Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50

[Kylehman84]

Quick overview of me...Looking for a new scope for my Savage 11 243. Don't need anything top of the line. On our farm my targets are mostly groundhogs and raccoons w the occasional coyote and possum. I am not a 1000 yd+ guy nor do I need/want to be. Yardage is anywhere from 20 yards-400 yards but would love the ability to shoot 500 yards. In years past I would walk ditchbanks because of the limited range of my .17 so that's why I stepped up to .243, so I could stay stationary more and reach targets from longer distances, also bucks the wind a whole lot better than .17's and I wanted more stopping power for instant take down. My range I go to in the offseason is only 200 yards but I'm consistently 2" at 200 yards, a respectable hunting group but would like it even tighter. (I realize partial shooter error on a couple shots and groups will open up more at further distance) At 100 yards bullet holes touch so I'm not worried about precision at closer ranges. I've currently got a Nikon BDC 3-9x40. It's alright, but entry level cheapo. Since I'm only available up to 200 yards I haven't been able to utilize holdover dots. I'm not against bdc but I like Mil-Dot, seems more accurate way of ranging for holdover than bdc...I do really like Nikon's Spot On app though.

Not looking to spend more than $500 for the scope...I've been looking at the Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50. Sounds like this is a real quality scope for the money. Has the finger adjusting turrets, (will they track a box and get me back to my zero though?) side parallax, quality glass, I've read it's good in low light conditions, water, fog, shock proof and the high mag range I would prefer. I've read that accuracy for Mil-Dot reticle only goes up to 14x and that's fine...really wanting the extra mag to spot further off critters. Only down side I see is the low range mag is higher than I'd like. The other day I had a groundhog come out of its hole not 15 yards away...powered down to 3x and was able to take it but w 6.5 mag I'm not sure the FOV I would have at that distance.

You may say that much mag is more than I need for 500 yards (opinion I've read of certain long range shooters-1x for every 100 yards) but that's just not my preference...shooting small varmints like groundhogs and raccoons at 500 yards w only 5x is not for me...how can they clearly be seen? I want more mag then I truly will ever need so I don't have to carry around a set of binoculars if having to walk ditchbanks.

What's the real advantage w 50 mm sights? Most of my shooting is early-mid morning and an hour or two before sundown. Am I throwing money down the drain vs 44 and 40? Also, at my price range, illuminated reticle--throwing money down the drain? I'm not needing any fancy bells and whistles.

Check list:
Quality glass, good in low light conditions, side parallax, minimum 16x high mag, would prefer 4x low mag, consistent reliable finger adjustable turrets that I don't need tools or coins to rezero...for under $500!

Thank you so much!! Hopefully I was clear enough in what I'm looking for.

[burrhead]

The real advantage to a larger objective is the increase in size of the exit pupil. Divide the magnification into the diameter of the objective in mm; in your case at 20X you'll get a 2.5mm exit pupil. Bigger EP equals more light to the eye and a sharper image. 5mm is the most that most people can use; I consider 1.7-2mm the minimum. The older you get the larger you need and that applies to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_pupil

[Kylehman84]

Thank you very much!