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Stepping up w/ Scope
Been very happy with my PST 6-24x50 FFP but thinking on higher end glass and more elevation. I know the .308 falls when I reach a longer distance but looking ahead when I add another long range shooter. Suggestions on best bang for the buck in the next level of scopes? Can't afford the $3k works of art BTW. Thanks in advance for the input.
Can you afford $2k? You are already have an almost $1000 scope. Please give us a budget and your shooting objectives, it really helps.
If your post count is higher than your round count, you are a troll.
$2k is doable. I'll be shooting at 1200 ft elevation soon and this does not help. Distances will be as far as the current load allows but I think 1200-1500 is doable here. I'll be a couple mils hold over to off my reticle at this outing based off my calculations. I did look through a Kahles and an S&B so my eyes are ruined forever now. Nicer glass and more elevation are the first objective. Higher elevation per rev is secondary but most scopes in this range I think take care of this. That's on my list for now, let me know if you need any more info.
1500y is pretty far, not crazy but glass really starts to come into play at those distances. If you are shooting past 1500y to 2k yards many guys prefer SFP scopes, but if you are not building a dedicated ELR (Extended Long Range) rifle I think FFP would work better and be easier to operate. At those ELR ranges, premium glass helps a lot. Helps with mirage, and helps with repeatability. Thin reticles help also, as they will obscure less of your target. One thing to consider also is are you giong to shoot this rifle mostly inside 1k or mostly outside 1k. I do reach out past 1k with mine, but most of my shooting is 200y - 800y at smaller steel targets. My scope and rifle can shoot much further, but thats where we play our games and shoot the majority of our matches.
I think the Vorex Razor Gen 2 ($2500) is a great scope, the major drawback with it is the weight. Nightforce ATACR ($2300) is available in you price range but will only be the SFP version. The ATACR F1 ($2800) is the same scope with FFP, my only issue with NF is their reticles. These are both very good and very reliable scopes. Your Kahles scopes bump you up to around $3k. Kahles are nice scope, but have questionable durability (but are great for leftys!).
On the lower end $1k-$2k you have the Burris XTR II, the Bushnell DMR/ERS/XRS, SWFA and Steiner TX5i. The Burris XTR II (made in Colorado!) is what I am recommending to a friend now. it is a good scope and has pretty good glass, great reticle (SCR) and street price of $1000-$1100. The Bushnell is very reliable, very repeatable, but the glass isn't all that. The XRS ($2k) goes up to 30x, but you will likely not be able to use it at that magnification due to glass clarity and mirage. The Steiner looks good on paper (and made in Colorado) but the first batch did have some tracking issues. The glass was pretty good, not S&B glass but not bad either. They have the SCR reticle (Special Competition Reticle) like the Burris. Steiner is now repairing these scopes for free and will mark the turrets on repaired scopes, once repaired these should be good-to-go. I personally owned a SWFA 5-20 HD and it was a terrific scope. I think the glass is great and the tracking is as good as it gets. It is not perfect, the focus knob and magnification ring is too stiff and the reticle is a little thick at max power. Great scope, maybe not the best for ELR though. Another is the Razor Gen 1 5-20. This is another good scope and will be in your price range. the turrets are good, the reticle is good, the glass is good enough. The Vortex warranty is the best, definately a good option. All of these scopes have Zero-stop (except the SWFA & DMR) which are nice to have.
The next step is a big one. Schmidt, Premier, Kahles, USO, Etc. These are the best you can get. But... if you shop around and mabye buy used, you can get one of these top tier scopes for $2-$3k. Might be worth it if you really want to get a great scope. Mile High has a deal going right now on S&B 3-20x50 for $2750.
If your post count is higher than your round count, you are a troll.
Your preference for a mil reticle/adjustments? FFP?
Number of good options under $2K which include the Steiner T5Xi 5-25x56 and SWFA 5-20x50. I've never used it, but here good things about Sig Tango 6 line of scopes. I'm partial to the March 3-24x44 scopes, which is a few dollars more than your $2K limit.
Delfuego, More info than I expected, thanks! I will be under 1200y 90% of the time on this rifle. Maybe I should not add an ELR to this equation while choosing this scope. I've been to MH a few times looking for a sweet used deal but haven't stumbled upon one yet. $2 is not my limit but looking to keep this as a middle ground. Most of my shooting is at about 14-16x on the scope and I did shoot with an S&B on my rifle last year so I was able to turn it up a lot. I guess you pay for it if you need it, it was real nice. I did follow the mayhem on the Steiner when it came out. Thanks for the update since I just let it lay and never followed. Might be time to take a second look.
Marine, I went from MOA to Mil and will stay here for now, unless there is a reason to switch back. FFP will be my choice since it's going to be for this short shooter.
If you liked the S&B you should consider the closeouts at MH. Schmidts seem to be getting more expensive and I see them used for this much money or more. They are out selling fast.
http://www.milehighshooting.com/schm...911-942-b2-a8/
Trigger Time Gun Club in Longmont is also a good local retailer. Zach is the GM, a friend a real good shooter. They have some quality glass there and may have some different brands to look at. If you visit them, tell them Pedro sent you. They may hook you up, or may charge you double
I have toyed with the idea of trying to picking up one of the Steiners for used on the cheap and sending it in for repair. But I am sneaky and can be a miser...
I have a friend with 2 Premier Heritage 3-15 scopes brand new in the box for sale in Steamboat, I think he wanted $2500. These are super nice scopes and I have 2 and love them. The glass doesn't get any better than Premier.
The Vortex Razor Gen 2 seems to be the most popular mid/high end scope. Not may people complain about anything but the weight. And shooters love to complain.
These scopes will be a big step up, but you will notice a big difference in performance. If you chose the lower end options, you may not feel like the difference is justified. All these scopes should track, but the glass, features and overall quality is where your money goes. A wise friend told me once that there are no perfect scopes. They are all a compromise. You may love the glass and turrets but not the reticle, another you may love the reticle and hate the knobs, and so on and so forth...
Good luck, and let us know if you need help, or want to play with some scopes. Everyone here is super cool about that. Also if you go to a LR match, almost everyone will let you get behind their scope and take a look.
If your post count is higher than your round count, you are a troll.
Picked up a new scope. So far the reviews are up there with the high dollar glass. Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56 FFP mil/mil just need to purchase 34mm scope rings now.
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