Rifle Scopes is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

prerunners4life

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Minuteman
Mar 3, 2010
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i bought a armalite ar30 in 338 and im waiting my 10 days here in california.. well anyways i bought a zeiss conquest 6.5-20x50 and was just wondering if it was worth the 900 i payed for it... any feed back would be awsome..
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Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

Its a very clear scope and they also track good it just doesnt have much adjustment for a 338, they have around 45MOA of adjustment. There are way better scopes for a 338lapua thats for sure. IMO
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

Both the guys I shoot long range with have 338lapua magnums. One is a AIAW with a nightforce 5.5x22x50 with zero stop. The other is an SRS with a premier scope 5x25x50 in mil/mil. Both are fantastic scopes with great glass and excellant repeatability. The premier is more expensive and as a side by side comparison the better scope but for reaching out to 1000yds both easily get the job done. The nightforce did'nt have enough adjustment to reach out to the one mile mark and we have a new base on order, but the SRS with the premier we were hitting the one mile mark and I found it easier to see tyhe 1 mile target better with the premier than I did my nikon spotting scope. Good luck.
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

At the moment I am also researching a scope for a Sako TRG-42 .338 Lapua (just got the TRG-42 from a friend in a classic good buddy deal between three friends with a spread sheet to track the trade ;-). The friend is getting a Desert Tactical with a faster twist rate plus the .243 barrel (interesting option with a 1 in 8.5 twist - but that is a different thread ;-).

In the flat lands of Indiana the optics are limited to Leupold with a few Nightforce NXS 5.5x22 and an occasional Swarovski (nice optics but too limited vertical adjustments for out west). We get out west when possible to shoot a combination of rifles and belt guns to a mile or so and the Nightforce NXS 5.5x22 on angled bases have worked well on the 50's and have become the default long range scope of choice (if in the budget) and probably is never a bad choice.

The only variable Leupold Mk4 also with a 100 MOA vertical adjustment is (was) the 4.5x14 (which I have on a 308 Rem 700 and was a good scope until looked through better optics ... ;-). In the old days, the Leupold Mk4s could be had for a lot less than the Nightforce, however, now days one has to work a little harder to get the Leupold's at as deep of discount and once the cost gets with in several hundred of the Nightforce, would just go with the NXS 5.5x22.
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jcolev</div><div class="ubbcode-body">there are better options but you will pay more </div></div>

That is the reason for my current hold on just getting a Nightforce NXS 5.5x22. Some of the US Optics are "only" less than a grand more than the Nightforce (which in turn only a several hundred more than a Mk4 ;-).

Always find interesting what one can see looking through good glass that you never knew was visible before. Around here the best I get to use at all is Swarovski (hunting scopes). Trying to talk the friend getting the Desert Tactical on getting a S&B PMII so I can use it a few times ;-)
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

S&B, USO, Premiere, NF, Swaro, Zeiss...

Cant go wrong really. Make sure the model you like has the appropriate elevation

I think out of those, the NF comes out the cheapest and offers lots of elevation if you put 20moa base.

Not too sure on the others in regards to elevation, but they all have excellent quality coatings on their glass.
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Smokin99</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Its a very clear scope and they also track good it just doesnt have much adjustment for a 338, they have around 45MOA of adjustment. There are way better scopes for a 338lapua thats for sure. IMO </div></div>

x2
I have one, just not on a 338lapua.
The optic is great, better as a hunting scope than a long range paper puncher IMO
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

The Nightforce NXS 5.5x22 by 56 NPR1 just showed up for the TRG-42 (was using a Leupold Mk4 4.5x14). Will see how like the finer lines of the NPR1 after years of shooting mill dots and TMR reticules.

Received photos today of groups and then for fun friend was shooting valves stems off of old propane tanks at 250 yards with out hitting the tank or the valve. One knows it is bad when friends have more entries in the log book than you
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Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

its like shopping for trucks . i dont want to spend all out , then you look @ 4x4, well for a little more i can have tha crewcab, then for a little more i can have the leather crew cab , ahhh ....what tha heck may as well get tha lariat laramie silverado etc. before u know it u have a $3k peice of glass on top of your rifle , once you look through one of uso' or s&b's its all over ... tha rest look like poop internally and externally .. glass , single rotation elev. big fat 34mil tubes...
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

5.5-22x56 NPR1 with zerostops coming for my AR-30...sold the Mark 4 down the river.

Not sure how much load development you've done with your AR-30 thus far but mine really likes 300 SMKs in Lapua Brass, Federal 215M primers, and 89.0 grains of RL-25. Always sub 1/2 MOA and have shot a number of groups right at 1/3 MOA. Pretty good for an $1100 338 Lapua.

-David
Edgewood, NM
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

Always check the amount of internal adjustment (elevation): the Lap is a very long range cartridge and you'll have a lot of bullet drop to deal with while the load still is usable. Sure, at 1000 yards you only need about 24 minutes, but the cartridge will do over 2000. You could have 80 minutes of drop at a still usable point. Depends what your needs are.

Some scopes have 50 minutes of elevation, some have 80+. Go for the latter even though you have a canted mount standard with the AR30 (I have one). I use a USO. One advantage you have, though I would not recommend skimping on robustness, is that the muzzle brake is quite effective, presenting less mechanical shock to the scope than an unbraked 30-06, let alone .300 mag.
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rjroberts</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Always check the amount of internal adjustment (elevation): the Lap is a very long range cartridge and you'll have a lot of bullet drop to deal with while the load still is usable. Sure, at 1000 yards you only need about 24 minutes, but the cartridge will do over 2000. You could have 80 minutes of drop at a still usable point. Depends what your needs are.

Some scopes have 50 minutes of elevation, some have 80+. Go for the latter even though you have a canted mount standard with the AR30 (I have one). I use a USO. One advantage you have, though I would not recommend skimping on robustness, is that the muzzle brake is quite effective, presenting less mechanical shock to the scope than an unbraked 30-06, let alone .300 mag. </div></div>

Actually, the reverse is true. You'll have more shock to a reticle with a brake gun because of reversal of recoil, meaning the recoil accelerates the gun reaward until the bullet passes through the brake, then the brake abruptly halts the acceleration of the brake.

This is why 50 BMG rifles are so hard on scope reticles...they have very little felt recoil but lots of acceleration, then reversed acceleration.

-David
Edgewood, NM
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

The Zeiss is a great scope,I have the same model on my 338Edge and it works very nice. The glass is better to my eye than Nighforce. My setup is good to 1400 yrds with a 20 MOA base.I think the Nightforce is a great Tactical scope, but my rifle is set up to hunt and the Zeiss is a perfect match for me.
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nmmi9100</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rjroberts</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Always check the amount of internal adjustment (elevation): the Lap is a very long range cartridge and you'll have a lot of bullet drop to deal with while the load still is usable. Sure, at 1000 yards you only need about 24 minutes, but the cartridge will do over 2000. You could have 80 minutes of drop at a still usable point. Depends what your needs are.

Some scopes have 50 minutes of elevation, some have 80+. Go for the latter even though you have a canted mount standard with the AR30 (I have one). I use a USO. One advantage you have, though I would not recommend skimping on robustness, is that the muzzle brake is quite effective, presenting less mechanical shock to the scope than an unbraked 30-06, let alone .300 mag. </div></div>

Actually, the reverse is true. You'll have more shock to a reticle with a brake gun because of reversal of recoil, meaning the recoil accelerates the gun reaward until the bullet passes through the brake, then the brake abruptly halts the acceleration of the brake.

This is why 50 BMG rifles are so hard on scope reticles...they have very little felt recoil but lots of acceleration, then reversed acceleration.

-David
Edgewood, NM</div></div>


Hmm. Interesting. I hadn't looked at it that way. You think the reversal is that quick? I would have thought that it was slowed somewhat (in relative terms), more of a deceleration than a sharp impulse. In any case, all the more argument not to skimp on robustness.

I learn something new every day.,
 
Re: is this a good scope for a 338 lapua?

Yes, deceleration is what matters. With a brake, a rifle can produce a large (how big depending upon brake design and many other factors) negative acceleration (deceleration) after the initial positive acceleration.

Historically, many scopes were built to withstand the positive g's but were relatively weak under negative acceleration forces. A big rifle with a brake will break such a scope more easily than one without.

Most mid to high end scopes these days are built to withstand both at least to some degree.