Rifle Scopes S&B 5-20US AR15

[Rhys272]

Good day,

So some may call me crazy but I am thinking about putting the Schmidt & Bender 5-20 Ultra Short on a precision AR build I am working on. It will be a 20" barrel used mostly at the range paper punching for itty bitty groups or smacking steel and maybe the occasional varmint shoot once and a while. My girlfriend is a learner starting off with a .223 Remington 700 and I want this rifle to be something I can shoot along side her rather than take out my big accuracy international every time and turn money into noise. I intend to use this rifle for 100-800 or so meters. Now my big question is, is the Ultra Short too much scope for a precision AR? I am also considering the ATACR 4-16x42 would something like that serve me better or have I fallen prey to having eyes too big for my stomach and am rediculously over scoping my AR. Also another note I have used the AR platform with the military but this is my first time owning one personally hence why I am in need of your expert opinions.

If anyone has pics of an ultra short on there own AR15's could you post some pics so I could get an idea of the size? Same for the ATACR.

Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to yiur responses even if they are to call me a lunatic for considering such large optics!

 

[goatboy]

Totally go for it, the ultrashort will let you slide a PVS30 on the distal side.

 

[texag0842]

I don't have exactly what you're looking for but here's mine on a KAC SR25

 

[gebhardt02]

I don't think you'll be over scoping it at all. The ultra short design scopes are very well suited to AR platforms.

 

[mq105]

I agree, based on your stated use of "paper punching for itty bitty groups," which requires higher magnification. You can dial back if you shoot competition, hunt, etc.

 

[AIAW]

Good day,

So some may call me crazy but I am thinking about putting the Schmidt & Bender 5-20 Ultra Short on a precision AR build I am working on. It will be a 20" barrel used mostly at the range paper punching for itty bitty groups or smacking steel and maybe the occasional varmint shoot once and a while. My girlfriend is a learner starting off with a .223 Remington 700 and I want this rifle to be something I can shoot along side her rather than take out my big accuracy international every time and turn money into noise. I intend to use this rifle for 100-800 or so meters. Now my big question is, is the Ultra Short too much scope for a precision AR? I am also considering the ATACR 4-16x42 would something like that serve me better or have I fallen prey to having eyes too big for my stomach and am rediculously over scoping my AR. Also another note I have used the AR platform with the military but this is my first time owning one personally hence why I am in need of your expert opinions.

If anyone has pics of an ultra short on there own AR15's could you post some pics so I could get an idea of the size? Same for the ATACR.

Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to yiur responses even if they are to call me a lunatic for considering such large optics!

Not crazy at all! I wouldn't go and do that on a SBR or a cheap banger...

 

[Apollo1218]

Definitely do it.

 

[Rhys272]

Outstanding thank you all so much for your input greatly appreciated! Now I have another conundrum maybe you could help me with. I have a choice between a BNIB base model Ral8000 color 5-20US non Illuminated p4f reticle for the exact same price as a brand new 4-16x42 ATACR with a standard non horus reticle. My question now, Is the S&B ultra short even in a base model that much better than an atacr? I feel like im really only giving up illumination and maybe my pick of which basic reticle I want... god help me im starting another this vs that thread! ?

 

[hk dave]

I love my Atacr 4-16x42mm on my SPR. Perfect size and great magnification. Like they were made for each other.

I believe the 5-20us is shorter. If not hesitate to run one instead.

 

[strikeeagle1]

S&B 3-20 with Tremor2 / Aimpoint T-2 / Accuracy level / Tenebraex ARD & caps/ QD mounted with GDI on a HK556MRA1 16" out to 500M easy with common 55 gr.

 

[Rhys272]

S&B 3-20 with Tremor2 QD mounted with GDI on a HK556MRA1 16" out to 500M easy with common 55 gr.

View attachment 7063149View attachment 7063150View attachment 7063151View attachment 7063152View attachment 7063153View attachment 7063154

That is a beautiful rifle man!

 

[Strykervet]

I don't have exactly what you're looking for but here's mine on a KAC SR25

View attachment 7062947View attachment 7062948

Dude, THAT'S what I need! I have an LR17 on my SR25 and barely have room for a PVS30. That's just great. Here's the LR17 and you can see that with no ARD and with the eyepiece set back farther, it still extends down over half the length of a 15" tube. About 2/3rd of the obj. is covered by the coupling and it goes right up to the PVS30 occular. In short, and it's anything but, the only thing longer is the 5-25x ER25 and the SN9 of course. I'd LOVE to have that optic on this rifle, even if does affect mag. range. But I think they make a 3-20something that would be more ideal for me.

Here's a 20" rifle with a 3.5-10x. It's a Grendel but same difference for arguments sake. It's longer than the one on his SR25.

Here's my recce rifle and it has a 2.5-8x I'll mention below. For me, it's about perfect for 5.56 but I'm of the low mag. group. Still, that short scope looks to be shorter than this one. If it was in 3 something to 20 something, it'd be about perfect IMO, best of both worlds.

As for scopes like this on a 5.56 rifle, it's up to you really. I'm not a fan of it, but I'm of the low mag group. My hottest 5.56 driver has a 2.5-8x on it and I've used Acogs to 600m with no problems. I built a recce rifle and it's what Navy calls a "sniper M4". It has the 2.5-8x. Now that rifle has no build spec, short of the barrel anything goes really, so I found pictures of guys using 'em with all sorts of stocks, tubes and scopes. Even saw a full size 5-25x something in one picture next to a guy with the same rifle but with 1/4x Elcan, another with an Acog and yet another with a red dot!

If you use high mag. a lot and use it to good purpose, why worry what others say? You just give up FOV with high mag. and that along with motion are the number one reasons I don't use high mag in general. Movement is more noticeable at high mag. and thus is over correction and FOV is limited which can slow things to a crawl looking for the target. Depending on use will depend on whether or not those are issues.

But hell, good luck, seeing that SR25 with that short scope has given me something else to covet... Damn. Definitely getting one in the future for sure, when I can score a used on here in the PX for "cheap", and probably re-home the LR17 to something or somebody else.

Just make sure this is for you, as in you're getting it because you know you do better with the high mag for what you use it for. Don't get it just for looks or because you feel high mag will make you better. It won't. If anything, it'll highlight problems you already have and magnify those as well as the image. But short of that, I don't see any reason why not to.

 

[Rhys272]

You guys are a wealth of knowledge and I really appreciate all the time you are taking to help me out!

 

[RTH1800]

I really like my AR’s with US. That is all I use on .204’s and half of what I use on 5.56’s.

 

[Rhys272]

You guys are really selling me on the S&B over the Nightforce! Happy to hear im not too crazy for even consideri g these optics for an AR either!

 

[gebhardt02]

We are expecting a lot of shooters to put our ZC420 on AR platforms. Similar compact designs to the Ultra Shorts from S&B. These scopes on ARs are a beautiful combination.

 

[Rhys272]

We are expecting a lot of shooters to put our ZC420 on AR platforms. Similar compact designs to the Ultra Shorts from S&B. These scopes on ARs are a beautiful combination.

I will check them out thank you!

 

[SRPowah]

So I will toss up a couple pics of my 16" AR15 with my 5-20US on it, and one showing the size compared to a NF 2.5-10x24 that normally calls the rifle home.

Now I only took the US off my SRS because I plan on selling it, but decided to throw it on the AR so I could post pics for you. I gotta say...I like it. What a mistake because now I almost want something a little bigger for the AR. Maybe I will try out the EOTech 5-25.

 

[Rhys272]

So I will toss up a couple pics of my 16" AR15 with my 5-20US on it, and one showing the size compared to a NF 2.5-10x24 that normally calls the rifle home.

Now I only took the US off my SRS because I plan on selling it, but decided to throw it on the AR so I could post pics for you. I gotta say...I like it. What a mistake because now I almost want something a little bigger for the AR. Maybe I will try out the EOTech 5-25.

That is a beauty of a rifle you got there man thank you so much for taking those pics! That S&B looks right at home on an AR15! ?

 

[SRPowah]

So now @Rhys272, time to throw a wrench in your plans...

I am selling the S&B and moving my NF 4-16 over to replace it. lol While I prefer the S&B in every possible way, the NF will do everything I need and leave more cash in my pocket. I don't have a mount to put the NF on the AR or I would get that pic for you, but I can show you the actual size difference...

From a purely aesthetic view point, I prefer the 42mm objective over the 50mm objective on the AR.

 

[Rhys272]

So now @Rhys272, time to throw a wrench in your plans...

I am selling the S&B and moving my NF 4-16 over to replace it. lol While I prefer the S&B in every possible way, the NF will do everything I need and leave more cash in my pocket. I don't have a mount to put the NF on the AR or I would get that pic for you, but I can show you the actual size difference...

From a purely aesthetic view point, I prefer the 42mm objective over the 50mm objective on the AR.

God dang that is an amazing lineup you have there!

 

[Rhys272]

Hey guys! Just wanted to thank you all for your help and advice. Just placed my order for a pantone 5-20 with msr2 reticle! I am beyond excited for it.