Rifle Scopes New Scope for Ruger Precision in 6.5 CM

joshua2727

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Minuteman
Aug 10, 2018
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So I bought a RPR today to hopefully get into long range shooting. Now I'm stuck with the dillema of finding a suitable scope. I want to stay around a grand or less. So far I've been eyeballing the Vortex PST Gen 2 5-25, Burris XTR II 5-25 and the Leupold VX3i LRP FFP 8.5-25.

Does anybody have experience with all or some of these scopes? Specifically the Leupold there doesn't seem to be much information on however I do know Leupolds reputation is beyond reproach.
 
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So I bought a RPR today to hopefully get into long range shooting. Now I'm stuck with the dillema of finding a suitable scope. I want to stay around a grand or less. So far I've been eyeballing the Vortex PST Gen 2 5-25, Burris XTR II 5-25 and the Leupold VX3i LRP FFP 8.5-25.

Does anybody have experience with all or some of these scopes? Specifically the Leupold there doesn't seem to be much information on however I do know Leupolds reputation is beyond reproach.

@joshua2727 we'd love to assist you on finding the best scope for your RPR, if you can give us a call at 916-670-1103 and we'll ask a few questions to narrow it down :)
 
I'm a big fan of the Bushnell Elite Tactical line-up. I've bought close to 10 of them with no issues on any and all get used how a scope is meant to be used. They have a wide selection of specs and prices. The Ole Faitful DMR's served me well for years and still do on many rifles. The new XRS2 and DMR2 PRO models are very nice though.

If you have any questions I'd be glad to help where I can.
 
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I've done a fair amount of shooting with a Leupold VX-3i LRP FFP 4.5-14x50 with the Impact-60 MOA reticle. I think it's a good value. Glass is nicer than I expected. I really liked the simplicity of the Impact-60 tree reticle. The turrets are fairly tall, only 15 MOA/5 MRAD per turn. Clicks were fine. Has zero stop, but no locking feature, although windage is capped. When you take the windage cap off, it's a normal looking turret underneath, with R and L markings to make it easy to know which way you're dialing at a glance.

One hesitation on the 8.5-25 is that it only has 80 MOA of elevation. While that's actually pretty normal for scopes that go to 25X in that price range, you may run out of elevation clicks before the 6.5CM goes trans-sonic, depending on atmospherics etc. If you plan on staying inside 1300 yards, shouldn't be an issue. Another hesitation is the TMR reticle - I'm just not a big fan.

The 6.5-20 versions have better reticle options (trees!), although mysteriously no additional elevation. I'd happily trade away 4X off the top end magnification to get a better reticle. YMMV.
 
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I use the pst Gen 2 5-25ffp in prs club level matches. I like the scope a lot. Lots of features for the price, great reticle. Glass is very good up to about 20x, less clear above that. I've read of some failures, but mine has been flawless thru about 700 rounds.
 
PST 5-25 is the best of that bunch and IMHO, is pretty much the best scope in the $1k new price range.

Next best values are the SWFA HD 5-20 and Athlon Cronus, both of which are really fantastic and can be had for $1k used. To do noticeably better than those, you really have to spend a bunch of money.
 
PST 5-25 is the best of that bunch and IMHO, is pretty much the best scope in the $1k new price range.

Next best values are the SWFA HD 5-20 and Athlon Cronus, both of which are really fantastic and can be had for $1k used. To do noticeably better than those, you really have to spend a bunch of money.

I agree. If the swfa had a tree reticle and a zero stop, it'd be at the top of my list
 
I have a couple gen 1 PSTs, a xtr II, and a bushnell tactical elite HDMR I believe. Out of those the best glass is the Bushnell, the best zero stop the Vortex, the reticle are a wash IMO but the Burris has the best turrets to me. It helps that it has more travel then the older PSTs at 25 MRAD. With a 20MOA base and Burris signature rings I have 21 MRAD of up elevation so I never have to hold. I'm thinking the newer PSTs are vastly improved from the gen 1, but the 3 I have have all gone back to Vortex at least once.

So I bought a RPR today to hopefully get into long range shooting. Now I'm stuck with the dillema of finding a suitable scope. I want to stay around a grand or less. So far I've been eyeballing the Vortex PST Gen 2 5-25, Burris XTR II 5-25 and the Leupold VX3i LRP FFP 8.5-25.

Does anybody have experience with all or some of these scopes? Specifically the Leupold there doesn't seem to be much information on however I do know Leupolds reputation is beyond reproach.
 
Everyone has their choice and experience. I was in the same situation as the OP. I went with the Leupold 8.5lrp based on.y personal experience with Leupold products and customer service. Absolutely satisfied! The glass is as crisp as I could.ask for. So far tracking to 450 is spot on and 100 percent repeatable. Just my experience
 
I have a PST Gen I, LRP, and an NXS. While the NXS should be the clear winner, it's not necessarily my favorite of the bunch. I actually find the eye box on the Vortex to be the most forgiving and as such I feel most comfortable behind it.

NXS has the best glass and turret feel, although the windage clicks are a bit mushier then the elevation. The Vortex has the best reticle of the 3. The LRP is the lightest and a slight notch above the Vortex in terms of glass quality. My LRP has had tracking issues and it doesn't have a constant eye relief, so that's kind of annoying.

As of now, the NXS has replaced the Vortex on my RPR, the LRP sits on my hunting gun, and the Vortex is sitting in the safe waiting for another build.
 
So I just left Sportsmans warehosue. I looked through the following scopes simultaneously. The guy working the counter was nice enough to let me play with multiple scopes.

Vortex Viper Gen 2 5-25
Nikon FX1000 6-24
Leupold VXi LRP 8.5-25
Leupold VX5HD 3-15
Leupold VX6 3-18


Overall I would say that the most clear and bright glass belonged to the Nikon and the VX6. The best turret feel and overall appearance would be the Viper. I also preferred the Viper reticle. They didn't have a Burris XTRII for me to try out which was a bummer. I really liked the Nikon FX1000 FFP as well although the turrets are a bit tall. Does anyone have any experience with it? Seems like a huge value. I'm definitely leaning towards it or the Viper, possibly the Burris if I can find one to try.