Rifle Scopes Help new shooter pick a scope

[want2learn]

i have a .308 Sig ssg3000 rifle (had it for a couple of years now and finally saved up enough money to get a scope).
I hope to pick up a 20moa mount once i choose the scope

.....I need to purchase a scope for and upcoming long range rifle class. We will be shooting up to 1000 meters per the class description.

I would prefer to keep to mil/mil format, and would like if possible to have zero stop and front plane reticle.

i've been looking at the Athlon ARES BTR 4.5-27X50 FFP
as well as the Sightron SIIISS624X50LRFFP/MH

Both should keep me under 1k with the father's day sales...I really can't afford more than that.

open to suggestions and critique. thank you.

 

[usmcmad]

I'm interested in the answers on this. I have similar requirements. I have been looking at the Vortex PST GEN II.

 

[lash]

I have no experience with the Athlon Ares, but I know that some here do.

The Sightron is an excellent scope and fits your requirements except for the zero stop, which it does not have. I have been saying for years that if they would add a zero stop, they could blow a few of the similar priced options out of the water. Great glass for the money, Only a 30 mm tube and limited reticle options, but that was never an issue for me when using it for two years on my match rifle. It now suts on a .30-06 LR hunting rifle, where it is a great fit too.

The Vortex PST Gen 2 is also a fine optic and will also do the job very well. Some prefer the reticle choices in this scope and with good reason. This one has a 34 mm tube and a zero stop. It is $200-400 more than the Sightron. I have not compared the glass in the PST G2 to the Sightron, so cannot offfer an opinion there, but the Sightron glass was much better than the PST G1 glass.

 

[want2learn]

thank you

 

[CRT2]

Have you considered the Vortex Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP. Has zero stop and is first focal plane. Street price is $1,099.00. Hide vendor's may offer you something better in the way of price.

 

[CharlieNC]

The optical quality of the SIII cannot be touched for the money. Turrets and reticle are adequate and function accurately. Choice depends on what you value more. I recently checked out the Athlon Helios which looked like a nice value too.

 

[want2learn]

i'm so new to this, i honestly don't know what to value most...where best to compromise etc.
It's a kind of catch 22, can't take the class without glass, can't check out other scopes till i get to class
i know 1k isn't supposed to be a lot of money for a scope but it is to me
maybe i should save some more

 

[lash]

What is your current idea of a goal for long range shooting? Range shooting, targets, steel, hunting, matches???

I'll be honest and say that any of the above are great choices and will not hinder your shooting at the class or in most other situations. Choose one that you like for whatever reason, buy it and the correct rings for it, and go have fun while learning at your class.

No need to agonize over this much more, in my opinion.

 

[earthquake]

I have been using the Athlon Ares BTR for several months now and it is a quality optic: FFP, zero-stop, mil/mil, illuminated reticle, HD glass, great turret click feel, very good reticle with 0.2-mil ticks for precise wind holds and a map price of $849. It won't be available however until mid July. When is your class?

 

[CharlieNC]

As an option to get thru class where you can checkout other scopes, consider a swafa 12x. Usually less than $300 from their sample list, and you can sell it close if not the same as you pay for it. Solid, accurate, decent glass; never heard of an unsatisfied user.

 

[want2learn]

thanks, great advice everyone. really appreciate it.

Class is in 7 weeks, but i figured it would take me a while to acquire rings, learn the rifle and scope, zero it etc all before actually taking the class.

I don't plan on hunting...nothing against hunting, just plan on shooting at the range, maybe some local range competitions, take a few classes to learn more, just a fun hobby i guess.

I don't think i'll have to carry the rifle too far, don't think my back would allow it anyway.

Shooting most often would probably take place on a bench and on a mat.

 

[Mordamer]

If I were you I would be looking at scopes with less than 20x zoom as their max magnification (possibly much less than 20x). I think that one of the mistakes new shooters often make is that they incorrectly perceive that high magnification scopes are needed to shoot long distance. I can easily hold on a 1 MOA target with a 10x SWFA at 1000 yards.

If I were in your shoes I would try to get one of the Sig Tango 6 scopes that Optics Planet has on sale. These are last years Tango 6's and I saw a few days ago they had a 3-18x for like $799. That is a steal. I didn't look closely at the specs though to see if it was SFP or FFP.

 

[Mordamer]

Here you go. These were $1,800 a year ago. They came out with a new generation and are selling the old ones at a huge discount I believe. http://www.opticsplanet.com/sig-sauer-sot63002.html

 

[SuperSneakySniper]

I'll be the first to suggest a Burris XTR 2, they have a $100 rebate thing going on right now, and they check all the boxes you described. Specifically the 4-20 or 5-25. After the rebate you can have one new for less than $900.

 

[want2learn]

Thank you....i'm going to study those right now. That's awesome.

 

[want2learn]

i took a look at the scopes everyone listed. I went to optics planet. Sure enough they have the Sig Tango 6 on clearance.


Thank you....

 

[Steel+Killer]

i'm so new to this, i honestly don't know what to value most...where best to compromise etc.
It's a kind of catch 22, can't take the class without glass, can't check out other scopes till i get to class
i know 1k isn't supposed to be a lot of money for a scope but it is to me
maybe i should save some more

One way to look at it is you can always resale a decent/quality scope if you decided to upgrade down the road and if its in like new condition you can usually recoup 70-80+% of what you paid for it. For example I sold my 6-24X50FFP PST Gen 1 for $825.00 on ebay I think I bought it new for less than $1000.00 I look at it like I basically rented it for $175.00 for the two years I had it. I always keep the box and all accessory's that come with any optics I buy having the box it came in is a huge plus when reselling. So my point is don't look at it like if you buy a $1000.00 scope you are out $1000.00 if you don't want it in a year or two.

 

[want2learn]

thanks, great advice. appreciate it

 

[fdkay]

A couple of things here.
I prefer FFP scopes, but I have SFP scopes as well. The world does not stop spinning if you run a SFP scope.
In most instances where your range to the target is far enough so you are holding off target (using your mil dots/hashes as a aiming point) you are likely going to be on the highest magnification anyway.
This opens up more options for you (like the excellent sightron S-tac).
That being said, this is an excellent option, though no zero stop:
https://www.natchezss.com/weaver-su...llum-enhanced-mil-dot-reticle-emdr-matte.html

Other than that, the Burris XTR II and PST 2 are really the go to scopes in the 1000 price range and the Athlons are up and coming.
If you can squeeze out a couple of hundred more, the Vortex gen 1 razor can sometimes be had around 1200-1300