What will the rifle be used for mostly?

For reticle, a Christmas tree style is very good for holds or dialing. The two I will link below have them and are in your price range.

Mil vs moa is a wasted argument as both work and both are angular so not linked to any linear system. If you hear anyone say I uses moa because I like inches then you know that is a person who you need to take their opinion with a grain of salt. If you have buddies that use either and you shoot with them then get what they use. If you are used to one or the other then go with that. No wrong answer. All you do is run your ballistic program in moa or mils and dial or hold the data. Neither is easier than the other or more accurate.

Easily hand adjustable turrets are nice for a lot of dialing. A zero stop is nice. Both below have zero stops.

As to power range, the 3-15x will work but if you want to see the target better then obviously the 5-25 will give more power. You can dial it down if you don’t need 25x. I would say definitely get a FFP scope so you can use the reticle on any power for holds.

https://www.eurooptic.com/Vortex-Viper-PST-5-25x50-EBR-2C-MRAD-PST-5258.aspx

https://www.eurooptic.com/Vortex-Viper-PST-3-15x44-EBR-2D-MRAD-FFP-PST-3157.aspx

Don't have any of those scopes but I do have the PST Gen II 3-15x and it does have a good FOV. The eye box is good to get behind and the glass is good in that price range. It definitely won't hold you back from hitting targets to 1000. It's a real nice scope for it's price range and in the sale price above it's a great deal.

You do not have to think in metric with mils. Big mistake people make thinking this. You can do the same thing with imperial.

Target size in yards x 1000 / target reading in mils = target distance in yards

Also using a tool like the mildot master makes ranging very easy but ranging with a reticle is a dying art anyways and a cheap LRF will get you closer especially if you are guesstimating the target size to begin with.

I have used mils for almost 30 years and never once used the metric system. No one I know who shoots with mils use the metric system.

You made a choice but one that is not needed. It’s a mistake to tell people they have to use meters with mils.

The 2 you see people speaking of is the 2C and not the 2D, which is a small batch reticle. The 2C is the reticle that the 7C replaced. I have used both extensively and like both. In some situations I like the small open center of the 2C and some I like the dot of the 7C. The other small differences are the placement of the numbers on the tree and the .2 mil marks on the horizontal line. Now the 2D is a good option for someone who wants to save a little money and also likes a closed center reticle. Another thing is the illumination is only on the main crosshairs of the 2D. Just little things to look at. Other than that the scopes are the same. No difference in glass.

If you will be using the reticle of the scope for more than just a center crosshair then FFP makes the scope more usable. SFP is only correct in it's subtensions on one power, not always max power but a majority. As mentioned at the lower powers do not plan to use the reticle for holds but usually when using the lower powers you are closer and don't need them or you are scanning for a target and then dial up to take the shot. Green's description of when the reticle is good are about right on. 8x is about where I can fully use the reticle. Will be this way with most every FFP scope reticle and not just the PST. I have used many FFP scope over the years and most all you can start to use them at around 8x. Under not so much.

The thing people get tunnel vision on is that low power but they don't realize that they won't be there as much as the higher powers. People buy 5-25x scopes and worry about the reticle at 5x when most of their shooting will be 10x and above. If you need to use the scope at 5x a majority of the time then you bought the wrong scope. Think the majority of your shooting and don't get fixated on the lowest power. You can still see the reticle as an aiming point but not the holdmarks as clearly for holds. And turning on the illumination helps even more.

I don't know if it is a dedicated Euro Optic scope but it's the only place I have seen them with the 2D.

That depends on the reticle specs in other scope but even in higher powered like my Razor II 4.5-27 at about 8x it works fine. My NF and S&Bs were around 8x also. I have the 7C in a 3-15 and 5-25 and both are good around 8x. The LPVO is a different beast. The reticle is usable down lower for holds. My Razor III is good around 4-5x if I remember correctly. Haven't had it out recently.

Practice always helps so shoot when you can but tough to do in the way ammo/components are right now.

That would be up to the end user to determine. Both are plenty usable for holds. Do you like a closed center reticle or a dot? Do you need the whole reticle to illuminate?

And no for the price point. Even with the 7C it's in the price range for similar optics.

That is not a 2C he is looking at. It is a 2D. Different reticle.

Just trying to see that he does and has all the info he needs and not assuming the 2C is the 2D.

No with the width of the crosshair it shouldn't cause an issue with blurring or obscuring a target so the 2D would work with you except for the illumination areas. Will you be holding over and holding wind in low light a lot? That's the question you need to ask yourself. If you dial and hold wind then the reticle will work in lowlight or if you dial wind and hold over it will work in lowlight but if doing both it will make it harder but not impossible. Just have to ask yourself if the extra cost is worth the times you will need the illumination.

The 7C is a good detailed reticle but also has the dot which you said you wouldn't want. The 2C and 2D both have all the same hold marks though except for the .2 mil marks on the horizontal.





And the 2D

No, more so you can see your POA better for small targets. The opening is very small but just big enough to see through. That is the 2C and you will have to look for someone selling one or a vendor who has them left over as they have been replaced by the 7C.

I understand asking the questions and wanting to make the right choice but it's only you that can make that determination. Have to weigh the chances of using the full tree illumination with dot versus crosshair versus the cost savings and what you are comfortable spending. As you said you really would most likely be happy with any of the three. I used to have the older 1C reticle which is like the 2D but without the christmas tree portion and there were no problems hitting smaller targets as the crosshair is not overly heavy.