Rifle Scopes Glass for HS Precision 308

[nycfyrman]

Ill admit I know nothing. I have read through and looked at all the sticky posts but still have no idea what I should be looking for. Bought this gun a while ago from a member on here, and then I started building a house so it has sat. Now I want to shoot the thing! My realistic shooting lengths will probably be up to 5-600 yards not much more, probably most of the time at around 200. I just want something that will be able to grow with me should my taste in rifles change to something more exotic or larger in caliber. I prefer pistol shooting cause its more realistic and serves my new profession, but still love my long guns.

Thanks for all the replies. My budget is probably in the 1000 dollar range, I do have a friend at NF but I think even with his help most of that will be out of reach. But I won't be afraid to spend a few extra bucks if it means getting that much more.

 

[sawman556]

For $1k I would look at the Vortex PST 4-16x50mm or 6-24x50mm. For a few bucks more, look at the Bushnell 3-21x50mm and the SWFA SS HD 5-20x50mm. If you have a friend at NF he might be able to get you into a 3-15x50mm F1 HS ZS MLR2.0 at a good price.

 

[Crosshair]

The SS 3-9x42 would be great out past 600 yards no problem, several guys banging steel past 1k with them. The SS 3-15x42 would be great too. FFP is very nice to have, so those 2 SS's or a PST would be my picks. The new 2.5-10x32 PST is a nice compact setup out to 1k. These are all under $750 and would help toward putting cash into ammo. If you think you might go longer range than 1k in the future, or printing groups at long range, the 6-24x50 PST, or Bushy HDMR would be my $1000ish picks.

 

[fdkay]

swfa 3-15 ffp, weaver 3-15 ffp, bushnell 3-12 ffp

 

[Hairball]

I just purchased a bushnell tac elite HDMR 3.5 - 21x50 for a lower end build .308 and while the scope is 1600, you get a lot of scope for the price. It's hard sticking with a specific budget when you start looking at optics because the more you research the more you find that you like. It becomes easier to add money when you start playing the " yeah but for a few hundred more I could have this" game.

 

[sawman556]

I just purchased a bushnell tac elite HDMR 3.5 - 21x50 for a lower end build .308 and while the scope is 1600, you get a lot of scope for the price. It's hard sticking with a specific budget when you start looking at optics because the more you research the more you find that you like. It becomes easier to add money when you start playing the " yeah but for a few hundred more I could have this" game.

This is true. There was a time when I thought paying $300 for a scope was a bit much. I've played the game, "yeah but for a few hundred more I could have this", and it's cost me dearly. After many months of therapy I believe my expensive optic disease is in remission. However, my BRD has flared up and I just spent over $3k building the perfect AR-15 which isn't perfect. Thankfully, I'm perfectly happy with my Glock pistols and have not given into my Nighthawk Custom cloud-cuckoo-land.[h=1][/h]

 

[nycfyrman]

Thanks guys. But what should I be looking at reticle wise? So many choices! Is it easier to do MOA or MIL? It gets very confusing when attempting to make such a large purchase on something that is hard to go back on.

 

[zeke01]

Lol, this reads so familiar! I'm fairly new to precision shooting and contemplating my first (only?) high end scope purchase too.

I was thinking, just spend a grand and get the Vortex pst, then I started reading about the Bushnell Ers or xrs, then I read about the nightforce atacr and was thinking maybe, then put back on the brakes and dropped back to bushnell, then Vortex again then back to up to bushnell, whew! And now I've read about March's 3-24 and I'm thinking, about that one.

So funny!

 

[sawman556]

The Vortex reticles are pretty good in both MOA and MRAD. If your a new shooter I would say to go with the MRAD system as it's just as easy to learn/understand as the MOA. I prefer any reticle with lines over dots and I like a center cross-hair. Some rets like the BRT-Mil has a dot for the center, I personally dislike these(except on 1-4x/1-6x). YMMV.

MOA

MRAD

The Bushnell G2

The basic Mil-Dot

BRT-Mil

[h=1][/h]

 

[PhrogDriver]

Generally speaking, MIL is easier, mostly because most reticles are MIL based. The math is also a bit easier, since a MIL subtends 1/1000 of the distance. In other words, 1 MIL at 1000 yards is 1 yard, 1 MIL at 1000 meters is 1 meter, 1 MIL at 1000 "anything" is 1 "anything." Things get even easier when you get a scope with a reticle in the Front Focal Plane (FFP). With an FFP scope, the reticle will subtend the same angular amount regardless of the magnification. What this means is that you can estimate distance, adjust your shots, and use holdovers at any magnification. This is a very good thing. If you're more comfortable with MOA (1" at 100 yards, or more technically, 1.047" at 100 yards), then try to find a scope with a MOA reticle. It really doesn't matter, as long as the turrets match the reticle. And, ideally, it's FFP. Finally, if you're not happy with your purchase or want to upgrade later, as longs as you buy a quality scope (not necessarily an expensive one) and take care of it, it will likely have a decent resale value.

For specific reticles, each manufacturer generally has a few variations of the classic mildot. For VORTEX scopes, I like the EBR. The Bushnell G2DMR is also excellent. The SS mil quad reticle looks pretty good, but I haven't used it.

Thanks guys. But what should I be looking at reticle wise? So many choices! Is it easier to do MOA or MIL? It gets very confusing when attempting to make such a large purchase on something that is hard to go back on.

 

[Pinecone]

I did the round and round reasoning a few months ago.

I ended up with the Viper PST 6-24x FFP. I got it from Sport Optics (Rifle Scopes, Binoculars, Spotting Scopes and Range Finders | Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss | SportOptics). They offer a VERY nice Sniper's Hide discount. A bit more than other vendors. And before I bought, I called and talked things over with them several times.