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Posted: 9/24/2008 8:00:32 AM EDT
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Hello, I'm Adam and I'm new to this forum. Anyway, I bought my first ar15 a couple weeks ago, just a cheap dpms but its fine for my first AR. I also bought a truglo 40mm red dot for it but I realized I really like shooting at longer distances so I need help choosing a scope. I don't think I will ever be shooting at distances greater than 600m at the most and will usually be shooting at 200m. I'm looking at the Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x 40mm http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=760482&t=11082005 but I have also ran across this inexpensive Bushnell banner 6-18x 50mm http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=128054 and wanted some opinions. Thanks in adance |
Welcome to the boards Adam.  Of those two scopes I would buy the Nikon. I've never regretted waiting and saving up for better glass. What ranges and type of shooting do you plan to do? Those will help you pick your magnification. My personal preference for an AR is something with a little lower power, 3-9x scopes are common and work well for me. The 3x is good for closer shots and the 9x is high enough for the distance of most of the shots I take. But like I said that's just my preference. The reticle is another thing to take a look at. There are plenty of options, what works for me might not work for you. When I'm looking for a new scope I always start with Leupold. They have an extensive product line and good customer service. They got a good warranty that I've never needed to use since I haven't been able to break one yet. The Leupold VX-I line will be comparable to Nikon's Buckmasters. For a comparable Bushnell take a look at the 3200 Elites. |
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Hi Adam, welcome to the forums. First thing, don't get the Bushnell Banner, there's better scopes for the money. Second thing, a 4.5-14X scope is A LOT of magnification for 200-600 yard shooting, especially if you will be doing more 200 yard stuff. Since the Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14X40 runs in the $290 range, I have a few other suggestions: Bushnell 3-9X40 Elite 4200 $250 Burris 3-9X50 Fullfield II $280 Nikon Buckmaster 3-9X50 $300 Leupold 3-9X40 VX-II $300 These are quality scope that will offer you all you really need. If you want a more tactical setup or extra magnification look at: Burris 2-7X35 Fullfield Tactical $210 Millet 4-16X50 tactical $280 Bushnell 5-15X50 Elite 3200 $290 Super Sniper 10X42RF $300 Millet 10X50 TRS-1 $330 Falcon Menace 10X42 $340 |
I routinely shoot to six hundred yards. I've found that I can use around 10x for that purpose. I have one AR with leupold 3-9X36 and another with 3.5-10x40. Both seem sufficient for that purpose. However, I'm either shooting fuzzy creatures or steel plates at those distances. So, if I was shooting paper only, for best groups...I may go a little more. Whatever works for you  . With 9x of zoom, I can hit even small creatures at 600 yards (If I shoot well 
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Go with the Nikon. It's a better quality scope and the smaller end bell (40mm) will be nice as to not raise the scope up too much from the rifle. A 50mm bell may bring the scope up too high requiring a cheek pad or just shooting with improper cheek weld. As for rings, Millet makes some nice rings that mount right to the P-rail, and they're pretty cheap. Thinking down the road, if you plan on upgrading... most of the high quality "tactical" scopes have 30mm tubes instead of 1". Try to find a less expensive scope with a 30mm tube so you could reuse the rings later on. If money was not an issue, I recommend Nightforce. |
| I've looked at everyone's suggestions and I like the Bushnell elite 4200 3-9x40 and I still like the Nikon 4-14x40. I don't think I want a 50mm scope. Keep in mind, I'm just shooting paper. I have also been wanting to buy a savage .308 so I may want to transfer the scope over to it someday and I'm sure I will be doing some 800m+ shooting with that rifle. |
200-600 yds is more than I was expecting. I would still go with a scope close to the 3-9x range. I'll ring a man size gong at 450 yds with the 5x setting on my 1.5-5x Leupold. My grouping isn't spectacular but at that range I'm happy with minute of man. It all depends how small of a target you want to hit at 600 yds. The scope you buy will play a part in picking your rings. You'll want a set that gives you the proper eye relief which can vary from scope to scope. You'll also need to decide if you want removable rings or not Are you going to take the scope off? Yes - You'll want a set of removable rings. The problem with removable rings is that they don't all hold zero. I use the LaRue 104 rings and I've never lost zero. It's the best you can get as far as I'm concerned but it's not cheap. No - You probably want fixed rings. Not as flexible as removable rings but not as expensive either. Loss of zero won't be a concern unless you go really cheap.
What are you planning to do with your AR when you move the scope to the Savage? If you are going to get another scope for it then get the 3-9x now and leave it on the AR. Worry about a scope for the Savage later. If you're going to shoot your AR with iron sights then the 4-14x might not be a bad idea. I've never shot out to 800 yds so take that with a grain of salt. |
| I shoot popcan size targets at 600 + yds. In my opinion you cant get too much power. Most of my scopes are 8x32 power models. newest additions are 6x24 power models. beyond 24 the mirage starts playing havoc with the picture. get the most for what you can afford. Dont cheat on the glass. |
I will put my red dot back on my ar when I get the savage. The main thing is that I don't want to buy twice, I want to be able to shoot tight groups with this AR when I get a nice 20" or 24" barrel. |
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