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Rifle Scopes $150 3-9 as a Temporary Stopgap?

W

Will_Power

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Minuteman
Apr 2, 2012
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An Okie in Orygun
Guys,

I've just about got my 20" AR-15 finished (to be used for for classes, target shooting, coyote hunting, and possible precision comps way down the road), but I am essentially optic-less at the moment (not counting the ancient Tasco I've sitting in a drawer).

I've my eyes set on the Vortex 2.5-10 Mil/Mil FFP later this year, but I'd rather not wait for months putting my pennies together to shoot this thing without optics.

Right now, I've got a budget of $150 that I can throw down today, and am considering a cheapo piece of class to use temporarily. I'd rather not go past that $150 mark, as in my pea-brain, I figure that if I start to spend anymore, then I ought to just put that money towards the better scope down the road (if that makes sense).

I'm considering the Nikkon Prostaff or the Redfield Revenge at that price point. Also, a local forum guy has posted a used Leupy Vari-X IIc for $150 as well. All are MOA/MOA.

I don't think there's a decent Mil/Mil option out there at that price point, so I guess I'll just have to hold up on learning to use milrads until I get the better scope down the road.

I've BSed around with too many firearms since getting bit by the bug a few years ago, and this time I've gone back to the drawing board and am trying to do things right by starting with something cheap (e.g. the 77/75gr .223 match ammo) that I can shoot a lot and learn with.


I'd appreciate the feedback from all the smart and experienced sorts here.
 
Only other option in Mil Mil might be a super sniper from SWFA if you can find a used one. Hell of a scope for the money.
 
Vortex, Redfield, or Burris Fullfield E1 would all be reasonable choices.

A fixed 10x would make sense for some uses but probably not for yours.
 
I've been there and the better glass of a fixed 10x will make up for some low end magnification in my opinion. Just can't get the same quality glass in a variable in that price range, but you can actually get a fixed power with decent glass.
 
ridenrunwv said:
I've been there and the better glass of a fixed 10x will make up for some low end magnification in my opinion. Just can't get the same quality glass in a variable in that price range, but you can actually get a fixed power with decent glass.
Click to expand...

I've had a different experience. I've owned the Bushnell Elite 3200 10x40mm and to my eyes the glass really wasn't very good in any aspect. I own two Burris Fullfield models, a FFII 2-7x and a E1 3-9x and both of them have very good glass relative to the price range - in fact, the glass may be their single best feature. I also owned a Redfield Battlezone 3-9x and, again the glass was surprisingly good for $200 and, again, probably its best feature (I did some informal tracking tests and it didn't seem to track smoothly). I would put the glass on the E1 and Battlezone up against my 6x SWFA SS or the Weaver Tactical 3-10x40 I used to own, and all of those ahead of the Bushnell 10x40 I had owned.
 
Midways BSA 4-14 tactical is a great scope for $250.

IMO, 10x fixed power scopes aren't the best for fast and close dynamic shooting like for instance coyote hunting.

The SWFA 3-15 is a good scope for your purposes as well.

BTW, both of those scopes are FFP and have parallax focus to 10Y or 6M and make good rimfire scopes as well. I own both and they are good alternatives for rifles where you don't need a expensive scope.

Just say charge it and be done man.
 
jasonnorcal said:
My advice would be to not waste your money. Just run irons/buis/carry handle until you can afford your optic. Buy once cry once right. My .02
Click to expand...

This, I just got all the pieces for my new AR project, now just have to borrow a tq wrench and put her together. I wont even think about a scope untill I get it broken in properly and since its my first high end non chrome lined barrel, I will be taking the shooting nice and slow. Besides shooting with irons can be a hell of alot of fun and challenging.
 
On the cheap Vortex:
I had one, can't remember the model, that I put on a 30.06 in 2007 after a trip to Iraq filled with nothing but reading shills... I mean gun magazines. The magnification knob broke after just a few rounds. It no longer changed the magnification. I called them got a number and sent it back. A time goes by and the scope returns to me. This is not a gun I shot frequently and was pretty inexperienced with optics, other than my issued ACOG, so I just put the scope in the case. I go to shoot it about a year later and come to discover they sent me back the wrong scope entirely. Not only was it not mine, it had a different reticle and was a different model entirely. Yes I should have checked but, it had been gone a while and again, I almost never shot the gun, because like I said, the optic broke after maybe a dozen 30.06 rounds. I didn't feel like fucking with it any more and just sold the whole setup telling the buyer of their lifetime warranty.

I've also had their strikefire and sparc. Both are shit and like to stop working after light use (light use is on an AR15 and will fuck up after one range visit.) On both of them, there seems to be an issue with the battery lid. Either RDS would just cut off... unscrew the battery cap and replace and it works again.

I'm sure their high end is very nice, everyone seems to agree. But in my experience their cheap line is complete junk. Because of this, I don't care if the Razor HD came with free blow jobs for life, I wouldn't own one. I am completely soured against them. Buy once cry once really hit home for me with the RDS's. For the cost of both of those I could have had an Aimpoint PRO.

BUY ONCE CRY ONCE!!! Save and scrimp. Get the Magpuls cheap irons as a stop gap on your saving route to good glass or even good irons. I think you can get a set of troys right now for $150
It's tax refund season friend :)
 
I second (or third, maybe even fourth) just waiting for the cash to buy a good piece of glass. Having said that, I have one of the Nikon p223 3x scopes and p223 mounts that I won at a shoot. It sat around for quite a while until my 12 year old brother wanted to build an AR. Slapped a franken-rifle together and put the Nikon on top.

Its actually a pretty decent scope for light duty use. Not exactly an S&B or Nightforce, but it does pretty decent for range work and coyotes. I'm not sure how well it would hold up for a hard use 3-gun rifle, but for checking fence and bouncing around the back of my pickup it has done pretty well. I've probably shot 10-12 songdogs with it over the last 6 months, and its survived maybe 1,500 rounds without a hiccup.
 
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