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Rifle Scopes 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

ZombieHitman

Private
Minuteman
Dec 16, 2010
32
0
53
US, TBD
Ladies and Gents,
I'm at a quandary as to my scope selection.
I've pretty much narrowed it down to either a Millet, or a Bushnell, in the 6-24x range, as I believe I'll get the most use from that sort of power.
It will also be a mil-dot, as that's what I'm accustomed to, and it's what I use in all my optics on every rifle I own.
My favorite being my Leupold Mk4 on my 300WSM.
This one is going on a "work in progress" Remington 700 ADL in 308WIN, with the heavy varmint barrel.
I've got my load dialed in fairly well, though it's been too damn cold for my old bones to play outside for more than a few hours at a crack. I'm shooting a 175 SMK pushed by 43.7 grains of IMR4064, in a Winchester brass, lit by Federal Match primers.
I currently have room to shoot to 550m, and once I get myself back to AZ, there's pretty much no limit on how far I can shoot when I head out into the desert west of Phoenix.
I'm comfortable shooting to 500, even with iron sights, but I'd live very much to have the optics to help enable me to dial things in even tighter.
I shoot 3-6 times a month, depending on budget, time, and work schedule. This time of year, I spend most of my time doing my best to wear out my 10/22, more for the practice of fundamentals and trigger time, relating directly to rest and relaxation for me.
I've read posts on scope selection, pros and cons of the wide variety of optics available in any given price range, who like what and why, what's junk and why, who scored a deal on what, and everything in between.
I am about researched out gang. Weary eyes, tired body, and a desire to get on with the game leads me to throw this out there to the group, and see what comes back.
My budget is $500. There's no means to increase that for a while, until I get my business back up and rolling again, which I suspect will take about 2 years.
But, I GOTTA SHOOT! I need it like I need to breathe!
Yes, it's tough to fly with the eagles when you're surrounded by turkeys. But, we all have to start somewhere, and this is my own first steps in long range shooting.
So, gang, the question is, if YOU had a budget of $500 to procure a scope, rings, and base, you wanted to be able to shoot effectively to 500 and beyond (as your skills improved), which scopes would you put on your own rifle?
And, in advance, I thank everyone who has posted and helped collect all the amazingly helpful information I've found in the SH forum.
Lowlight, I thought it exceptional what you did for those two police officers who had optics issues...my brother is a cop, and often has to get his own gear. To help him, I got business accounts at a few of his favorite gear supply houses, and do group buys for him and his buddies at the department. It's my small way of saying thank you to them.
Thanks for standing the watch, walking the wire, and covering my 6 while I go about my own business every day.
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

Thats an awful lot of magnification for 500+ meters.You could easily do that with a good 10x scope and not be spending on the luxury of a variable...especially if you're not hunting so don't need to dial way down low.$500 budget for scope, base and rings? Tight....good base is about $60-$100 ( don't skimp there), rings about $50 ( Burris XTR, very nice ), leaves about $350 for glass.If it was me I'd get a 10x Super Sniper for now, shoot the fk out of it, then when I had the coin I'd upgrade the glass plus you'll get most back on the SS when you sell it.Good luck!
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Exhogflyer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thats an awful lot of magnification for 500+ meters.You could easily do that with a good 10x scope and not be spending on the luxury of a variable...especially if you're not hunting so don't need to dial way down low.$500 budget for scope, base and rings? Tight....good base is about $60-$100 ( don't skimp there), rings about $50 ( Burris XTR, very nice ), leaves about $350 for glass.If it was me I'd get a 10x Super Sniper for now, shoot the fk out of it, then when I had the coin I'd upgrade the glass plus you'll get most back on the SS when you sell it.Good luck! </div></div>

Exhogflyer, you make a few really good points that I hadn't even considered...as well as highlighting a couple things I forgot to put in my original post.
I like the idea of a scope holding it's resale value...the super snipers seem to be really good glass for a small price comparatively. I don't think I have heard a bad thing about them in all my research.
Yes, I do hunt, and intend to with this rifle.
If I can eat it, I'll kill it.
If it eats the critters I want to eat, I'll kill it.
If it's legal to hunt it, I'll kill it. Then think about eating it. Except porcupines. They just get left to rot.
I'm also confused about a couple of things I've seen, and am curious as to people's perceived benefits of each.
First is the illuminated reticle. I understand it's benefits in low light conditions, but what happens when your batteries die, and you forgot to pack extras? Is the scope still useable, or are you done until you replace the batteries?
Second is the canted base - I've seen 20 mil bases(I think?), and I think that the premise behind them is to angle the scope forward/down to gain extra adjust-ability in shooting longer ranges with adjustable turrets.
Am I reasonably on the mark here?
As an aside, is there a huge benefit to having side focus as opposed to the eyepiece adjustment?
Also of note, I'd like to ensure that, as I assemble this rifle, and grow myself with it, that I build everything with the desired end result in mind...
Taking a deer (or any edible animal) at 500m or more, with one shot, no spotters, no second chances, no do-overs.
Gauge the wind, gauge the range, and get it all spot on.
That's essentially what I practice for, hunting in the desert.
Again gang, thank you so much for your input.
I know these questions are asked thousands of times by "noobs" and otherwise uninformed mall ninjas, and I thank you for helping me make the wisest decisions.
Dave
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DDMPrecision</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Exhogflyer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thats an awful lot of magnification for 500+ meters.You could easily do that with a good 10x scope and not be spending on the luxury of a variable...especially if you're not hunting so don't need to dial way down low.$500 budget for scope, base and rings? Tight....good base is about $60-$100 ( don't skimp there), rings about $50 ( Burris XTR, very nice ), leaves about $350 for glass.If it was me I'd get a 10x Super Sniper for now, shoot the fk out of it, then when I had the coin I'd upgrade the glass plus you'll get most back on the SS when you sell it.Good luck! </div></div>

Exhogflyer, you make a few really good points that I hadn't even considered...as well as highlighting a couple things I forgot to put in my original post.
I like the idea of a scope holding it's resale value...the super snipers seem to be really good glass for a small price comparatively. I don't think I have heard a bad thing about them in all my research.
Yes, I do hunt, and intend to with this rifle.
If I can eat it, I'll kill it.
If it eats the critters I want to eat, I'll kill it.
If it's legal to hunt it, I'll kill it. Then think about eating it. Except porcupines. They just get left to rot.
I'm also confused about a couple of things I've seen, and am curious as to people's perceived benefits of each.
First is the illuminated reticle. I understand it's benefits in low light conditions, but what happens when your batteries die, and you forgot to pack extras? Is the scope still useable, or are you done until you replace the batteries?
Second is the canted base - I've seen 20 mil bases(I think?), and I think that the premise behind them is to angle the scope forward/down to gain extra adjust-ability in shooting longer ranges with adjustable turrets.
Am I reasonably on the mark here?
Also of note, I'd like to ensure that, as I assemble this rifle, and grow myself with it, that I build everything with the desired end result in mind...
Taking a deer (or any edible animal) at 500m or more, with one shot, no spotters, no second chances, no do-overs.
Gauge the wind, gauge the range, and get it all spot on.
That's essentially what I practice for, hunting in the desert.
Again gang, thank you so much for your input.
I know these questions are asked thousands of times by "noobs" and otherwise uninformed mall ninjas, and I thank you for helping me make the wisest decisions.
Dave </div></div>

Dave, You are pretty close with the canted base. It's 20 MOA, not Mils, but aside from that, it is basically designed to give your scope more usable elevation. When I say usable I mean still being able to zero at 100 yards while being able to use all of your internal elevation. Some scopes with limited elevation adjustment might not be able to zero at 100 yards and still be able to reach out to 500+ yards. It depends on the amount of up and down adjustment you have. Most of the time the difference is split. Let's say you have 40 MOA of elevation, which means you have 20 MOA of up, and 20 MOA of down (usable). Now, since you don't really need to have much up adjustment with a 0 MOA base, you would compensate the up adjustment with a canted base(10, 20, 30 MOA) that will fit your scope correctly. So now with a 20 MOA base, you now have 40 MOA of down (usable) adjustment, rather than just 20. I hope this made sense to you, that's the best way I know how to explain it.

Aside from that, I really like the Bushnell 4200 series if you can afford it. The SS is a nice scope but I always like adjustable magnification, especially if your wanting to make the inevitable one shot kill at 500yd
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

I have one of those varmint ADL 308s, too, and it shoots lights out. I agree with thinking base and rings first, and given your commitment to keeping it under $500, I think your choices are the Bushnell 3200 3-15x40 or the Millet TRS 4-16x50, in which case I'd get the Millet. However you may prefer to shop the resales...
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Snipedogg</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Dave, You are pretty close with the canted base. It's 20 MOA, not Mils, but aside from that, it is basically designed to give your scope more usable elevation. When I say usable I mean still being able to zero at 100 yards while being able to use all of your internal elevation. Some scopes with limited elevation adjustment might not be able to zero at 100 yards and still be able to reach out to 500+ yards. It depends on the amount of up and down adjustment you have. Most of the time the difference is split. Let's say you have 40 MOA of elevation, which means you have 20 MOA of up, and 20 MOA of down (usable). Now, since you don't really need to have much up adjustment with a 0 MOA base, you would compensate the up adjustment with a canted base(10, 20, 30 MOA) that will fit your scope correctly. So now with a 20 MOA base, you now have 40 MOA of down (usable) adjustment, rather than just 20. I hope this made sense to you, that's the best way I know how to explain it.

Aside from that, I really like the Bushnell 4200 series if you can afford it. The SS is a nice scope but I always like adjustable magnification, especially if your wanting to make the inevitable one shot kill at 500yd</div></div>

Snipedogg, that makes the concept very clear! Thank you!
I hadn't considered it in quite that fashion, as it just never entered my mind.
Most of what I've known about scopes is that you slap them on, zero them out, and use kentucky windage/elevation to get yourself on the mark.
With the technology and tactical advances since I bought my first scope so many years ago, I knew there had to be a better way.
Carbinero, yes, those are the scopes I was looking at, along with the SS SS10X42 fixed power scope as Exhogflyer suggested.
I still have some time to finish hashing out what the best one for my needs will be, and I'm sure that as things progress, and the additional feedback I see in here, narrowing the 3 down to 1 should be fairly simple.
And, hey, perhaps a few more bucks will fall into that hat by some miracle, and open up the ceiling a little!
Gang, I can't thank you all enough for your help and sharing of your wisdom and thoughts.
Everyone has been a tremendous help!
Dave
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Exhogflyer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thats an awful lot of magnification for 500+ meters.You could easily do that with a good 10x scope and not be spending on the luxury of a variable...especially if you're not hunting so don't need to dial way down low.$500 budget for scope, base and rings? Tight....good base is about $60-$100 ( don't skimp there), rings about $50 ( Burris XTR, very nice ), leaves about $350 for glass.If it was me I'd get a 10x Super Sniper for now, shoot the fk out of it, then when I had the coin I'd upgrade the glass plus you'll get most back on the SS when you sell it.Good luck! </div></div>

This is exactly what I did. I think I have the exact same rifle as the OP as well. Did you buy the ADL varmint from Dick's? I bought quality rings and base (TPS steel) and a super sniper. I am now looking to upgrade the scope, and enjoy not having to change the rings or base. My rifle is more of a target rifle, so I opted for the 16X super sniper. Since you're going to be using yours for hunting, I would recommend maybe one of the Bushnell elites that are on sale.
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lennyo3034</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
This is exactly what I did. I think I have the exact same rifle as the OP as well. Did you buy the ADL varmint from Dick's? I bought quality rings and base (TPS steel) and a super sniper. I am now looking to upgrade the scope, and enjoy not having to change the rings or base. My rifle is more of a target rifle, so I opted for the 16X super sniper. Since you're going to be using yours for hunting, I would recommend maybe one of the Bushnell elites that are on sale. </div></div>

Yep. Actually, I bought two - one for me, one for my brother from another mother.
Couldn't pass up that deal - $450 for a Rem 700 ADL varmint...with a POS scope. But, I can sell the scope for $100, further reducing my cost for the rifle, and increasing my budget for the quality optics topping a great rifle.
Eventually, there will be a number of changes, but as we ALL know too well, budgetary considerations take priority.
New stock, trigger group, scope, rings, and base, and a bipod, and I'm totally off to the races. Er, the RANGE!
As an aside, I shoot small bore matches each week, and shot my first double keyhole this week!
It's 50 feet offhand unsupported, and I'm shooting a 10/22 that's totally stock except the scope. That thing needs a trigger job in the worst way!
But, I was pretty proud of myself!
Have a great day gang!
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

$100 for that POS scope? Really? I used mine as a target as soon as I got my SS. I also put on an HS precision stock because I hated the look feel of the mossy oak plastic one.

Finding a stock is a little more difficult because its an ADL with the blind magazine. Your best bet is to buy a 5R takeoff stock like I did. The guy I bought it from put his rifle into a AICS so he didn't need the bottom metal.
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

Weaver Grand Slam MIl/MIl 3-10, midway has them for $400 and sometimes they knock down the prices to $300. If I was looking for a good scope ring/base combination for $500 it would be the Weaver with a EGW 20MOA base and rings.
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: lennyo3034</div><div class="ubbcode-body">$100 for that POS scope? Really? </div></div>

Yep. Round here, "monkeys like shiny things...", and if I put the Butler Creek flip caps on it, black out the "R", some mall ninja will buy it just because it's a 4-14X and it's "better" than what they have, and it's tacticool...might even get a few bucks more if I sell the rings and 2 piece base with it!
Plenty of mall ninjas and wannabe's to go round...some bonehead might even buy it to slap it on their Ultra-Rockin-Airsoft...
I'm thinking I'll be making my own stock...I have some Maple and Walnut hanging around that's a little on the thin side...might have to laminate it up and play around with it a little...I do so like those thumbhole style stocks...maybe something in between a tactical style and a thumbhole style...still lots of thinking to do on that before I take it on though...one of hte side benefits of being a custom woodworker in a previous life...
 
Re: 31 Flavors of Baskin Robbins.....which is for me?

Gang,
I thank you all for your guidance, sharing your wisdom, and your input.
Midway has the Bushnell 3200 10x40http://snipershide.com/openx/www/delivery/ck.php?oaparams=2__bannerid=13__zoneid=5__cb=ba9bd8b529__oadest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hudisco.com%2F, 1/10 Mil adjustments, tactical on sale for $175, and I swooped one up.
Also got a Weaver 20MOA one piece base to go with it.
Rings will have to wait a little bit, but better to wait a little than get junk rings, right?
To all, have a fantastic day!
Dave