Rifle Scopes Trying to decide what scope.

[murdered6.2]

New member but I have been reading a lot on optics here and i keep getting more confused so i registered today to post a few questions. Hopefully wont get the generic "use the search feature!" responses.

Rifle:self built
AR10 platform.
Si defense gen III matched upper and lower
DPMS SASS 18" fluted barrel
Failzero bolt carrier
daniel defense 12" lite rail.
magpul prs stock
DPMS lower parts kit.
Still waiting on a few pieces ie. waiting on ATF for yhm supressor paperwork.
atlas bi pod. etc.

Anyhow those are a few specifics on the weapon. I intend to use it for deer hunting, and shooting at the range mainly to learn how to shoot at longer distances. Basically all around rifle and i want to use it to learn how to use mil dot as well. I always looked up to our snipers in Iraq but never got the chance to tap into their vast knowledge due to the fact I wasnt an 03'. I dont plan on being a professional sniper but i would like to know the basics.

So im here getting more and more confused as to what scope to get. I have been doing a lot of reading on a daily basis on here. So far I have just came to the conclusion i should buy a cheaper scope and learn to use it and then advance to a better scope. I really dont want to have too much scope for my weapon as I dont intend to make 1000 yard shot on a regular basis and i dont have the knowledge to do so. I would like to learn how to one day and woukd like a scope that would make that a possibility. I was really leaning to the Nightforce NXS 3.5-15x50 but i think that will be a bit too much scope for the capabilities of the rifle. Then decided I would try a uso SN3 1.8-10 but talked myself out of it completely as I wanted a larger objective...So i decided i would buy a cheaper mil dot scope to learn with and then pass that scope on to my m4. Now i dont know what to choose.

I guess my question would be what everyone else who has experience would buy starting out. I can afford up to 2500.00 not including mounts but would prefer to stay below 2000.00 I would love the schmidt and bender scope Marine snipers have but cant justify 3k+ and my skills with probably will never progress to the point of needing such a scope.

So far with what I have learned is that I woukd like a scope with ffp reticle,illuminated reticle,mil dot, parallax adjustment, variable power, objective >40mm, dont think i will need more zoom than say 10x. It needs to be something i can learn with and maybe a bit forgiving (zero stop?) Everyone I know is diehard leupold and im tired of hearing about it. Im going to look at Nikon today after work and see. I really dont like to buy anything i can put my hands on first.

I have looked at cheaper alternatives as well...but still not sure what features I can live with and the ones i cant. A lot of people tell me glass quality is what you want in a scope but it seems to me that it gets to the point of diminishing returns as far as quality per dollar in my price range. I dont live in a major city or anything and I dont have internet at home right now as sat dish is out of alignment ever since my dog jumped on it going afer the ball so my research time is limited to lunch break at work or from my phone right now.

Does anyone have or use a nikon 2.5-10x44 tactical? Im thinking that might be a good option as well as (as much as i hate to say it!) LEUPOLD MK 4 3.5-10X40 LR/T but unclear as to why the ffp version doesnt have illuminated reticle.

Maybe im asking too much for the money.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as well as any smart remarks. ie. "use the search feature!", "oh god im going to kill myself/you if someone asks another newb question!", "keep doing research!", "I know the answer but Im not telling you because you havent read enough on here!" I can handle critics too.

 

[murdered6.2]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

Dayum I gotta start out as a PFC again? what the H?

 

[Rich Coyle]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

I tried to use the "Search" feature few times. I get hundreds of posts but none are about the search. What good is that?

 

[michael_aos]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

I think something like the Super Sniper 3-9x or IOR 3-18x FFP would be a good fit.

Nightforce 3.5-15x SFP with "same / same" units reticle / turrets is perfectly good if you suspect most of your actual shooting will be at 15x. Or step up to the FFP version.

My thinking is to generally dial elevation and hold wind. SFP is fine if you'll only be holding wind on a specific magnification setting.

I tend to dial-down to find the target, and then zoom-in to take the shot.
--

 

[cyrekzz]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

if you wanted a lighter scope than the nightforce, you could always go leupold 3.5 - 10x or 4.5 - 14x. I guess it depends also on how much zoom you want in the spot your shooting at. I personally like to zoom in a bit, even on a deer sized target. but that's me. but i guess either of those don't have illum in FFP yet?! - does the nikon tactical have illum?

 

[fdkay]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

Do you have a .mil or .gov email account?

If so or if you can wait until you do, go to promotive.com, you can get a luepold for up to 45% off.
Get yourself a MK4 4.5-14 FFP.

I think you would be hard pressed to beat that deal.

Other than that, look to the Weaver Tactical 3-15x illuminated model, the Viper PST 4-16 or the Bushnell 3-12 FFP models.

 

[murdered6.2]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

No .mil or .gov accounts, Just looked briefly at the nikons, not made in usa. I would prefer made in USA or mostly made in USA. Everybody is recomending scopes with a bigger zoom...hrm, didnt expect that. Is that because nobody really makes a good all around scope in smaler zooms with a large abjective?

I kind of wanted the smaller zoom for the viewing area as deer tend to pop out everywhere around here and i wanted to have a better chance of seeing them with a smaller zoom. Would i be disappointed with a smaller zoom?

I never even looked into buying a weaver! for some reason I overlooked them, i guess i wasnt looking the that pricerange.

 

[kiterme]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

Check out the Springfield Gov't. Model 4-14x56. A great scope that will save some money for more ammo/trips to the range.

 

[Hawk45]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

I have one of the original Nikon Tactial 2.5-10x44s. Never had an issue and tracks perfect. It's pretty big and heavy though. If I were you and wanted to stay in the 10x range I'd go with the Nightforce 2.5-10x32 model with your flavor of reticle. Light, compact yet big magnification for package size, and durable as all get out.

 

[224Man]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

I went through the same process trying to find a good optic for my Armalite AR10T. I ended up buying the Super Sniper 3-9. i'm very happy for what I got for the money. I would try and get a scope with 12-15 on the top end the extra power is really nice for greater distance. I was doing fine with 9 power at 750 yards last weekend but would have rather been able to crank it up to 15.

But these would be my recommendations based on your stated use and the long range potential of the rifle.

Best choice:
Nightforce F1 FFP with mil turrets and your favorite mil reticle.
Budget choices:
Weaver illuminated FFP mil 3-15
Bushnell 3-12 FFP
Vortex 4-16 PST mil FFP
Super Sniper 3-9

I'm running the Armalite 30 mm one piece mount that came with my gun. I lapped it and it works great. I would also recommend Larue or ADM mounts for an AR.

Good luck you will be happy with any of these choices.

 

[murdered6.2]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

Thanks for all the great replies. Answers like these are just what I was looking for! I decided to buy the weAver tactical scope with illuminated reticle on 800363 I believe. I had my gun guy order it for me. I know it's on backorder rightnow and I could have probably found one on the net but I wouldn't have gotten the deal I'm getting on this scope. My rifle isn't quite ready yet anyway so a few weeks will be fine with me for now. Hopefully that's all it takes. The weaver just looked like a good bargain when compared to the nightforce. That's not to say it's better than the nightforce but more like the house brand potato chip of the two with the nightforce being the Lay's. The weaver had the majority of the stuff I wanted and I have read great reviews about the so far... I'm still learning about optics and I'm not certain what tracking is but I didn't have time to read the whole scope review that's on here. I really had a hard time justifying the money for the nightforce and when the weaver became an option that left lots of money for other stuff! Thanks again for all the input!

 

[fdkay]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

I think you made a solid choice.

Just FYI, not all NF's are made in the USA, some are made in Japan. They are plainly marked as such and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, the Japanese make excellent products.

3x is plenty low enough for hunting, if you have never used a FFP scope, don't be concerned with trying to make out the mil-dots etc... on low power, use it like a regular duplex reticle.

 

[bigsal5353]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

FDKAY...... check your pm

 

[murdered6.2]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

I heard that about nightforce, however i would like to buy as american made as i can with everything i buy. Im sure there is at least one component in almost everything we buy that is made in another country. I just want our money to stay in our country vs another. The responses on this forum were extreamely helpful to me in scope selection and i felt a lot more confident in my decision after the recomendations were made. i feel that eventhough the weaver may have a few things lacking like the turret clicks it will still be a great scope for me to learn with and I will know what im looking for better in a scope next time. I plan on using ADM QD mounts and im still looking for a atlas bipod. Im also working on building a hotwire foam cutter so i can make a case for this weapon. I it was this forum i found instructions on how to do so if im not mistaken. I just have to find it now.

 

[cyrekzz]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

yeah - i used to have the instructions for the hotwire build too! good luck with the weaver... let us know what you think of it.

 

[murdered6.2]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

Hot wire foam cutter plans.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=292695

hope I dont get into trouble for posting a link to another site.

 

[Prairie Dog Dundee]

Re: Trying to decide what scope.

I have two of the SWFA SS 3-9X42 scopes, one on a M1A national Match and the other on a LMT MWS and shoot steel out to 800 yards with them and am very pleased. They do not have illuminated reticles nor do they have adjustable parralax. You mentioned a top end of 10X as being enough but would like parralax adjustments. Only a few scopes with a top end magnification of 10X or less have parralax adjustments. If you want fast handling out to 800 yards a top magnification of 9X or 10X is plenty and the lack of parralax adjustment is actually an advantage. If you want precision at longer range I would look at a higher magnification power. The target below was shot at 700 yards using a SS 1-4 HD scope set on 4X.

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