Optics question...

[Ronin13]

Talked to a gun shop today and will more than likely get a sweet deal on a new Remington 700 .308. Well now the question is, since I know it's going to be costly: What kind of scope and what power should I get? I've never had a scoped bolt gun and intend to use this for target and hunting. I want a good, mid-high powered mil-dot scope (hear burris and leupold are good but $$$). I'm planning on shooting from 100M-750M or so (approx. one never really knows actual range they'll end up shooting in some cases). I'm willing to drop some money on a good piece of glass, but don't want to have to take out a loan though. I've been told 30x is good...

[UberTong]

Awesome Ronin, my cousin just picked up a sweet OD Rem 700 and he put a nice Leopold on it. I can find out what he paid/where he got it if you want, but ya they are sure expensive.

[Tim K]

The most important decision you need to make is how you're going to deal with elevation adjustments. Are you going to dial the knobs or use holdovers? If using hold overs, the quality of the scope is almost irrelevant. If you're going to dial for elevation, you'll have to choose something with repeatable and accurate movements. I assume from your desire for mildots that you intend to hold.

You might want to look up the dope for your load and see what kind of holdover is required to get to 750m. I know off the top of my head that the drop is roughly 36" at 450y and 25 feet at 1,000 yards, assuming a 100y zero.

[banks74]

I would look at a lower power than 30x. I shoot out to a grand pretty regular and I rarely go above 15-17x. In fact most of the time out to 800ish I am about 11 power.

Buy as much scope as you can afford. You will never kick yourself for buying good quality the first time. No matter how you choose to use your dope, a good quality scope is a must have. Definitely dial the elevation and hold the wind in the reticle. Holdovers at distance are difficult.

Read this article for some good some great info:

http://demigodllc.com/articles/intro-long-range-rifle-scopes/

[C Ward]

What kind of money do You want to spend ?

Your best option is to come out to one of the precision rifle match's and see what people are running and look through some different scopes .

The scope number 1 has to track right repeatably and every thing else is a bonus . Magnification is a big personal preference deal but as a general rule for 1 - 2 moa targets on a rifle used in the field 12 - 17 power is the range that is typically used on a 1K yd gun .

Spend as much as You can on glass , usually more than the rifle , if you can't see it you can't hit it .

[SA Friday]

If you can, spend more than a grand on your scope. Mil/mil adjustments are easier to learn and front focal plain takes having to dial in the right magnifacation out of the equasion. With that said, there's nothing really wrong with mil-dot and 1/4" adjustment turrets either. Just have to learn how to do the math. It not all that hard, just have to learn it.

I've been using a couple of Sightron SIII scopes for a while now and they have been suprisingly good for the price, repeatable adjustments, and really good glass. I poor right now or I would have dropped a couple of grand for each scope and gotten better ones. Don't skimp on your scope if at all possible.

[Ronin13]

Thanks for all the advice on this... I'll probably shoot for a 17x then and I'm anticipating spending close to $1k on it. I have an old Marine sniper who can coach me on holdout, although I do know some, and have a ballistic calculator with notebook. Also looking to get good enough for some elk hunting next year, not some easy 30-60m shot, looking at 150-250m range on them and getting the kill shot.
Soon as I get the rifle and scope and mount I'll post, hopefully going down today to get pricing and if need be order it up (since I'm going NIB and getting the 700 SPS Tactical .308 gotta do an order cuz I can't seem to find them anywhere at a decent price). MSRP says on Rem's site $560, so I think I'll get pretty close to that.
Where is a good place to buy scopes?

[C Ward]

On big game sized targets 9 or 10 power will be more than enough . Big magnification isn't always a good thing because as the power goes up the field of view goes down . Speed of target acquisition with a tiny field of view can be an issue .

Another thing to look at is the adjustments on the turrets need to match the reticule be it IPHY , MOA , or Mil's . This makes things easier when correcting on the fly for a 2nd shot . Not so much an issue if using strictly hold overs but every one that has tried hold overs at the match's hasn't stuck with it because of the need for accurate shot placement . Don't get to worked up over what unit of measure you end up with , they are all angular units of measurement and accomplish the same thing . Get one that makes sense to you because in the end you have to live with it not us .

Front focal plane scopes were mentioned and are covered in detail in the article that banks74 linked . In my opinion FFP scopes are the way to go because I hold for wind and that way I don't have to worry about the power being correct for the holds to be also .

Another thing is don't get wrapped up with having to range targets with the reticule because unless it is mandated by a match somewhere you'll never do it . One of the guy's that shoots with us is a sniper instructor with the 10th Group and has said the only time they do it that way is in school and comp's .

The easiest route to find glass is probably going to be online at either SWFA or Liberty Optics . For the money You want to spend I would look at the 3-9 HD Super Sniper at SWFA , or the Vortex stuff that either carry . Both of these are good value for the money and have features of the more expensive stuff . Another option is to look at Snipers Hide on the sale board for something used .

[oinco]

since I am traveling this same road, but left the station a little earlier.....I have spent/lost money on half a dozen or so budget scopes. the Falcon Menace (early generation) was marginal (clarity) but worked, the Super Snipers were nice (10x and 16x fixed), the Konus was pretty nice, Bushnell I had was not a good copy, Burris XTR seemed ok but the turrets sucked-stiff and hash marks didn't line up after just 90 degrees rotation...so...after all that buying/selling/shipping/mounting/listing/shipping/re-zeroing- it was a costly tour.

I have been really happy now with my IOR Valdada scopes and will do a USO on my forthcoming build. I am interested in the real world reviews of the Vortex Viper series... would seemingly compete with the Super Sniper 3-9x.
I am not a Leupold fan...and haven't found a Nikon that had turrets I liked.

ring and base quality and installation matter, you can lose good money there too if you go too cheap or if the installation is poor.

Have fun on the journey.....and as with racecars (and women?)- if you buy a well setup complete package used, you can save money in the long run and have more performance out of the gate.

[quickdraw]

Your best option is to come out to one of the precision rifle match's and see what people are running and look through some different scopes .

Big +1