Rifle Scopes Varmint rifle scope

[Bladeweaver]

I'm putting toether a varmint rifle for some prairie dog hunting next year. It will be a .223 platform with a 1/10 twist barrel. I plan on shooting a 50gr bullet (give or take a few grains).

I'm looking for scope suggestions. All hunting and shooting that I hsave done so far has been at large game targets. I'm a little uncomfortable with the change to small critters at range and what whould be a good choice for an optic. I appreciate quality optics. I will gladly spend money on something that had good clearity and quality. I don't plan on changing the gun at a later date so it will be for a specific purpose.


Thanks

 

[CSTactical]

Re: Varmint rifle scope

Have you seen the Swarovski Z6i 1-6x?

http://www.cstactical.com/Magazine/Videos/Videos-In-Depth-Optic-Reviews/Swarovski-Z6i-1-6x24mm.html

http://www.cstactical.com/Magazine/Blog-Articles/Free-Throw-Lever-With-Swarovski-Z6i-1-6x.html

The BRT-I is a good varminting reticle.

Thanks,

Mason @ CST

 

[Rich Coyle]

Re: Varmint rifle scope

Bladeweaver,

Changing to the little targets will give you way more shooting. In Oregon we have ground squirrels. They look about like gophers. A huge one will stand 8" tall and be 2 1/4" across the chest and back to belly. On a good day for the shooter on can kill a few hundred in a day.

When I was using a .223 Savage I put an 8-32X Burris Signature on it. I found setting it on 20X was just about right. The little buggars would litterally blow up clear out past 300 yards using 55 Noslers.

The Savage barrel was recently rechamber to a .224 MBOC which is about like a .350 Remington Magnum necked to .224. The new scope will be a Bushnell 6500 4 1/2-30X50.

My accurage .22 rim fire wears a 6-24X.

With all that said, I would go with at least a 6-24X scope.

 

[wfjames22]

Re: Varmint rifle scope

First time I have ever heard someone recommend a 1-6x variable for pdog shooting.

Call me crazy, but I use a minimum if 18x (top end), but usually opt for 20-24x. I also really like a mildot(or similar) reticle for corrections. You can usually get another shot or two off if you miss and those reference points are nice instead of guessing.

 

[TonyAngel]

Re: Varmint rifle scope

I like shooting at small stuff too and in some cases my needs differ from those that do "tactical" style shooting. I like to use reticles that are on the thin side and on setups where I'm not trying to pretend that I'm getting ready for war and know that I'll always have a rangefinder (or know the terrain), I'll just go for a plain old plex reticle. I like that clear field of view with no obstructions for small targets.

I'm partial to Nightforce scopes. I have a 2.5-10X32 and 5.5-22X50 with the NP1 reticle. It is not a ranging reticle, but the view is just so uncluttered. I also have a 5.5-22X50 with an NP-R2 reticle. It also has a pretty uncluttered view. Better than mildot type setups anyway. The drawback to the larger Nightforce scopes is that they are big and heavy.

I have the 2.5-10X on my carrying bolt gun because it is smaller and lighter. If I was to put something together and wanted more magnification, I'd have to seriously consider a Swarovske Z5 (or Z6) 3.5-18X (I believe it is). Very nice hunting reticle, light, tough and BEAUTIFUL glass. The glass was better than that of the comparable Nightforce, but I didn't just want tough, I wanted tank tough; so I sacrificed a bit of glass quality for the turrets and build.