1000 Yard Scope

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sta500rdr

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My goal for the summer is to take my AR-15 and be able to shoot it 1000 yards. I have a decent set up and if I perfect my hand loads, I believe it is possible. Here is the issue, I have run into however. I need a scope that is powerful enough to see that far. And also when I adjust for windage and elevation I will still be able to see the target through the view.

I do not want to spend a whole lot of money since it is a pretty limited use scope. I saw a few "Counter Sniper" scopes in Sportsman's Guide, but I have no idea how they are for quality and reliability.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
 
..."I do not want to spend a whole lot of money"...

how much? to achieve your goal, good quality optics are advisable.

gunnie
 
"Shooting 1000 yards", and "don't want to spend a lot of money" are not likely to be compatible concepts
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+1.

And the 5.56mm cartridge is also not particularly well suited to that kind of range.

As for scopes, something in the 18-24x range at the top end of magnification, and with good clarity. The clarity part is what's gonna cost you. And equally important is well calibrated parallax adjustment, which won't come cheap, either. I wouldn't bet on anything south of $400-$500 to be remotely satisfactory for serious shooting at such range.
 
I was thinking the 400-500$ range. I know the 223/5.56 is not really designed for that type of shot, but it can be done. I have pretty much everything except for the optics to do this. So why not give it a try.

I am just curious what you guys might recommend.
 
check out the Bushnell 4200 series. they have some good ones in that line. i put a Millett LRS-1 on my long range rifle and i'm very happy with it, but it's BIG and would look pretty weird on an AR.

your biggest obstacle is going to be being able to shoot a heavy enough bullet so that it maintains it's flight path decently out to that range. you'll likely need something along the lines of a 77 grain bullet and to do that and reach 1k yards, you'll need a 24-26" barrel with a 1:7 or 1:8 twist rate.

600 yards is much more doable and will still be very challenging with an AR. you might want to check that out as an option.

Bobby
 
I will look into that scope.

Right now, I have been putting together Hornady 68 BTHP rounds as well as Hornady 75 gr A-Max rounds. Both seem to shoot pretty well.

I have a 24" 1:9 Heavy barrel, the only issue I am having thus far is that my scope isnt powerful enough to take me much past 600 reliably. But the holes are holding pretty steady at that range.
 
burris zee rings w/ the +20 inserts and a sightron s2 4-16 will get you there.

at 1000 yards there are a lot of environmental factors in play that your scope will have to see thru to get a good image.

also, a bushnell 3200 10x40 can do it, and is likely the least expensive option to get you there, but this is not an ideal scope for the job...
 
How about buying a spotting scope and getting a friend to call your shots? This would be the cheaper and faster solution.

Scopes that actually perform out to 1000 yards are big and extremely expensive.
 
Well, the Nikon Monarch would be my choice. I have a 6.5-20x 44mm UFCH on my .220 swift. It appears they have dropped that particular model, opting for a 5-20x and a 6-24x
http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-monarch-5-20x44sf-riflescopes.html
http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-monarch-6-24x50sf-riflescopes.html

Bobarino got into the other aspect I didn't delve into, if you really are dead set on using the 5.56 for 1,000 yard shooting:

your biggest obstacle is going to be being able to shoot a heavy enough bullet so that it maintains it's flight path decently out to that range. you'll likely need something along the lines of a 77 grain bullet and to do that and reach 1k yards, you'll need a 24-26" barrel with a 1:7 or 1:8 twist rate.
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That 1:9 twist isn't fast enough properly stabilize the higher B.C. 70-90 gr. bullets needed to make 1k yard shots with the 5.56. You say the 75 A-max's shoot OK, that surprises me. 1:9 is meant for 55-62 gr. pills.
 
The High Power Service Rifle folks I shoot with all use an 80gr bullet at the 600 yard line (single load due to the OAL). Another MAJOR issue is bullet drop at 1000 yards. I doubt that any Bushnell scope will have enough elevation ajustment (even with a 20 MOA base) to get you there with the 5.56 round.

So why not run some numbers using your current load? What velocity are you getting, how much bullet drop at 1000 yards? You'll need to answer these questions before you can match any optic to your set of conditions. For example, a Black Hills 77gr load (MV = 2,750 fps) drops 43.50 MOA at 1000 yards with a 200 yard zero (standard conditions). That's a big elevation change right there!!

Scope magnification is overated in my opinion. 15x is more than enough for MOA shooting at 1000 yards and there's no way in Hades that you'll be sub MOA with your set up and cartridge choice. Glass quality and adjustment repeatability are far more important than magnification. Crank up a cheap 25x scope on a hot day and good luck even seeing your target let alone maintaining a consistent hold.

:)
 
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burris zee rings w/ the +20 inserts and a sightron s2 4-16 will get you there.

at 1000 yards there are a lot of environmental factors in play that your scope will have to see thru to get a good image.

also, a bushnell 3200 10x40 can do it, and is likely the least expensive option to get you there, but this is not an ideal scope for the job...
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Couldn't agree more. I have shot 1,000 yard F Class for the past 7 years, and here is what I can tell you. .223 leaves ALOT to be desired. In the T/R Class that is restricted to .223 and .308, I don't believe I've ever seen a .223 on the line, and for good reason. The biggest thing you will have going against you (other than the wind) is the amount of W&E in scopes. With the trajectory of the .223 round, you are gonna need ALOT of elevation adjustment in your scope. Most scopes don't have it, and most guys use a 20MOA base to help out. dakotasin's suggest of the Burris Zee rings with the 20MOA inserts is a good one. If you get a scope with atleast 60MOA of W&E adjustment AND the Burris Signature Zee rings with the 20MOA inserts, you should be able to dial into 1,000 yards. Otherwise, you will be holding over the target by several feet in order to hit it. Because of mirage, 16 - 20X is ideal in my mind for shooting at 1k. Hope that helps.

Don
 
USSR said:
Couldn't agree more. I have shot 1,000 yard F Class for the past 7 years, and here is what I can tell you. .223 leaves ALOT to be desired. In the T/R Class that is restricted to .223 and .308, I don't believe I've ever seen a .223 on the line, and for good reason.
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1000 yards with a .308 Win on a hot and windy day is unbelievably difficult .... I can't imagine what it'd be like with a .223. Lot's of frustration for everyone involved I'm sure ... including the poor target puller!!

:)
 
Just understand what your getting into, a 5.56 will reach the 1000 yard target, sort of. As noted above, a 308 has trouble with that range. I have a dedicated 308 platform that makes fantastic 600 yard groups, but at 1000, the deficiency of the platform shows.

The 5,56 will probably, with the right setup, hit a large target at that distance, but the group size will not be the best, or better than what other more potent calibers could offer, the light mass of the 5.56 is easily affected by wind.

As for the optic, at 1000, its going to be pricey, small adjustments, less that 1/4 moa are needed, and at that distance, clear glass is a requirement. A cheaper scope might have some of the cool features of the nicer scopes, but their glass quality is for the most part, just not up to the task.

Your best bet would be to shoot at shorter distances, perfecting your technique and getting smaller groups, moving the target back in increments. This will allow you to build up a base of knowledge as well as allow you to save for the more quality items you will need later.
 
I think these SuperSniper scopes are a great bargain.. I've got the 3-9, but they also make fixed higher power scopes, and although i don't (yet) shoot 1000y, I think the 3-9 has the adjustment range.

http://swfa-ss.com/ (no affiliation, just a happy customer)
 
Look, if you really want to get a rifle that will reliably go to 1,000 yards, you're going to be spending a lot of money, and you're not going to be doing it with an AR, unless you're planning to use something like a JP LRP chambered in .260 Remington.

You're also not going to do this on any kind budget. Long range shooting is expensive. Period.

You're talking about operating far beyond the capabilities of the vast majority of rifles and optics out there, which means you're going to need a custom-built rifle with optics from Leupold at the very least, and more likely from an outfit like NightForce or Schmidt & Bender.

I really, really wish it wasn't so, but the bottom line is that making precise shots requires precise equipment built to higher standards than most. And that's just the equipment. From there, you have to build your long-range marksmanship abilities.
 
I think these SuperSniper scopes are a great bargain.. I've got the 3-9, but they also make fixed higher power scopes, and although i don't (yet) shoot 1000y, I think the 3-9 has the adjustment range.
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The scopes that I've seen on practical rifles capable of reaching 1,000 yards have zoom limits that end at 16 or 20x. 9x isn't going to get you there.
 
A guy here on a budget is looking at --- may already have gone with -- a Super Sniper 20X. They advertise 100 moa of elevation which avoids the need for eccentric rings or tapered bases.

I have shot the .223 to 1000 yards with 90 gr JLKs out of a 6.5 twist Krieger. The tabulated ballistics are comparable to .308 but I don't think the actual range performance is quite as good. The poor target pullers have the worst of it, though. It is a lot harder to see a .224" hole than even a 6mm.

A 75 grain A-max at very high velocity might do it; I know Eric at Bergers says he would rather have a 75 than an 80 or 90.
 
If you are shooting at 1k for fun then the suggestions above are good. But like was said if you are trying to be competitive or hit with regularity, your current setup is lacking.
 
After having read back over most of the replies, my own included, and then what Justin wrote (which, BTW, has tremendous merit), I think we need to establish what exactly it is you're trying to do at 1,000.

I have assumed (perhaps erroneously) that this is more for fun, not terribly serious. The required equipment will be vastly different if you intend to be competetive. That includes (once more, as Justin said) the rifle.

For example, I recommended the Nikon Monarch 5-20x or 6-24x, which is a really good scope at a price that doesn't require a second mortgage for a working class guy. But........if you plan to be competitive at that range, this great varminting scope isn't gonna cut it.

So I'll step back now and wait to find out what the goal is before commenting further.
 
Kelby / March 50x60 would be about the ultimate but you'll need almost $3,000.

On a budget the Weaver T series might work - better get a fixed power target scope on a budget to have any chance of having high enough optical quality to be usable at that extreme range under varying conditions. You'll also need a 20 or 30 MOA base of some sort.

This one's good and kinda "budget-y" in the grand scheme of things in the realm of good LR target scopes:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduc...urce=froogle&utm_medium=free&utm_campaign=657
 
c'mon, fellas... you do not have to have a $3000 scope to hit a target at 1000 yards... it truly isn't that hard w/ a little practice, a little dedication, and middle of the road equipment. you may not win competitions w/ a $1000 rig, but you can still hit targets and have a little fun at 1000 yards.
 
dakotasin is right, it's not that hard and you don't need a $3000 scope. I'm currently using a $400 Sightron 6-24X scope. But you do need enough elevation adjustment to get you to 1k. A good way to test this with a .223 or .308 is to try dialing in 35" of elevation above POA at 100 yards. If you can't do it, you really don't have enough. You also don't want to have to use all of the elevation adjustment in your scope, as this eliminates alot of windage adjustment available to you. And, you WILL use windage adjustment at 1k.;)

Don
 
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