Rifle Scopes new guy, new 308, new base now need help on scope and rings!

[Oneoverpar]

Hi, I am a long time ar15.com guy and am making the move over here.
Yesterday I bought a new 24" Remington 700 308 r5 ceracote tactical. I also ordered the Badger 20moa one piece steel max rail.
Now it is time for the scope and correct rings...
I think I want the Leupold ltr 4.5x14 x40 M1. I am ok with the price ($1200) and I can dial it back to hunt.
Most of the time I will be punching paper for fun but there may be a couple of deer/elk trips this year. In Western WA most of our shots are in the 100 yd range max but I may take it to Montana for longer range shooting and hunting so that is why I picked that scope over the leupold 3-10x30.
I was going to order the badger rings (because I like things to match) should I get the standard, med or med high rings? Should I get the steel or alum?
Thanks for any help!!

 

[bh-ltr]

I had some badger rings on my setup and recently swapped the out for some aluminum rings from seekins and I like them a lot better. The Badger rings were very good and very high quality. I needed a bit more height when I went to a different platform I prefer the look of the Seekins better. The right angle step in the bottom side of the badgers just has a narrow spot that looks like a weak spot. Its not that weak of a spot but it looks like one. The aluminium rings are plenty tough and a lot lighter. I'm VERY happy with the Seekins rings.

The height you need will depend on the scope you get. I'd really recommend trying to find something that is front focal plane and has a zero stop. Leupold has some good offerings but I think that Vortex and some of the HDMR Bushnell's should also be checked out. If you can wait around and get your hands on a Nighforce 3.5-15 F1 that would also be a REALLY nice option. Gives you FFP and Zero stop and fits in your magnification range. Take a gander through Vortex's site and read their warranty and what not and I think you'll be impressed.

~Brett

 

[Hairball]

I would go with standard/ steel but that's me. I just put a set of 34mm standards on my 308 project. What size scope tube are you working with?

 

[Oneoverpar]

hairball- it is a 30mm tube

 

[bh-ltr]

Give this one a look:
Vortex Optics - Viper PST 4-16x50 FFP EBR-1 MRAD

This gives you zero stop
4-16 power
50mm objective
front focal plane
Unlimited Lifetime Warranty (same as the Leupold)
still 30mm tube

And the whole package can be had for under 900 brand new. Even cheaper if you find one used and no matter what if its not perfect Vortex will send you a new one.

 

[bh-ltr]

I guess I don't get while steel rings are considered all that necessary. The rings are way thicker than the body of the scope. What do people think that the body of these scopes are made out of? I can assure you its not steel!

~Brett

 

[Oneoverpar]

bh- the nightforce is definitely sweet but that just bumped my budget up another g.
Do you like the vortex as much as the leuphold?

 

[BLDTYLRY]

With a 40mm Objective you can go with Low rings. Which range do your frequent?

 

[Sinus211]

I'm a big fan of the Burris Xtreme rings and SWFA scopes. Value wise its hard to go wrong with either of those

 

[Temp9]

I guess I don't get while steel rings are considered all that necessary. The rings are way thicker than the body of the scope. What do people think that the body of these scopes are made out of? I can assure you its not steel!

~Brett

+1. If you're subjecting your rifle to worse abuse than 7075-T6 Aluminum can handle, something else will have given before the rings.

 

[Hairball]

Standards will be fine with a 30mm tube and 40mm obj. The debate of aluminum versus steel will continue; however, it depends on quality and manufacturer of what you are looking at that may help you decide. The rings I would select for your build would be the badger USMC DMR's but that is up to you unless you want to spend more than 200 and move up to SPUHR or something like that. I put a bushnell tac elite HDMR on my current project as the scope is fine for what the rifle will be used for (50-800 yards). Remember, the more people you ask the more opinions you will receive so do a little research and decide what you think is best because you are the one that has to live with the decision.

 

[CSTactical]

Hi oneoverpar,
Welcome to the HIDE.

The Leupold 4.5-14x50mm M1 are great scopes for the most part, the only thing I do not like about them is the reticle is in MIL and the turrets are in MOA. I do not care for scope that have two systems in them. If your going to go with the Leupold 4.5-14x50mm I recommend the M5 turret system they are in MILs, this way the RET & Turrets talk the same language.

We sale a lot of brands of scopes so if we can be of help please let us know.

Mike CSTACTICAL

 

[Temp9]

No, not entirely true. If you have a steel base and Al rings or the other way around, and you do take your rifle in and out of extreme temp changes, you will experience different shrink and explanation rates.


Jt

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Steel receiver and Aluminum scope tube. You're going to have a steel/Al interface somewhere, whether it's between the rings and scope tube, receiver and base, or base and rings.

 

[bh-ltr]

Hi oneoverpar,
Welcome to the HIDE.

The Leupold 4.5-14x50mm M1 are great scopes for the most part, the only thing I do not like about them is the reticle is in MIL and the turrets are in MOA. I do not care for scope that have two systems in them. If your going to go with the Leupold 4.5-14x50mm I recommend the M5 turret system they are in MILs, this way the RET & Turrets talk the same language.

We sale a lot of brands of scopes so if we can be of help please let us know.

Mike CSTACTICAL

thats right I forgot about this. I know that Leupold allows for some of their scopes to be made correctly now but yes having the reticle and the knobs not in matching units is just silly.

~Brett

 

[tylerw02]

I would not get the M1 knobs. If you are set on Leupold, get the M5 knobs and a FFP reticle. If that's too much cash, (I believe they are about $1500), get the Vortex PST.

 

[rspeer]

Hey Oneoverpar,

Congrats on your new 5R. I'm kinda new around here, too. I have the same rifle and I think you'll be very happy with it. I used a Badger 20moa base on mine with Badger steel rings in the standard height (.823"). For now, I have an SWFA SS12x42 on mine, so the standard rings work fine; I think it will be close when/if I go to a scope with a 50mm objective. I can measure the objective-to-bell clearance this evening and report back, if you like. The medium height Badger rings are .885", and reportedly will clear a 50mm objective with your setup, but I don't have personal experience with them as of yet.

I'll probably be in the same place as you in the not-too-distant future, as I'm pretty sure I'll end up going with a Leupold Mk4 ER/T M5, either the 4.5-14x50 or the 6.5-20x50 (unless a bunch of extra coin unexpectedly comes my way for a NF). I bought the SS as a lower-budget, short-term optic solution for my setup, but it's really a pretty nice scope and will most likely end up on my .22-250 when I get the funding together for a Mk4. Stay safe!

 

[KTDLS7]

Bottom line, ensure your reticle and turrets match (moa-moa or mil-mil). You cannot go wrong with Badger or Seekins.

 

[bh-ltr]

bh- the nightforce is definitely sweet but that just bumped my budget up another g.
Do you like the vortex as much as the leuphold?

You can find the F1's used in your range. But yes I do like the Vortex as good (no better) than Leupold. Leupold is starting to get things figured out and making the knobs match the reticle but I believe Vortex only makes things right to the best of my knowledge. Just like the carpet and the drapes. Its better when they match.

~Brett

 

[bh-ltr]

No, not entirely true. If you have a steel base and Al rings or the other way around, and you do take your rifle in and out of extreme temp changes, you will experience different shrink and explanation rates.


Jt

Lemme know when you find someone to make you a steel scope tube so that you can get around this problem. For now I'm going to stick with my Seekins rings. Don't know why but damn I love the way they look. Just one of those things that speaks to me. That and the fact that they're performing flawlessly for me I'm sold. Only rings I've ever had fail on me were TPS though.

~Brett

 

[Jason5R]

5R, good man...Congrats. When i built my 5R, first scope i purchased was the target version of the one you mentioned, the Leup 4-14. Its a great scope, however I kept kickin myself for not getting the 8-25x. I want to say with a coupon and sale i got it to the door for 1250ish from optics planet. I agree with above about the moa turrets and mil reticle, kinda blows.

I use badger ordnance rings and rail, no issues...

1st pic with the 14x when she was new, 2nd pic with 25x after a recent cerakote of rings, barrel etc etc..

Enjoy the rifle

 

[Oneoverpar]

I ended finding a used NF 5.5x22x56 with some nf rings here on the classified ads.
Thanks everybody for the help, expertise and opinions! I am sure that all of you veterans forget what it is like starting from scratch.