Scope suggestions

[Pwoller]

Looking for scope help. Any suggestions for a target and hunting scope for up to 300 yards? Most of my hunting is done at night with thermals but a couple times a year I deer hunt too. Mostly this need is because I started reloading and feel that I’m lacking a decent scope to work up my loads. It’s on an AR pistol length if that matters. New or used under $500 would be nice.

[Glockpride]

What about an Athlon in 4-12x? I’m a Vortex fan. Used you may could get a Viper, but definitely a Diamondback.
$500 used really gives you some good options.

[VASCAR2]

For target shooting I like at least 10 power. I have an out of production Vortex Diamondback HP 4-12x40 adjustable objective with Dead Hold BDC reticle scope on a 16” 6.5 Grendel. I think this is a very versatile scope and I’m thinking about putting this scope on my 12” 6.5 Grendel pistol. I have two 12” 6.5 Grendel pistols, my PSA wears a Vortex 1-6 Strike Eagle and my Group Buy GM 12” pistol wears an old Japanese made Tasco 2.5-10x42 scope. The Diamondback and Tasco scopes use 1” tubes which helps to keep the weight and bulk down.

AA optics sell refurbished Vortex optics. A Friend bought a Vortex Viper HS scope and it was new in the box without a mark. These refurbished scopes still have the same Vortex warranty.

[Pwoller]

Thanks guys. Looking at the refurbished vipers. Which model and reticle would you suggest?

[VASCAR2]

For a scope used primarily for hunting and target shooting is second duty I like the BDC Dead Hold reticle. It gives stadia lines for quick hold over and stadia line to help compensate for lead and wind. I also like the mil dot or VMR style reticle offered by Vortex. The VMR is available in either Mil or MOA.

Right now I like second focal plane scopes because I like the consistent size of the visible reticle and I usually know the distance to target. If you want a First Focal Plane scope Vortex has the Diamondback Tactical scopes which get pretty good reviews. If you want to try out a VMR type reticle scope AA Optics has a refurbished 3-9x40 VMR scope with Target turrets for $150. I have one of these scopes on a 223/5.56 AR-15 and I really like it. I’m tempted to buy one for my pistol.

For a hunting scope the Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6 and 1-8 have illuminated reticle, have a ranging and windage/lead capability but lack magnification for shooting paper targets. There are so many choices it makes it difficult to decide. One highly rated 1-6 scope is the Vortex Viper PST II. For the price it reportedly has very good glass and is being used by several competitors in 2 gun.

Here is a link to the Diamondback Tactical 3-9x40. This scope does not have caps for target turrets, no adjustable objective and no reticle illumination. These are non issues for me on my 16” 223/5.56 AR-15 but I like the Vortex 3-9x40 better than my Luepold Mark AR 3-9x40 mil dot as the Vortex seems to have better glass and is better in low light. The Diamondback Tactical 3-9x40 is manufactured in the Philippines.

https://aaoptics.com/REFURBISHED-DIAMOND...p_488.html

[Pwoller]

https://aaoptics.com/REFURBISHED-VIPER-H...p_531.html

Thoughts on this one?

[VASCAR2]

https://aaoptics.com/REFURBISHED-VIPER-H...p_531.html

Thoughts on this one?

I like that scope and should work fine for dialing turrets for distant shots. Should work fine if are going to sight in at best distance to keep your shots all within a couple inches of POA high or low. This scope only has 50 MOA of vertical adjustment so I’d get a 20 MOA mount in case you want to shoot past 600 yards. I have a 6.5-20x50 Viper and it has good glass. That seems like a good scope for the price. It might be a little heavy compared to a 1” tube but it should do well in lower light hunting conditions.



That is basically the same scope my Friend bought but his had the BDC reticle and he put his on a Ruger 6.5 Creedmoor bolt gun. I thought it was a great scope for the price.

I have used a couple of these Warne SKEL 20 MOA scope mounts and for the price I like them. I like the matte black finis but they have other colors. You might find the Warne cheaper than Midway but have all the options.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1592158542

[drewthebrave]

I feel most of my posts these days are simply echoing VASCAR's sentiments, since his posts pretty much nail it. I agree that Warne X-Skel mounts are a fantastic way to get a little extra elevation adjustment on a budget (if some long range shooting is in your future), as I have one on my Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9x, and a discontinued Stoner mount from Midway (that I suspect came from the same factory as the Warne X-Skel) on my SWFA SS 3-15x. Both have been rock solid and Warne are my go-to choice for affordable mounts.

While I haven't hunted with night vision, I feel a decent scope with a 3-9x or 2-10x magnification range and a simple SFP reticle does the trick nicely within 300 yards -- without breaking the bank.

If I was building a hunting AR15 from scratch today, I'd probably get the new SWFA Ultralight 2.5-10x scope with BDC reticle. At only 9.5oz, it seems perfect for a compact or lightweight hiking & backpacking gun:
https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-2-5-10x32-u...ope-1.html

They have a kit with an Aero Lightweight mount for a nice discount, but that is backordered:
https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-2-5-10x32-u...mount.html

I've had great luck with SWFA optics over the years, and feel like they offer fantastic value for the money.

[drewthebrave]

I feel most of my posts these days are simply echoing VASCAR's sentiments, since his posts pretty much nail it. I agree that Warne X-Skel mounts are a fantastic way to get a little extra elevation adjustment on a budget (if some long range shooting is in your future), as I have one on my Leupold VX-R Patrol 3-9x, and a Stoner mount from Midway (that I suspect came from the same factory as the Warne X-Skel) on my SWFA SS 3-15x. Both have been rock solid and Warne are my go-to choice for affordable mounts.

While I haven't hunted with night vision, I feel a decent scope with a 3-9x or 2-10x magnification range and a simple SFP reticle does the trick nicely within 300 yards -- without breaking the bank.

If I was building a hunting AR15 from scratch today, I'd probably get the new SWFA Ultralight 2.5-10x scope with BDC reticle. At only 9.5oz, it seems perfect for a compact or lightweight hiking & backpacking gun:
https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-2-5-10x32-u...ope-1.html

They have a kit with an Aero Lightweight mount for a nice discount, but that is backordered:
https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-2-5-10x32-u...mount.html

I've had great luck with SWFA optics over the years, and feel like they offer fantastic value for the money.

[tdbru]

look around for a used Leupold if budget is an issue. they're guaranteed for life. doesn't matter new or used. they can re-furb it if you wish too. or change reticles, or put on CDS knobs etc.

and look for Leupolds new but discontinued models on your dealers' shelves. sometimes one can get a big discount on models that they decided to drop. i picked up a Vx-R Patrol new, for about 1/2 MSRP simply because they were being dropped. i like it a lot. look at the Vx-3 or Vx-3i lines. of course they have much higher end stuff too.

but don't be afraid to pickup a used Leupy if you can find one. they're good in my experience.
-tdbru

[biodsl]

While I haven't hunted with night vision, I feel a decent scope with a 3-9x or 2-10x magnification range and a simple SFP reticle does the trick nicely within 300 yards -- without breaking the bank.

If I was building a hunting AR15 from scratch today, I'd probably get the new SWFA Ultralight 2.5-10x scope with BDC reticle. At only 9.5oz, it seems perfect for a compact or lightweight hiking & backpacking gun:
https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-2-5-10x32-u...ope-1.html

My favorite scope is an old Gen I Vortex PST SFP 2.5-10x. The reticle might be a little thin for the deep, dark woods, but hey, that's why they make illuminated reticles.

I'm planning to put a SWFA Ultralight BDC on a 5.56 pencil build I'm doing. Waiting for Black Friday.

[diggler1833]

While a great deal of information has been covered and is quite good, I might add that if you are using the scope to work up loads, having a little more magnification up top isn't a bad thing.

Most of us can knock off a tenth or two in group size by dialing up the magnification (i.e. I have a .223 bolt gun that is a .6 MOA shooter with a fixed 10x USO on it, but I shoot.5 MOA or a little better sometimes when it's wearing a 6-24x Sightron SIII).

A 500 dollar limit will include a lot of decent optics...I might say though that few in that price range are going to have dead nuts repeatability or exact adjustments if you do a lot of dialing, so a good BDC might be a better option.

My last scope at your price limit was a Trijicon 4-16 Accupower (now discontinued). I got it on sale from Optics Planet for a hair under $500...but I think I've seen them floating around for around $600 on Gunbroker. In that price point, you aren't going to beat the glass either...And I have a handful of mid-level Vortex, Leupold, and Bushnell scopes to compare it to.

[Jakegsxr11]

I'm disappointed in my viper pst 1-6. The turrets almost need a wrench to turn, the clicks are hard to feel and hard to only turn 1 click. The illumination bleeds when off and the dot is a starburst when on.

I do like my Athlon Midas 1-6 though.