The Right Scope for DDM V9 LW 16' in .223

[WhiskeyTangoJay]

Hi All,

I have been looking for what to mount on my new Daniel Defense AR. This is my first AR, as I am usually more of a pistol guy. Likely use is 100-300 yards mostly target shooting. It has no sights at all currently just the Piccatiny rail on top. Was thinking something with 3-9x magnification and a duplex reticle would suit my needs. Any suggestions out there? I would love to spend in the $200-$350 range but would go into the $500-$700 range if it made a significant difference.

I saw a cheaper Bushnell and a slightly pricier Leupold that looked good but hoping for advice from folks with experience.

Thanks for the help!

[Arrieta578]

It really depends on what you want this optic to do and/or how you plan to use it. On really important factor is the reticle that's in the scope. I would suggest an MOA/MOA or MIL/MIL scope. If you plan on doing any accurate shooting at 100 yards or more, you are going to need magnification. A 3x9-42 will do the job, but not as well as you would like. 10x is going to be a minimum and 12x or 15x would be nicer if you wanted to shoot beyond 100 yards. In the $200-$350 range I would suggest:

SWFA SS 10x42M Tactical Riflescope Mil-Quad, 1/10MIL, Side Focus $299

https://swfa.com/optics/browse/riflescopes/swfa-ss-10x42m-tactical-riflescope.html

Weaver Tactical Grand Slam Rifle Scope 3-10x 40mm 1/10 Mil Adjustments Mil-Dot Reticle

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/598484/weaver-tactical-grand-slam-rifle-scope-3-10x-40mm-1-10-mil-adjustments-mil-dot-reticle-matte

Or if you plan to stretch it out a bit, more magnification is really nice:

SWFA SS 3-15x42 Tactical Rifle Scope Mil-Quad, 1/10MIL, Side Focus $599

https://swfa.com/optics/browse/riflescopes/swfa-ss-3-15x42-tactical-rifle-scope-2.html

The other option I would think is the Vortex series of scopes. The HST and PST scopes are really nice. A lot is going to depend on what kind of reticle you want and what you want to do with it. If the reticle is not important, also take a look at Burris line of scopes.. There are some nice sleepers in their line, but you have to do your research.

Good luck!