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Posted: 8/7/2014 9:15:19 AM EDT
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I recently acquired a CMMG Mk3 .308 rifle (18” tube, free-floated, 2-stage RR trigger) that I plan to set up as a GSR/DMR. Set up with a pretty pedestrian 1.5-6 scope I had on a shelf over the bench, she has acquitted herself quite well accuracy-wise (sub moa at 100m with Speer GMM 168’s). I plan to keep it as light and nimble as possible, with just a scope, back-up irons and a sling added to the basic rifle. I’ll be shooting it from across my pack vs. a bipod. I have no plans to go trying to do serious accuracy work out past ~500 m. or so.
Which brings me to my question: Which optic? I have narrowed my choice down to two: The Leupold VX-R Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 2-7x 33mm and the Burris MTAC Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 1.5-6x 40mm. Each brings some features to the table and each has its negatives. To be certain, both are good optics and in the price range I can handle (the Burris - $400.00, the Leupy - $500.00 – which is just about the end of the rainbow for me money-wise) and I have had excellent success with both brands. The Leupy has a slightly better reticle for longer-range work (“Ballistic Firedot Reticle”) and is a tad smaller and lighter all around. The Burris has a better reticle for closer-in work (“Ballistic CQ Reticle”)and is generally acknowledged to be tough as nails. So, I’m on the horns of a dilemma here (a REALLY miserable place to sit!) and am looking for some AR15.com wisdom. Which one would you pick? Thanks in advance for the insights. Old SF MJT Old SF MJT[/size=3] |
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IMO you should forget scopes with a bdc. Get something with a mil-based reticle and matching turrets. Even inside of 500 yards they are so much more versatile than a bdc scope.
For under $500 the midwayusa exclusive Weaver Grand Slam Tactical 3-10x40 is my pick. It's almost too good to be true how good this little scope is for the money. |
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Quoted:
IMO you should forget scopes with a bdc. Get something with a mil-based reticle and matching turrets. Even inside of 500 yards they are so much more versatile than a bdc scope. For under $500 the midwayusa exclusive Weaver Grand Slam Tactical 3-10x40 is my pick. It's almost too good to be true how good this little scope is for the money. OP, listen to this man. He knows of what he speaks. RFutch and I might quibble a tiny bit on which milrad scope is best under varying conditions or price points, but his advice is always well-informed and reliable. I do like the VX-R scopes with Firedot reticle. I have a 3-9x40mm Patrol version with the low profile milrad turrets and Tactical Milling Reticle (TMR) and find it a very useful general purpose milrad reticle. Rfutch will point out that it may be a bit thick for very fine target use, and he is right. But, I favor high visibility, especially under low light or on moving targets for my particular use. Here is what the reticle looks like. It is a fat duplex on the outside for rapid acquisition in low light with somewhat thick (to some) hash marked stadia, .5 mils apart leading to a .3 mil red dot (about 1MOA). The hash marks take you out to 5 mils. There is a second hash mark at the 10 mil point on the thick duplex for reference. This is great for hunting in low light or moving game, and shooting steel out to 600 yards. I would need a finer reticle to shoot sub MOA, but that is not the mission for this rifle. I use the .1 mil per click, 6 mil per rotation top turret for elevation, as that gets me out to 600 yards without passing zero on the turret, which is as far as I shoot. I have "come up" charts for my handloads using Strelok software. I use the mil hash marks in the reticle for windage only and they work well for me. The photo is with the scope at 9x and the dot is on the window of my workshop section of my barn at a measured 235 yards. With that rifle go milrad and not BDC, whatever your choice may be otherwise. This is just from my cell cam, so photo quality is not very good. 
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Quoted:
OP, listen to this man. He knows of what he speaks. RFutch and I might quibble a tiny bit on which milrad scope is best under varying conditions or price points, but his advice is always well-informed and reliable. I do like the VX-R scopes with Firedot reticle. I have a 3-9x40mm Patrol version with the low profile milrad turrets and Tactical Milling Reticle (TMR) and find it a very useful general purpose milrad reticle. Rfutch will point out that it may be a bit thick for very fine target use, and he is right. But, I favor high visibility, especially under low light or on moving targets for my particular use. Here is what the reticle looks like. It is a fat duplex on the outside for rapid acquisition in low light with somewhat thick (to some) hash marked stadia, .5 mils apart leading to a .3 mil red dot (about 1MOA). The hash marks take you out to 5 mils. There is a second hash mark at the 10 mil point on the thick duplex for reference. This is great for hunting in low light or moving game, and shooting steel out to 600 yards. I would need a finer reticle to shoot sub MOA, but that is not the mission for this rifle. I use the .1 mil per click, 6 mil per rotation top turret for elevation, as that gets me out to 600 yards without passing zero on the turret, which is as far as I shoot. I have "come up" charts for my handloads using Strelok software. I use the mil hash marks in the reticle for windage only and they work well for me. The photo is with the scope at 9x and the dot is on the window of my workshop section of my barn at a measured 235 yards. With that rifle go milrad and not BDC, whatever your choice may be otherwise. This is just from my cell cam, so photo quality is not very good. http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/r772/gbloss/IMG_20140322_110238_zpsb82d0850.jpg Quoted:
Quoted:
IMO you should forget scopes with a bdc. Get something with a mil-based reticle and matching turrets. Even inside of 500 yards they are so much more versatile than a bdc scope. For under $500 the midwayusa exclusive Weaver Grand Slam Tactical 3-10x40 is my pick. It's almost too good to be true how good this little scope is for the money. OP, listen to this man. He knows of what he speaks. RFutch and I might quibble a tiny bit on which milrad scope is best under varying conditions or price points, but his advice is always well-informed and reliable. I do like the VX-R scopes with Firedot reticle. I have a 3-9x40mm Patrol version with the low profile milrad turrets and Tactical Milling Reticle (TMR) and find it a very useful general purpose milrad reticle. Rfutch will point out that it may be a bit thick for very fine target use, and he is right. But, I favor high visibility, especially under low light or on moving targets for my particular use. Here is what the reticle looks like. It is a fat duplex on the outside for rapid acquisition in low light with somewhat thick (to some) hash marked stadia, .5 mils apart leading to a .3 mil red dot (about 1MOA). The hash marks take you out to 5 mils. There is a second hash mark at the 10 mil point on the thick duplex for reference. This is great for hunting in low light or moving game, and shooting steel out to 600 yards. I would need a finer reticle to shoot sub MOA, but that is not the mission for this rifle. I use the .1 mil per click, 6 mil per rotation top turret for elevation, as that gets me out to 600 yards without passing zero on the turret, which is as far as I shoot. I have "come up" charts for my handloads using Strelok software. I use the mil hash marks in the reticle for windage only and they work well for me. The photo is with the scope at 9x and the dot is on the window of my workshop section of my barn at a measured 235 yards. With that rifle go milrad and not BDC, whatever your choice may be otherwise. This is just from my cell cam, so photo quality is not very good. http://i1366.photobucket.com/albums/r772/gbloss/IMG_20140322_110238_zpsb82d0850.jpg I actually don't mind how thick the reticle is. Most of my FFP scopes are thick on high mag and it's no issue. I just wish the leupold would have more distinction between the half mil marks and the one mil marks. That and a rev counter on the turret base to show which revution you're on. |
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