Hello everybody!

I am considering purchasing an Olympic Arms "PCR-8MAG" .243 WSSM upper as soon as they become available. I am excited to enter the world of longer range shooting, but I am lacking sadly in optics knowledge. The only sight I own is an Aimpoint M2!

Can you please give me some suggestions that would allow me to get the most out of this upper (I plan on using the 55 gr. Supreme® Ballistic Silvertip ammo - see link below)?

I know you "get what you pay for" - but I would appreciate some budget minded suggestions as well!  

The links to the product info:

olyarms.com click on the "new stuff" link, and then click on the "PCR-8MAG"

.243 WSSM info

What's ya' gonna' shoot?

I would recommend diffent scopes for target, tactical, and for serveral different hunting uses too.

Sort of like telling me you'd like me to recommend you a truck that runs off of unleaded gasoline and not telling me if you're going to haul ass or haul lumber with it [:D]

Good question - I should have been a little clearer on that point! The problem is I don't really know yet...as I have never really shot long distance before. [:I]

Here’s the scenario:

My "stuck up" father-in-law has a custom made, heavy barrel, bolt action chambered for the "6BR". He does nothing but brag about how he can pop their (prairie dogs) heads off at 300 yards all day long, and it is a "one hole group" at 200 yards. He also likes to brag that the gun is worth about $5,000.00 (I can't confirm this #...it may be an exaggeration)

I told him I would like to take my home made RRA AR15 out with him some time and he just laughed, telling me that my gun is nothing more that a glorified "movie gun", made to shoot people (not varmints) at 100 yards or less.

I stewed for a few days(for bad mouthing my beloved AR, and not being able to buy a gun like his) before stumbling upon the Olympic Arms .243 WSSM upper (soon to be released) - my Father in law says that the .243 WSSM is pretty close to the 6BR - but said that he would be amazed if it performed anything like his "wonder gun" – especially because it only costs about $700.00 for the upper, which will be mounted on my "dime a dozen" RRA mil spec lower.

Since he is too cheap to drive us out to Prairie Dog country, I will most likely be setting up paper human outline targets at 200 - 300 yards (pretend sniper training) and little stuffed animals filled with something heavy to practice with - just in case he ever takes me with him.

I would like to stick with something along Military lines if possible - but again I have no experience with this kind of shooting or scopes.

I did see an interesting ad in Shotgun News about the Shepherd "self zeroing" scope.

I also may have dibs on an ATN 6-18x65mm (I have no idea if this is appropriate for the .243 WSSM or not)

Thanks in advance for any help!
Scott

FYI, my $800 RRA Varmint AR shoots .25 moa (aka better than me) with handloads.  Unless you are set on the .243, this is a decent, reasonably priced alternative to piss off your father-in-law.  You can never have enough ARs anyway.

On optics, if you are just target shooting to get groups smaller than your father-in-law, or if you are going to use it on dogs, at least 20X, because varmints and X's are damned small at 300 yards, even with a 20X.  I'll go with the popular brand too, Leupold, if you have the money.  Heard good things about Weaver Grand Slams and Bushnell Elite scopes too if you are more budget minded.

Edited to add a small apology for my shameless plug on the RRA varminter.  I do it half the time I post on the AR forum.  Sorry [:D]

I'll agree on that maximum power scope.

Sounds like you'll be shooting prone or over sandbags/bipods so you can use a bit of power to gain some advantage. I have a 6.5-24x power scope on my varmint rifle and a 4.5-14x power scope on one of my "tactical" rifles.

Thanks for the advice!

I just want to be able to out-shoot (or at least as good) him with my .243 upper - and basically prove that my "movie gun" can shoot just as good as his "custom" can at the longer distances (200-300 yards).

I know that a scope alone is not going to do this for me....practice, practice, practice.

I just need to do my homework on scopes in general.

I wish I could find something that is calibrated for the .243, like many of the military scopes for the .223.

I have ALOT to learn!

Thanks again!

Premier Reticle will boost and/or change your reticle to your configuration.  I think only on leupolds but Ive been out of the loop for a while so you might check out their site.  Im not up on the short mags but for long range I select bullets with better ballistic coefficients as opposed to higher mvs.  It always amazed me when guys spent money on custom bolt guns with overbore cases, quality optics and all the necessities for long range varmints and then loaded them with bullets that had the bc of a parachute in the name of high velocity.

Thanks simonsay -

Do you think the .243 (check out the link above) is a poor choice then? I don’t even know what a "ballistic coefficient" is at this stage of my endeavor - I have never shot anything but "off the shelf" cheap .223 for my sub 100 yard plinking.

I will do some research, but if you have time, can you look at Winchester's .243 / .223 WSSM info and tell me what you would think?

Maybe I am on the wrong track...and should just let my snobby Father-in-Law win. (he would just love that)

I will check into Premier Reticle.

Thank you!
Scott

The .243 WSSM from Oly looks interesting to me too, but I agree with az-ar.  There are plenty of accurate, proven, and relatively inexpensive uppers in .223 that you could use to do battle with your father-in-law.  There are also lots of load data, books, articles, and other information on making .223 AR-15s shoot well.  I think going that route would simplify your task and save you time, money, and aggravation.  I also agree with simonsay that higher BC bullets are the way to go at long range.  However, if you two conduct your shootoff at three hundred yards or less, this isn't so critical.  Either way, there are lots of good match bullets out there for the .223, expecially the relatively new heavier bullets with high BCs.  For a scope, I think you should get a variable in the 6-18x range.  I wouldn't get a high fixed power because conditions like limited light and severe heat shimmer can make you want to turn down the magnification.   - Just some thoughts.

Thanks Xjarhed!