[mrkrause1]

I recently purchased a ruger percision chambered in 6.5 creedmoor and i am looking for a scope for it.
I have never tried shooting at ranges longer than 300 yards so when a friend offered to sell me his rifle i thought why not try it. I am really out of my depth here and have no idea what to look for in a long range scope. I am looking in the price range between 500-600 and would like to get 6 -24.

thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Darkker]

Be prepared for a flood of opinions.

So really it comes down to what you Honestly want. Read some of my posts and scope reviews, I shoot very long distances with rather minimal equiptment. "Magic" anything, isn't needed unless you really don't want to invest a little time and effort into learning to be a good marksman. When you get the fundamentals down, you can easily do things that most can't, with very low-rent equiptment. I shoot to a mile with a 4-14x as an example.

If you really want to learn long range shooting and accuracy, buy a FFP scope with matching turrets/reticle, either Mils or MOA. Ignore anyone who tries to argue about one system over the other. Neither is easier or harder to learn, neither is more or less accurate.
I chose Mils because the features I wanted and could afford in a scope, MIL was the only option. Nothing more to it than that, so now all of my scopes are such for consistency sake.

For being able to get into the game without a mortgage and learning some basic skills, the Primary Arms 4-14 Mil/Mil FFP is an absolute STEAL at about $240.
For a very large step up in glass quality, look at the Weaver Tactical 3-15, model #800363. Will cost you about $550.

 

[mrkrause1]

Darkker if you are still around what is your opinion on the nikon PROSTAFF 5 4.5-18X40 Matte BDC?
Thanks for all the information.

 

[MZ5]

I am really out of my depth here and have no idea what to look for in a long range scope. I am looking in the price range between 500-600 and would like to get 6 -24.

thanks for any suggestions.

Will this be for fun, or for formal competition?

Don't focus so much on that magnification range. Partly because you don't need it, and partly because those specific numbers are going to lead you to the wrong sorts of scopes. I agree with Darkker that you're looking for a first focal plane (or a fixed-power) scope with evenly-spaced reticle marks, and adjustments that match those marks (mil-mil or minute-minute). Mils quickly become preferable to everyone I know who has ever used a mil-mil scope, but if you think you want minutes, there's nothing particularly wrong with that.

For now, I'll suggest you look at the SWFA SS line of scopes. They have several options in your price range, they're ultra-durable and consistent, and they have a huge amount of adjustment for long-range shooting. My fixed 6x, for example, has over 40 mils of adjustment.

Darkker has had good service from his Primary Arms, and we've both had good service from those Weaver Tacticals. That said, we don't have nearly enough experience with them to declare that the lines are as durable as an SWFA, Nightforce, or Bushnell LRS, DMR, LRTS, LRHS, etc.

 

[Darkker]

Darkker if you are still around what is your opinion on the nikon PROSTAFF 5 4.5-18X40 Matte BDC?
Thanks for all the information.

Unless you are happy with: "mehhhh.... That looked like it was close", stay away from that marketing mess. Here's the problem with them(all BDC's). The "drop" hashes in the reticle are based off some assumptions. Now they won't tell you what those are, maybe give you a tease about one or two factors.
So are you only going to shoot in one place where the atmospheric conditions never change? Are you only ever going to have one muzzle velocity that doesn't change? How about bullets, only ever going to shoot one bullet and buy enough that you will never run out?
Any of those things change, and so does your ballistics. For only out to 500 it will likely still be close. But do you want close, or to be able to get exact?


And just to argue with MZ a bit. My first PA has more rounds fired than his last three scopes
The PA isn't an heirloom thing, it's a reliable means to an end of learning.

 

[MZ5]

For long-range shooting, you need an aiming device, not an observation device, to paraphrase what another said recently. Any BDC is a poor choice, because none of the so-called marks line up with anything, and they don't give you enough elevation (range) anyway. You can potentially 'make do' if that's what you already have, but if buying a new tool, buy one that is designed for the task: Evenly-spaced reticle markings and a lot of elevation adjustment.

Darkker has almost as many rounds on his PA as I have on my Weaver, but that's only one scope. It may be a durable scope line. His does adjust properly and holds zero, and it's even lower-priced than the fixed-power SWFAs.