High Power Scope options under $500 for a DDV7...

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Zeroed-In

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As the title states I'm looking for scope options for a DDV7 that will be used at distances up to 300Yds.
Would like to know what's out there for under $500. Also would appreciate any advice on the best magnification as I've never used anything more then a x9 power scope and am interested in x15 power scopes or more even. Preference is leaning towards 30mm tube and something that is durable (yeah I know I'm asking for a lot).
 
300 yards is not far.
What you are asking for I think is something like a 4-16x50 or a 6-24x50. Both of those are too big for an AR and will make it heavy and clumsy. A good quality 1-4x24 is all you need to shoot 300 yards but I would suggest you look at something like the Sightron 1-7 if you want some more magnification but it will double your budget.

For $500 or less the best scope I have used and the one I would recommend is the Hi-Lux CMR 1-4x24. It has a calibrated BDC reticle, nice clear glass, zero-stop turrets, illuminated reticle and is $400 at Wolverine.
http://www.wolverinesupplies.com/de...th-Illuminated-CMR-Ranging-Glass-Reticle.aspx

Other than that there aren't many options around $500 I would consider worth spending the money on. I shopped around for a long time and until you get to $1000 I couldn't find anything else that I figured was a better value than the CMR.
 
Are you planning on using that rifle as a precision rig or are you shooting gongs at 300yrds? If you're shooting gongs, the 1-4x would do nicely. If you want more magnification and on a budget, you can check out the new Bushnell AR series. I'm quite surprised at the clarity of the glass on these scopes. The Millet 4-16x50 TRS1 is a pretty solid scope as well. My coworker has a Nikon AR series are they look pretty good too but they're use 1" tubes.
 
DDv7 - 16 inch gov profile barrel?
That ain't no precision rig, it's a basic AR. No inaccurate but not crazy accurate either would be my guess.

300yds is not long range. Back in the day military rifle battle sights were set for 300yds.....with IRONS.

I agree with the posts above. I think a high magnification scope would be out of place. Heck, you should be able to get accurate hits with an RDS at that distance IMO.

Less is more when it comes to scope magnification. I would definitely be looking in the 1-4 range, maybe a 2-7. I can't comments on the models noted above but from what I have read they work decent. I've had good luck with Falcon Menace 1.5x5 which fits your budget...but some have gone to crap on people and I don't know if many would say they are dependable.

Now I confidently engage targets at 500 with a 3x, trying for a 3MOA bull.

For your budget, I would focus on lower power with clear glass and solid, repeatable adjustments. Just my opinion. It's free and worth about the same. :)
 
Zeroed-In said:
As the title states I'm looking for scope options for a DDV7 that will be used at distances up to 300Yds.
Would like to know what's out there for under $500. Also would appreciate any advice on the best magnification as I've never used anything more then a x9 power scope and am interested in x15 power scopes or more even. Preference is leaning towards 30mm tube and something that is durable (yeah I know I'm asking for a lot).
Click to expand...
http://www.reliablegun.com/en/zeiss-terra-3x-hunting-riflescope-4-12x42mm-z-plex-20

not a 30mm tube but hard to find under your price range unless you sacrifice durability, glass quality or both
 
Bolivar said:
DDv7 - 16 inch gov profile barrel?
That ain't no precision rig, it's a basic AR. No inaccurate but not crazy accurate either would be my guess.

300yds is not long range. Back in the day military rifle battle sights were set for 300yds.....with IRONS.

I agree with the posts above. I think a high magnification scope would be out of place. Heck, you should be able to get accurate hits with an RDS at that distance IMO.

Less is more when it comes to scope magnification. I would definitely be looking in the 1-4 range, maybe a 2-7. I can't comments on the models noted above but from what I have read they work decent. I've had good luck with Falcon Menace 1.5x5 which fits your budget...but some have gone to crap on people and I don't know if many would say they are dependable.

Now I confidently engage targets at 500 with a 3x, trying for a 3MOA bull.

For your budget, I would focus on lower power with clear glass and solid, repeatable adjustments. Just my opinion. It's free and worth about the same. :)
Click to expand...

Agreed, I'll post some videos of 300+ yard shooting with 1-4x scopes and irons tonight for OP. A high power scope is not well suited to that sort of AR IMO.
 
Depends on whether you're trying to hit steel plates / gond versus paper and if you want to actually see your target hits on paper at 300 yds. For plate/gong use pretty much anything should do the trick. If you don't have a spotting scope and are trying to see your target hits on paper, higher magnification is pretty important. I have shot a number of scopes at 300 yds and as I don't own a decent spotting scope, I use the rifle scope to see my target hits on paper. Ones that I have used that were not enough to see target hits on paper (.223) were Millet LRS 6-25 and a Bushnell Elite 6-24. Rght now on my .223 target rifle I have a Busnell Elitte 6500 4.5-30 and it is still a struggle to see the little .223 holes in paper. I have a Sightron 10-50 on my .338 LM and with that I can see target hits no problem for either .338 or .223 (I use it as a spotting scope for .223).
 
kb007 said:
Depends on whether you're trying to hit steel plates / gond versus paper and if you want to actually see your target hits on paper at 300 yds. For plate/gong use pretty much anything should do the trick. If you don't have a spotting scope and are trying to see your target hits on paper, higher magnification is pretty important. I have shot a number of scopes at 300 yds and as I don't own a decent spotting scope, I use the rifle scope to see my target hits on paper. Ones that I have used that were not enough to see target hits on paper (.223) were Millet LRS 6-25 and a Bushnell Elite 6-24. Rght now on my .223 target rifle I have a Busnell Elitte 6500 4.5-30 and it is still a struggle to see the little .223 holes in paper. I have a Sightron 10-50 on my .338 LM and with that I can see target hits no problem for either .338 or .223 (I use it as a spotting scope for .223).
Click to expand...

Interesting kb007, I would like to be able to make accurate (for me) shots from all distances (from 25yds. to 300+Yds.) between standard sights and a decent scope (I will practice both). I've used many 3x9 variables with .22's, 9mm JR Carbine and some hunting rifles and will be wanting more magnification to make the most accurate shoots I can. I do use a 60x power spotting scope when at the range and will use it to see where I'm hitting paper at longer distances. Gongs would be fun to shoot, however I would really like to see what I could group using this rifle at distances 25Yds. to 300+Yds..
I realize this it not a precision rifle, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize what Im capable of constantly hitting at these distances. If I ever get around to running and gunning on a closed course I will acquire a more appropriate magnifying sight.
 
Bolivar said:
DDv7 - 16 inch gov profile barrel?
That ain't no precision rig, it's a basic AR. No inaccurate but not crazy accurate either would be my guess.

300yds is not long range. Back in the day military rifle battle sights were set for 300yds.....with IRONS.

I agree with the posts above. I think a high magnification scope would be out of place. Heck, you should be able to get accurate hits with an RDS at that distance IMO.

Less is more when it comes to scope magnification. I would definitely be looking in the 1-4 range, maybe a 2-7. I can't comments on the models noted above but from what I have read they work decent. I've had good luck with Falcon Menace 1.5x5 which fits your budget...but some have gone to crap on people and I don't know if many would say they are dependable.

Now I confidently engage targets at 500 with a 3x, trying for a 3MOA bull.

For your budget, I would focus on lower power with clear glass and solid, repeatable adjustments. Just my opinion. It's free and worth about the same. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for your opinions they are of worth. However am I wrong in thinking that I will have an easier time getting more accurate hits/grouping with more magnification versus less and please note my eyes aren't getting any younger (I'm comparing a 4x scope to a 16x scope for example at 200Yds.).
 
Trinimon said:
Are you planning on using that rifle as a precision rig or are you shooting gongs at 300yrds? If you're shooting gongs, the 1-4x would do nicely. If you want more magnification and on a budget, you can check out the new Bushnell AR series. I'm quite surprised at the clarity of the glass on these scopes. The Millet 4-16x50 TRS1 is a pretty solid scope as well. My coworker has a Nikon AR series are they look pretty good too but they're use 1" tubes.
Click to expand...

I just want to shoot this AR as accurately as I possibly can with the budget for a scope I have mentioned at distances out to 300Yds. Just figured the groups would have a better chance of being tighter with a higher powered scope since my eyes aren't what they used to be.
 
cr5 said:
300 yards is not far.
What you are asking for I think is something like a 4-16x50 or a 6-24x50. Both of those are too big for an AR and will make it heavy and clumsy. A good quality 1-4x24 is all you need to shoot 300 yards but I would suggest you look at something like the Sightron 1-7 if you want some more magnification but it will double your budget.

For $500 or less the best scope I have used and the one I would recommend is the Hi-Lux CMR 1-4x24. It has a calibrated BDC reticle, nice clear glass, zero-stop turrets, illuminated reticle and is $400 at Wolverine.
http://www.wolverinesupplies.com/de...th-Illuminated-CMR-Ranging-Glass-Reticle.aspx

Other than that there aren't many options around $500 I would consider worth spending the money on. I shopped around for a long time and until you get to $1000 I couldn't find anything else that I figured was a better value than the CMR.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply so if you think 4-16x40+ or 6-24x40+ scopes are to much for a 16" AR and I'm thinking i would like more then a 3-9 power scope do you have any other recommendations then a 1-4? I will take a closer look at the 1-4 models and I'm starting to believe you're right about needing closer to $1,000 instead of $500 so I may wait another month and step up my price level. More research is needed.
 
Or you get a Bushnell 10X(~200$) and a Geissele trigger(300$) so you can try if you like shooting LR with your AR. You'll know what you prefer, more or less magnification, it'll give you the time to save more for a better optic or a least give you more options. You can always sell the the Bushnell later without loosing to much(30-50$) and you'll already have a awesome Geissele trigger!!!
 
Movado said:
Or you get a Bushnell 10X(~200$) and a Geissele trigger(300$) so you can try if you like shooting LR with your AR. You'll know what you prefer, more or less magnification, it'll give you the time to save more for a better optic or a least give you more options. You can always sell the the Bushnell later without loosing to much(30-50$) and you'll already have a awesome Geissele trigger!!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a reasonable plan, will give it some thought. I was planning on learning to shoot the rifle well before treating myself to a smoother/lighter trigger though.
 
In order to shoot tight groups, you simply need no be able to sight the rifle consistently at the same point of aim over and over again while applying the fundamentals of breathing and trigger control.

A high magnification scope will show you exactly how much your sight is moving while you shoot, making it harder to seem consistent. You could likely end up fighting the gun rather than just focusing on a good sight picture and letting the trigger break subconsciously.

You will gain a lot more shooting skill and ability by simply dry firing at home, picking a spot on the wall and breaking the trigger without letting the sights move off the target. If you are honest with yourself in watching the sight while you dry fire you will know if they are moving and you will develop a smooth trigger break that does not cause them to move.

This can be done well with irons as well a scope. In fact it is harder to do indoors with a higher magnification scope as you can't sometimes focus them at indoor distances (well, unless your house has a REALLY long hallway or something).

There is also the mental side. You might as well tell yourself you can hit what you are aiming at. You can tell yourself you can't. In either case, you are probably correct.

You can invest in a trigger too, but as long as your trigger breaks clean, you can learn to use what you have. Clean, crisp break is way more important to me than weight.

Curious what type of shooting you plan to do with this rifle? Slow, methodical, precision stuff or more action shooting oriented?
 
I have a DDM4V7 with a Geissle SDE trigger and I'm looking at a Vortex 1-4 PST for ~$550 to shoot at all ranges eg. 25 to 300+. It has the MOA reticle, I think it'll do the job.
 
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