Recommendations for scope on new rifle

[Bellator12]

Recently picked up a Christensen Arms MPR in 300PRC that needs some glass on top. My first inclination is the Nightforce NX8 4-32x50, also heavily considering the Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 in 5-25x50. Wanting a good FFP scope with illuminated reticle and a nice zero stop and really don't want anything made in China... wanting to be 4x or 5x on the low side. Considering the Vortex Razor Gen 2 as well but open to options.

 

[huntnful]

I had the 4-32 NX8. It was a good scope, just not anything really great about it. I went to a 5-25 Mark 5 and it was far superior optically. But also quite a bit bigger scope. I then went with the 3.6-18 Mark 5 and am happy with it so far. The NX8 is a good scope, you won't regret getting one. I just like the Mark 5 more.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

NX8 over any of those other choices in your post. Do you dial or set it and forget it? Lots of options but need more info on your type of shooting.

 

[Bellator12]

To answer the questions- I've never done any true long range shooting or hunting but wanting to learn. I would say the goal at the moment is to be able to be on target shooting steel at 1,000 yards.
Weight- not overly concerned about weight really, don't want to strap a brick on top of the gun but I'm not going to go nuts spending several hundred or thousands to get a scope that's an ounce or two lighter than another quality choice. With this rifle a little extra weight will help to manage recoil I would imagine.
Budget- ideally I'd like to find something that I can have mounted on the gun for around $2k. Seems doable with enough patience and digging around to find the deals.
Shooting conditions- where I live there's quite a bit of dense vegetation in most places so probably going to be walking through and shooting in dense trees or brushy hillsides.
Features- not really particular on this other than I'd like an illuminated reticle, ability to dial for distance, and FFP. I've been mostly looking at scopes in the 5-25x zoom range as well as the 4-32x on the NX8 to maximize FOV at the shorter distances.

 

[JakeSCH]

Quite a few good options, I really like Leupold Mark 5HD and I also recommend looking at Maven's RS.4 as well. Has all your options within your price point and better glass than NF or the Viper.

 

[Bellator12]

Does anyone have any real world experience with the Athlon scopes? They seem to have some decent offerings but the info on them as far as reviews and such is a little harder to come by.
Any good places other than the classifieds section here to watch for deals on used scopes?
Also curious on people's thoughts on the ATACR for a hunting rifle. As previously stated I intend to use this rifle for both hunting and target shooting but haven't seen a lot of guys using the ATACR on a hunting rifle.

 

[Rock-o]

Does anyone have any real world experience with the Athlon scopes?

I like the only spotter I've ever had which is an Athlon (Ares series - not their top line Cronus).

Also curious on people's thoughts on the ATACR for a hunting rifle. As previously stated I intend to use this rifle for both hunting and target shooting but haven't seen a lot of guys using the ATACR on a hunting rifle.

A friend has an ATACR on a hunting rifle. That's the scope I learned how to shoot "long" range with. I couldn't justify the additional cost of it over the NX8 (4-32) that I put on a hunting rifle. I can't get on board with Vortex.

 

[MaraviaDave]

If you’re mind isn’t already made up on the magnification ranges, I’d suggest going with a lower top-end magnification scope.

A FFP scope in the 3-15x or 4-16x range, would be a good choice, from my perspective.

Typically higher magnification scopes are more finicky when adjusting for parallax and have less forgiving eye relief, when compared to a lower magnification option in the same product line. For example a 4-16x ATACR versus a 5-25x ATACR.

It’s true that you don’t have to use all of the available magnification (e.g. shoot a 5-25x scope on 16x). The issue here is that the relative thickness of the reticle, at 16x, is going to be thinner in the 25x model as opposed to the 16x model.

Shooting at lower magnifications will also give you a wider field of view (more situational awareness), make it easier to spot your own shots/trace (catching bullet flight at Max Ord.) and more easily keep your sight picture during recoil which will help you observe the bullet impact effect on animals.

Also, it’s been my experience that guys shooting at high magnifications are more prone to slapping the trigger, because they’re trying to time the shot…and or…they develop target panic due to seeing amplified tremor between the reticle and the target.

You mentioned wanting to shoot out to 1,000 yards. As a general rule, I think a maximum of 1.5x power per 100 yards is about right (e.g. 15x at 1,000 yards).

I typically use about 12x at 1,000 yards, when shooting at ~1.5 MOA targets.

In summary, I believe more magnification generally creates more problems than it solves.

 

[MaraviaDave]

Does anyone have any real world experience with the Athlon scopes? They seem to have some decent offerings but the info on them as far as reviews and such is a little harder to come by.
Any good places other than the classifieds section here to watch for deals on used scopes?
Also curious on people's thoughts on the ATACR for a hunting rifle. As previously stated I intend to use this rifle for both hunting and target shooting but haven't seen a lot of guys using the ATACR on a hunting rifle.

I’m using an ATACR 4-16x50 FFP on my 300 PRC hunting rifle and know quite a few other guys who are doing the same. The cartridge and scope are a great combination for a hunting rifle. I don’t think you’d be disappointed, by making the same choice in scope, for your 300 PRC.

 

[Flyjunky]

I don't know how soon you need the scope but the new Zeiss looks really, really, nice.

 

[LeftOutField]

Have you considered the Leupold MK5HD? I put on eon the wife's 6.5 PRC Havak PH2 and it performs perfectly.

 

[Bellator12]

Have you considered the Leupold MK5HD? I put on eon the wife's 6.5 PRC Havak PH2 and it performs perfectly.

I have, but the Leupolds seem to be in a higher price bracket then comparable options from other brands.

 

[Bellator12]

If you’re mind isn’t already made up on the magnification ranges, I’d suggest going with a lower top-end magnification scope.

A FFP scope in the 3-15x or 4-16x range, would be a good choice, from my perspective.

Typically higher magnification scopes are more finicky when adjusting for parallax and have less forgiving eye relief, when compared to a lower magnification option in the same product line. For example a 4-16x ATACR versus a 5-25x ATACR.

It’s true that you don’t have to use all of the available magnification (e.g. shoot a 5-25x scope on 16x). The issue here is that the relative thickness of the reticle, at 16x, is going to be thinner in the 25x model as opposed to the 16x model.

Shooting at lower magnifications will also give you a wider field of view (more situational awareness), make it easier to spot your own shots/trace (catching bullet flight at Max Ord.) and more easily keep your sight picture during recoil which will help you observe the bullet impact effect on animals.

Also, it’s been my experience that guys shooting at high magnifications are more prone to slapping the trigger, because they’re trying to time the shot…and or…they develop target panic due to seeing amplified tremor between the reticle and the target.

You mentioned wanting to shoot out to 1,000 yards. As a general rule, I think a maximum of 1.5x power per 100 yards is about right (e.g. 15x at 1,000 yards).

I typically use about 12x at 1,000 yards, when shooting at ~1.5 MOA targets.

In summary, I believe more magnification generally creates more problems than it solves.

Thank you, much appreciate your input. The idea of higher magnification sounds appealing (more is better right? Isn't that what she said?) but what you say makes a lot of sense.

 

[Jimss]

I'm old school. I have used and abused Leupold for years. I generally shoot under 300 yards and don't need a fancy scope. I believe my most recent Leupold is a 4.5 x 10 x. The bigger the scope the more you are lugging up and down the hills. I'd say 10x is plenty for 400 yard and under shots. My Leupolds have been super dependable and never failed me in over 50 years of use and abuse. Make certain you don't skimp on scope bracket and rings. It's definitely worth buying the very best available!

If you are stretched for cash and just starting out I would much rather put my $ into the best binos and spotter available rather than a high dollar scope.

 

[General RE LEE]

Question: Have you hunted with a FFP scope? If not I would advise you test a FFP scope first. I bought a Leupold Mark 5HD and even though it was an amazing scope, I sold it. FFP is not something I desire in a hunting scope. I prefer SFP especially in low light conditions. There are a lot of hunters that have FFP on their target rigs but stick to SFP on their hunting rifles.

 

[Bellator12]

Question: Have you hunted with a FFP scope? If not I would advise you test a FFP scope first. I bought a Leupold Mark 5HD and even though it was an amazing scope, I sold it. FFP is not something I desire in a hunting scope. I prefer SFP especially in low light conditions. There are a lot of hunters that have FFP on their target rigs but stick to SFP on their hunting rifles.

No, I have not but... for a rifle intended for both hunting and long distance target shooting FFP seems to make the most sense. It'll probably see more time shooting steel than hunting until I move to country that's better suited to rifle hunting, around here archery seems to be king because the open ground or long shots better suited to a rifle don't seem to present themselves very often.

 

[Rock-o]

FFP is not something I desire in a hunting scope.

Why?

I prefer SFP especially in low light conditions.

How does the focal plane affect light? Or how does light affect focal plane?

 

[aidan_downey]

Why?


How does the focal plane affect light? Or how does light affect focal plane?

I am guessing he is talking about being able to see the reticle on a SPF better in low light when zoomed out to the lower end of the power range. Especially if the FFP scope is non illuminated. That being said, if that isn't what he is talking about then I don't know.

 

[shax2lex]

I have had a couple scopes that I use to hunt and compete with. I've had the Razor Gen 2, 4.5-27. Great scope but too heavy.

I have the Bushnell LRHSi on my AR-15. I've shot it long range on other rifles. This is a great all around scope. It's 4.5-18 and that's a really good magnification range.

I recently sold the Razor to get the NX8, 4-32. I think the scope is great when shooting far but if you are hunting with shots 300yds and in, then you may want to look at something with a larger reticle. My 200yd hold is 0.5 mils and my 300yd hold is 1mil. In the reticle on anything less than 8 zoom, its really, really hard to find. You may want to look at it to see what you want in a reticle size. For hunting, you really only need like a 5-25 or 4-18 zoom.

 

[nwdan]

I have had a couple scopes that I use to hunt and compete with. I've had the Razor Gen 2, 4.5-27. Great scope but too heavy.

I have the Bushnell LRHSi on my AR-15. I've shot it long range on other rifles. This is a great all around scope. It's 4.5-18 and that's a really good magnification range.

I recently sold the Razor to get the NX8, 4-32. I think the scope is great when shooting far but if you are hunting with shots 300yds and in, then you may want to look at something with a larger reticle. My 200yd hold is 0.5 mils and my 300yd hold is 1mil. In the reticle on anything less than 8 zoom, its really, really hard to find. You may want to look at it to see what you want in a reticle size. For hunting, you really only need like a 5-25 or 4-18 zoom.

I run an older Nightforce 3.5-15x50 SFP on a 300 Win Mag and don't find it lacking to 1000 yards.