scope question, 500 yards

[sghart]

Hello neighbors,

I have a very basic, very accurate Savage model 12 in 223. It has a 26" bull barrel and is excellent out to 300 yards, the farthest I have tried it.

I want to start going out to 500 yards but I need a scope. I have a scope on it but in my case I think it is too much scope, not too little.

It is a Tasco scope (I know, I know, it came on the rifle) that is actually very well made at the Hakko factory in Japan. It is a 8x40 power with at least a 56 mm adjustable objective. And it is LONG!

The optics are fine but the scope rings on the rifle are so close together and there is so much scope hanging "out the back" that I have to pull my head way to the rear to see. It is not my normal position.

I was thinking of installing a picatinny rail so I can get the scope farther forward.

But in case I buy a new scope what magnification would you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance.

[broadside]

Is the scope all the way forward in the rings already?

Which Model 12?

[ShaunBrady]

I was thinking of installing a picatinny rail so I can get the scope farther forward.

But in case I buy a new scope what magnification would you guys recommend?

The pic rail will likely be the option you're the happiest with when it's done. Even if you also buy another scope. Depending on the vintage of that Savage, you may be able to find a rail that extends beyond the recoil lug. EGW makes them for the newer round back models. Cantilevered mounts or rings for ARs would move it even further forward. You may need to select a ring height to clear the power ring over the rail rather than the objective over the barrel. Adding some sort of cheek riser might also be a good idea.

Depending on what you want to spend and exactly how you intend to use the scope, 16-25X on the top end of a variable power scope fits a lot of cases. Going past 16x on cheap scopes works until you look through a better scope at the same magnification. Cheap for this discussion is below $500. There are some good values between $500 and $1k if you shop stuff that was originally over $1K and is now yesterday's news.

[kcstott]

yeah get a pic rail, and a new scope. as to magnification well that depends.

if it's only a target rifle 18-25X would be nice.

if it's practice for hunting a 4-12 or a 6-18 would be more than enough.