Rifle Scopes Getting back to long range shooting

[Sumoj275]

Hello,
I’ve shot a 1,000 yds many moons ago, and that was a SFP optic and .308 win. Fast forward 20 years and I have a buddy who is getting into lr and has pulled me back in. So many things in equipment has changed, and for the better. I’m loozing for some guidance/help with an optic and rings.

Here is the scenario:
Shooting steel, targets of opportunity and paper (No PRS as body pretty beat up and still have to work next day)
Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
Range: 100-1,000 maybe further when we can find the distance
Tube: 30mm or 34mm
Obj: 40+
Power: 5-25, 6-24
Locking turrets
Zero stops
Repeatable tracking
Illuminated would be nice
Early morning, day, early evening shooting
Christmas tree reticle seems nice

So far I think have narrowed to Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 or the Athlon ARES BTR. Any experiences or help between these two optics is appreciated. Also, if you have any suggestions in the same price/features/quality of the above please advise.

Thank you for your consideration and time.

 

[Kevins750]

Both are considered to be very good scopes, choose the reticle you like best.

There a tons of threads on both those scopes.

Athlon has several scopes to consider for your use.

 

[Eoddave27]

I would consider stepping up to the Ares ETR. The glass is fantastic for the price, the turrets are really nice and it has a locking windage turret as well as a 34mm tube. Give Doug at Cameraland a call. Not an email an actual call. He takes really good care of the members here and the price may be better than you expect.

 

[Poorboyr]

I agree with the above post. Either get an Ares ETR or Midas TAC.

 

[MarinePMI]

Vortex vote here. Good, solid scopes to get into the game, with lots of the bells and whistles. Good selection of reticles as well.

 

[ken4570tc in WY]

Hello,
I’ve shot a 1,000 yds many moons ago, and that was a SFP optic and .308 win. Fast forward 20 years and I have a buddy who is getting into lr and has pulled me back in. So many things in equipment has changed, and for the better. I’m loozing for some guidance/help with an optic and rings.

Here is the scenario:
Shooting steel, targets of opportunity and paper (No PRS as body pretty beat up and still have to work next day)
Caliber: 6.5 Creedmoor
Range: 100-1,000 maybe further when we can find the distance
Tube: 30mm or 34mm
Obj: 40+
Power: 5-25, 6-24
Locking turrets
Zero stops
Repeatable tracking
Illuminated would be nice
Early morning, day, early evening shooting
Christmas tree reticle seems nice

So far I think have narrowed to Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 or the Athlon ARES BTR. Any experiences or help between these two optics is appreciated. Also, if you have any suggestions in the same price/features/quality of the above please advise.

Thank you for your consideration and time.

Sumoj, Welcome to the Hide! I'd suggest talking to Doug at Camera Land. He goes by gr8fuldoug here on the forum. He helped me with an optics purchase a while back. I know they carry Athlon and many other brands, also great customer service.

 

[Nafta]

If you don't do prs, you should have plenty of time to dial your elevation. A ffp scope with a christmas tree reticle would not be my first choice in your situation. At 5x your reticle will get very thin, and you may find it a bit thick at full power. Sfp scopes can ge very rewarding when you crank power down and you still have a well proportionate reticle. What I'm saying is don't think you NEED a ffp scope, in fact you could enjoy a sfp more.

 

[MarinePMI]

Gonna have to respectfully disagree with the above. A FFP scope for long range is pretty much a baseline standard requirement for anything but square ranges.

 

[Poorboyr]

If you are calling your own shots, you need a FFP. Unless you are always shooting on max power then a SFP will work. Everyone of my true hunting rifles has a SFP scope. All my target rifles have FFP.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Nafta]

I use both ffp and sfp and like the features of both. If you have time to dial elevation and coarse windage, a sfp will do well. I'm sure Sumoj was getting hits just fine with his sfp 20 years ago. I brought the point to the table mostly for his desire of engaging opportunity targets (varmint for sure). With power cranked down to get a wide field of view, reticle of a sfp will be easier to see. That's why Poorboyr has sfp scopes for hunting. That said, one could say opportunity = hold, and that would be a good point...
As for the Pst gen 2, I have a Rzr gen 2 that I like very much. The pst seems very similar in features and should work well. In this price range, it appears to be a very good choice.

 

[SlimySquirrel]

Depends on what you can stretch to.
Agree that the ETR is a better option than the BTR. I found the eye bow a little tight at full mag on mine. Reticle and adjustments were excellent.
Might even be possible to grab a Gen 2 Razor from a forum member. They have been going for really good prices in the exchange.

 

[EchoDeltaSierra]

From my experience:
- Get FFP
- The 5-25 range is good for damn near any shooting one would do with 6.5CR and 10-15x is where I run 80% of the time
- I don't use illumination much, but I sure have missed it when it's not there.
- Tree reticles are over-rated; after using a couple, I way prefer a simple reticle like the Nightforce Mil-C or Steiner/Burris SCR reticle
- Buy as much scope as you can afford and buy used (lots of good deals here)
- Stick whatever you buy in a top quality mount
- Ultimately get what feels best to YOU since it's an ergonomic thing.

As a friend likes reminding; in long range shooting, a scope is the first thing you interface with and a trigger is the last, make those the best parts of a build.

 

[Sumoj275]

Thank you all, it is truly amazing how far optics, rifles, and cartridges have leaped and will continue to leap. The old ‘06 king from the teens to ‘60s, .308 from ‘60s to ‘00s, and so many from the ‘00s to now.

I spent some time yesterday looking through a Vortex PST Gen 2 yesterday and reading the instruction book and liked what I saw. Saying that I’m calling Doug tomorrow and dis ussthe Athlon series too. Will also check the PX here too.

I do appreciate you guys help, love this site.

 

[jb1000br]

Best deal of the year for a sub 1K scope:

PST GEN 2 5-25 FFP

 

[MarinePMI]

Holy shit! That's a really low price!

I wonder if it is also the "Vortex Announcement" that was set for today (note the reticle in the scope linked, as well as the price reduction).

 

[Sumoj275]

Thanks again guys. I went with the Vortex Gen 2 PST 5-25x in MRAD with the EBR-2 reticle. I couldn’t pass up the price above. Look forward to getting it and finishing up the kit and do some shooting.

 

[jb1000br]

Holy shit! That's a really low price!

I wonder if it is also the "Vortex Announcement" that was set for today (note the reticle in the scope linked, as well as the price reduction).

Nope, that had nothing to do with this special price - we have had them on sale for awhile. (well before we knew about the new scopes )

 

[Steel head]

Gonna have to respectfully disagree with the above. A FFP scope for long range is pretty much a baseline standard requirement for anything but square ranges.

This.

It really is a superior option if your not a bench shooter.

 

[Jlcichocki]

I have the Aures ETR 4.5-30. Very nice scope. I like the slightly increased mag for spotting shots. I think it was around $1100.

Jeff