Greetings,
Long time lurker now having a desire to get into shooting an AR platform (both AR15 and AR10) past 100 yards. I joined a range in northeast NJ called Cherry Ridge, which goes out to 300 yards, and also have limited access to a friend's range going out to 600 yards. At some point, would like to get into something like 2/3 gun as well.
Personally, I'd prefer non China, but if the offering hits what I'm looking for, I have zero problem with getting that optic (another of saying, please keep the politics out of this thread).
I've read a bunch of threads on this site and others and it seems there are a few offerings that come in at my price point. If there are other options, or options that are north of $1k, but less than $1.5k, please suggest them. Below are the options that I've come across that appeal to me. They all are a compromise in some way or another, but they seem to be in the general ballpark of what I'm looking for. Having zero experience with these, any detailed feedback on the pro's/con's of these offerings would be greatly appreciated. I do kinda question how "good" the $500'ish offerings are. Are they worth the money spent, or will I be falling victim to "I should have bought something more expensive but "better"" buy once, cry once? And yes, the keyboard commando in me wants something worthy of being durable enough to survive the zombie apocalypse. I'm envisioning the scope to be able to make quick hits out to 600 yards, but can also do more precision work as well.
US Optics TS 2-12 - $500'ish, 18oz, FFP but the reticle looks questionable for usage at low mag, and not illuminated. I love the form factor of this one
Athlon Helos Gen 2 2-12 - $500'ish, FFP, usable reticle at all mag's, on the heavier side of what i'm looking for at 25.4oz
Swampfox Kentucky Long 2-12 - $500'ish, usable reticle at all mag's, on the heavier side of what I'm looking for at 26oz
Arken ELP 4-16 - $400'ish, non Xmas tree type reticle, but the weight is decent at under 24oz
Primary Arms GLX 2-10 or 4-16 - $750'ish, with what my inexperienced self sees as the most optimal reticle for low/high mag, weight is decent at 22/23oz, however I've read the FOV isn't too great
Vortex PST Gen2 3-15 - I see this one referenced often, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems to the current "standard" for this type of scope when found on deal at $600'ish. My only real gripe with this scope is the weight at 28oz
One offering that intrigues me, but is not FFP, nor does it have an Xmas tree reticle, is the Leupold Mk3 3-9. The weight is ridiculously low and it has Aimpoint type illumination.
I see there are decent offerings from Trijicon, such as the Credo 2-10, however, I do want parallax adjustment. Vortex has their 2.5-10 PST Gen2, but at 26oz, it's getting porky. Not sure what else is out there that is not noticeably heavy and has the feature set I'm looking for. I'm hoping the optics companies start producing something for this market, as from the various threads I've seen on this type of offering, there is definitely interest.
So again, for the scopes listed above, please provide some detailed feedback and comparisons if possible, as well as recommendations preferably under $1k, but up to $1.5k.
Greatly appreciated....
Long time lurker now having a desire to get into shooting an AR platform (both AR15 and AR10) past 100 yards. I joined a range in northeast NJ called Cherry Ridge, which goes out to 300 yards, and also have limited access to a friend's range going out to 600 yards. At some point, would like to get into something like 2/3 gun as well.
- What is the platform for the scope? - AR15
- What cartridge are you shooting? .223 / 5.56mm and .308 / 7.62x51mm
- What is your intended use for the scope? Up to 600 yards range, hoping to get into competition
- What type of conditions will you typically shoot in? Daylight, Lowlight, Nighttime, etc. or any combination thereof
- What are the typical distances you intend to shoot? 300-600 yds, 100-300 yds, under 100 yds
- Are there any specific specifications you would like? FFP, Parallax, MPVO, Light
- What is the price range you can afford? Preferably below $1k, but up to $1.5k
Personally, I'd prefer non China, but if the offering hits what I'm looking for, I have zero problem with getting that optic (another of saying, please keep the politics out of this thread).
I've read a bunch of threads on this site and others and it seems there are a few offerings that come in at my price point. If there are other options, or options that are north of $1k, but less than $1.5k, please suggest them. Below are the options that I've come across that appeal to me. They all are a compromise in some way or another, but they seem to be in the general ballpark of what I'm looking for. Having zero experience with these, any detailed feedback on the pro's/con's of these offerings would be greatly appreciated. I do kinda question how "good" the $500'ish offerings are. Are they worth the money spent, or will I be falling victim to "I should have bought something more expensive but "better"" buy once, cry once? And yes, the keyboard commando in me wants something worthy of being durable enough to survive the zombie apocalypse. I'm envisioning the scope to be able to make quick hits out to 600 yards, but can also do more precision work as well.
US Optics TS 2-12 - $500'ish, 18oz, FFP but the reticle looks questionable for usage at low mag, and not illuminated. I love the form factor of this one
Athlon Helos Gen 2 2-12 - $500'ish, FFP, usable reticle at all mag's, on the heavier side of what i'm looking for at 25.4oz
Swampfox Kentucky Long 2-12 - $500'ish, usable reticle at all mag's, on the heavier side of what I'm looking for at 26oz
Arken ELP 4-16 - $400'ish, non Xmas tree type reticle, but the weight is decent at under 24oz
Primary Arms GLX 2-10 or 4-16 - $750'ish, with what my inexperienced self sees as the most optimal reticle for low/high mag, weight is decent at 22/23oz, however I've read the FOV isn't too great
Vortex PST Gen2 3-15 - I see this one referenced often, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but this seems to the current "standard" for this type of scope when found on deal at $600'ish. My only real gripe with this scope is the weight at 28oz
One offering that intrigues me, but is not FFP, nor does it have an Xmas tree reticle, is the Leupold Mk3 3-9. The weight is ridiculously low and it has Aimpoint type illumination.
I see there are decent offerings from Trijicon, such as the Credo 2-10, however, I do want parallax adjustment. Vortex has their 2.5-10 PST Gen2, but at 26oz, it's getting porky. Not sure what else is out there that is not noticeably heavy and has the feature set I'm looking for. I'm hoping the optics companies start producing something for this market, as from the various threads I've seen on this type of offering, there is definitely interest.
So again, for the scopes listed above, please provide some detailed feedback and comparisons if possible, as well as recommendations preferably under $1k, but up to $1.5k.
Greatly appreciated....
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