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Rifle Scopes Recommend a scope for precision AR

Bloodstriker

Bloodstriker

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 10, 2013
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I have a KAC SR-15 LPR (Gen 1) that is currently wearing a Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10x32 FFP mounted with their Precison QR Extended Cantilever Mount.

I would like to upgrade the scope as I would like more than 10x and I am not a fan of the glass quality.

I would like to hear some suggestions on what to upgrade to. I would like to keep the rifle lightweight - it will be used for Service Rifle style matches (100-600m).

I would also like to not have to buy a new mount, so 30mm tube is preferred. However, if there’s nothing out there that fits, I suppose a 34mm tube would be second choice.

I havent yet decided on the budget, but I am wanting to go mid-high end.

So here are the requirements:
30 or 34mm tube (30 preferred)
Lightweight
Christmas Tree type reticle
FFP
Adjustable Parallax
4x or lower on low end
14x or higher on high end
 
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I have and like NF 4-16x50 ATACR F1. Rugged build like a Tank but its not lightweight that's for sure.
34mm tube
FFP
I like it a lot.
 
sightron siii 10x50x60 30mm picked up mine just a few months ago it was $ 1,050 it's still pretty cheap online and you could spot your own 223 shots out to 600 yards maybe further not sure i can only shoot to 600 so far need a longer range or maybe look through the threads and find the person selling vortex 5x25x50 34mm or 30mm not sure which it was think you was asking 800 or 900 might be a deal to make in there. just a few thoughts .
 
Athlon 4-16x44. Great glass, very distinct clicks, ffp, zero stop, focus down to 10yds, light weight, good price. Only thing it doesn't have is the Christmas tree reticle. To get that ret, you have to go up to their 6-24x50 model. I've got one of the 6-24x50 TAC scopes on a light weight V-22 .22RF 'sporter', and am often shooting it side-by-side with heavier V-22s with Athlon Cronus scopes. Much as I enjoy shooting behind these Cronus scopes, shooting with the Midas TAC is never a disappointment.
 
OP, what is "your" definition of mid-high end, if you could give us a budget range that will help as different shooters have different ideas of this category. While I was not a fan of the gen I PST glass the Gen II PST is a definite improvement as well are the turrets. The Vortex PST Gen II 3-15x44 is outstanding for what it is and has great glass and a decent tree reticle, I did a review last year of $1k budget scopes and this was one of my favorites. If you don't mind busy reticles the Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 is another solid choice that would be in the next tier up from the Vortex with outstanding turrets. The previously mentioned NF ATACR F1 4-16x42 with Mil-XT seems to be a favorite if it fits within your budget. The new Burris XTR III 3.3-18x50 with SCR2 sounds too good to be true but good luck finding one (they were just released last month). The Kahles K318i 3.5-18x50 would represent the alpha class as well as the Schmidt & Bender 3-20x50 (I prefer the 5-20x50 but it's above 4x though you'll find it's FOV very forgiving at 5x, close to some 4x scopes actually), there is also the March 3-24x52 (I don't recommend the 3-24x42) with FML-T1 reticle, this is the lightest of the class and 30mm tube, but phenomenal magnification range and glass but it is a little finicky with parallax. And representing the best of the best would be the Tangent Theta TT315M 3-15x50, has the best glass of the bunch and arguably the best turrets, with the Gen II XR reticle these scopes are a force to be reckoned with and they are 30mm tubes as well.
 
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It's a 34mm tube, not 30, but I have been really happy with my Bushnell DMR2 Pro. The glass is excellent, the G3 reticle coveres everything I need, weight isn't atrocious, and it hits all your other requirements.
 
Yes, in my mind, high end is alpha level - S&B, TT, etc.

Mid range would be Vortex Viper PST etc.

Feature wise, I really like the Vortex Viper PST gen 2 3-15x44 but I don’t know much about the glass quality or tracking or reliability.

As for image quality, Zeiss Conquest HD5 level would be my lowest acceptable quality.

Weight is a big factor as the LPR is pretty light and I don’t want to make a 7lb rifle into a 10 lbs one.
 
Bloodstriker said:
Yes, in my mind, high end is alpha level - S&B, TT, etc.

Mid range would be Vortex Viper PST etc.

Feature wise, I really like the Vortex Viper PST gen 2 3-15x44 but I don’t know much about the glass quality or tracking or reliability.

As for image quality, Zeiss Conquest HD5 level would be my lowest acceptable quality.

Weight is a big factor as the LPR is pretty light and I don’t want to make a 7lb rifle into a 10 lbs one.
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Thank you, that helps. I tend to think of tiers as certain price ranges
  • Budget = less than $1k
  • Low = $1k - $1500
  • Mid = $1500 - $2500
  • High = more than $2500
I suppose we can now add an Uber class for anything over $4000 like TT, some Schmidts, Hensoldt, etc.

I really recommend you check out the PST II. I owned a PST 4-16x50 and sold it almost immediately, just a bad optic for anything other than bright daylight use, but the PST II is a different animal and the 3-15x44 represents the best glass quality of this line, a truly remarkable scope for the price. I had the 3-15 for my review and own a 5-25, they have been excellent with a great track record. Great turrets for the price and I've heard very few issues for the amount that Vortex sells, and those that had issues were immediately fixed by Vortex who arguably has the best warranty and turn around time in the business. If you buy from the likes of CS Tactical or Eurooptic they will allow a return if you don't think you'll like it after getting it and you haven't mounted it. If weight is a primary concern then I don't think you'll find a better scope at it's weight and price, and glass was on par with Leupold Mark 5HD and even a tad better at the top end and CA.

Check out this review where I compare some scopes mentioned above - http://opticsthoughts.com/?p=2296
 
I have some experience with the Burris XTR II 4-20 with the H591, and I think that would fit your needs. I've seen them here on the Hide for less than $900 often.
 
Good glass ain't lite and neither are reliable scopes........ Might wanna do some extra push and pull ups
 
I liked your suggestion so much that since your post, I bought a Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 3-15x44 FFP (mils).

Then I read two posts below about how good glass and reliablinity isn’t lightweight and that I should start doing push-ups - and then I bought a Vortex Razor Gen 2 4.5-27x56 (mils).

The Razor is overkill but it’ll be fun to mess around with. Any suggestions on how to mount this beast on the AR?
 
I have a couple of hawk sidewinder scopes I really like. They make some good scopes for the price.

No direct experience but a lot of .22 shooters are liking the athlon scopes. I am getting a talos for my .22 I just got.

They will focus down I think as low as 25 yards
 
Vortex AMG 6-24 comes to mind. Fits all your requirements except 4x on the bottom end.

The Razor 3-18 Gen 2 is probably your best bet from a glass & mag level suggestion, but it's heavy as all get out, and the 4.5-27 is worse.

The SWFA 5-20 HD actually fits all your requirements except for tree reticle, and I can definitely imagine worse options.
 
Bloodstriker said:
I liked your suggestion so much that since your post, I bought a Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 3-15x44 FFP (mils).

Then I read two posts below about how good glass and reliablinity isn’t lightweight and that I should start doing push-ups - and then I bought a Vortex Razor Gen 2 4.5-27x56 (mils).

The Razor is overkill but it’ll be fun to mess around with. Any suggestions on how to mount this beast on the AR?
Click to expand...
I disagree with the statement that "reliability isn't lightweight" it is a fallacy to think that heavier scopes are more robust than lighter scopes, maybe in the distant past this was generally true but in today's world of advanced lightweight alloys, composites, optical designs, etc. While the Razor Gen II may have a great track record for robustness, so does Nightforce, S&B, and many others that weigh less than the Razor Gen II series.

I can see a 4.5-27 on a large frame AR but but think it is a bit much on a small frame; however, if that's what you like then who am I to argue ;) One other thing that comes to mind is balance, I like my AR's to "balance" out and not be too top heavy or forward heavy, etc. so that would be another concern with putting the 3lb Gen II on a 6lb rifle. To mount it on a small frame AR you will need a cantilever mount and something in the 1.5" height range. There are so many good mounts out there these days, anything you pay over $200 for should be of sufficient quality. I like Aadmount and Scalarworks

scalarworks.com

Scalarworks Leap Mount for Scopes

The Scalarworks Leap Mount is the lightest, strongest, and easiest to use quick-detach Scope mount in existence.
scalarworks.com scalarworks.com
 
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enichols said:
It misses your low end requirement by 0.5x, but have you considered the Bushnell LRTSi 4.5-18x44 with G3 reticle?
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wjm308 said:
This is a fantastic optic and great choice
Click to expand...

Or the similar Bushnell Long Range Hunter... 30mm tube, FFP illuminated reticle. Still have a few new in box, gonna run these on a couple gas guns.
 

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I've used the March 3-24x42, LRHS 3-12 and 4.5-18, and DMR2 3.5-21 on gas guns and would recommend them all. I've had the March on mine since 2012 and its never failed. I've shot over a dozen local gas gun matches with it and won more than half. A friend has used another one to win the DMR class of another local series the last two years now. Some people hate it though for the way the parallax is done, so I would highly recommend trying before buying. Where are you located?

ETA: missed some posts, weight is a big factor but you went with the Gen2 Razor?
 
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@Bloodstriker - you mentioned that you are going to use it for "service rifle" matches. Apologies in advance if you already know this but just in case you weren't aware the optics rules are pretty limited for service rifle/highpower rifle matches by both CMP and NRA. Both (if I'm not mistaken) only allow optics with a maximum of 4.5X and a maximum objective lens diameter of 34mm and the centerline of the optical sight must be no higher than 3.5 inches above the centerline of the bore so mounts should also be considered for this. There are also several other "equipment" and weight rules that can get kind of picky. I think that there's also another unlimited kind of class that may allow other options but not sure about that. Another place that optics choice can be a concern is with total rifle weight so heads up there also. Here are links to the rule books at both CMP and NRA.

CMP 2019 Rule Book - See section 4.1 (4.1.1 (h) for M16/AR15-Type Service Rifle optics)
http://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/HighpowerRifleRules.pdf?vers=021219

NRA 2019 Rule Book - See section 3.1
http://rulebooks.nra.org/documents/pdf/compete/RuleBooks/HPR/hpr-book.pdf

The CMP forums have a National Matches AR section under CMP Competitions with several posts regarding optics for AR/National Matches/service rifle that are current and going back a couple years to when they (CMP and NRA) first started allowing optics for service rifle matches.

As an aside - I'm looking to put a scope on a RRA National Match rifle so this thread is timely for me - thanks to all for the info contributions!

Good luck and again, apologies if you're already aware of this stuff but I thought it might be useful if you weren't.
 
Wow so many comments. Thanks everyone for your help.

1. I bought the Razor HD Gen 2 used for a great price. I always wanted one to compare to my S&B, so I decided to give it a try. It’s not really for the AR, but I thought it might be fun to slap it on to try.

On that note - what’s a good mount for this that would fit the AR?

2. The Viper PST Gen 2 3-15x44 was on sale so I bought one to try as well. This will probably fit much better on my AR.


I like some of the later suggestions and will look at them if the Viper doesn’t work out.
 
I have 2 AR long range set ups. One has a Nightforce F1 3-15x50 and the other has a S&B PM II 4-16x50 and both are perfect for these types of rifles.
 
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