Rifle Scopes Scope Recommendation Hunting/Matches

[bornhunter04]

Alright guys, another scope recommendation thread, for that I do apologize.

But anyways, here's what I have now, what I've got coming, and what I'm looking for.

Currently, I have a Remington .308 with a weaver 3-15x50 tactical moa/mil. A SPR-ish AR-15 with a bushnell elite tactical 3-12x44 mil/mil. I have a custom 6.5 creedmoor being built. It should be ready about mid-may.

So, what I'm considering is taking the bushnell off of the ar and putting it on the 6.5CM when it's done then buying a 1-4x for the AR. Or selling the weaver, putting the bushnell on the .308 and putting a scope on the 6.5CM. Then save up a bit longer for a 1-4x to put on the AR.

What I'm looking at is the Vortex PST 6-24 or the bushnell 6-24 or the bushnell 3.5-21 or the SWFA 5-20.

I'm looking for a scope that would come in around/under $1500, FFP is required, MIL/MIL. Illuminated - Not sure about.

One thing to consider is that if i can keep in a scope around the 30 ounce and below mark, my new rifle should weigh in around 10 LBs, hopefully a bit less. I can go a few ounces over but I don't want to get crazy heavy with the optics.

The new rifle will be used for hunting and shooting out to 1k.

My concerns are, is the bottom end 6x on the vortex too much base magnification for a hunting rig? On a FFP scope will the reticle be too small if the bottom magnification is 6x?

I want something with good glass and solid turrets that wont easily move. I really like the locking turrets on the Bushnell DMR 3.5-21 but it's a bit heavier than I would like.

I keep leaning towards the PST. It fits my price range and weight requirements. Are the exposed turrets good for hunting?

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.

 

[Glassaholic]

I think you realize that you're going to get all kinds of recommendations here. First, is 6x too high for the low end. Well it depends on what you're hunting. If it's prairie dogs or deer at 500 yards probably not. If it's deer in the bush at 100 or less maybe so.

You already mentioned the scope I ended up choosing for LR target and hunting elk in Colorado. The Bushnell 3.5-21 G2. Yes it is heavy but you can't beat the range. My other thought would be the Leupold Mark 6 3-18 which is quite a bit lighter. But my preference was to stay below 4x on the low end and 18x or more on the high end. I spent more money than I should have testing out the following: vortex viper post 4-16x50, valdada 3-18x42, Valdada 3.5-18x50, US Optics 3.7-22x44 and the Bushnell Tactical Elite 3.5-21x50. The vortex and the valdada 3-18 had the lessor of the optics tested and the Bushnell, Valdada 3.5-18 and US Optics were all pretty close optically which was superb in low light. In the end I chose the Bushnell for price vs performance. If Valdada had offered their new MP8 dot Xtreme reticle in this scope it may have made the decision more difficult. The US Optics had a slight edge in optical quality throughout but for 2.5x the cost over the Bushnell I decided to save the money and ended up buying a Surgeon/Bartlein and AICS 2.0 combo.