R700+Scope Advice

T

thatguy67

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I'm finally moving up from rimfire to centerfire, i'm between deciding on a Remington 700 VTR, or SPS Tactical, chambered in .223.

and knowing what i'm about to ask, I'll still do it... What would be a good scope and rings/mount in the $200-$500 range? Rings and mount separate from the scope price of course...

The main use will be for target shooting to start at up to 300yrds, for the next while or so....

thanks!
 
So is the $200-$500 for just rings and mount? If so, you could pretty much can any rings/scope you want, Nightforce, Badger, ATRS, Farrel, EGW, Leupold etc. They all make great products. If it's $500 for everything, better look at the tascos!
 
Sadly you've entered a game that gets very expensive, very fast.

Is there an option to wait a bit longer and save up for something a bit better? Used Sightron / PST and rings/rail? Total cost would be around 850-1000$

To a certain degree, your accuracy will be only as good as the components you use. Lots of issues (and frustrations) can be had with using sub par equipment. It'll also cost a lot to problem solve them after you throw rounds down range attempting to find the problem.

Good luck and welcome to the sport.
 
Vortex viper might be an OK scope for your price range. I don't own one but I've used one and it wasn't too shabby for the 500 mark. You could also find a used Bushnell elite 6500 once in a while for $500 or so. I have been happy with mine. Its 2.5-16x42. Plenty of power for 300 yards. If it was me, I wouldn't wait till you can afford something worth thousands of dollars. Shoot a lot with your 500 dollar scope, it will get the job done, and you'll have fun Doing it. but start saving immediately for when the time comes you want a bigger caliber and further shots.
 
Hey thatguy! Many on here will try to jam it down your throat that unless your optics cost a couple of grand you are wasting your time. I'm sure that those optics are beautiful to use, and incredibly effective, however my reality is I would have to give up all shooting for several years to save enough purchase something like that. So I read a lot, probably too much, and search out good value items that yield decent performance for a fair price. I purchased my first rifle last year, the 700 sps tactical in .223, and after much research purchased a bushnell elite 3200 fixed 10x scope. Bushnell part number is ET1040. If you look around you can find them new for between 225-250. The glass is decently clear on mine, it tracks very well, and holds it's zero. I'm able to shoot a little less than MOA out to 350 yards with it. For an inexpensive scope I'm very happy with it. Now that I'm starting to shoot at longer distances there are a couple of short falls. I find the reticle to be a bit thick, and find it obstructs the target a bit too much anything past 300. I'm also starting to wish it had a little bit more power. All in all I love the scope, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a new shooter on a budget. I have mine mounted on an EGW 20moa base (my wife got this for me for christmas from Peter Dobson at Hirsch Precision.) and an inexpensive set of weaver medium rings. I hope this helps! Good luck with your search.
 
Burris Fullfeild II 3x9. It has really nice glass for $250.

Epoxy7 and I were using one on my AR10 to smack golf balls at 300yards.
 
223submoa said:
Hey thatguy! Many on here will try to jam it down your throat that unless your optics cost a couple of grand you are wasting your time. I'm sure that those optics are beautiful to use, and incredibly effective, however my reality is I would have to give up all shooting for several years to save enough purchase something like that. So I read a lot, probably too much, and search out good value items that yield decent performance for a fair price. I purchased my first rifle last year, the 700 sps tactical in .223, and after much research purchased a bushnell elite 3200 fixed 10x scope. Bushnell part number is ET1040. If you look around you can find them new for between 225-250. The glass is decently clear on mine, it tracks very well, and holds it's zero. I'm able to shoot a little less than MOA out to 350 yards with it. For an inexpensive scope I'm very happy with it. Now that I'm starting to shoot at longer distances there are a couple of short falls. I find the reticle to be a bit thick, and find it obstructs the target a bit too much anything past 300. I'm also starting to wish it had a little bit more power. All in all I love the scope, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a new shooter on a budget. I have mine mounted on an EGW 20moa base (my wife got this for me for christmas from Peter Dobson at Hirsch Precision.) and an inexpensive set of weaver medium rings. I hope this helps! Good luck with your search.
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Agreed. Some great points. No need to empty the bank account to get a quality scope.
 
And I'll counter argue.

yes, the 10x will get you a decent scope for the money. It is one of the few options to get you shooting.

However, going for precision you need more than 10x. Where accuracy matters down to 1/8th or less of an inch, you simply can't be that precise with 10x. Long range I do most of my shooting at 12 to 16x, however anything under 300y and I'm maxing my zoom all the time. This is because the environmental affects below these distances play a much smaller / non existent role. I can also see my bullet holes so seeing the hit is not an issue. Whereas reading wind and spotting shots (when your spotter doesn't see it) is more valuable than being an inch or two off when you crack the shot.

Food for thought before you dump 250$ on a scope you might not want.
 
I agree with what you are saying. The 10x works for me, for now. I'm starting to shop now to purchase new glass in the spring, at which time it will find it's way onto my 597, which was my plan from the start. It's not the perfect first scope for everyone, but is a solid value that worked well for me.

Shibby! said:
And I'll counter argue.

yes, the 10x will get you a decent scope for the money. It is one of the few options to get you shooting.

However, going for precision you need more than 10x. Where accuracy matters down to 1/8th or less of an inch, you simply can't be that precise with 10x. Long range I do most of my shooting at 12 to 16x, however anything under 300y and I'm maxing my zoom all the time. This is because the environmental affects below these distances play a much smaller / non existent role. I can also see my bullet holes so seeing the hit is not an issue. Whereas reading wind and spotting shots (when your spotter doesn't see it) is more valuable than being an inch or two off when you crack the shot.

Food for thought before you dump 250$ on a scope you might not want.
Click to expand...
 
223submoa said:
I agree with what you are saying. The 10x works for me, for now. I'm starting to shop now to purchase new glass in the spring, at which time it will find it's way onto my 597, which was my plan from the start. It's not the perfect first scope for everyone, but is a solid value that worked well for me.
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Depends what you do. If you just want to ring gongs it'll work. For the price its probably the best bang for buck. It's a well known scope and I'm tempted to put one on my 22lr as well. Sure I'd like more zoom but there is no discounting the cost. Would be better than peep sights at 50m!
 
Check out the millett trs 4-16x50. Great scope for the price. A few dealers stock them for around $389. I use one on my .223 700 and for the price it can't be beat. Clear glass, holds zero and has an illumination option.
 
I will argue that the scope snobs overstate their point. OP will be shooting under 300 yards so wind is negligable and dialing in repeatability not an issue. He only needs to zero at 100 or 200 yards and make a drop chart. Never touch the dials again.

He also doesn't need high mag. Many people including marines shot 1000 with a 10x, and this is a much shorter distance. He also has a nice relatively normal bolt action, not a $8000 bench gun.

Someone else suggested the burris fulfield II. I can wholeheartedly recomend it as it iss what I have on my deer rifle. Perfect for the job. That and a nice pair of millet rings and he is good to go and in budget.
 
While I see what 223submoa is saying I would suggest you take doots advise and look into some of the Sightron offerings. While a $250 scope may get the job done for you, my guess is you will want to upgrade fairly soon if true precision shooting is what you want to do (Precision means different things to different people). If you have $500 to spend Sightron makes some scopes in the Sll line that will fill the bill. They offer a couple different reticle choices, adjustable objective, target turrets, 1/8th MOA clicks, and variable power up to 16 or 24X. Elevation travel is limited, but with a 20 MOA rail you should be able to reach out to 500 yds or so before you run out, depending on your zero. I have 4 Sightron scopes, the least expensive from the SllB line. All have given me great service, with the exception of one purchased off the EE which arrived defective. Hirsch Precision and Sightron were great to deal with. The scope issue, which was a result of someone dicking with the internals was dealt with in a timely manner, and the warranty honored, even though I was not the original owner AND the defect was not of Sightrons making. So, if $250 is all you have to spend, by all means, the Bushnell Elite series are nice scopes, but if you can go to the higher end of your budget I think in the long run you would be happier with something better suited as a target scope. Just my 2 cents.

P.S. Not sure whether it is a typo or not, but Hirsch's website shows the SllB 6-24 duplex at $450.00, $9.00 cheaper than the same model in the Sll. If this is the case it would be a great deal, as the SllB has upgraded glass coatings and slightly more elevation available.
 
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