Background: I have been shooting for most of my life, but recently got an itch to take up long-range rifle. I have a 300 WM that I have practiced and hunted with fairly successfully out to about 550 yards. I am looking for a rig to go beyond that - out to 1000 yards. I recently bought Remington 700 SPS Tactical in 308. My intended use is to primarily punch paper and shoot at steel. I am not a professional operator, and I am not trying to build this gun with the intent that my life will depend on it. I can clearly see how doing so would change one's apporach and choices. This is strictly a hobby for me at this point - one that I take seriously, but not anywhere near a professional level.
That all being said, I am looking for some help in selecting an optic. I have browsed through much of the stuff here and have some questions and am hoping for some comments/suggestions.
To start, my budget is $750-1k for my optics. I would like something that has a max magnifcation of at least 20x and is suitable for shooting out to 1,000 yards with reasonable accuracy. I know you get what you pay for, and I am not expecting a world class scope in this price range, but I am looking for the best I can get.
I am looking for something available with reticles similar to Vortex PST Viper or Razor. I am not interested in a straightup mil-dot if I can avoid it. Unfortunately at my budget point, most of the top recommended scopes here are out of reach - NF, S&B, Hensoldt, PH, Leupold Mark 4, etc. I have had a ton of trouble with Bushnell scopes over the years, and they are now on the blackball list. I know a lot of folks here have good luck with Elite series, but I would say they are out for me personally.
The other thing I have been mulling over is FFP vs. SFP. At first I thought FFP was the cat's meow, but the more I consider how I would personally use it, I am not so sure. I shoot most of my scopes at max power. If I have to dial back for something, it is likely within 300 yards, and I don't think ranging it will be critical anyhow. I can see how FFP would be more important in a tactical environment where you need a wider picture of the environment, even though you may be far enough away to need to range. I just can't see it for my use though. Any logic flaws to this?
My first choice would be a Vortex Viper PST, but given the on-going delivery problems they have had with those, and the fact that they have stated the first revised run will probably only cover backorders, I doubt I will be seeing one anytime soon.
Is there anything else out there with a graduated (hashmark) reticle (not mil-dot) that I have not considered in my budget? I am beginning to think I may be stuck with putting a clunker scope on this gun to just get some closer range familiarity (and fun) out of it until I can save my pennies for something more elaborate - in which case I am probably in the middle of the NF/Razor debate. I was hoping it wouldn't come to that, and am hoping someone here can maybe share some advice with me if there is any other approach that might get me shooting sooner within my immediate budget.
Thanks for any advice you might have. This is a cool forum - I have already enjoyed lurking here for a while.
Casey
That all being said, I am looking for some help in selecting an optic. I have browsed through much of the stuff here and have some questions and am hoping for some comments/suggestions.
To start, my budget is $750-1k for my optics. I would like something that has a max magnifcation of at least 20x and is suitable for shooting out to 1,000 yards with reasonable accuracy. I know you get what you pay for, and I am not expecting a world class scope in this price range, but I am looking for the best I can get.
I am looking for something available with reticles similar to Vortex PST Viper or Razor. I am not interested in a straightup mil-dot if I can avoid it. Unfortunately at my budget point, most of the top recommended scopes here are out of reach - NF, S&B, Hensoldt, PH, Leupold Mark 4, etc. I have had a ton of trouble with Bushnell scopes over the years, and they are now on the blackball list. I know a lot of folks here have good luck with Elite series, but I would say they are out for me personally.
The other thing I have been mulling over is FFP vs. SFP. At first I thought FFP was the cat's meow, but the more I consider how I would personally use it, I am not so sure. I shoot most of my scopes at max power. If I have to dial back for something, it is likely within 300 yards, and I don't think ranging it will be critical anyhow. I can see how FFP would be more important in a tactical environment where you need a wider picture of the environment, even though you may be far enough away to need to range. I just can't see it for my use though. Any logic flaws to this?
My first choice would be a Vortex Viper PST, but given the on-going delivery problems they have had with those, and the fact that they have stated the first revised run will probably only cover backorders, I doubt I will be seeing one anytime soon.
Is there anything else out there with a graduated (hashmark) reticle (not mil-dot) that I have not considered in my budget? I am beginning to think I may be stuck with putting a clunker scope on this gun to just get some closer range familiarity (and fun) out of it until I can save my pennies for something more elaborate - in which case I am probably in the middle of the NF/Razor debate. I was hoping it wouldn't come to that, and am hoping someone here can maybe share some advice with me if there is any other approach that might get me shooting sooner within my immediate budget.
Thanks for any advice you might have. This is a cool forum - I have already enjoyed lurking here for a while.
Casey
