Rifle Scopes JP 6.5 Grendel Target Rifle--Would a 6.5-20 x50 Scope Be Overscoping??

[thehaunt]

I know the pitfalls of overscoping and certainly don't want that. So,would a 4-16x42 scope work? I would like to take the rifle to its effective max on steel which should be around 800 yds. if I read correctly.Shooting mostly Hornady 123 gr A-max factory rounds. No handloads yet. Just got the rifle. Would appreciate any advice you guys can give me. I'm a novice at this. Mostly pistol for a long time. Thanks

 

[Chris@InterstateGuns]

I don't think it's over scoping......do it!

 

[damoncali]

For target shooting at 800 yards, I would go higher, not lower. Just make sure there's enough adjustment.

 

[mwroseberry]

That grendel will reach much farther than 800. It should have no trouble getting to 1k. I run my USO SN-3 3-17 on mine.

Good luck,
Merritt

 

[thehaunt]

Thanks for the info guys. Do you think a 4-16x42 would reach 1000yds..?? or a 6.5-20x50??

 

[mwroseberry]

My USO got me to 1 mile on my bolt gun. Magnification isnt everything. Clarity is huge in the long range game

 

[thehaunt]

My USO got me to 1 mile on my bolt gun. Magnification isnt everything. Clarity is huge in the long range game

1 mile is awesome. Good point about clarity. I'll pay more attn. to that.

 

[phreakmode]

I've shot my 14.5" Grendel to 1200 yards with a 3-18 optic, around 13 or 14 is the highest used so have room to spare.

That 4-16x42 should work fine, from a specs stand point.

 

[thehaunt]

Interesting and I have a 22" barrel.

 

[damoncali]

For some reference: At 600 yards, my 36x scope enables me to precisely place the crosshairs on one side or the other of the X ring of an F Class target, which is a 3" circle. Could I do that with a 10x? Probably not. Could I reliably hit the 10 ring (6" circle). Yup. It all depends on how precise you need to be with shot placement and how much of the downside of high magnification you are willing to tolerate. At 800 yards, I'd go with an 8-32 as an all-around target scope for hitting steel. For mid range (600 yard) F Class, I would prefer something around 45x.

 

[Strykervet]

That grendel will reach much farther than 800. It should have no trouble getting to 1k. I run my USO SN-3 3-17 on mine.

Good luck,
Merritt

Yep, same here. 3.2-17x SN3 on a Satern bbl.'d Grendel. It's one accurate SOB and I'd say the scope is just perfect for it. I don't like over-scoping a rifle either, and I think it's done all too often. I was worried 3.2-17x might be too much, but it turned out to be great. Don't use 17x all that much, but the 3.2x-midrange gets used a lot and the really low power 3.2x setting is really nice to have. I think having 5x or 6x for the lowest setting would be too high for a field rifle in this caliber, but that's just my opinion. 3.2-17x is just right, perfect even, for the Grendel round. And yeah, the SN3 is pretty clear, along with good light gathering qualities, not mention it's built like a damn tank. Excellent field scope or military scope.

If you're shooting competitions and only range stuff that isn't dynamic in nature, then I'd say look at one of the SFP Nightforce or March scopes maybe. You might get more for your money that way and a scope more appropriate for what you're doing. They have lots of different magnification scales and models.

 

[eracer]

I shot steel at 540 meters with a Leupold 2-8X scope. It was easy enough at that distance. I recently upgraded to a NF 3-15X, and I would feel pretty confident out to 800 yards on steel. (Haven't had the chance to try it yet...)

 

[thehaunt]

Great.. Thanks guys. I was afraid I needed a really high magnification,but it appears clarity and maybe less magnification is what counts.

 

[damoncali]

Keep in mind that high power scopes are a relatively new thing. 15 years ago, scopes topped out at around 20-24x for the most part. They were also WAY cheaper. When Nightforce brought out their 42x models, it took people a while to understand why you'd want such a thing. Most people hunted with 6x, 8x, or something in that range.

So yeah, pretty much everything within sane ranges can be done with lower magnification. But there's a reason competition scopes are pushing magnification higher and higher. If you want that extra 1/4 minute of precision, more is better.

 

[Crosshair]

Shooting steel at 800y is totally different that shooting paper targets at 800y. Magnification requirements are mainly dictated by target size. And, you can always dial a 6-24x down to 10x, but you can't dial a 4-16x up to 24x...
Over scoping to me is when your useable low end is too high, such as a 6-24 on a hunting rifle. Or, just plain physically to big and heavy and balance ruining (and unnecessarily pricy).

And, if running a second focal plane scope, if is set to subtend correctly at max power, it is likely uncomfortably high (like on a 6-24x) unless conditions are perfect. Another reason FFP's are a win.

 

[waveslayer]

I know the pitfalls of overscoping and certainly don't want that. So,would a 4-16x42 scope work? I would like to take the rifle to its effective max on steel which should be around 800 yds. if I read correctly.Shooting mostly Hornady 123 gr A-max factory rounds. No handloads yet. Just got the rifle. Would appreciate any advice you guys can give me. I'm a novice at this. Mostly pistol for a long time. Thanks

800 yards is too short for the Grendel! the Grendel I have is a tac driver! and can shoot well past 1200 yards! more scope the better! when have you ever complained that i have too much horsepower in my car?... it all depends on how you use it.

 

[Ishallbie O'Cullkillin]

My Grendel is not a particularly flat shooting rifle. I am pushing the 123gr Scenars to 1k at 2550 fps, and REALLY have to pay attention to catch the dirt splash on missed shots. The conclusions I draw from this are: First, clarity trumps magnification when trying to spot low energy impacts at extended range. Second, elevation adjustment on most high magnification scopes is usually less than scopes of lower power. One needs to find the right balance of glass quality and elevation adjustment range, with magnification being a tertiary concern.
The Grendel is an intermediate range cartridge, so having low magnification capabilities for close-in work would provide greater utility of the round, for the purposes with which it was intended.

 

[precision308]

I've let my grendel sit. I can't get it to shoot consistantly better than 1.25" @ 100. I've tried everyrhing from 95-123gr. What are your handloads thatvu guys are using

 

[Ishallbie O'Cullkillin]

Hey, precision308, I am using 30.4gr AA2520 with a 123gr Scenar. What make is your rifle? I got mine, an AA 19.5" Hunter, from Arne Brennan at CSS about 8 years ago. 1k rounds later, accuracy has fallen off lately. I found gobs of gas leaking from around my gas block, so I removed it, and found that my gas ports did not line up properly. Of course, it is a pinned gasblock, and the gas journal was fucktardedly turned to an oddball diameter of .911", and I could not interest CSS or AA in correcting this issue. I am waiting for the AR Stoner barrels to show up again.
So, by all means, IMO, don't use a scope that has more magnification than can be used, especially at the expense of clarity, elevation adjustment, and close-in target engagement.

 

[BIPMaster]

FWIW I have a 18.5" 6.5G and I use a Leupold MK4 6.5-20 on it.