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Rifle Scopes beginner scope help. help me choose bushnell, nightforce, swfa, or vortex

G

gumby510

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 22, 2013
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Appleton Wisconsin
Hello everyone, been a lurker for some time now. Im new to long distance/scoped shooting. Im currently building a 18in barrel tikka t3 308 with a folding stock. Ive done target and active shooting with pistols, shotgun and my sig 556 but that has been all irons or with a red dot sight. Ive been putting this build off for about 3 years now, and have decided not is the time to get this out of the way.

What I think im looking for

95% target shooting 5% hunting
doing most of the shooting between 300-600yds
1. mil dot and mil dot adj
2. $1000 realm
3. around 6-24x50 (cant have too much mag)
4. great glass
5. first focal plane
6. side focus seems to be nice
7. i like the look of exposed turrets


the 3 im currently considering the most so far are

1. Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 - illuminated EBR-1 reticle
X 2. vortex Viper PST 4-16x50 FFP-
3. Bushnell HDMR 3.5-21x 50mm
4. sightron SIIISS 6-24X50 LRFFPMH
5. SWFA SS HD 5-20x50 Tactical 30mm Riflescope
X 6. Nightforce SHV 4-14x56 MOAR Riflescope C522 (even though its a 2nd focal plate)


Of these three I prefer the the bushnell reticle most and the vortex the least. Im a Wisconsin resident so the vortex does have some extra allure for a home grown company. Im just looking to spend my money on the best product I choose to afford. WHICH ONE HAS THE BEST GLASS. as i have been recently informed that better glass trumps more magnification.

If there is another scope I should be considering please by all means inform me.

Im currently to start looking around the area for places that carry these scopes so I can get a first hand look.

reading through this forum it does seem to be the the vortex viper PST is heavily favored.

If anyone has 1st hand experience with the bushnell, nightforce SHV and SWFA id love to hear your opinion and or comparison to the others.

Thank you for any responses
 
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Any of thise will fit your needs. The Vortex has the bonus of lit reticle and zero stop shims over the Bushy, but the GS reticule is the cat's pajamas. The Zeisses that I have looked through have been very bright and clear. but I have no experience with the Z800. If you can get hands on them, do so and make your own decision. Not sure that you can go wrong. I think that OK243 has a couple of the PST's that he is trying to move. MIght be a way to get into one for less than new, but i have shot through his scopes and can tell you that he takes very good care of his equipment. Just a thought.
 
If it were me I'd drop that Z-800 reticled Zeiss off your list. BDC's are "cool" but they really only work with one load form one gun in one set of conditions. Take your rifle in the mountains or to Florida and it will shoot differently in both places.

My vote from those three is the Bushnell.
 
Either the Bushnell ET6245FG, or the ET6245F if you are willing to trade off the FG's excellent FFP G2DMR reticle for the F's illuminated FFP mildot.

Joe
 
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You list six mid quality level scopes, then a Nightforce. Probably with some review researching you could fine some "test" based articles for most on your list.
To select the best scope suited for your needs look at several of it's attributes not just one or two. Personally I'd save up another 6,8 or 1K more in money and purchase a scope that you'd truly like and keep for the long haul.
 
For the money if you want FFP I would say a G2DMR ir SFP I would go NXS 2.5-10x42---3.5-15---5.5-22

Good Luck
 
You might throw the new Sightron SIII FFP 6-24x50 on your list. I haven't looked through the FFP version, but the SFP version had a little better glass than the PST. The PST has a few added features though. Any on your list are good to go, though out of all you listed, I think the SS 5-20x50 safely stands above the rest, but it is also the most expensive.
 
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Crosshair said:
You might throw the new Sightron SIII FFP 6-24x50 on your list. I haven't looked through the FFP version, but the SFP version had a little glass then the PST. The PST has a few added features though. Any on your list are good to go, though out of all you listed, I think the SS 5-20x50 safely stands above the rest, but it is also the most expensive.
Click to expand...

crosshair Does the S TAC 2.5-17.5X56IRMH have the same quality glass as the Sightron SIII FFP 6-24x50
 
gumby510 said:
crosshair Does the S TAC 2.5-17.5X56IRMH have the same quality glass as the Sightron SIII FFP 6-24x50
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone knows because few have actually seen it since it's so new. All I know is that it's built in different country(Philippines) so having the same glass is far from a sure thing.
 
Went Nightforce and never looked back....

Just kidding, I love my NXS, but have the Sightron SIII 8-32, 10-50, and the new 6-24 FFP is under the tree. I place SIII glass above Leupold Mark 4, on par with my NXS, but definitely below the ATACR. That super sniper HD will likely have better glass than the Sightrons tho, but I'm really not sure. Ilya did a comparison between the fixed 10 SIII and SS HD, the SS HD took it hands down, but he did say the 10x SIII wasn't up to par with the other SIIIs. 10×42 riflescopes: Sightron S3 and SWFA Super Sniper » OpticsThoughts

When I had this same decision a few years ago, I did a spreadsheet listing all the features I wanted (price included), put a weighting on each, then scored them. The NXS came out on top, and it might still. You should be able to snag a used one within budget
 
gumby510 said:
crosshair Does the S TAC 2.5-17.5X56IRMH have the same quality glass as the Sightron SIII FFP 6-24x50
Click to expand...

I've yet to check out the new Sightron stuff, as Rockbox said, they're still pretty new. I have high hopes for the stac line, if they have the same optical quality and components but with cheaper labor, I can live with that if the quality control is up to par.
 
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Based on your criteria, I don't really think you need FFP, its nice, but there is no indication that is a real need for you, as a result it opens up a slew of other quality scopes. Try to find a local tactical match and meet with some fellow Hide shooters who might have some of the scopes you are looking at purchasing. Its a big purchase, its nice to get right the first time, nothing better than getting down behind some of these scopes and seeing what all the hoopla is about.
 
I'd say the countersniper has the best glass, should be on your list of 40 scopes to really get a good choice when asked what is best
 
^^^^^ this. The only reason I opened this thread was because I noticed VJJ was the last to post. Thanks for the morning chuckle brother.
 
Skip the Vortex. If you can afford the upper end scopes then get one. But if 1600 for a scope that has everything you need and is Repeatable and returns to zero every time then the Bushnell HDMR or SWFA 5-20 are for you. I'd go with the FFP it will cut the learning curve down for you and make things just super easy while trying to zero your rifle or changing loads. You will learn it and it will work with you and for you. I've been on my HDMR w/Horus Tremor2 for 3 months now and aside from it not having illumination I love the scope and its sitting in a set of Seekins lows on a Near Mfg. 20moa base on top of my FN SPR A1A. I have close to 450ish rounds under it "as of today" and it is just making my life behind the rifle easier. I do notice that I keep the scope bottom end at 5x and the top at 12-15 for most of what I do. The Tremor2 is just awesome by the way. Good luck.
 
I would keep the Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 in the running. There are better scopes out there but the unconditional, transferable, absolutely NO questions asked warranty keeps the resale value high. I just switched from a Viper PST to a Schmidt Bender and have nothing but good things to say about the Vortex. I ran it for over a year and had no problems dialing up and down while maintaining zero. The adjustments are true and features that you get for the money are killer. I put over 2000 rds through my gun with the scope on it durring practice, for fun and in a couple of matches. The scope never failed to preform. Also, the kicker is that after a year of use I got most of my money back when I sold it. The warranty allows the buyer to run it if/when it breaks and get a new one. No questions asked. I got mine for a steal and then managed to sell it at a very small loss. The buyer got a scope for less than the MAP lowest price from Vortex ($750) and they also got a warranty which will get them a brand spanking new scope if/when it breaks. Resale value is important, especially if you plan on stepping up to a premium piece of glass.
 
well I checked out a Vortex pst 4-16x50 and I was impressed with the glass clarity but with that said I definitely want more magnification. After reading and watching quite a few reviews and comparisons at this point the sfwa ss hd 5-20x50 is the front runner. thank you everyone for your help thus far.
 
gumby510 said:
well I checked out a Vortex pst 4-16x50 and I was impressed with the glass clarity but with that said I definitely want more magnification. After reading and watching quite a few reviews and comparisons at this point the sfwa ss hd 5-20x50 is the front runner. thank you everyone for your help thus far.
Click to expand...


So the SFWA ss hd 5-20x50 it is the winner along with the zero stop shims sold by TimK, Mountain Tactical Company steel 20moa scope base and seekins scope rings.

thank you again everyone for the help.
 
OP,

What do you want the scope to do, in addition to helping you see better? Perhaps, you'd want a reticle scaled in MOA or mils to be able to estimate distance to target. You might also like some sort of bullet drop compensation function. I like mil scale reticles and MOA scaled elevation/windage adjustments for a multitude of reasons. I also like a SFP reticle. I have a preference for these features for the way I initially learned how to estimate distance and adjusts my sights for distance/wind. You, it appears, may not yet know how to use a scope for any function now other than to help you see better. My advice, learn how to estimate distance and wind counters in both in both MOA and mil scale. Working out formulas in both mils and MOA will give you an idea of which scale for either reticle or elevation/windage adjustment is easier for you to execute. Finding out you can't comprehend your scope after you bought it is very expensive.
 
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Sterling Shooter said:
OP,

What do you want the scope to do, in addition to helping you see better? Perhaps, you'd want a reticle scaled in MOA or mils to be able to estimate distance to target. You might also like some sort of bullet drop compensation function. I like mil scale reticles and MOA scaled elevation/windage adjustments for a multitude of reasons. I also like a SFP reticle. I have a preference for these features for the way I initially learned how to estimate distance and adjusts my sights for distance/wind. You, it appears, may not yet know how to use a scope for any function now other than to help you see better. My advice, learn how to estimate distance and wind counters in both in both MOA and mil scale. Working out formulas in both mils and MOA will give you an idea of which scale for either reticle or elevation/windage adjustment is easier for you to execute. Finding out you can't comprehend your scope after you bought it is very expensive.
Click to expand...

Based on the videos, reviews, math involved and literature I've read I feel that mil dot and mil adjustment along with 1st focal plane would be the easiest for me to get a grasp on much faster. Especially since I'm pretty much a clean slate with no training on either system.
 
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