Need help picking scope for target AR-15

[LoudSilence]

So I'm going to be building and AR with a DPMS upper 20" bull barrel, flat top, I found everything i want to make it except the scope.I'm mostly going to be using it for target shooting from about 50-200 yards mostly. I want a target dot reticle or Fine crosshair with dot, whatever you want to call it. I narrowed it down to two, a Nikon Buckmasters 6-18x 40mm or a Vortex Viper 30mm Tube 6.5-20x 44mm. Here they are at midway

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=889645

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=157488

I would like any input on what any of you think about these two scopes or recommend another one to me. I would like to try and keep it under the $500 range. This will be my first AR-15 style rifle and my first scope, so I'm not exactly certain wich kind of scope would be best for this kind of situation. Here is the upper receiver I will be getting for the setup.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=486925

[Crusader]

May I ask why you want such a high-powered scope for such a short range?

[LoudSilence]

Well I'm not exactly sure, everything I have read up on seems to point to having higher magnification so you can see where exactly you are hitting. Since it is bench shooting for the most part I figure I would be able to have a better hold, even when shooting at high magnification.

[freonr22]

I prefer the 4-16x 42 objective, but they are sold out. be patient for a monarch

http://www.samplelist.com/Riflescopes-C4.aspx#Nikon

[rero360]

While yes it is true that a higher magnification (provided the glass is clear and of good quality) you will have greater resolution thus being able to make a precise hold. However what you run into is that as the magnification increases so does the preceived effects of your heartbeat and other natural body movements that you really can't control. So while at say 8x everything looks nice and solid, you zoom up to say 20x and without changing anything else you start to see the reticle bounce from your heartbeat.

Also, with the increased magnification and being able to notice these small movements you will unconsiously attempt to compensate for them, thus throwing your shooting all to hell. That is something you can eliminate with enough training, but I find myself still doing it from time to time and my accuracy suffers from it.

Plus with a rifle like that you really should stretch its legs and not confine yourself to just 200 yards and shorter, heck if thats the furthest I was able to shoot I'd stick to my 10\22 almost exclusively.

[Omega13device]

You'd be fine with a 2-8x or 3-9x.

You don't need a lot of magnification to shoot small groups. You just need to be consistent and get the reticle on the same spot on the target every time.

I would also invest in some classes and a good trigger.

[2Bear]

Vortex-Viper-3-10-x50-Riflescope-V-PLEX



or...

Bushnell 5-15x40 3200 Elite Tactical

[Crusader]

As far as what magnification you want, let's put it this way... we supplied the same exact scope to a group of shooters competing in a long range challenge. The distances they were shooting at were 1000 yards, and we gave them fixed 10x scopes. High magnification is not always necessary when target shooting.

[rumblebee]

I'm a big fan of the Vortex Viper....but for 50-200yards, go with lower magnification (as others are pointing out).

Also...I would bet once you get to ~200 yards, you're probably going to want to keep going further....so, think about that aspect as well.

[LoudSilence]

Well thank you all for the information. So i guess keeping a 6x-20x at at the lower magnifications such as 6x-12x would be too much at the ranges I plan on shooting? Seems the verdict is to go lower magnification, If I go lower you guys think a 4x-12x would be fine? or even lower like a 3x-9x. One of the problems is that I'm looking for a a target dot or fine crosshair. I don't really like the duplex style and I'm not too sure what I think about the mil dot. It seems the target dot is mostly on the higher magnification scopes. Again I thank you all for the help.

[LoudSilence]

Nevermind after much more reading I forgot about some other scopes I was looking at. I think I will probably go with a Nikon M-223 or a Leupold Mark AR.

[Hoop]

I would stick with the two scopes you mentioned at the start of the thread. Mine has a 4.5-14 and it isn't too much scope for 200 yards.

If you decide you don't want to spend that much then get the bushnell 10X40 tactical. Natchez has them on sale for 150$ I think.

[63 tango]

I have a leupold 6.5-20x40 target scope for my silouette target rifle and its good to 200yrds. I would say stick with the 6.5-20 scope and make sure it has target knobs. It does help to see your bullet impacts at longer ranges.

[ronas]

I was at our range the other day, temperature was cool like in the high 50's. I looked thru another member's NSX 12-42x56 scope, which he had lined up on 600 yard target. Could see target bullseye real well but still it was significantly affected by mirage. At long range the magnification is high enough that it makes the effects of mirage severe. I turned it down to 12 power and resolution was better and mirage not nearly as much of a factor but still present.

I've ordered a NSX 2.5-10x32 for 16" barrel AR.

[hylander]

For what you have descibed I would use this, and I do
Great Scope and not to much Magnification.

http://theopticzone.com/default.aspx?act=pro&opt=detail&id=1716