Help from 6.5 Grendel owners on optics

[MissionMTMan]

I hate doing this but I need a little help. I just bought a custom made 6.5 Grendel AR and I need help with optics. Here are the specs of the rifle so you can get a good idea of what I need:

Larue Billet Upper
LW custom 16 inch barrel
Larue Free float 9" rail


I am looking for a scope in the $500 range. I don't know much about how far this rifle can reach out so I don't know what scope to get. I was looking at the Vortex Viper 6-20x Tactical scope. Any suggestions or links to send me on my way would be appreciated. I couldn't find anything on this but if there is a page to send me to, I would be more than obliged.


Missionmtman

[rabagley]

What are you doing with it? If you're bench shooting out to 600 yards, the scope you've chosen will be okay. If you're planning on hunting or taking tactical shooting classes requiring a scoped rifle, the magnification range is way, way too high.

You can get a fixed magnification Super Sniper 10x40 scope for $400 from sfwa.com, which is considered a "good" scope and a very good bargain for the money. Fixed 10x is what many/most US military snipers use.

Vortex does make some good scopes. Their upcoming line of tactical scopes (including FFP scopes with mil/mil reticle/turrets) are really interesting to me. But for a scope over a barrel length not suited to long range, and for a more general purpose rifle, you should be looking at lower magnifications. As a bonus, you'll get more scope for your money if you're looking at 3-9x or similar scopes.

[rumblebee]

I not a grendal owner, but it appears that with the right load, they can get out to 1k+ yrds if the shooter does their thing-

Shooting a 123-grain Lapua Scenar with a ballistic coefficient of .547 and a muzzle velocity of 2600 fps delivers outstanding accuracy out to 1200 yards. At 600 yards, tennis ball size targets are no match for this flat shooting round. For extreme accuracy, formidable terminal ballistics and long range applications,

http://www.alexanderarms.com/grendel.htm

If you have 500 to spend, the Vortex Viper is tops in the price range(IMO)....if you can spend 750, then I would suggest the Sightron SIII ...Sightron has great glass and the thing tracks like nobody's bid-ness and is just solid. I picked one up from Scott at Liberty a few days ago (6X24X50 LRMD)...I think these are one of the best kept secrets in scopes (again, my opinion)

[rabagley]

He'll need a longer barrel than 16" to reach that distance. The AA velocity charts were made with a 24" barrel, and I don't know if it was semi-auto or a bolt action test bed.

I do like my AR in 6.5 Grendel, but the OP isn't going to reach out and touch someone at 1000 yards with what he bought.

[MONGO3006]

With that price range I would look real hard at Falcon Optics. ([url]http://www.falconoptics.com) There are some wright ups on snipers hide about there scopes. There is a company in Fremont that sells them and a guy on Snipers Hide also.

[MissionMTMan]

Thank you for the suggestions. I was definitely looking at the SWFA SS scopes. I think I will be shooting mostly prairie dogs with it this summer so I was thinking a pretty good magnification. I would say 500 yards would be the absolute farthest shot I will take with the rifle and that would be on steel silhouttes. 400 for Prairie dogs. I am very curious about the Falcon optics. I did read the write up on snipershide and it really interested me. My run and gun tactical weapon is more of my XCR and I have an ACOG on that. I have taken some pretty far shots at silhouttes with it (400meters) and it performed great so I almost just want to put an ACOG on it and call it a day. That would probably be a bad idea for prairie dogs though. Thanks for all your help guys. If anyone else has any suggestions, I am all ears.

[osis32]

Ive talked with randall about this extensively and he says youre better off with a mil dot 10X mag. you can find some decent nikon monarchs in that price range maybe even a used leupold.

[MissionMTMan]

Thanks for the advice. Ya, I was thinking about a 10x but I would like the ability to change my magnification. I am really liking the Falcon 4-14 power scope. That thing looks amazing.

[osis32]

my only gripe is you dont know if theyre gonna stay in business. I was gonna go with something like that but then I figured Id go nikon because you know theyre gonna be around forever to honor a lifetime warranty. theres not much difference in price between a nikon monarch variable and the falcon menace.

[MissionMTMan]

my only gripe is you dont know if theyre gonna stay in business. I was gonna go with something like that but then I figured Id go nikon because you know theyre gonna be around forever to honor a lifetime warranty. theres not much difference in price between a nikon monarch variable and the falcon menace.

I definitely see what you're saying. The only thing though is the Nikon Monarch the same quality as the Falcon? The Falcon is getting great reviews. I heard the eye relief is horrendous on Nikon optics. Is that true?

[Sky_DiveR]

Remember that a Falcon is warranted thru the retailer/distributor ONLY! My experience with them wasn't too great. 2 broke before I even got it 'em in the field... took months to get 'em swapped out. Bad luck maybe. Happened around the time when their 2 piece scopes were falling apart. Teething pains for a starting company I guess.

My Nikon Monarch 6-20 has held up great with no problems with eye relief. Only wish they had it in Mil/Mil (or even Mil-Dot) and side focus when I bought mine.

[osis32]

yeah that type of experience is exactly what I dont want. Ill take you how the relief is when I purchase mine which will be in the next few weeks.

[MissionMTMan]

I'll be looking forward to hearing about the scope osis32

[osis32]

haha Isaac as much as weve talked you can call me Mike. I read the Nikon specs/propaganda it says 4" of eye relief.

[BlackMark]

I have a Leupold VX-2 3-9x50 on my 6.5 Grendel. I sent it back to Leupold and they installed a ballistically matched reticle in it for the Lapua Scenar 123gr with graduations out to 600 yds with a 200yd zero. They also installed target knobs on it while it was there. A little unconventional,but I had the scope and loved it already. All the upgrades cost only $350 from their custom shop. I think the 3-9x50 variables are about ideal for me to 400-500 yds.