think either of these two are great choices.
 
#10
Excellent choices. I personally prefer the msr reticle over the p4f.

Again reticles are a very personal choice.

Also keep in mind the rotation of the elevation turret. Here in the US it’s usually counter clockwise. No clue what you English cousins use.
 
#11
+1 for the s&b. I have the 5-20x50 ultrashort with a P4f reticle used in a field style shooting comp. I like the tactile clicks and the second revolution indicator. The new reticle looks interesting however reticle are a very personal / task specific.
 
#12
+1 for S&B. I also have the AIAT in 6.5 now with the S&B 5-25X56 with the H2CMR reticle that I like. Another S&B option is the S&B with the new MSR2 reticle. That looks real interesting. I might send my S&B in for a reticle change or just buy another S&B. I had a Nightforce 5-25X56 ATACR F1 with the MIL-R reticle. A great scope but I didn't like the MIL-R reticle. Another option is the Nightforce with the MIL-C reticle.
 
#15
On my own journey, I have 3 S&B scopes and a Vortex AMG on my main long range rifles. The Bushnell G2DMR and Bushnell ERS have been relegated to a .22 LR trainer and a 16” AR. The Schmidt’s image just seems to “pop” much more than the AMG but I’m torn between liking the EBR-7B reticle more than the H2CMR but liking the Schmidt’s image quality. I have a S&B 3-20x50 PMII on my 6.5 CM AIAW and I think it does an admirable Job on the AW. I might try the AMG on the AW because it’s about 10 oz. lighter and the one thing I don’t like about shooting the AW in matches is the heavy weight makes it slower to transition between positions. Optically and mechanically, my favorite if I had to only pick one, is my S&B 5-25x56 H2CMR with the good old double turn turrets. It’s served me faithfully for 8 years now and I’ve never had any complaints about it other than it’s bigger and heavier than my AMG.

For reticles, I like ones that have .2 mil hash marks on the horizontal to use for wind holds. If I have time I dial for elevation and hold for wind. If I don’t have time to dial, that’s where I find the Christmas tree on the AMGs EBR-7B reticle to be useful, but I’ve been shooting S&Bs long enough to hold for elevation and wind without a christmas tree reticle.

Between MOA and MIL I myself don’t see any reason whatsoever to buy a MOA scope for a long range tactical rifle. Listen to Frank’s take on this subject in his podcasts The Everyday Sniper. He can talk about this better than I could. There are two episodes specifically about this.
 
Last edited:
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#16
Yes, definitely listen to Frank & Mike’s podcast “The Everyday Sniper”, I use the Podbean app but there’s links here on the site if you don’t want to download it.

I personally use MIL’s but 1) I’m originally from Sweden/Europe and because of that 2) being on active duty I was taught using MIL’s. Ultimately it boils down to whatever system YOU prefer.

I’ve been looking at the S&B’s for my future AT purchase as well BUT, I’m still not 100% and will check out my options at Mile High next week or two since the reticle is very much a personal choice, it has to be something you’re “comfortable” with and it has to “speak to you “. Get with a pro-shop and/or friends and actually look through some different glass to see what kind of reticle/turret combination YOU prefer.
 
#17
Grab a used night force off the hide 5.5-22 and your golden.
Very good glass, lifetime warranted, enough magnification.
You'll be hard pressed to do better at that price range, never mind that level of quality.
 
#20
If you are just punching paper or are just using it for recreation then a 2nd focal plane scope will be just fine for you. If you want to shoot some competitions or want to do any range estimation then a 1st focal plane scope is needed. I like to shoot on relatively low power so I prefer a wider FOV and rarely go over 16-18X. The power is nice to have if you need it but that is just where I find myself most of the time. As far as reticles are concerned I really like either and open center like a Leupold TMR or the Vortex EBR-2C. I also really like the Nightforce MIL-C reticle with the center dot. The most important part about the scope is make sure the turrets and the reticle match, meaning if you have .25 MOA turrets then you will need a MOA based reticle and the same goes for MILS. MOA/MOA and MIL/MIL.
 
#21
MrBen - “Remington” is absolutely correct, depending on usage the first focal plane is definitely the way to go for “tactical” matches in MY opinion but - plenty of guys have been successful with second focal plane scopes, it all comes down to what YOU prefer and what works best for YOU;

Mil vs MOA, Reticle layout, FFP vs SFF, Magnification range, Application of your rifle, Team set-up, Budget etc etc...

Since your scope will be an integral part of your “system”, my honest and best advice (being in the exact same situation myself) is to get as much hands on with different scopes as you can before pulling the proverbial trigger - pun intended.

Visit an actual pro-shop and have them explain each option to you, talk to your friends and have them show you their stuff...ask questions, pay attention and learn as much as you can. If you don’t, chances are exponentially higher you’ll end up with the “wrong” scope and you won’t be able to fully enjoy your time behind your rifle 100%.

It’s not a race - don’t rush into anything. ??
 
#22
Reviving this with a question - I have an AT and an Ultrashort (with Tenebrae scope caps), can anyone advise me what height rings I should use?
 
#23
OzTRG said:
Reviving this with a question - I have an AT and an Ultrashort (with Tenebrae scope caps), can anyone advise me what height rings I should use?
Click to expand...
I have 56mm obj and Tenebrae caps with 1.49" high mount on my AT and its a little too high. I think 1.3" would've been perfect. Ultrashort is 50mm as far as i know so 1.1"-1.3" should work.
 
#24
Minox ZP5 with MR4 (preferably) or MR2 reticle is worth consideration.
S&B, Razor Gen II, Kahles 6-24, ATACR F1, all good scopes. Can't go wrong with any of them.
FFP on any scope with top mag above 10x is my recommendation.
You pick the magnification based on need (FOV) or limit (low light or mirage) and it always subtends properly. I dial elevation and hold windage, so I like my reticle to subtend accurately regardless of magnification. If I need to dial a correction, I can measure my miss regardless of magnification. Don't do much ranging with the reticle but when I have to, I pick the magnification that fits the situation.
I prefer mil reticles and would recommend mil to anyone starting out. More tactical scope options with mil reticles. For someone with a long history of MOA that is not willing to switch, there are some good scopes available with MOA reticles, and the same results can be achieved with either system with adequate training.
 
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#25
OzTRG said:
Reviving this with a question - I have an AT and an Ultrashort (with Tenebrae scope caps), can anyone advise me what height rings I should use?
Click to expand...
With an AX (full length top rail) I use a Spuhr 4006 (0 mil 34mm tube 34mm/1.35" high) mount and Tenebraex caps on a Minox ZP5 5-25x56 and it just clears the rail.
With your AT you could in theory run a lower mount as there's a large gap to the barrel with the 4006 mount and a 56mm objective BUT I doubt you'll get the cheek piece low enough to see through the scope with a lower mount. I have my cheek piece all the way down and my 2013 AX has the same buttstock as an AT.
 
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