Got my first 'big' caliber rifle recently, a 308 bolt, and I'm looking for someone to help guide/ground me on what I really need to care about and what I can let go for now.
I've shot rifles for a fair amount of time, and have used various budget-minded scopes, but this will be my first foray into shooting with more of a purpose, thinking more about the scope I would like to use. Gun will primarily be used for target/bench/steel shooting out to 1,000 yards. Maybe a small amount of hunting.
My "wish" list in a scope looks like this (again, without really knowing much): high magnification, a "Christmas tree" reticle for holding, good warranty (just in case!), obviously clear glass, target turrets, MIL/MIL, FFP.
One immediate contender that checks all of these boxes is the Vortex Viper PST 6-24x with the EBR-2C reticle. But it comes with a $1,150 price which is more than I'm looking to spend.
I know Vortex offers other stellar products, but I would lose at least one of the items I mentioned above. And giving up FFP, for example, really opens up the possibilities. So does a more standard reticle like mil-dots or hash marks. Then you throw in the PA 4-14x which hits most of my wants, but are they really as good as people claim? Is PA really the exception to "buy once cry once"?
So as a beginner looking to dip my toe into longer range shooting, with an off-the-shelf Savage by my side....am I wanting too much? Do I need to worry less about FFP and a crazy reticle for holding? Would the cheap PA keep me happy for a few years while I settled in and learned? Or do I bite the bullet and save for the scope I
think I need?
What features should I really be looking at, and what, at this point, is not as important?