Shooters Forum banner

Rifle Scope Questions

7K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  huffmanite 
#1 ·
OK. So I'm definitely going with the Remington SPS Tactical in .308. Still price searching around through gunbroker.com. For some reason, these shops in Jersey want close to $800 JUST for the gun. Ridiculous. I'm finding brand new ones on gun broker for $550-$850. The $850 one is paired with a Bushnell Elite 3200 10x scope in MIL-DOT (which I prefer). I looked up that scope on Cabela's and its around $399.

So my question about scopes is, what power can be very universal? Our range here has 100yrds and 200yrds. Most of my shooting will be here. With the Mil-Dot crosshair, you can dial in at 100yrds and automatically adjust on the fly for ranges out to 500+. I doubt I'll be pulling a 500 yard shot, but I would kind of prefer to be able to adjust the "zoom" or power of the scope so that I can see.

What min/max power would you recommend? Also, what about the size of the scope (in MM)? This is all new to me, so I'd hate to drop $400 on a scope and not be able to see properly at 100 yards and 300+
 
#2 ·
http://www.opticsplanet.net/riflescopes.html
http://www.opticsplanet.net/how-to-choose-riflescope.html
http://www.opticsplanet.net/riflescope-glossary.html

This website is an AWESOME resource if only to just choose the scope.

For maximum accuracy when shooting at ONE known distance, the benchrests guys use VERY high magnification scopes. 35x, 40x, and 45x are what Leupold lists on optics planet. Those would be out of your price range (~$1000), but the option is there if you want to get ridiculous. :p

Other than that, I think it's mostly a matter of preference. I think 3-9x would be nice, but I know my friend (who will be shooting at similar ranges you will be) wanted a variable power scope over 10x for his Vanguard.

Take what I say with a grain of salt - I'm just parroting what I've heard online.
 
#3 ·
First-off, WHAT are you doing? People buy tactical versions of anything, for any reason. Are you wanting to take this thing hunting, or is it going to be a precision paper puncher?
The reason I ask is, for only 200 yards max, You can use a standard 4X tasco will fit the bill for hunting. If you want to count hairs at 200, then obviously you need a higher mag.

The problem with high magnification scopes is that people end up fooling with them, and not taking shots. 10X is a good number for any of MY distances. But I live in the open desert portion of Washington(yes, there is something other than rain and trees here) Where things are a long way out.

For your first scope/ gun combo. Spend more than $100 on the scope and it is irrelevant what you buy. Just start shooting, and the scope will be fine until you find your specific need and calling.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for info and reference.

I intend to do both with this gun. Do a lot of paper punching and hunt it during the two week rifle season in PA. I highly doubt I will encounter a shooting situation hunting that is more than 200 yards, but I'd hate to be under prepared.

I was checking out some online reference and came across a Millett TRS-1 Tactical Scope, 4-16x, 50mm. Mil-dot recticle complete with the scope rings for $359. This seems like a pretty good scope. I definitely don't want to spend over $500 on a scope though. I don't plan on doing competition shooting, but I'd like something versatile and accurate. According to the info on the scope, you can illuminate the recticle (pretty cool), and if you sight in at 100 yards, the mil-dot provides bullet drop compensation, so there's no real guesswork. Leupold scopes are nice too, I was looking at a $399 one at Cabela's that was a 3x9 50mm I believe. I also liked the Nikon scope with the BDC recticle. So many choices! :D

I'm a prior military guy, so I like military features.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Scopes,Sights,and Coolness

Lots of people that are in the market for the tacti-cool stuff include the scopes with mil dots. They set the weapon with scope,extra rails,lights,lasers,bipods,single point slings,etc,etc,etc,on their dining room table and call all their friends over to ohhh and ahhhh over it.

People that consider the mil dot scopes should at the least read up on them. I see them all the time out at the club and I always ask the owner to recite the formulas for using the dots. Almost all of the scope owners say,"say what" ??

Mil dot aint for me. If it's for you.....great....go for it. But take the considerable time to commit to memory all the formula's and such that you will need to "operate" it. Tape a "cheat sheet" to the butt of your weapon or carry a "slip stick" kinda chart of how to use the dots.

For shooting <300yds I feel that one does not need a scope with any kind of reference marks in it. Unless you are gonna shoot at woodchuck heads at that range. A 3-9X will also do for that,probably a 3.5-10X or a 4-12X might be a tad better. If you feel the "tingle",get a scope with just a couple reference marks under the horizontal,there are a whole bunch of them out there now. This should help with the "hold dead on" thang.

Remember the .308 shoots fairly flat at the "closer" ranges anyway,you will/should know the size of your target,you should punch paper out at the moderate ranges ,so you should know your drops.

Don't over complicate things. For your application don't go mil dot unless you fell the need for love or envy from your buds at the next BBQ. -----pruhdlr
 
#7 ·
At the ranges you are talking about, you don't need to adjust a scope for range at all. For hunting use, you can sight your rifle so that it will require no sight adjustments out to over 300 yards with a .308. I think you have no need whatsoever for a mil dot scope or any other "rangefinder" type device.

Another "issue" with many of the cheaper variables is that they actually move the point of impact as they are zoomed. For hunting the changes may not matter at the ranges you are expecting, but for real target shooting, they will be unpredictable and useless.

My advice is to forget the "tactical" hype, illuminated sights (are you shooting at night?), or automatic adjustments, and buy the best quality 2-7X or 3-9x variable that you can afford, mount it properly, and do some shooting. I would actually suggest a fixed 4X or 6X Leupold will do all you want with no complications at all and complete reliability.

There is way too much emphasis on "cool stuff" as prudhdr has mentioned. In real life hunting and shooting, simple, reliable adjustment, clear optics, and a "duplex" type reticle are all you will need to ranges much longer than you are contemplating.
 
#8 ·
Thanks guys! I actually have a copy of the US Army Sniper Training Manual and have been studying! It explains everything about the mil-dot scope and how to caculate distance-to- target by looking through the scope.

I've always been fascinated by snipers and their skill/ability. I guess I am into that military tactical tech stuff! :D Although it does say in my manual that most snipers chosen for the job are the ones with extensive hunting experience. So maybe they really don't need all that tech stuff. :p

I do like Nikon's BDC recticle (less complicated) and Leupold's duplex is pretty nice. What are your thoughts about Bushnell Elite? I found a brand-new rifle/scope combo for $850 with this scope included. According to Cabela's, its around the $300 mark.
 
#9 ·
http://www.rmvh.com/MPBR.htm

http://www.exteriorballistics.com/ebexplained/5th/35.cfm

Take a look at those explanations of "maximum point blank range" as a concept that makes any "range compensating" scopes into just gimmicks for real hunting situations. You just don't need them. I think Nikon's BDC reticle is just a gimmick designed to sell scopes to people who don't understand how to sight a rifle to utilize the ballistics of a typical hunting round like the .308.

I think the Bushnell Elite series are good scopes, although I don't own one. I have experience with Leupold that makes me like them. Almost all scope makers have good scopes that will do what you want, but none of them are their cheapest models.

Try to make sure you pay for only those aspects of a scope that are legitimate and useful features, like repeatable adjustments, clarity of view, and a useful reticles, rather than gimmicks like huge objective lenses, extreme power levels, "rangefinders" or compensators of any sort, and other bells and whistles that just cost money and are of no real use to a hunter. Keep it simple, and you will get more genuine scope for your money.

You do not need a highly specialized scope on a generalized rifle, and if you intend to hunt with it, you also want your scope to be as small and light as possible.
 
#10 ·
Thank you for the good reading! That made a ton of sense! What are your thoughts on scope power? 3x9 seems to be the common power for hunting.

I'm looking at a Leupold VX-II 3x9x50 on sale at Cabela's for $379. the 40mm is $299. 50mm provides better light correct?
 
#11 ·
I think that Leupold would do just fine.

I would get the 40mm version because the theoretical light transmission advantage of the 50mm objective will, in fact, not make the scope any more useful or effective, but the larger scope must be mounted higher and is physically larger and heavier. I wouldn't pay money for those disadvantages.
 
#13 ·
AirDale,

You may want to check out the discontinued model Nitrex TR1 or TR2 scopes available at Natchez Shooters Supplies. Nitrex and Weaver owned by same company.....so TR1 is Weaver Grand Slam and TR2 is the Super Slam. Between Natchez's discounted Nitrex prices and Nitrex rebates on them, you can get a very nice scope for a really bargain price.

How good is the Nitrex? Well, I've had a TR2 model for several weeks now and have taken it to shooting club I'm a member. My Leopold, Burris, Sightron, Nikon, and Zeiss brand only buddies have checked out the scope and very impressed with it. Matter of fact, last time at range with scope, a gent with a new Zeiss Conquest with similiar power range and features as my Nitrex, SF and target turrets, sat at shooting bench next to me. His Zeiss model sells for over $800. We began to chat and I asked him to check out my Nitrex. View thru lens, play with its adjustments, focus and etc. to give me his opinion on how it compared to the Zeiss. When finished checking out my Nitrex, he found nothing about it he thought inferior to his Zeiss. Even liked my reticle better than his.....should have seen his face when I told him the scope cost me $218. So, happens another gent shooting nearby will join our conversation about the Nitrex to let me know he'd decided on buying a higher powered discontinued model TR2 than mine from Natchez. It will go on a 260 cartridge rifle he has on order from Remington's Custom shop. He was one of guys who evaluated the scope when I first brought it to range. By the way, I will receive a 2nd Nitrex from Natchez tomorrow, a TR2 4-20X50 SF/target turrets. Also, add another $15-18 dollars on Natchez scope prices for shipping/insurance.

To find Nitrex scopes at Natchez website, just enter Nitrex TR1 in their search box on opening page.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top