sailskidrive
Legalize the Constitution
He is not going to be shooting an AP4 carbine to 800 yards... Not realistic.
That's why I asked him what model he bought. Lets see what he answers...
AR-10 / 308 Scope advice
- Thread starter TxAggie
- Start date
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He is not going to be shooting an AP4 carbine to 800 yards... Not realistic.
That's why I asked him what model he bought. Lets see what he answers...
TxAggie
Ultimate Member
Actually it's the LRT-SASS, 18" Fluted bull barrel. I'm confident 800 yrd shots won't be a problem and expect that 1000 will be possible with practice.
photoracer
Competition Shooter
For 800y you can get by with 16x max if you know how to use it. I use a Bushnell 4200 Tactical 6-24x50 which is FFP and mil-dot. That scope when sighted in at 100y and using 20 MOA offset rail has enough elevation adjustment to engage at 1000y, by a little bit. One of my buddys uses a 4-16x50 Vortex on a Savage .308 and has hit at 950y on the first shot of a match. I can consistantly hit the 10 ring at 300y with a 4x scope on an AR so theoretically I should be able to hit at 1000y with 14x if I have enough elevation adjustment. Many scopes do not and that is where offset rails, offset 1-piece mounts, and offset rings come into play. I suggest looking at some of the scope reviews on the sniper websites.
sailskidrive
Legalize the Constitution
I would probably save a little more and go for a Night Force 3.5-15x. In the mean time slap an inexpensive SWFA Super Sniper fixed 10x on it, which should also be able to get you to 800 yards.
One of the issues with scoping an AR platform for that distance is that you cant take advantage of a canted rail without jacking up the scope.
One of the issues with scoping an AR platform for that distance is that you cant take advantage of a canted rail without jacking up the scope.
SgtKope
Active Member
1k should be a problem either. I shoot out to 1k pretty often with a 16" barrel.
4MDGunRights
Gun Totin' Member
A good rule of thumb is to spend as much or more on your optics as you do on your rifle. That said, going cheaper you are making trade-offs for features, clarity, and quality. Being cheap as I am, I am satisfied with the SWFA 10x HD scope that I have mounted on my Rem 5R .308. Read this:
http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=120
http://opticsthoughts.com/?page_id=120
SgtKope
Active Member
I hate this rule. I have some rifles/scopes that are worth a good used car.
tundramuscle03
Beer Jockey
Here's my setup, it has a Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50 FFP in MRAD...
- Feb 4, 2013
- 28,175
Too much magnification can be a detriment are even longer ranges.
You should be able to spot your own shots, but with recoil and very high magnification, you will not see misses.
The recent long range rifle course I took recommended to dial down to no more than 12 power to open up the field of view.
You should be able to spot your own shots, but with recoil and very high magnification, you will not see misses.
The recent long range rifle course I took recommended to dial down to no more than 12 power to open up the field of view.
I'm waiting on your report lol. I really need to do something like this!
TxAggie
Ultimate Member
Thanks for all the info, guys!
I know of Night Force and their reputation for quality and I have the Vortex Strikefire on my 5.56 and really like it. I've heard several mention the SWFA, looks like I need to check it out.
- Feb 4, 2013
- 28,175
scribe556
Active Member
- Apr 3, 2009
- 314
SWFA
I know this post is old but I wanted to put my own data into it. I had my scope budget maxed out to 1k. I narrowed my field of scopes, in order of preference down to:
1. Bushnell Tactical Elite 6-24x50 FFP G2 reticle - ~$890 on ebay
2. Vortex Viper PST FFP at SWFA for ~$950
3. SWFA SS 3-15x42 FFP at SWFA for ~$700
Well a demo A of the SWFA SS popped up at SWFA for $599 so I took it to evaluate. I'm keeping it! Really great scope for the price and I should be able to do great things with it out to 600m. The glass is better than an older Vortex Viper I had before and this scope appears to be very very rugged and well built. I'll take it over any Vortex Viper PST. The comparison against the Bushnell I'm not sure about.
My next scope will likely be the Bushnell Tactical Elite for stretching out more distance. Maybe a NF if I save, but I'm not sure I need it.
I know this post is old but I wanted to put my own data into it. I had my scope budget maxed out to 1k. I narrowed my field of scopes, in order of preference down to:
1. Bushnell Tactical Elite 6-24x50 FFP G2 reticle - ~$890 on ebay
2. Vortex Viper PST FFP at SWFA for ~$950
3. SWFA SS 3-15x42 FFP at SWFA for ~$700
Well a demo A of the SWFA SS popped up at SWFA for $599 so I took it to evaluate. I'm keeping it! Really great scope for the price and I should be able to do great things with it out to 600m. The glass is better than an older Vortex Viper I had before and this scope appears to be very very rugged and well built. I'll take it over any Vortex Viper PST. The comparison against the Bushnell I'm not sure about.
My next scope will likely be the Bushnell Tactical Elite for stretching out more distance. Maybe a NF if I save, but I'm not sure I need it.
odomo
Member
Sorry,I know that this topic is very old, but maybe my answer will help someone in the future since I spent a lot of time to find the right information.
There are so many players in the optics business now that prices on good optics have come down. The top of the line scopes, Swarovski, Leica, Zeis, etc cannot be beaten for clarity over a long distance, and acceptance of recoil, and durability. But, you don't have to spend the kid's college fund to get a solid scope.
The real question is what fits the intended purpose, and what fits you the best. I notice that Academy, in my area, now has a selection of scopes mounted on plastic buttstocks, so you can actually sight through them, and get a feel for what they will be like when mounted on a rifle, what the eye relief is going to be like, and how quickly you can acquire your target.
Reticle selection is going to come into play too. As my eyes have aged I have found it harder to use scopes with fine crosshairs, and I need more magnification. The designated marksman scopes I see everywhere now don't cut it either, for me, because they don't seem to gather enough light for my eyes.
I helped a friend last year select, and sight in new scopes on his AR10, and an AR in 300 Black Out. He ended up with 2 2.5-10X44 Weaver Kaspas https://thetacticalscopes.com/best-ar10-scope/ with lighted mildot reticles. I found them to be very clear optics for the money, and easy to sight in. The crosshairs aren't too fine, and the mildots work well for holds at different ranges. The 2.5x setting is good for finding the target, and dialing the scope up to 10x power lets you pinpoint your shot. I found it easy to bull at 200 yds on a 3" bull, and to make center mass shots on an 18" silhouette at 500 with the AR10. Neither has shown any degradation, at this point.
The scopes he bought were not expensive, I think in the $250-$300 range. You can probably find them for a little less if you shop around.
There are so many players in the optics business now that prices on good optics have come down. The top of the line scopes, Swarovski, Leica, Zeis, etc cannot be beaten for clarity over a long distance, and acceptance of recoil, and durability. But, you don't have to spend the kid's college fund to get a solid scope.
The real question is what fits the intended purpose, and what fits you the best. I notice that Academy, in my area, now has a selection of scopes mounted on plastic buttstocks, so you can actually sight through them, and get a feel for what they will be like when mounted on a rifle, what the eye relief is going to be like, and how quickly you can acquire your target.
Reticle selection is going to come into play too. As my eyes have aged I have found it harder to use scopes with fine crosshairs, and I need more magnification. The designated marksman scopes I see everywhere now don't cut it either, for me, because they don't seem to gather enough light for my eyes.
I helped a friend last year select, and sight in new scopes on his AR10, and an AR in 300 Black Out. He ended up with 2 2.5-10X44 Weaver Kaspas https://thetacticalscopes.com/best-ar10-scope/ with lighted mildot reticles. I found them to be very clear optics for the money, and easy to sight in. The crosshairs aren't too fine, and the mildots work well for holds at different ranges. The 2.5x setting is good for finding the target, and dialing the scope up to 10x power lets you pinpoint your shot. I found it easy to bull at 200 yds on a 3" bull, and to make center mass shots on an 18" silhouette at 500 with the AR10. Neither has shown any degradation, at this point.
The scopes he bought were not expensive, I think in the $250-$300 range. You can probably find them for a little less if you shop around.
Last edited:
rockstarr
Major Deplorable
I almost feel like this should be pinned as there are probably a lot of folks with ar-10's or folks that will be buying one and will be in need of scope help 
- May 5, 2010
- 6,588
I'd prefer a 1-4x in that role if you have any intentions of shooting at closer ranges too. The 1x helps there and 4x works at longer ranges.
If not a concern, anything else will do.
I give another shout out to SWFA. I use the fixed 10x for long range but I wouldn't want that on a semi automatic. I'd probably go variable lower magnification for that.
Oh and you don't need to spend that much money for long range shooting. A decent $400 scope will do you fine.
