Need help choosing a scope

[CommanderPoopyduX]

As the title states, I need to choose a scope. I just purchased a Remington 700 SPS Varmint in .223 and it needs optics. I am wanting to mainly just do long range paper shooting and would like to have the adjustable knobs (I know they are all adjustable, but the ones that actually have numbers on them and don't require removing the cap and using a coin).

I don't really have a "budget" but I spent less than $500 on the rifle, so If possible I would like to stay aroundish $300-$400....and I know the sky is the limit but I would prefer to have more in the gun than in the optic.

One of the main choices I have looked at is the Super Sniper, probably 16x42 30mm......but I am not dead set on those....also on their 10x how important is the focus being on the side of the scope, as opposed to the back of the scope? Does it make a $100 difference?

Thanks for the input!

PS - which bipod would be a good choice for mostly bench, occasional prone shooting with this gun?

 

[bluedsteel]

I have a 700 SPS in .223, and topped it with a Leupold VX-III 6.5-20 with side focus and Varmint reticle...best scope and rifle combination I have ever owned...yes, spend more on the scope than the rifle...with what you saved on the SPS versus a 700P or LTR, you can afford to!

bluedsteel

 

[Outlaws]

long range paper shooting............I would prefer to have more in the gun than in the optic.

Whats long range to you? I would say a $500 scope on a $500 rifle is not out of place.

 

[CommanderPoopyduX]

Well, long range is as far as I can expect the .223 out of the 26" Barrel to accurately perform.....and I can't get a definite answer on that.

So, which $500 scope do you recommend Outlaws?

bluedsteel - thanks for the info

 

[Stover954rr]

I have the Leupold Vari-xIII couldn't be happier... Good optics are worth the money.... I tried to get away with a cheaper scope, I just ended up buying two scopes rather than the good one to begin with!

 

[Outlaws]

I have a VX-III. With some time browsing online, you can get a very nice one of those for around $500-600 with the target knobs.

I would say 600 yards is the outer limits of a good shooter for the 223. 300-400 for most of us (the wind gets wicked). Its not that you need lots of zoom, you just need a really clear picture when you partake in long distance shooting. But a clear picture doesn't come cheap. Look at it this way, if you ever upgrade your rifle because you want those tighter groups, you will already have a scope that won't look too out of place...even on a much more expensive rifle.

Not everyone can swing it financially, but a lot of people who could swing it don't because they might not get how important a nice scope really is. I think part of that is a lot of people have never peeked through one, let alone had a chance to use one.

 

[browningguy]

You also might look at the Burris FFII in 4.5-14 for around $350. I've got several 3-9's on different rifles an like them quite a lot, I'm going to order one of these for the new .300 I'm having put together.

The VXIII is an ecellent scope by the way, just a little more money.

 

[atomchaser]

Look at the Nikons that Natchez Shooters Supply has on clearance. They have a 5x16x44 AO Monarch for $289. They compete well with scopes at the $400-500 price point.

 

[CommanderPoopyduX]

I have never owned an adjustable scope before, and the one on my deer rifle (Rem 700 30-06) is an unknown power....it is a Tasco that came mounted on the rifle when I bought it used and never swapped it out (I was 14 when I bought and didn't know better, and now that I kill 2 deer every year I'm afraid to jinx myself by changing it). My question from this is, is a fixed power scope for target shooting not versatile enough, and how strong is too strong (for instance is a fixed 16x too much for 100 yards)?

Also, am I getting the feeling that the $300 Super Snipers are just that, a $300 scope that isn't as good as the Leupolds and Nikons (of similar pricing)?

Can target knobs be added to any scope, or do they come from the factory. That seems to be the hardest feature to find on the scopes I have been looking at....

 

[mmike87]

It's no uncommon at all to spend more on the optic than on the rifle. People put $2200 S&B Short Dots on $1200 AR-15's quite often.

That said ... look at Zeiss Conquest scopes. I bought a 3-14.5x44mm on an auction site, new in box, for a little over $500 (retail about $750) and I am really impressed with it. Glass is clear as day.

The various Nikon and Burris offerings are well received as well.

 

[viking499]

The new Leupolds do not look as good as my 20 year old leupolds. I have since went to a few 6-18 Nikon Buckmasters for under 300 and really like them. Lifetime warranty looks good too.

 

[MIL-DOT]

if you're considering something like the super sniper,with its target knobs and mil-dot (no relation) reticle, then check out the bushnell elite 3200. great scope for the money. i saw one on-line somewhere last night for $175 or so, might have been at centerfire.

 

[Jim Watson]

A lot of the casual shooters of my acquaintance like the Bushnell Elites.
They don't have true target turrets but are finger adjustable.

The only thing I have against the 10x Bushnell Mil-dot mentions is the lack of parallax adjustment. It is a good clear little scope at a low price.

The add-on knobs by Stoney Point are marginal. Might be ok for small adjustments but were useless to me for Long Range going back and forth between 600 and 1000 yards.

Leupold will put target turrets on nearly any of their scopes... for $112.

The Super Sniper seems to be a serviceable cheap scope if you do not mind fixed power and the coarse mil-dot reticle. It's greatest advantage besides low price is its wide range of adjustment, if you shoot a number of different distances.

 

[Outlaws]

I have never owned an adjustable scope before, and the one on my deer rifle (Rem 700 30-06) is an unknown power....it is a Tasco that came mounted on the rifle when I bought it used and never swapped it out (I was 14 when I bought and didn't know better, and now that I kill 2 deer every year I'm afraid to jinx myself by changing it). My question from this is, is a fixed power scope for target shooting not versatile enough, and how strong is too strong (for instance is a fixed 16x too much for 100 yards)?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I have a couple of old Tasco scopes. They work fine. But if I was shooting more than 200 yards with them I would have a different opinion.

But people shoot 1000 yards with fixed 10x scopes all the time. Then again, people shoot shorter ranges with fixed 44x scopes too. Its just personal preference.

The new Leupolds do not look as good as my 20 year old leupolds.

 

[koja48]

focus being on the side of the scope,

I like the Super Sniper 10x I have, tho I wish it were variable power. Scope is clear & bright. The adjustment on the rear is diopter adjustment; the parallax adjustment side option is much more convenient (particularly in a hunting situation) than reaching to the front end bell to make the needed change.

 

[S&WKING]

Look at the Nikons that Natchez Shooters Supply has on clearance. They have a 5x16x44 AO Monarch for $289. They compete well with scopes at the $400-500 price point.

i agree a nikon and a leupold at the same price then nikon would be my choice i am planning on getting a monarch 6x24 i believe and its around 480$ and the the lenses in the monarch are about the same as a 600$ leupold

 

[rangerruck]

nikko sterling is great, so are the hi powered weavers, the bushnell 32 and 42 series, and last but not least , the Tasco Varmint Series. these will all have hi power, and be under 300 bucks, the nikko will have side parralax focus, which is super nice, not have to look up move, over, check where you are grabbing, etc., to move the focus, as you would with a normal AO adjustment ring.