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Rifle Scopes Scope help for 6.8

Pigman

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 30, 2011
560
0
Katy, TX
Hey everyone, I ordered a 6.8 SPC upper for my AR that I should be getting here in a few weeks and I need help deciding on a scope to put on it. The rifle is going to be used mainly for lowlight hog hunting and after dark I will be using green lights. Up until a few days ago I always believed in "the larger the objective lens, the more light the scope will gather", but then I found out what "exit pupil" is.

The farthest shots I will be taking will be at 200 yards but most of the time I'll be shooting at 50-100 yards. I'm mainly looking at a 1-4x, 2.5-10x, or a 3-9x. The scopes I have in mind so far are:

Trijicon Accupoint 1-4x24
USO Sn-4s 1-4x22
Nightforce NXS 1-4x24
Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x32
Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40

My dad told me that he thinks I need a 3-9x scope so I can put it on 9x for 200 yard shots, but IMO if I practice with it a lot at different distances then 4x will be just fine at 200. Do I really need anything past 4x for 200 yard shots on hogs? If I did go with a 1-4x scope, and I sighted in for let's say 100 yards, would I have to hold over the hog at all at 200 yards on 4x?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I hunt deer and hogs with a 6.8 carbine quite a bit, and of the scopes listed, the only one I haven't tried is the USO. After trying all the rest, I settled on the Trijicon 3-9x40 with mildot reticle. Its just brighter in low light than the other scopes, and I found the reticle much easier to use in low light than the NF scopes( and I LOVE NF scopes on my precision rifles).

With the simple mildot reticle, I can easily make 300 yard hits on 8" steel, which is about as far as I want to push my 6.8 on animals.

BTW, try the Barnes 95gr TTSX....its da bomb.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

All you really need for those ranges is the 1-4 of your liking. That's plenty of mag for your intended ranges. This is going to be used mainly for a hog rig correct? If so your going to be on the ground a lot where your going to need a low mag sight that you can make quick hits with. In a stand the 4x gives you enough to 200 plus some on a pig sized target. I hunt mainly with a k-dot, Leo 1.5-5.5x or a eo tech. All great rigs that have worked very well. I've hunted with larger, heavier scopes with more magnification, and I didn't like them as much as the others.

They also work well with my pvs-24 when the lights go out.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I run a SWFA 1-4 HD scope On my WOA upper AR with RRA lower great combo. Also the scope did not kill me on money.




Aron-
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I have been hunting with a 68 for hogs for several years
A 1-4 is good for one but when light fades a bigger objective is better
I have tried a LOT of optics on them

I gotta agree with Will, the 3-9 mildot / green dot acccupoint is a great scope for a 68

I am running a S&B 1.5-6x42 on mine and love It but they are not cheap.

Another really good scope that is a good match for the 68 is a Leupold XVR 2-7 with the #4 Reticle
My brother is running one on his 68
Great scope, light, compact and hangs with the Trijicon after the sunset
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Thanks for the replies everyone. There's a guy on here that might sell me a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x32 with a mil-dot reticle in a couple months. Do any of y'all know how this scope compares to an Accupoint 3-9x40? And yes, this rifle is going to be used for hogs and yotes, mainly hogs though. Whenever I hog hunt, I usually set up on a pond with bait right next to the pond. The distance from the shooter to the bait is 40 yards. After the first shot the hogs scatter in two directions most of the time. Except for a few months ago when a piglet decided to run straight at me when I had a shotgun(never a good idea). When they scatter, they can get up to 150 yards away before I can't see them anymore. I probably won't be making any shots inside 30 yards so I don't think I'll need anything less than 3x, but it's always good to have 1x capability I guess. And Will, the Barnes TSX 95 grain is what I was planning on using. I just need to find a place that I can get it at a good price.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Don't limit yourself. Get different optical devices depending on the situation. Mount them on QD mounts and change your configuration depending on the mission. Low light get low powered scope with heavy or lite reticles. Longer range higher powered scope with lighter reticles. Jump shooting, EOTech or red dot sight. Night time. Laser with NVG's. BUIS's in case something fails. A flat top AR is one of the most versatile platforms that exists. The 6.8 is a great little round. Reload and you can make anything you want at a great price.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

If I'm at the pond with my 6.8 and I decide to go walk I'll either take my 12 gauge or take off the 6.8 upper and throw on the 5.56 upper for <40 yard shots. And the more I think about it, I really don't need a GREAT lowlight scope. Most of the time the hogs come to the pond for the water, but the bait is what makes them stick around. Sometimes they stay for more than 30 minutes and since we use green lights, we could just wait until it's dark enough to use the lights instead of shooting at dusk. Also, I just want to buy one good scope, not two or three cheap ones. If I got a scope with a mil-dot reticle, at what range with a 6.8 would I start utilizing the mil-dot for hold overs?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I run handloaded 95 TTSX, been running them since before they were released.
Me, BIll Wilson and HTR got the first pre production samples, still got the pic of 250 of them in bubble wrap that they overnighted me.


Bill and HTR take the credit for pushing it and making it happen.

They are deadly on pigs and make the 68 very effective on soft tissue out to 400 yards.

At your distances I would take whatever barnes bullet load SSA has on sale
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I'm not really a big Nikon fan. I had Nikon 3-9x scope on another rifle and didn't care for it too much.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Pigman,
I absolutely LUV NF optics, but I tried a NF 2.5-10x32 mildot, and after 1 late evening hunt, I took it off, and put a Trijicon 3-9x40 on......the problem is that in the NF, the whole reticle lights up, and even on the lowest setting, it flares enough to make seeing the animal difficult. On the Trijicon scopes, only the intersection of the crosshairs illuminate, which is all you need. In really low light situations, I'm not going to shoot far enough to need the rest of the reticle.

If you need to save a few $$$$, I would suggest the Leupold VX-R models, but I do prefer the Trijicon.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Alright well I think that rules out the Nightforce. Which reticle and color do you prefer on the Accupoint?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Crap didn't see that, sorry. Since I use green lights would the green dot stand out against the green background or do you think I should go with red or amber?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

agree 100% with Will, SO many scopes have too much lit up even at the lowest setting and do more harm than good for hunting..

I own an Accupoint 3-9x40 mildot/green dot and you have to spend 2K plus to get a BETTER low light hunting scope with a properly done lit reticle. My son abscounded with mine and it's on his 243, I keep threatening to take it back but he's confident with it and that little, always glowing green dot.

The VXR series hold their own against it but I still prefer slightly the Accupoint for a hunting scope.

As for the green reticle, I have used it in conjunction with the Texasboars green LED setup and had no issues because most pigs are black and you have the contrast needed
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Alright I'm getting more and more convinced that a 3-9x Accupoint is the way to go for me. At what distances do you start using the mil-dot reticle for hold overs?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

with the 95 TTSX at 2850 FPS (handloads and Wilson Combat's load out of a 16" barrel) and a 225 yard zero which gives you a 250 yard MPBR

+ .5" at 50
+ 2" at 100
- 1.5" at 250


Now, going to the mildot:

- .61 Mil at 300
- 1.08 at 350
- 1.62 at 400

So, you could basically hold dead on out to 250

At 300 center the kill zone between the crosshairs and the first mil dot, first dot at 350 and center the kill zone between the first and 2nd mil dot at 400

400 is about the max distance for reliable expansion on soft tissue with the 95 TTSX which is 1600FPS

This math is based on average Central Texas environmental data

does
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Pigman,
I have quite a few rifles, with MilDot scopes, so I like to keep things consistant......I zero all of them at 100yrds, and have my dope for the give rifle/ammunition combination from that zero. My 6.8/95gr TTSX is as follows

100yrd - 0 mils
200yrd - .4 mils
300yrd - 1.2 mils
400yds -2.2 mils

It will really surprise you how similar this is to most 308/260/heavy bullet 5.56 loads out to 3-400 yards, which is about as far as most shooters need to be shooting game animals. YMMV
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Thanks for all the info Will and ccoker, that really helped out a lot! Do y'all know of any other 6.8 ammo that's in the $1/round range that would still be effective on hogs? I've been looking at the Hornady 110 gr. HPBT for $20/box. Also, would 6.8 FMJ loads be effective on hogs?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Sure man..
I have not killed pigs with anything but Barnes
85g, 85, 110s, all work
SSA has the 110s on sale
http://www.ssarmory.com/6.8_spc_ammo_110gr_Barnes_TSX.aspx

if you hit them behind the ear it really doesn't matter what you use..

are you hunting for food/trophy or eradication?
i.e, do you want to drop them in the spot?

I like the Barnes because even if you hit the shoulder up close, they hold together and punch through..

I got this one at about 30 yards on the run, square in the shoulder with the 95g and it dropped, kicked and was done.

hogjan9jpg.jpg
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I agree with most of the other responses. The accupoint 3-9 green mildot is a great choice for the 6.8. I run one on my ARP upper. For the money it's a great low light option( I found mine on amazon for $550 new) and a bonus is its fairly lightweight and no batteries.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

ccoker,
This summer the lease members on our deer lease are paying my cousin and I to kill hogs so I just need to drop them on the spot. The first pig of every group will be taken with a headshot and then neck/shoulder shots after that.

Lazy,
I liked the FB page last night. I'm really looking forward to it and thanks for the opportunity!
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

always glad to see more 6.8 shooters! on my 6.8 AR i use a leupold vx-3 2.5-8 power. works great. got it for right under 400. it was mostly for hunting so low light was important. this scope delivered! i can see better through the scope than i can without! if your longest shots are in the 200 yard range i wouldnt worry about mildot or holdovers too much. my SSA rounds only drop 2" from 100 to 200 yards. hope this helps.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Thanks for the info Sig! I'm kind of thinking that since I'll be using green lights, I won't need an illuminated reticle? I just don't want to spend extra money on a feature that I won't even need.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

in all honesty, if you <span style="font-weight: bold">always </span>have some illumination then you can scale back on the glass and an illuminated reticle if money is tight (and isn't it always)

I would get a bold reticle like a #4
if most of your shots are really 30-50 yards I would want 1x at the bottom
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Usually when I'm at the pond using my .25-06, I dial it down to 3x on my 3-9x scope and it's just right. I think 2x is the lowest I would go when I'm at the pond because I want to be able to still get off shots when the hogs are running away, and they can get up to 150 yards or so before I lose sight of them. I would probably have time after the first couple shots to increase the magnification to 6 or 7x for the longer shots, but if I don't have time to do that I'd rather make a 100+ yard shot on 3x than on 1x. It'd be nice to have the IOR 1-10x or Leupold 1.1-8x, but those are about 3-4 times as much as I want to drop on optics. I'm planning on getting a scope in the $500-700 range so I can have $300-400 left over for a ND-3 laser designator and an EWT XLR250.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Here's a handy rail light system that I've been using for years,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/M962-KIT01-USMC-...=item2a16d08dbd

puts out 225 lumen and has a few filters including an IR if you ever decide to go night vision. Might be a handy substitute for your xlr 250. not quite as bright but military grade and attaches to your weapon more securely than the 250 as long as you have a picatinny type rail.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Wow thanks for the link, Proverbs! That's a really good deal! Do they make green filters for that light? I can live with red but it's a lot easier to see with green. Thanks again for the link.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Alright thanks. How far does the beam reach until you can notice it starting to die down? I wanna have a strong light like the XLR250 or Surefire for close ranges and have the ND-3x50 for the long shots.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

hunting with lights is illegal here in Kentucky but I've heard that deer show up well out past 100 yards with the unfiltered light and 50-60 with a filter.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Okay thanks, that's perfect for my use.

Alright everyone, I've got it narrowed down to two scopes. The Accupoint 3-9x40 and the Nightforce 2.5-10x32. I can get the Nightforce for about $300 less than retail so that's a big plus. With the Nightforce, I would be able to put it on one of my future precision rifles as well. The illuminated reticle is better on the Accupoint, but I don't necessarily need it. I don't wanna buy a cheap scope and then end up going with a Nightforce a year or two from now. I'd rather buy once and cry for a few days the first time around. Again, thanks for all the help everyone.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I have found and Will Fenell pointed this out as well.
For a hunting scope, anything more than just small dim dot tends to work against you more often than not.

think about it, are you really going to be needing to use a reticle for holdovers past sundown?

if you want to be able to have more of a tatical scope that has a mil based reticle/turret look at the Leupold Patrol 3-9
mil reticle, mil turrets for dialing in hold overs for longer shots past say 300 yards. We are giving away one!
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Hate to bring up more options since you already narrowed it down... lol my buddy uses a Leupold firedot VX-3 on his 6.8 and seems to be doing him well. takes deer and hogs with it alot. shot his last one walking home looking though the scope lighted up with his surefire weaponlight.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Lol it's all good, Sig. Is there a difference between the Leupold VX-3 and Leupold VX-III scopes? Also, what do y'all think would be the highest magnification I would need to make consistent 200 yard shots. I know for sure that I need at least 3x on the low end but I don't know if I would need 9x or if I would be good with 4x or 6x on the high end. Thanks for the help so far everyone.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Dont quote me on this but i think the VX-III series is older and the VX-3 is the stuff they are making now?

I guess that just depends on how good you and your eyes are! My 8x does me well at 100-150 havent tried 200... if it was me I would get up to 9 or 10. but for hunting im sure lower would be fine.

Off topic... what rounds are you putting through the 6.8 for deer/hog?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I'm probably gonna go with Barnes 95 or 110 grain TTSX. My cousin and I are getting paid to kill hogs this summer so we have to drop them as fast as possible and the Barnes TTSX seems like the way to go.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I think im going to switch to the 110 TSX as well. my buddy uses the 85 TSX.
Man you got it made! We are gonna make it down to TX to shoot some hogs next summer too. Wish we could get paid for it!
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I just looked and the scope on my .25-06 is a Leupold VX-III so I think your right about the VX-III being older.
I did something that I heard about in another thread to help me choose a scope. I made a spreadsheet in excel and had a list of scopes on the side and a list of features at the top and gave each scope a yes or no for each feature depending on how well each scope utilizes each feature. I came up with four scopes:

Trijicon 1-4x24
Leupold VX-R 1-4x24
Trijicon 3-9x40
Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9x40

I'm at the deer lease right now so earlier I took my .25-06 w/ a 3-9x scope to the range and put it on 4x at 200 yards. I didn't shoot it but looking through it was good enough for me. I decided that 4x would get the job done at 200 so a 1-4x scope is definitely an option. Really liking the Leupold VX-R 1-4x w/ the pig plex reticle and alot of hog hunters on other forums seem to like it too. I'm really digging the price of it too.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I am a taking in all of this good info.
I am in the middle of a 6.8 hog gun build too.
I have a Trijicon 1x4 and a NF 2.5x10x32 now already on other guns.
From the comments it has confirmed my intention to move the Trijicon to this gun anyway.
The only thing that concerns me is if there is enough magnification ~ but I think it will be fine.
Who knows maybe Santa will bring me a Swaro Z6I and I will be forced to use it.
Good Info guys.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Haha if only Santa were that nice...

About the magnification, the way I see it, the farthest I'm gonna be shooting with the 6.8 is 200 yards. 4x is fine for 200 and if there is a shot past 200, then I almost always have my bolt action .25-06 handy so I'll just use that. I'm really liking the Pig Plex reticle on the Leupy VX-R 1.25-4x especially with the hash marks for use on running bacon, just as long as they actually work. You can't beat the price either!
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I like the VXR 1.25-4
I have the patrol model on my 556 for 3 gun which has shots from point blank to 500 yards.

They are good scopes and have better glass than the 1-4 Accupoint I have.

Really the only downside is they aren't great in very low light but if you have the lights it isn't that crucial.

1-4s do just seem right on 16" AR, light and compact
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Thanks for the reply, ccoker. How good is the battery life on the VX-R's? Battery life might be the deciding factor between the Leupold and the Trijicon. I really don't want to have to constantly replace the batteries in the Leupold when I could buy a Trijicon and never worry about it. I also just found out that there's a VX-R 2-7x so that may be a better option for me than a 3-9x. Honestly I think 9x on the high end is overkill for a 6.8.
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

All the scopes you have listed are great ways to go.

We just go in a used NF 2.5-10x32mm MD with 1/4moa 0-Stop turrets that we will be listing.

Another great scope I like for hunting is the Swarovski 3-9x with the BRH RET. They are incredible in low light.

Mike @ CST
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

I wouldn't worry about battery life too much
Carry a spare

I believe I already recommended the 2-7
My brother runs one on his 68


Don't bother with the ballistic plex
Standard German 4 works great


Posting from our hunting lease
Been here since Sat
Supposed to go him tomorrow but me and my boys got the hall pass for another day!

Life is good
My 14 year old got two does with his 243 this evening
The 7 year old is dying to get something and will be using my 68
Dad is coming out in the morning
Try to call in a coyote and let dad whack him with his 1966 Sako 22-250

And a little crown on the rocks to close the day with!
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Crap, you did mention the 2-7 earlier. Sorry bout that.

I actually just got back from the deer lease this afternoon. I tried to call in a coyote yesterday but ended up dropping a pretty large boar at about 250 yards with my .25-06. This morning I finally got a nice 8-point that scored 139. I think it's impossible to not have a good time while hunting, even if you don't get anything. Where's y'alls lease at?
 
Re: Scope help for 6.8

Also, would y'all recommend regular scope rings or a one piece scope mount?