Love those old Redfield scopes, especially the wide angle ones. I still have four of them!
Well, between here and the Hide did you get enough responses to figure the budget scope dilemma?
Don’t forget OKBALL’s
My last 20 or so scopes have all been Nightforce ATACR in various magnifications, but before I got into extended long range and became an optics snob, I had no problems with the older Vortex PST (gen 1), leatherwood CMR, SWFA SS scopes (even the fixed power stuff), and even some leupold mk4 and lower end stuff. Once I learned how to shoot, the abilities and features of a scope just became something nice to have, instead of a requirement, and I’m a firm believer that if you NEED first focal plane, matched reticles, tons of whiz bang features, and a $3,000 plus price tag, it’s likely you aren’t a “good” shooter, you just buy expensive stuff and learned how to pull the trigger while your gear does the work for you. Since I can’t for the life of me find any long ranges here, I’ve switched to the Eotech optics and save a bunch of money, however I’m mostly buying them because I’m a snob, and not because I need them or have any justification for owning them anymore.
Expensive optics do make life much easier, but you can take a $300 scope with a good mount, ballistics calculator (or old fashioned hold overs) if the reticle and turrets don’t match, and still usually get to the limits of the rifle. I had a pretty tough time shooting 1100 yards with my buddies 5.56 rifle and a vortex viper hs-T (I think it was $399 new), but the scope and turrets were great, we were just reaching the limitations of my eyes and the quality of glass with a heavy mirage. He chose to sink all his money into the rifle and buy a cheap scope, but it still got he job done, just not as easy as my mk12 with a nightforce 4-16, which while it may have been the same accuracy, and I dialed in his ammo perfectly, I was on target much more quickly and could easily see my splashes if I missed, where as if he didn’t hear his hit, he really needed a spotter for corrections.
Expensive optics do make life much easier, but you can take a $300 scope with a good mount, ballistics calculator (or old fashioned hold overs) if the reticle and turrets don’t match, and still usually get to the limits of the rifle. I had a pretty tough time shooting 1100 yards with my buddies 5.56 rifle and a vortex viper hs-T (I think it was $399 new), but the scope and turrets were great, we were just reaching the limitations of my eyes and the quality of glass with a heavy mirage. He chose to sink all his money into the rifle and buy a cheap scope, but it still got he job done, just not as easy as my mk12 with a nightforce 4-16, which while it may have been the same accuracy, and I dialed in his ammo perfectly, I was on target much more quickly and could easily see my splashes if I missed, where as if he didn’t hear his hit, he really needed a spotter for corrections.
Budget for me is under $500.
I am a big fan of the Athlon Talos BTR Gen2. I am getting ready to hang a new CZ 457 Pro Varmint underneath it.
It retails for $399.00
I am a big fan of the Athlon Talos BTR Gen2. I am getting ready to hang a new CZ 457 Pro Varmint underneath it.
It retails for $399.00
Similar threads
