Optics for medium to long range hunting.

[CalebFuller78]

I'm looking for optics to hunt hogs, coyotes, and deer at medium to long ranges on an AR-15 DMR SPR platform rifle. Right now I'm looking at the Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 3-9x30, 4-12x40, or the 6-18x40. I'm leaning towards the higher power but don't really know. I'm know to long range shooting and am open to suggestion. No Soliciting please, I don't want you BSA or UTG. I just want advice from more experienced guys. FYI I'm gonna be using 77 and 75 grain Black Hill ammo in .223/5.56. I'd also like to keep it under 1,000 dollars. Thanks.


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[themightytimmah]

There's a couple considerations to factor in:

1. What reticle do you want (ballistic, mil scale, MOA scale)?
2. How far do you think you'll be making shots out to? I could easily see 400 yds for coyote hunting, but I haven't seen a whole lot of deer shot in Maine past 250.
3. Are you planning on using your scope to scan the area, or just for shooting? If you are going to use it to pick up targets, lower magnification gives a much wider field of view.
4. Since you've got a semi-auto platform, you have the ability to make quick follow up shots. One of the downsides of a 18 power is it's easy to "lose" an animal that isn't DRT on the first shot. I would suggest going a little lower so you can see your hit and send a second round downrange.
5. Are you going to hunt coyotes/hogs at night? If so, an illuminated reticle is great to have.
6. Do they have hogs in Maine now? I lived out there from 1988-2005 and 2010-12, I don't remember seeing or hearing of any.

My personal soft spot in that price range would be to look for a used Nightforce 2.5-10. Crystal clear glass and you can get one right around a thousand if you look hard.

 

[valkyries]

I think the Leopold Mark AR would make a good hunting scope. I have had a Burris 3x9 on my rifle for years and it has served me well. Fact is, if you are looking for a scope for hunting a lower magnification will probably serve best. I think 3x9 is about perfect for hunting situations. You can also shoot targets at long range with a 3x9. If you want to hunt hogs, coyotes and deer with a .223, you will want to keep the range as short as possible to ensure a clean kill, also many states have a .24 caliber minimum for deer. I have also heard very good things about Nikons glass quality, may be worth a look.

 

[CalebFuller78]

[MENTION=45714]themightytimmah[/MENTION] Those are good points and I might look in to the Nighforce. Also there aren't any hogs this far north yet, but a lot of people say that they will be here soon. I wouldn't be hunting hogs in Maine though I have family in FL and go down pretty often, so most hog hunting would be down there.


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[CalebFuller78]

[MENTION=78816]Diver160651[/MENTION] great advice thank you. I plan on getting a 308 or 300 win mag later on but the spr is just a more present issue. I'm not gonna buy a Remington 700 either (even though they are good rifles) I plan on getting a custom or at least higher end rifle that I might could also compete with.


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[CalebFuller78]

And I should be able to get NVG sometime this coming year.


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[jim_k]

Every time I think I'm going to reinvent the wheel, I come back to the Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16x50 with mil-dot reticle. Could go with 4.5-30 power, and shoot F-class with it. These are 30 mm scope bodies, and they have 50 minutes of elevation; you'll still need a 20 MOA rail to get to 1,000 yds. reliably. They will not fog, and they have real good glare coating. The warranty is good, too. They have side focus parallax. They will not pound nails like a NightForce, but they are half the price. Yeah, my F-class scope is a NF; both scopes have very reliable clicks. The NF is 1/8 min, and the Bushnell is 1/4 min, actually calculating in my use to 0.275"/click.
Jim

 

[jim_k]

I just noticed your post about a .308 or 300 Win target rifle. I would recommend the .308 Win based on expense, wear and tear, and less kick. Also, F/TR allows .308, but not 300 Win Mag. I have seen Rem 700 box-stock rifles shoot very well at F/TR matches, and don't overlook the Savage 12 F/TR, which has a longer barrel, for more velocity, and a cheek-piece, which is very nice for comfort on long days of shooting 66 shot matches. It also has a match trigger, which is very fine. Disadvantage is that it's big and heavy, and you probably won't do anything but target shoot with that. IMO, any factory rifle still needs a glass-bedding job (always), and sometimes barrel lapping. I put together a nice .30-'06 Classic Sporter Winchester Model 70 for a relative, and it shoots Berger Moly 185's less than 0.4". That's a 24 in. sporter-weight barrel, and bedded factory walnut stock/factory trigger.
Jim