Rifle Scopes Scope Advice: Leupold Mk 4 LR/T M3 w/ Premier Reticle

[TimMurphy]

Hi guys - this is my first post here. I'm a new guy with some FNG questions.

First off, ever buy something & personal circumstances/time constraints work out so that you couldn't use it as soon as you would have liked ? Well, that happened to me. I'm an experienced shooter & hunter, but not experienced with long range precision type shooting. I decided I wanted to get into shooting tactical precision type rifles several years ago. I found a good deal on a Rem 700 LTR (20" fluted barrel HS Precision stock - I changed out the magazine set up). I later found a Rem 700 Milspec 5R at a good price. Nothing's been done to it. This is not for competition, just for my own satisfaction. Targets will be metal gongs and torso sized plates.
What I had in mind was using the shorter barrel LTR for getting experience in this type of shooting for distances out to about 600 yds or so. I bought a Leupold 3.5-10x-40mm Mk 4 LR/T M3 scope from Premier Reticle when they used to work on Leupys. I also have several Kenton custom elevation knobs for this scope. - - - I planned to use the 24" barrel Milspec 5R to shoot out to around 1k after I had built up skills at 600 yds.
So here's my dilemma - when I bought my gear, prices were cheaper and I had more money to spend on such things. I need a scope for my Milspec 5R that'll do the job out to about 1k. But, I'd like to keep the budget below $1k and $600 would be even better.

So here are my questions, please:

- Is my 3.5-10x-40mm Mk 4 M3 Leupy with Premier reticle appropriate for my 1k yd rifle ? Is the 1 m.o.a. clicks too rough an adjustment ? If not appropriate, is there something I can do to make it work in this application ?

- If the Mk 4 M3 Leupy w Premier reticle can work on my 1k yd .308, I was considering a Vortex HS-T 4-16x-44mm on the LTR. The price tag is attractive in terms of my budget. (Though it is a bit screwy than my 600yd rifle would have higher power glass on it than the 1k yd one. Hmmm.) What do you think of this scope for a 600 yd rifle ? (It might even see hunting use since its of reasonable bulk/weight.)

Well, that's about it guys. I have two 308 rifles and only one scope (that may or not be appropriate for both of them). I have a budget that tops out at $1k, but that would be a real stretch. I'd really prefer to keep it at around $600. I'd like to make best use of the scope and money that I have for this.

I'd appreciate any and all suggestions you may offer, including ones 'outside of the box' from what I have mentioned as possible solutions.

Thank you, in advance, for your comments.

 

[Voltron]

To start off, I want to say that I'm not a scope know it all and I've just been recently getting my feet wet with quality optics and long range shooting.

The MK4 that you have is a good scope. I'm not sure if you could send it to Leupold to have them outfit it with some finer adjustment turrets, but that would be a good way to go if they could. As far as the magnification, I like having more magnification if I need it but I usually try to not crank it up much to train myself more. Some shooters say that you only need 1x per 100yds/m. The more I shoot and the more confidence I gain, I can agree with that statement.

As far as scopes go, take a look in the optics section of the FS threads. I have a SWFA SS 5-20x50 HD FFP Illuminated model, and its a great scope for the price. Looking at the FS threads, you should be able to find one of the SS 5-20 scopes without the illumination for around the top of your price range. I like Vortex scopes like you mentioned, but I feel like you can get a lot more scope for the money if you spend a little more and by a scope second hand. There are plenty of great options for you in that price range you have given yourself, but depending on what features you want will narrow your choices a lot. The Weaver Tactical 3-15's are supposed to be great scopes for the money and I believe they sell for around $750 or so.

I wish I could offer you more advice and information, but hopefully I gave you some useful information.

 

[hrfunk]

A lot of what you are asking falls into the realm of personal preference. Why don't you give the scope a try and see if it meets your expectations. If it does, you're all set. If not, you can evaluate other options. For what it's worth, last week I was shooting 600 yards with a rifle topped with a 2.5X scope; so in my opinion, 10X is adequate for your purposes. For you, however, it may seem under-powered. Try it out and see.

HRF

 

[TimMurphy]

Thanks guys for your comments. Goods points made.

I tend to prefer less magnification when it'll work. Greater field of view and brighter picture. So, in big game hunting scopes I often like a 4x or 6x fixed scope. But I was wondering if 10x would be adequate out to 1k for this application. I was also wondering if the M3 turret would offer too coarse of adjustments for that range. Elevation turret knobs are marked "1 click = 1 min" and Windage turret knob is marked "1 click = 1/2 min".

My original intention was to use the Mark 4 M3 that I have, - on the LTR for out to 600 yd +/- shooting. I was going to get another scope for 1,000 yard use on the longer barrel 308 I mentioned, (maybe with a little more power), and with 1/4 min clicks. Sticker shock and less disposable money is my motivation for seeing if I might be able to use the M3 at 1,000 yds and go with a cheaper alternative for the 600 yd rifle.

Do 1,000 yd guys usually use M1 type scopes with "1 click = 1/4 min" adjustments ? (or the equivalent in other brands than Leupold)

Thanks again & please pardon me if some of my new guy questions might be dumb. I've read some of the stickys in this forum & haven't found the answer to these specific questions yet.

The original plan had been to get a lot of trigger time with the shorter barrel rifle out to 600 yds and to do this with my Leupold M3 scope. As hrfunk pointed out, that'll likely give me a better idea of what'll work for me. I welcome any more comments and advice as guys may offer. Its appreciated.

 

[BCP]

Just go shooting. Get out to the range often enough, maybe go to an F class shoot and you will see other guys with different scopes. You'll get an idea of what other people use, what you like/don't like and go from there. Until then your leupold will be fine.

 

[TimMurphy]

BCP - sounds like a plan ! I'll just shoot with what I have and learn from there.

Thanks everyone.





P.S. - it also occurred to me that I have a few things in the gun safe that haven't seen much use. So, if after getting lots of trigger time and deciding what I want to buy I find that I need to spend a little more, I can sell a few things to fund it.