Time for a new scope

[SixPointEight]

So I went out to a long range practice day, and ran out of scope adjustment at 800 yards, so I'm looking to get a new scope, rings, and base to see what my rifle can do. I was going to pick up an EGW 20moa base, and some burris extreme rings, but the scope is what I'm debating.

I was looking at these two originally:

http://www.bushnell.com/products/scopes/riflescopes/elite3200/325154T/

http://www.nikonhunting.com/products/riflescopes/monarch/4-16x42_Side_Focus_Mildot/8423

But I was told to look at the Super Sniper 10x or 16x.
However, all these scopes are MIL/MOA, which, I haven't shot before, and I feel like it would be annoying, but maybe not, what do I know.

So the two scopes I found that are MIL/MIL in my price range are:

https://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=950843

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=598484

Mostly I'm debating between the two Bushnells, the fixed 10x and the 5-15x. The fixed scope doesn't have paralax adjustment, but do you need that on a fixed scope? The fixed scope saves me money and has MIL/MIL, and more adjustment range, but the other scope offers more zoom, and the parallax adjustment, at the cost of...well cost and MIL adjustments.

Any input? I just started learning about optics, and I will admit, I know next to nothing haha

[CSTactical]

If you are really wanting to do more long range I would recommend saving your money and get a Leupold Mark 4 at the Minimum. You also look at getting a base that has more MOA.

If I my ask. What scopes to you have now?

Mike @ CST

[SixPointEight]

I've thought about some of the leopulds but I'm in college and its just a bit too pricy. Im looking for a scope thats a great value for the money.

I currently have a burris fullfield I believe it is. Doesn't have target turrets or a fancy reticle. But its got the adjustable zoom and parralax.

[damon1272]

Between the two scopes I would go with the Nikon. On my prairie dog rifles I run Nikons Monarch 6.5 x 20 and Leupold VXIII long range 6.5x 20 scopes. I spend literally hours looking through each. I much prefer the nikons. I would highly recommend the mil dot scopes if not for doping then for reference when shooting kentucky windage. I feel the glass on the Nikon is much better than the Leupold and the eye relief stays much more constant on the nikons than on the leupold. The power range you are looking for is good. I do not really use much past 12 power as I start to pick up my heartbeat in the scope. What ever you buy make sure it is quality glass. If you want a bushnell then I would go with teh 4200 or 6500 as the glass is better. I have a 4200 in 2.5x10 and the glass is pretty good. I use this on my .17 and I spend days looking through it with out eye strain. Really you should be looking to spend close to the cost of the rifle on your scope. I know it is expensive but take it from someone that shoots long range quite a bit and from someone that has bought the cheap scopes and has had to pay more to move up.

[damon1272]

I've thought about some of the leopulds but I'm in college and its just a bit too pricy. Im looking for a scope thats a great value for the money.

I currently have a burris fullfield I believe it is. Doesn't have target turrets or a fancy reticle. But its got the adjustable zoom and parralax.

I would recommend staying away from target turrets. They suck from my experience, and on my Tikka master sporters, they kick the empty cartridges back into the magazine causing feeding problems. Target turrets are really not worth the money unless you are going to punch paper all day.

[SixPointEight]

Well I'm just testing the waters in the long range games. I want to see if I like it etc. Trust me, if I decide I really want to get into it, I'll jump from .223(what I'm shooting now) to a .308 or .30-06 and then I'll spend the big money to get a serious scope. I'm mostly looking for a tool to help me learn. And cost of this rifle counting glass was about $600, factoring out the cost of glass it was around $400, and that's where I set my budget for the scope/rings/base at. That puts me in the $300-$350 range on the glass itself.


I know this might not be THE BEST thing if I was really getting into heavy competition, but that's the realistic numbers for the time being.

[damon1272]

Well before buying, look at the sample list at swfa.com lots of good deals there on all different types of scopes. Also Liberty optics runs a list similar to swfa but smaller, higher end scopes. Good prices at both places. You can save some money buying a rebuilt nikon from natchez. the warranty is 90 days but one of the nikons I own is a rebuilt and it has been no problem for the last few years. I really can't get into the long range paper punching, to me it is boring. I do look to see what people are using as this transfers over very well to prairie dogs.

[Divernhunter]

Look on ebay for a used Leupold.

[SixPointEight]

The sample list does have a lot of good stuff, but my 03 gets me a better discount than most of those listed.

Diver: You still support ebay?

[Spaceghost]

Lots of fakes on ebay, I would stay away.

[SixPointEight]

Lots of fakes on ebay, I would stay away.

This and they're anti-gun. I'll check gunbroker though. Even then I'm finding out of my price range.

[bruce_ventura]

Buying a used rifle scope on eBay is risky. You don't know what abuse the scope received and could waste time and money discovering the why the previous owner wanted to sell it. I'm speaking from experience.

The Bushnell 3200 10X40 mildot is a truly good bargain. Made in Japan. Decent quality control. IMHO, the dents are not quite stiff enough, but I haven't had a problem with them rotating in the field. I have two of these scopes and they work just fine for my purpose - ground squirrels. Should also be fine for punching paper out to 1,000 yds. Your results will depend on your application.

No, you don't need AO - but it helps. Parallax occurs for fixed and variable mag in the same way. Most scopes are adjusted at the factory to focus at 100 yds. Just train yourself to keep your eye centered in the field of view (FOV) and you will not have a parallax issue at longer ranges. Moving your eye a tad forward or backward from the optimum eye relief position produces the familiar donut shadow - center the shadow and your eye is centered in the FOV. Obviously, you loose a little FOV in the process, but this a final aiming adjustment and you don't need maximum FOV at that point.

[freonr22]

any thoughts on the older redfields?

[bruce_ventura]

any thoughts on the older redfields?

Older scopes (>30 years) may have better optics (better surface figure and higher contrast), but probably also have lower performance anti-reflection coatings. If you're shooting under a shaded firing line, no problem. If you're shooting outdoors with direct illumination from the sun either facing you or over your shoulder (common hunting scenarios), a poor anti-reflection reflection coating produces a ghost reflection off the eyepiece that is quite distracting. Modern anti-reflection coatings seem to reduce this effect. Anti-reflection coatings tend to get worse with age due to mishandling and poor cleaning procedures.

Also, problems due to degraded seals allowing moisture into the scope are common - cloudy looking optics and even mold.