18" grendel needs glass

[stello1001]

Hello all,

Yes, this is another one of those threads asking which scope.

Okay, now that that's outta the way. This is going to be used for hunting medium to small sized south texas game. This includes deer, javalinas, coyotes, even pigs.

I pretty much have a few scopes in mind, but was wondering if anyone knows of any others that I am missing!

I like the size and mag range of the weaver Tactical 2-10x36. I also really want an LRTS/LRHS in the 3-12 range. I would prefer to keep it lighter rather than heavy but don't have a particular weight in mind. I want illumination as well because nighttime pig hunting requires it, especially since we only use ambient light. For this reason, I favor the bushy more than the weaver due to the larger objective.

Obviously, the weaved is outdated but I don't really need all the new bells and whistles and I listed it on there to give you guys an idea of what I'm looking for more less.

Should I really be considering anything else other than that bushy? Let me know!

 

[FuhQ]

What's your price range, and what kind of distances are you trying to shoot? MIL or MOA?

 

[stello1001]

I guess $750 ish is top dollar since this really started out as a budget build lol. I figure that's about what an LRTS is going for on the used market.

I prefer mil since everything else I own is mil.

Distances aren't that far. We normally shoot deer inside 150 yards but occasionally we stretch out to maybe 250ish to possibly 300. It's an 18" grendel so won't be reaching out too far with it.

I have bigger guns in case I'm hunting somewhere further.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

I'd be looking at an Arken 4-16x if I was in your shoes, especially given the sale prices right now.

 

[stello1001]

I'd be looking at an Arken 4-16x if I was in your shoes, especially given the sale prices right now.

Are they seriously that good? I guess I never took them seriously.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Are they seriously that good? I guess I never took them seriously.

No idea. Reviews look good and it checks the boxes I would have for an 18" Grendel. At that price I'd be willing to gamble.

 

[RHutch]

The Arken is a pig at 36oz But it is cheap.
For a budget scope, the Athlon Helos BTR 2-12x42 is an appropriate size , weight and feature set for the AR platform.
I bought one out of morbid curiosity. I like it well enough for what it is.
Cameraland runs them at $459 on sale Occasionally.

 

[UpSideDown]

I like LRHSi/LRTSi’s enough to have put them on all my distance guns. They aren’t anything special and the reticle is thick for shooting small groups on paper, and the field of view is a little narrow, and they’re a little on the heavier side. But I wanted turndial illumination, a good lowlight/mixed shade reticle, and they do that. They have fairly good glass and they’re long. They aren’t anything special, they just seem to check boxes that other scopes don’t; turndial illum and a good hunting reticle are an oddly difficult combo to find.

If there’s a better contender on the block I’d check it out. My problem was I didn’t want to get an ATACR because of the reticles, weight and push button illum and the price, and I didn’t want to get a tangent theta because of the price. The vortex LHT inspires little confidence. Not many great combos unless you’re willing to compromise more on one feature.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

For a budget scope, the Athlon Helos BTR 2-12x42 is an appropriate size , weight and feature set for the AR platform.

I've got one on a 12.8" Grendel. I like it pretty well also. That said, if I had an 18" Grendel I would want a little more magnification and a finer reticle to maximize the extra velocity.

 

[FuhQ]

Are they seriously that good? I guess I never took them seriously.

I have 4 of them (three SH4 Gen2 6-24x50 VPR MIL and one EP5 VPR MIL), and for the money, especially the sale price right now, I don't think you will beat them. Lifetime warranty, tracking guarantee, good customer service, based out of Texas, veteran owned and operated.

The one thing some folks will bitch about is that they're made in China, but can you really expect a $500-600 scope with all those features to be made anywhere else for that kind of money? Nobody likes China, but we as consumers can't help where things are made. I hate it, but reality is the world's governments will never allow us to be rid of China and their slave-labor made products. It just kind of is what it is.

 

[RHutch]

On the Athlon I recommended, Agreed on the reticle. It is thick but should be fine for the type of hunting the OP described. I wouldn’t recommend it for prairie dogs at distance.

 

[stello1001]

Can anybody comment on how the 5-25 strike eagle from Vortex compares to am LRTS/LRHS in the glass department?

I seem to have found one priced decently.

 

[Biggie1976]

Following this thread

 

[YotaEer]

Can anybody comment on how the 5-25 strike eagle from Vortex compares to am LRTS/LRHS in the glass department?

I seem to have found one priced decently.

LRHS has much better glass than the 5-25 SE.

I have the 4.5-18 on my 16” Grendel and I’ve used it this summer for groundhogs. Killed quite a few out to 200 with headshots. Could pull off body shots out to 300. Beyond that, reticle is a bit limited with wind holds and thick for varmints IMO.

 

[stello1001]

LRHS has much better glass than the 5-25 SE.

I have the 4.5-18 on my 16” Grendel and I’ve used it this summer for groundhogs. Killed quite a few out to 200 with headshots. Could pull off body shots out to 300. Beyond that, reticle is a bit limited with wind holds and thick for varmints IMO.

I really really want another LRTS/LRHS and the FDE models are super sexy but I can't find one for sale with illuminated reticle!

 

[Jmccracken1214]

Can anybody comment on how the 5-25 strike eagle from Vortex compares to am LRTS/LRHS in the glass department?

I seem to have found one priced decently.

I’ve got one on my 223 and 22, and for the money, I like it a lot. It’s not on par with my mk5 or xtr3, but for under $500, I haven’t had a better, cheaper scope

 

[stello1001]

Still trying to decide what glass.
Another option that popped into my mind was the PST II in the 3-15 range. Because I own 2 LRHS/LRTS and really like them, I'm using that as a baseline to compare.

Can anybody comment on the glass department for the PST II and how it stacks up with the bushy?

 

[JS8588]

Meopta Optika6

 

[stello1001]

Meopta Optika6

I had not thought about that one. Thanks for the suggestion.

I'll go check them out right now. If I can find one with a decent reticle I may consider it. Although I have heard they have a million and one different reticles and it's a bitch to figure out which one is which since they are not listed right!

 

[JS8588]

I had not thought about that one. Thanks for the suggestion.

I'll go check them out right now. If I can find one with a decent reticle I may consider it. Although I have heard they have a million and one different reticles and it's a bitch to figure out which one is which since they are not listed right!

Optika 6 Riflescopes

Meopta Optika 6 Riflescopes available at EuroOptic.com

www.eurooptic.com

Or, I imagine @gr8fuldoug would be happy to consult on which reticle is best for your needs.

 

[FuhQ]

Still trying to decide what glass.
Another option that popped into my mind was the PST II in the 3-15 range. Because I own 2 LRHS/LRTS and really like them, I'm using that as a baseline to compare.

Can anybody comment on the glass department for the PST II and how it stacks up with the bushy?

I helped sight in a guy's PST Gen2 5-25x50 a few months back... I was not impressed with the scope, honestly. The glass was ok, but the fact in only has a 30mm tube, and non-locking turrets was kind of a disappointment. Honestly, I don't feel like you're getting anything over a Strike Eagle 5-25x56 or an Arken EP5. I had both with me, and the guy who owned the PST Gen2 looked through both, and was impressed with them. The PST Gen2 has slightly better glass than the Strike Eagle, but I'd say is on-par with the EP5.

 

[dgheriani]

I like LRHSi/LRTSi’s enough to have put them on all my distance guns. They aren’t anything special and the reticle is thick for shooting small groups on paper, and the field of view is a little narrow, and they’re a little on the heavier side. But I wanted turndial illumination, a good lowlight/mixed shade reticle, and they do that. They have fairly good glass and they’re long. They aren’t anything special, they just seem to check boxes that other scopes don’t; turndial illum and a good hunting reticle are an oddly difficult combo to find.

If there’s a better contender on the block I’d check it out. My problem was I didn’t want to get an ATACR because of the reticles, weight and push button illum and the price, and I didn’t want to get a tangent theta because of the price. The vortex LHT inspires little confidence. Not many great combos unless you’re willing to compromise more on one feature.

I have a few LRTSis (3-12x) and had a 4.5-18 LRTS. I also had a NF NX8 2.5-20 and currently have a Vortex LHT 4.5-22. I think the NX8 is better in every way than the LRTSi except that it has push button illum (which you get used to) and no numbers on the parallax knob (I put a piece of white electrical tape and wrote ranges on it). Better glass, better reticle (Mil-XT), great turrets (although exposed elevation and capped windage, if that matters), more top end. So far I like the LHT 4.5-22 quite a bit although I only have a few hundred rounds on it. The glass is good, so is the reticle and illum. The turrets aren't great but the lockable elevation tracks well and works and I don't touch the windage (which is capped) after zeroing. Still need some time to determine how durable it is but no issues so far holding zero or tracking.