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Rifle Scopes New Steiner , or Old Leupold?

Schralp

Schralp

Private
Minuteman
Aug 7, 2018
19
4
I am in the process of moving into the precision rifle world. It is my intent to eventually shoot out past 1000 yards, though I have some work to do first. I inherited a very nice Leupold Vx III 6-20 x 50 scope. It is a nice scope, and was previously used on a Savage 220 swift for bench rest shooting at 100 yards. It has only a duplex reticle though, and no numbers on the adjustment knobs. I am concerned about several things. I am not sure that this scope will hold up to being shot behind .308 with a muzzle break. Also, I'm concerned about being able to accurately adjust it without any markings. I was considering purchasing a Steiner Tx5i 5-25x56 scope. I am interested in some opinions as I don't want to ruin a scope, to be frustrated attempting to adjust the scope, or spend a bunch of money I don't have to. I do want the right equipment for the job.
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The 308 isn’t gonna hurt the scope at all, but your second concern is valid. You’ll also need a scope base with enough slope to get you to 1k with the limited internal adjustment that scope has. Can’t recall exactly what it is, but it ain’t much by today’s standards. I’d leave that scope for varmint duty, and spend some money on something suited to your goal.
 
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I did not know that. Thank you. I feel much better, and was a bit confused as to why it had no marks to begin with. That changes things. Still, the question remains, though I'm leaning toward using the Leupold.
 
I have the same scope and used it for many years on a 308. But imo its time to semi retire the scope as I did and get a new Steiner. I still have it mounted 308 semi I occasionally use to shoot at 100 yards at my range. But for anything else I use one of my Nightforce or Bushnell Elite scopes on my semis or AIAW.
 
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Hands down get the Steiner and it will open your eyes to long range shooting. If you want to just shoot at the 100 yd range, the Loopy is fine. If you want to truly stretch your legs and shoot out to 1000 yards no problem, get the Steiner. These 2 scopes are not in the same ballpark let alone planet for usability/features/quality/sexiness/durability/etc/etc...


GL!
DT
 
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The Leupy is a great scope for the right usage. My dad has that exact same model on a 30-06 that he's killed everything under the sun with for a lot of years. But it's not the right optic for what you are talking about doing.

The Steiner is the right choice.
 
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Here is a little perspective.
The is nothing really wrong with the Leupold for general shooting, it lacks some features for shooting at varying distances. The turrets are marked under the caps and you can use those marks as a basis for shooting, assuming the scope tracking is OK and it returns to the same POI when your dial returns to your zero position. The 220 Swift makes up for a lot of this with its near 4000 FPS velocity.
The 308 shoots rainbows in comparison,
For shooting at long distances, you will want some form of positive zero stop so you can return to zero when you start the day and make all your adjustments from there.
9X will take you out to 1000 on day with good contrast to the lighting but 18x will make it a bit easier. I don't like running my scope at max power so I would seek something in the 21-24x range.
To me, the hardest part of learning to shoot long distance was not doing the math, ballistic calculators really help with that, the hard part is learning to read wind and terrain. (There is always wind) you may not feel it or even notice it at the firing point but rest assured, especially past 300 yards, the bullet will find some wind. 308, with the exception of the heavy bullets, is pretty sensitive to wind and it will be the hardest and longest learning curve you will encounter. With the right reticle, holding for wind is pretty easy, holding the right amount is tougher.
 
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Thanks everyone for sharing your experience and advice. I actually pulled the trigger on the Steiner. Found a great deal on it. Under $1400. I know there may be better scopes out there, but I felt like I was getting a very nice scope for the $. And, yes, it may be a long learning curve, but the challenge is what draws me to distance shooting to begin with, so looking forward to the pursuit.
 
Ok, so next question. I need to get a quality mount for the Steiner to a Tikka t3x tac A1. The rail has 0 MOA so I was thinking a +20MOA would be a good idea and the Steiner has a 34 mm tube. It seems that I almost have to get an AR mount to get the +20 MOA. What are my options? Any opinions on the following:


Leupold Mark 6 IMS 34mm RH 20 MOA Integral Mounting System (Matte Black)
NightForce XTRM Unimount 1.5 in. 20 MOA 34mm, Black.
 
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That model VX-3 has target turrets on it. Would look and work great on a classic rimfire or centerfire target rifle. I believe it is still under Leupold's warranty as well. Or you could sell it on ebay no problem at all.
 
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Schralp,
Just a little to add to the convo. As much as I'd love to see you using that great looking Vari-X III out on the range, you may run into a problem with your intended application. That particular scope has about 50MOA of total elevation adjustment, which may make your 1000+ plans tricky.

If you go the way of getting a new scope, take a look at the new VX-3i Long Range Precision (LRP). We've got a 6.5-20x50mm with 90MOA of adjustment and a 4.5-14x50mm with 110MOA.

Hope this helps!
 
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Schralp said:
The burris xtr rings look perfect, and have a reasonable price point. Any idea what hight to fit the 56mm front end of the scope?
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If you are looking at the Steiner 5-25x, the objective diameter is 2.44", divide by 2 give you 1.22", so your minimum ring height needs to be 1.22 inch, unless there is no rail under the objective bell, in which case you can use a lower ring height. If there is rail, 1.22" ring height will be extremely tight. If there is elevation in the ring, the scope will be tilting down, so you need to budget for that. Also if you want to use a scope cover, then that's even more clearance you need to account for. Show a pic of your rifle and I can give a more precise recommendation.
 
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JayB said:
If you are looking at the Steiner 5-25x, the objective diameter is 2.44", divide by 2 give you 1.22", so your minimum ring height needs to be 1.22 inch, unless there is no rail under the objective bell, in which case you can use a lower ring height. If there is rail, 1.22" ring height will be extremely tight. If there is elevation in the ring, the scope will be tilting down, so you need to budget for that. Also if you want to use a scope cover, then that's even more clearance you need to account for. Show a pic of your rifle and I can give a more precise recommendation.
Click to expand...
Tikka.jpg

I can't give you an actual pic because, besides the 10 day wait here in California, I have to also wait for the dealer to get it from the distributor. Sitting in purgatory right now. Mine will come with the 24" barrel. That is a similar scope though. I believe the High Burris rings at 1.5 inches will be the choice, since there are only two and all the calculators show the low rings to no have sufficient clearance.
 
Schralp said:
View attachment 6931060
I can't give you an actual pic because, besides the 10 day wait here in California, I have to also wait for the dealer to get it from the distributor. Sitting in purgatory right now. Mine will come with the 24" barrel. That is a similar scope though. I believe the High Burris rings at 1.5 inches will be the choice, since there are only two and all the calculators show the low rings to no have sufficient clearance.
Click to expand...
That helps. Since this rifle has full rail at top, the 1.25” will be cutting it very close given the elevation in the ring, it would be better to go with the high ring 1.5”. Steiner scope comes with tenebraex covers IIRC, 1.5” ring would give you enough clearance to actually use those covers.
 
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JayB said:
That helps. Since this rifle has full rail at top, the 1.25” will be cutting it very close given the elevation in the ring, it would be better to go with the high ring 1.5”. Steiner scope comes with tenebraex covers IIRC, 1.5” ring would give you enough clearance to actually use those covers.
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Thanks. I appreciate the help.
 
Burris Signature rings are the smaller ones, for hunting scopes. XTR Signature rings are the beefier tactical. Both have the poly inserts that allow for extra cant or fine tuned adjustment. (BirdDog's link is correct, above, I'm just being all pedantic about the names).

You're after #420211 which is the 1.50 in. height in 34 mm.

Thanks for your support!
-Geoff at Steiner and Burris Optics
 
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GeoffatBurris said:
Burris Signature rings are the smaller ones, for hunting scopes. XTR Signature rings are the beefier tactical. Both have the poly inserts that allow for extra cant or fine tuned adjustment. (BirdDog's link is correct, above, I'm just being all pedantic about the names).

You're after #420211 which is the 1.50 in. height in 34 mm.

Thanks for your support!
-Geoff at Steiner and Burris Optics
Click to expand...

Thats the ones I have used with great success.
 
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LeupoldOptics said:
Schralp,
Just a little to add to the convo. As much as I'd love to see you using that great looking Vari-X III out on the range, you may run into a problem with your intended application. That particular scope has about 50MOA of total elevation adjustment, which may make your 1000+ plans tricky.

If you go the way of getting a new scope, take a look at the new VX-3i Long Range Precision (LRP). We've got a 6.5-20x50mm with 90MOA of adjustment and a 4.5-14x50mm with 110MOA.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Assuming you really are with Leupold optics and I am not saying you're not. I think it's awesome when manufacturers engage with their customers on a forum.....Welcome and where the hell have ya'll been.......LOL
 
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I have a tac a1 with a t5xi 5-25x56 and 1.5" height rings work out great. I went with a badger ordnance 20 moa unimount and I'm very pleased.
 
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Great choice going with the Steiner like you said the challenge is what inspired you into long range hope to see range reports.
 
I would like to thank everyone for the advice. I have to say that I am not disappointed. I did go with the Steiner scope, and the badger ordinance one piece mount. Thanks to CA rules, and a fair amount of delivery time by Tikka, I finally got to shoot it today. I was able to get it zeroed in fairly quickly and shoot some of my best groups ever. This is a five shot group at 100. Some room for improvement, but not a bad start. The set up made all the difference. Ill upload a pic of the set up later when I get a decent one.
 

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Nice group. I may have to take another look at the Steiner.
 
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