Long Range Scope

[tobnpr]

Don't forget Sightron...never owned one, but worthy of consideration.

[Nemsis]

Here is my opinion of the scope breakdownUSO - not an option, glass is terrible for what you pay and I have seen more USO's go down in competition than any other scope.Nightforce- tough as nails and so-so glass, tracking is always spot on and if FFP isn't somthing that Intrest you in would defiantly take a look at these. The ffp F1 is a nice scope but i think it's outshined by alot of the competition.Vortex- the razor line is a great scope from a great company, there warranty is second to none if you ever have to use it. They can be had used for around $1650~ and are a good Baffin for that price.IOR- beautiful glass and that's about it, don't see any around the tactical shooing comps becuase of reliability issues.S&B - One of my favorite scopes, glass is awesome and tracking and durability are one of its strong suits. That being said I would not buy a new one, they have raised the price and dropped the lifetime warranty and went with a 2yr. No way I would pay $4k+ for a scope with a 2 year warranty. The older PMII 5-25 one of the best of the best and carry the standard lifetime warranty.Bushnell- the new bushnell elite DMR and XRS scopes is one of the best values out there. Alot of shooters are switching to bushnell for the retical selection and total ruggedness and tracking of the new line of scopes. IMO the bushnell XRS is is THE best value out there for scopes @ $2k.*Leupold- finally starting to catch up with technology of today's shooters. For the longest time leupold relied in the MK4 line and was not willing to upgrade while other compmanys passed them up. The new scopes in the leupold line seam like quality products but for the money I think they get outshined by the competition.I would also give a serious look to the new kahles 624i and the Steiner tactical series. I will give the edge to the kahles as far as features and glass but I don't have enough time behind either to give my full opinion.

Good info here although I didn't know about the problems with IOR I have one of there CQB 1.5-8x but i don't dial it has a BDC reticle. I just got a AR30 in .338 Lapua and I think I'm going get the Bushnell XRS

[Metal god]

OK I here guys saying the FFP reticles block your target and you cant see enough to make precise shots . Although that is true to a point . I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be . As you can see with the reticle above the cross hairs are .18 moa . That means if your looking at a target 600yds away the reticle will cover about one inch of the target or under 2 inchs at 1k .So at 600yds it would cover a deers eye or man sized targets nose etc . Thats not really blocking out the sun as some may lead you to believe . If your just ringing steel at long ranges the FFP would not be a handy cap and is what I would get . If your shooting competition for smallest group size I would get something with a very fine cross hair like Bart recommends .

I would stay away from mil-dot cus they will block a larger area of the target . I'm a big fan of reticles with hash marks like the one above .

[4runnerman]

Nightforce 12 x 42 x56. Don,t sell the 338 short. Very much so a 1 mile rifle.

[Nemsis]

Good point metal god I think if your not bench rest shooting for groups get a FFP.

I'm running a Bushnell 6-24x FFP with the G2 reticle on my .308 and I love it

[Grizzdude]

you want to go with a night force, the ATACR is your best option out there hands down. I currently have the NXS 5.5-22x56 in mil/mil, got it right before the ATACR came out. The ATACR has glass comparable to the S&B's and with a 34mm tube has a lot of adjustment I think 120 moa. Don't get a 12-42x56 benchrest scope unless that is all you plan to do, those scopes have less field of view and a lot less elevation to dial. You can see torso targets just fine with 22X shooting 2000+ yards. Forget about the FFP unless you plan to shoot moving targets at various ranges that you would need to range distance for with your reticle. SFP is where you want to be for long range precision shooting, but it is a matter of preference.

[kraigwy]

Man up: Put some Redfield Olympic iron sights on and get after it.

Just kidding (kind of)

Both Night Force and S&B are good scopes, both will soak up the recoil of the 338 (as well as many other less expensive scopes).

But the difference in price you can buy a lot of ammo, and ammo cost is going to be your big concern.

I use a Weaver K-4 on my 375 H&H, so it would take up the recoil of the 338s, Unless you just want to spend the money the Weaver Tactical (Mil/Mil) 3-10 will suit you and they will hold up to recoil.

Weaver's are good scopes, people don't buy them cause they don't cost much. Scopes aren't cool unless they cost $2000 or better.

I've been using a Weaver T-10 on my Model 70 300 Win Mag for about 35 years and it never hick-up'ed.

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

NightForce ATACR 5-25x56. ED glass, go mil/mil with the Mil-R reticle and enjoy. I have one on my 300WM and it is a wicked scope. I put it on par with Premier,S&B or USO. With a rifle like that, you need to put the best glass you can. With scopes, you get what you pay for generally.

The NF ATACR is rated at 120 MOA (34.9mil adjustments) but it is actually about 130-134 depending on your scope. NightForce only make 1 better scope and it is the B.E.A.S.T., the only reason I don't recommend it is it almost $3500. But has the same glass as the ATACR. It's difference is it is FFP and has more reticle options...

[DaveBenham]

Well gentlemen the Nightforce ATACR 5-25x56mm Riflescope w/ Zerostop - .1 Mil-Radian - Mil-R Reticle, Black C446 is on it's way to my house. Thank you all for the advice. I hope when I get it I don't regret not getting the MOA instead of MRAD. Only time will tell. Scope is $2,328 and the Nightforce mounting rings were another $209

[allaroundhunter]

You will not regret that choice, I assure you. Once you become accustomed to the mil/mil system, you'll never go back to MOA.

[Grizzdude]

Nice man your not going to regret that purchase! Mil/Mil is the way to go man!

[DaveBenham]

Here She is waiting on her new Nightforce. I also ordered a monopod too. Why not right?

[Grizzdude]

That's one sexy rifle, I got the Savage 110ba myself. It does have a little M98b blood though. I came across an M98b butt pad and did the mods to make it fit my savage. The butt pad is 10X nicer than the crappy savage one, now I can shoot lot's of rounds with no shoulder pain!

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

You will love the 1/10th mil adjustments... This scope is awesome.. Mil/mil is easy as can be once you get the hang of it.

[DaveBenham]

Hey Grizz I looked at your web page. Saw your savage. Soon as I have a chance I'll look at some of your Youtube videos.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

thought I'd tag along here, since I'll be looking for a scope for my ground up built 6.5 X 284 ( I know, that's not a tackti kool cartridge ) in the next year or so

anyway, I have a 20 MOA base custom made for the rifle... I assume all the scopes you are talking about in this thread have the adjustability to handle the longer ranges ??? this rifle was built for 1000 yards... but now guys like GRIZDUDE are ringing steel at a mile... ( not that I have any place within a couple hours drive of my place to shoot that far... but I was hoping for at least 1000 )

do generally the 30 mm or 35 mm tubes have allowance for more adjustability ??? or is that just for light transmission, strength, or ???

my trued up "blue printed" action getting fitted for the 20 MOA bases a couple years ago...

http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...2&d=1236971105

[allaroundhunter]

The larger the tube, generally the more internal adjustment that you have. With your 20 MOA base and that cartridge, you should probably only need another 10 minutes or so to get out to 1,000 yards.

A 30 mm tube is more than enough, and it is hard to beat a Nightforce scope for the price and what they offer.... The only thing close to the NXS line is the Vortex.

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

If you ever need to range a target, the Mil-R reticle has ranging reticle in the lower right. You are going to love the ATACR. Grizzdude was spot on with everything about the scope. The new ED glass is a huge improvement. You will have plenty of scope to go way past 1000 if you want... Enjoy, and let us know what you think of it.

P.S. I used the actual NightForce 34mm steel rings ($165), but LaRue makes a mount that is awesome for it(one-piece). You can get it in bolt on or lever lock. Trust me on this, lever lock on a LaRue mount is second to none.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

Thanks for the replys...

HUNTER... I went to Midway's site, just to look, & Nightforce seems to put illuminated reticles on all their scopes...

... for the type of shooting I'm doing right now, I don't like lit reticles

... since I don't / have never shot at the 1000 + yard distances ( yet ), is there a reason I'd need a lighted reticle for plain targets... not looking at hunting or sniping at dusk or dawn, "normal" mid day "type" shooting???

generally I use the K.I.S.S. principle & would prefer no electronics ( besides, after that big EM pulse, none of that stuff is going to work anyway

[Nemsis]

I think illumination is over rated also

Here's another good option and probably the scope I'm putting on my .338 Lapua

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/935...vc=subv1139283

[allaroundhunter]

Magnum, the illumination is an on/off thing, not a constant on. When it is off, you have a standard black reticle (the reticle style that you choose, obviosuly).

The only advantage to them is if you are shooting in low light.

And the illumination doesn't add anything to snag, what Nightforce did was make it so if you pull the side focus knob out, you get illumination. If you leave it alone, then you don't get anything except a black reticle

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I guess since you explained it that way... & I know, it's not like the imposed dots, that disappear when they are shut off... I just like my stuff simpler... ( & about $500.00 cheaper )

actually this is one of my favorite reticles... ( remember I'm a newbie to longer ranges over 300 yards ) IMO, it would be perfect for me, if it had a couple more range dots





http://www.midwayusa.com/product/232...Link%20target=

though you guys are talking me into a 1st focal plane reticle... I just need to find one that offers the ranging, & doesn't get too busy...

NEMSIS... I like that one also... more money than I can spend right now, but after I get the intermediate range scopes bought ( by next year ) maybe that one will be on sale... at least it's something to aspire towards

[Grizzdude]

Magnum wheel man, if you want to go the cheaper route I would go with nothing less than a SWFA, my buddy is getting the SWFA 3-15x42 in MIL for his PTR 91.
http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-3-15x42-Tact...pe-P62238.aspx If you spend the extra bucks, you know you have a well built scope that will track good.

I noticed you were looking at an MOA scope, unless your dead set on MOA Id go with the MIL's

[allaroundhunter]

A good option for less than the Nightforce is a Vortex Viper PST.

[Grizzdude]

All around hunter is correct on that too, if you can afford the vortex go with that. I'd go with the vortex over the leupold Mark 4.