Okay first post here...

I built a SPRish build last winter and topped it with a cheap Burris Fullfield II 2-7 in a adm scout mount(Yes I know the mount costing as much as the scope is silly). Its the scope I had laying around so I used it to see if I like the power scope or if I wanted something with either more or less power.. It served my needs but compared to other scopes I looked at in the lgs,its clarity sucks.

So heres the 2 rifle and my intended uses:

#1: black hole weaponry 18",1-8",223 Wylde rifle length gas. Troy 15" Alpha rail,Magpul fixed rifle stock(Still debating if I want the PRS) Weight 7.5lb
Use: I want a semi light,lightweight precision rifle focused on the 300-700yd range. Mostly range rifle,possible shtf long range rifle.

#2: Odin Works 16",1-8",223 wylde mid length gas. Odin works 15.5" Kmod. Magpul UBR. weight 7.5lb
Use: I want a compact short range precision carbine focused on 100yds-500yds (Recce type rifle). enough scope to make semi precise shots without overburdening the rifle with a large heavy scope


My budget is 400-1200 for each optic
I dont really care whether its ffp or sfp,I tend to use max mag while at the range anyways

Before people start saying you can use aimpoints out to 300yds. I know this,and have. But past 150-200 I start losing precision. I,personally,benefit from some magnification after 200yds.


Optic choices I've considered and have heard good things about:


I know US Optics and nightforce(and many others) make outstanding scopes but I can justify the cost,I'd rather buy more ammo.
The list is not the end all be all but just some scopes that I've read are quite good. I'm leaning towards the Leapold mark 4 line and trijicon acog line just because they have been and currently are being used in comat which I think is kinda cool even tho I wont ever put them up to half the abuse those guys do.

What are some scopes you'd pick and power range scopes you'd pick for each build?

What I've considered so far:
Leapold mark AR
Leapold mark 4 mr/t
Hi lux CMR4
Vortex Viper pst
Trijicon acog
SWFA super sniper
Weaver tactical
Burris Mtac


I'm thinking a 2/3/4-8/9/10/12 power scope on the SPR and a 1/1.5/2/2.5-4/5/6/8 power scope on the Recce

I have a few comments . I noticed you said a leupold mk4 mrt . I have a 2.5 x 8 mk4 with mil-dot reticle . the turrets are moa . I dont have a problem with it but some people do so to each their own Im not going to argue it with any one I just thought I should point that out . the magnification works great for me but I dont shoot over 300 yds do to the terrain where I live. If I had the chance to stretch things out to 700 yds I would be looking hard at the nightforce shv 4x14x56 it can be had for the same price as my mk4 between 950-1100 depending on options . one more thing I have a mag-pul prs stock I bought for a 308 laying in a box in my shop it is one heavy bitch I like the magpul moe rifle stock much better .

for the carbine if you are not worrying about cqb with the range you stated I would look real hard at some of the new 2.5x10 x36 or 32 I cant remember them all but weaver , vortex , nightforce all have them in your budget . they wont be to big and akward for a carbine. or you could use the 2.5 x 8 mk4 its not that big but a bit over priced for the other options out there . As usual alot of nice stuff come out after I already spent 900.00 on the mk4

By far my favorite Reece optic right now is the new Burris XTRII 1-5.

For the SPR the SWFA SS 3-15x42 is really hard to beat because of its features vs size.

The mk4 line is so outdated and overpriced vs the competition I wouldn't even consider one.

2.5-10x or 4-16x Vortex or 3-15x SWFA for the 18"   i'd choose a FFP for this role.  The 2.5-10 isnt quite as much magnification as I'd prefer but its a lighter choice than some of the others.

1-4 or 1-6x for the 16" rifle.  Vortex, SWFA, or the Burris 1-5x.  FFP or SFP.

I shoot a lot of 250y and 500y steel with a 1-6x and it would be hard to do that with less magnification and a 223 rifle without a second person spotting.   15 or 16x helps for 500-750y to see splash or even hits on a clear day.  I use a 5-20x (usually set between 10-16x) for those distances.  750y is doable with good ammo and an 18" barrel, but it can be tricky to see splash with whats left of the energy at those distances.

Okay so I've lowered my budget slightly:

Recce: trying to stick to the 16oz or under range. I realize i'm giving up some capability going down to 4x but I think a smaller,short less obtrusive scope is my key for this rifle over being able to see my shots at 200-300yds
(new) SWFA 1-4x24 SFP 300
Leatherwood Hi lux cmr4  400
Vortex viper pst 1-4x24     500
Leapold mark 4 1.5-5        900(If anyone has the actual weight on this(??) because its listed at 16-17oz but leupold tends to put out lighter weight scopes

SPR: sub-20oz(call me crazy I just want a semi handy rifle without a boat anchor 2.5" above the bore axis) sub $1000 I lower my top end mag down to 9-10 to reduce weight,bulk and to spend my money on better clarity rather then a better spotting scope
swfa super sniper 3-9x42  600 ffp
vortex viper pst 2.5-10x32 800 ffp illuminated
vortex viper pst 2.5-10x44 600 sfp illuminated
leupold vxr patrol 3-9x40   600 sfp illuminated

the mk4 works just fine for me and what I need . no regrets but yes I would agree they are a bit dated .

I don't have alot of experience with magnified optics but i do have 3 which I like.

Trijicon TA-33 ACOG 3x with red cross hair reticle.  I have this on my All Around/SHTF/carbine competition/HD rifle.  14.5 inch BCM ELW.  

Leupold VXR Patrol 1.25x4 illuminated reticle on my 18inch SPRish AR.

Leupold VXR Patrol 3x9 illuminated reticle on my M1A.

I currently shoot at 100 yards max and they all work well for that.  Glass is clear on all plus they are all light weight.  Illuminations is day time visible and the Firedot reticles on both Leupold's work well with both eyes open for up close work.  I use the ACOG for local run and gun carbine competitions where shots are between 10 and 70 yards and it has done everything I wanted.

Hope this helps.

I'm really considering a acog for the recce. I do lose some versatility over a 1-?x scope but its lighter,more compact and more rugged. The ta31 4x weighs around 14oz compared to a 1-?x scope plus mount around 24oz. saving 10oz is quite substantial and fits in with the recce concept. Also I plan on getting adm qd scope mounts which are close to 200 each so the acog coming with a mount brings the overall cost down into the ball park. I think the slight increase cost is worth the 10oz weight savings. I could always mount a rmr(either ontop or offset) later on to cover close range

Also something that I find funny is take 2 similar scopes:
Vortex pst 1-4x 16oz
vortex pst 2.5-10 19oz

I'm going from 4x to 10x for only 3 oz more

So far I'm thinking
Recce: acog 3.5x or 4x
SPR: Vortex pst 2.5-10
        swfa super sniper 3-9
        leupold vx-r patrol 3-9x

I'm in a similar situation, looking for a 2-10, 3-12 (maybe a 3-15) type of scope. I went ahead and ordered the vortex 2.5-10x32 to see how it feels, I should have it Monday.
Also considering the Burris XTR II 2-10 & Bushnell 3-12 lrhs but I would like to keep the weight down if at all possible.