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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Optics for a .50 (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/11/2006 6:29:54 AM EDT
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Probably been beat to death, but I'm in a bit of a quandry over optics/rings. Currently, I have a Leupold LT/R in 4.5-14 with ARMS high, flip lever rings mounted on a Barrett 95. I had this on my AR50 when I had it, but I felt that for a .50 I should have more magnification. So I've been considering getting the same scope but in a different magnification. Is this even necessary? the max distance I shot was 500yds at the hun farm and it seemed adequate, but further out may be a problem. Also, I'm concerned that my rings won't hold up either. |
| Depends on the level of precision that you want. Most say that 10x is fine for 1000 yards. In Barretts packages, their skopes are 10x. I prefer my 14x. For 500 yards, 14x is more than adequate. That said, the high precision shooters use 22x, & 32x. Keep in mind the more magnification you have, the more critical and limited the eye placement |
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I am very happy with my Bushnell Elite 3200 10X mil-dot. After last xmas, they were $129.00 from amazon.com, with free shipping. Liked it so I bought several more; try finding one for that price now! Busnell is what Barret first put on model 99. BTW, scope is on a Steyr 50 HS and sits on high Warne rings. very good scope,--- when MY abilities exceed the scope, THEN I may spend 2k+, but I am happy with the Elite 3200. |
Dude, buy a subscription to the FCSA. Mirage is something that the pros WANT to see downrange. It tells them how the wind is blowing out in front of the muzzle. |
Dude, it's not the mirage downrange, it's the mirage off the barrel, coming from the heat eminating from the barrel. |
Oh lord....Popcorn anybody? |
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GeneStoner, precision rifle expert and master of reading comprehension: You might want to peruse the page on Lilja's site for the mirage shield. . . . What's it for? To shield the "image-distorting heat waves" coming from the barrel. Reading is fundamental, stoner. Doing research on "barrel mirage" is a simple thing to do. Give it try and then come back and let us all know what you found. . . . |
And once that shield is deployed, my abrasive <slur/personal attack removed --tbk1>, your ability to see and thus be bothered by said "image-distorting heat waves" is reduced to the point that having a high-powered scope on your rifle is a non-issue. But of course, your reading comprehension is far superior to mine and therefore you already knew that info. You were just picking a virtual fight, right paddy? On second thought, go ahead and stand-fast in your ignorance and NOT join the FCSA. Consider yourself uninvited, dude. |
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I just mounted my new Nightforce 8-32x56 NXS on my M99. Need to finish sighting it in, but so far, it is amazing in all respects other than me hitting the target through it (it can be hard to find the paper on a newly mounted scope at 300 yards, but that's for another day). What I did decide is that it is a great scope. There was some mirage in the view, but it was minimal. Having only shot a few rounds over the course of a few hours, the mirage was not from the barrel, but downrange. I'm sure if I fired more in more rapid succession, there would be more heat coming off the barrel. I'll have to keep that all in mind for my own edification if the mirage is barrel or downrange related. Anyway, I doubt anyone is going to argue my scope is a bad choice for longer distance 50 shooting.. but it was not cheap, that's for sure. With the Badger Max 50 mega humongous rings (6 hex screws per ring, plus the locking screw for the pic rail), it ran me a hair over $1600. Also, this scope has a long eye relief of about 4 inches. With the effectiveness of the M99 muzzle brake, the scope never came close to recoiling near my face/eye. 
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I suppose if this jag-off had actually been in the FCSA for 10 years (yeah right) he would have known the answer to his initial and coarsly-worded question. Don't let him get you down Gene. I understood everything you said just fine. Since when is a "<removed --tbk1>" a racial slur? Isn't that a young Jedi? Geez, its getting grey around these parts... |
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The right scope for a .50 depends upon the purpose of the rifle and its use. The more magnification you have, the more likely it is that barrel mirage will affect your sight picture through the scope. If you are shooting long range or for accuracy, barrel mirage matters. If you aren't, it doesn't matter. For the military, as I understand it, the 10-power scope is used by many units because barrel mirage is less of a factor at that magnification. It's also close to the ideal magnification for use with night vision (8 or 9-power, I think, is optimal for use with NVGs). My McBros .50 is set-up for operational use, but with the 16-power Mk IV M1 scope. Some units use this scope and it gives greater magnification, and is a robust scope. The alternative scope was the Nightforce. Chuck Mawhinney and I discussed at some length and he's a big fan of them, but in the end I went with what I know best, Leupold. BTW, I chose Badger rings, not because I've known Marty Bordsen for nearly a decade, but because they are among the best available. Would I go with a higher-powered scope? Sure, knowing that the price I'm paying for a better sight picure is that I will have to wait, possibly longer, for the barrel to cool before I can take another accurate shot. |
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I am curious as to how many rds you would consider you would have to shoot prior to there being a mirage issue due to barrel heat. I currently use a nightforce 5.5-22X50 on my AR50 and have had no trouble with shooting 10-15 fouling shots and spotters from a clean bore prior to shooting a 5 shot string in a relay at 1,000 yards. My particular rifle does not shoot well till the bore has been fouled a bit after a good cleaning. Then it is capable of hitting clay birds on a berm at 1,000 yards. I have not had any issues with heat from the barrel distorting the scope image down range. Just my humble opinion here is all. To date it has not been a problem for me. Nick/5.56 also a FCSA member |
I'll second that, my 20X works great at 100 yds. It was a little weird at first because the 100yd and 200yd targets look almost exactly alike with it. I have to double check that I am on the right target before almost every shot now.
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| Well, I just placed an order for a BGA Viper yesterday (yes, about to become a first time .50 owner--trust me, pics will come) and have been combing the forums for optics. I have decided to go with a SS ScopeX16. Question--Will 30mm High Warne QD rings handle the recoil? Also, do I need a base with this setup or can I attach directly to rail? Thanks. |
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I'm using Burris Xtreme Tactical 30mm rings and they're working great. I'm using the X-High (1" tall) rings, mounted directly to the rail of my Viper. The rings are only $56 a pair from SWFA. www.riflescopes.com/products/420166/burris_xtreme_tactical_30mm_rings.htm |
I just ordered the 20X SS and I'm looking at these rings now. Do I need to get Xtra high rings or will high rings work ok? For mounting purposes, this is going on a Cobb which has the rail set up just like an AR15. |
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Running a Leupold 6.5-20 Long Range Tactical on my ALS50. I own and use a US Optics and a couple other Leupolds on "little rifles", but this 6.5-20 is working well for me. I shoot in the desert from 200 to 1,000 yards and have one FCSA match (1,000 yards) under my belt so far. I have heard the horror storries of the Leupold reticle breaking and this would ruin a good day, but I got this scope for $700 very lightly used and it is going to stay on the 50 unless it fails. Clarity is very good, windage and elevation turrets are repeatable, and I like the side parallax knob on this scope. The rifle has a 30MOA base and this has me looking right down the center of the lenses at 1,000 yards. Get good rings! |
I'm using the Xtra High rings on my Viper, because the stock design is pretty straight. The scope rail basically sits just above the straight line of the stock. To get a good cheek weld and a good sight picture, the Xtra High works great.  As for the Cobb, it looks like you might have a little drop on the stock height, so shorter rings would work OK.  I'm not an expert in this..... but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. 
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Thanks Buckaroo.  I ended up ordering the Burris Xtreme High Rings a couple of nights ago. When I didn't get a response to my question here or in the AR15 optics section or on Snipershide, I used the pic of your Viper in the 50 pics section as referance. I figured that I could get away with using High rings but without having them in person, decided not to take a chance on the Med rings clearing my Picatinny rail. |
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i have a leupold mark 4 fixed 16 on my windrunner i picked up recently. i wondered if more mag might be a good idea so i took it out with my rangefinder and ranged barns, trees, road signs, and such from 800 something to 1200 something. the clarity, as is usually the case, trumps magnification every time. i'm really pleased with the brightness of the scope. at this point i have no reason to change a thing. i'm headed to a 1k shoot the 24th with ozzy1038, so we'll see how well i like it while in use. i'm comparing it with 22x on a .223 and 14x on a .308 i'll be shooting at the same distance. i can post my experiences then. |
I've got high Leupold rings on mine with a large Nikon scope and it's really tight. |
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Maybe the Tasco SS in 20X is fine for the heavier 50's. But on a lightweight one (22 inch barreled Ultramag 50 at 16#s). It will destroy your SS in a few shots. I went through two 20X SS on the same rifle. Both after about 10 rounds would have glass flecks floating around in the occular lens. I have a IOR fixed 10X. Haven't shot it yet, but waiting to see. |
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I also have a Super Sniper 20x. It is mounted on a Barrett 82A1 with extra high Badger rings. So far, I have about 700 rounds through the gun with the scope on it. It has held up very well. My only complaint is that the crosshairs are too thick. At 1000 yards, it can be hard to line up on a human sized object as much of the object will be hidden behind the crosshairs. Things like car-sized objects, no problem. With that said, for the price, it is an outstanding scope! |
Sorry you got a lemon, but I don't think it has anything to do with the weight of the .50 it was mounted on. My UL50 weighs #20 as I use it, without the lead in the buttstock it's also #16. My SS has been on over 100 rounds with no issues. How old was the SS you got? You didn't warranty it and get a replacement? |
Define "destroy it". |
I'm not sure I'd use QDs, the thumbscrews on the Armalites work great, but even those beefy buggers got loose after the first few rounds. Now that they've settled down they stay tight though. If I was going to use QDs I would probably use ARMS, they seem to lock in pretty dang tight. |
These were the older SS's. Not the new recent ones after SWFA took over manufacter. So I don't know about warrantee. I have one of the SS's sitting on smaller caliber. And the glass chips/flecks floating around the occular lens don't bother me as much. But I woundn't put one on a 50 anymore. |
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Is this the beloved "Tasco" Super Sniper? It does not come up under Tasco, but rather as its own brand. Super Sniper |
that's it |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Optics for a .50 (Page 1 of 2)
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