Rifle scope help?

[Titletown101]

I am doing a custom build and am looking for help on the glass. I am into this build and don't want to skimp on glass but I also don't want to get something too pricey. This is a tactical/hunting gun.
(I have a Defiance Rebel action, Mcmillian A-3 stock and a Kreiger barrel .243AI with a 7.5 twist)

 

[Lapua40X]

Take a look at Sightron scopes. They're fairly easy to find on the used market, often at good prices. I've found them to be quite well suited for the type of shooting you describe.

 

[BigDMT]

I will be buying a scope for one of my recent hunting builds as well. Actually a re-build because I shot the barrel out, sold the action, then built the same caliber on a new action with a new barrel.

Anyway, I am planning on getting the new Vortex Viper 4-16x50 HS LR scope. Has all the bells and whistles, but the really cool thing is that it has 75 MOA of elevation with 24 MOA of adjustment per revolution. They achieve that much per turret revolution by making each click 1/2 MOA of adjustment. Will be really nice for long range hunting by not having to turn my turret beyond 1 revolution to reach 1000 yards while using a 200 yard zero. And for hunting and tactical accuracy, you don't have to be exact, just in the kill zone.

A good friend of mine, who is a prominant 1K BR shooter, has one on his 300 WSM hunting rifle and loves it. Says it is an excellent scope for the money. He shoots NF on his competition guns and uses Swarovski glass for hunting so I take his word on quality pretty seriously.

 

[Titletown101]

I was looking seriously at the Vortex scopes, and very much like what I see. What do you think about the "first focal plane" the reticle adjusts in size as you zoom in or out supposedly giving exceptional accuracy. Any thoughts?

 

[BigDMT]

I was looking seriously at the Vortex scopes, and very much like what I see. What do you think about the "first focal plane" the reticle adjusts in size as you zoom in or out supposedly giving exceptional accuracy. Any thoughts?

That's mainly for if you plan on ranging your targets or prey with a mildot reticle. For long range shooting using a laser RF and turrets, you'll want the SFP. FFP reticles can cover up small targets at long range when zoomed in on full power.

But if you are going more for tactical use and plan on using mildot reticle ranging, FFP is definitely the way to go because it gives true measurements on all magnification powers rather than just one power like the SFP scopes

 

[FeMan]

I agree on the second focal plane scope recommendation.

I like the Zeiss with the Rapid Z reticle and target knobs. They are a one-inch tube and don't have the adjustment that some other scopes have (particularly the larger tubes), but with a 10 to 20 moa base you should be able to get 1000 yards out of that set up. The Rapid Z 800 should work for your setup. I love the graduated reticles as they are quick and accurate I have yet had to dial elevation for hunting even though with the target tuirrets I can.

 

[BigDMT]

I agree on the second focal plane scope recommendation.

I like the Zeiss with the Rapid Z reticle and target knobs. They are a one-inch tube and don't have the adjustment that some other scopes have (particularly the larger tubes), but with a 10 to 20 moa base you should be able to get 1000 yards out of that set up. The Rapid Z 800 should work for your setup. I love the graduated reticles as they are quick and accurate I have yet had to dial elevation for hunting even though with the target tuirrets I can.

The new Conquest HD5 scopes claim 65 MOA elevation from the same 1 inch tube. Not sure how they are doing that, but it is a definite improvement over the old conquest models. I noticed that the windage is only 40 MOA though, so that must be how they can pull that off.
The HD5's also give 4X magnification range which is another bonus