Good Bang-for-the-Buck PRS Scope?

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Putting this here so as not to clutter the long-running thread on PRS in the rifle forum.

Sometime this year I'll be investing in a dedicated PRS-style rifle. I add "style" because I don't know when I'll have opportunity to compete. Nevertheless, I'm bitten by the long-range accuracy bug and will be selling off some things to fund the purchase.

I'll need a new scope. I assume a FFP Mil/Mil scope. What's are some good options for a quality scope I won't regret on a sub top-of-the-line budget? Happy to hear about the features y'all consider "must haves" in such a scope.
 
No hard cap. I'd like to keep it around a grand if possible; it would just mean I would have to sell something else if I need to go higher. I guess $2K would be top end if I want to stay production class.
 
FFP Mil/Mil is a must. I highly recommend 1) 0.2mil wind marks & 2) Christmas tree reticle. 34mm tube which will come with ~30mil of internal, which lets you get to the ~1400yrds maximum range I’ve ever seen in a match (especially with a 20moa rail or rings).

For around $1000, I’m not certain there is a better optic available than the Bushnell Elite Tactical scopes, the DMR II, DMR II Pro, and XRS II. Behind the Bushnells, I would place the Vortex Viper G2, and a long ways behind that, the Burris XTR II’s. The XTR III’s are better than the II’s, and maybe on par to slightly better than the Viper’s, but I don’t believe they caught up to the Bushnell’s, so for even money, I’d still go Bushnell.

Production class optics limit is now $2500, not $2000, based on MSRP found on the manufacturers website.

But here’s the deal with Production class from where I sit - production class is a train wreck, and we all fully expect it to change again before you’d have a rifle built and start competing according to the rules for this season... The rifles are custom - the guy who won production at the match I shot this wknd had a GAP rifle which cost $2500 and includes a Manners stock, Defiance action, and Bartlein barrel. Also, there really aren’t many production shooters out there - some pros who use it to ensure they qualify for the Finale, some newbies who could only afford a “conventional” production rifle, and not much else. There were only 6 Production shooters at the 2 day match I shot this weekend - they placed 35th - a pro classified and pro/sponsored shooter, 46th - semi-pro classified shooter, so top 45% of PRS shooters, and pro/sponsored shooter, 64th - wife of the 35th place shooter, who is also a pro/sponsored shooter (BTW, these 3 shooting GAP rifles for GAP), 72, 77, and 78th... do you really want to have to mail your rifle back to the OEM and have barrels installed every year? At the mercy of their schedule/availability to return your rifle? Just not worth it, in my book. You’re still walking the prize tables based on your score against the Open class field, so unless you’re planning to beat out these pro shooters using GAP or MPA custom “production rifles” to make one of the few Top Production spots at the Finale, just to make the Finale, there’s really no advantage to shooting Production class. And either next year the production class price will likely go up again, or the whole class will get revised, since it’s largely irrelevant. I could shoot my Seekins rifle as production class, and I don’t, simply because I don’t wanna be on the hook for sending it back to Seekins to rebarreled, for no change to my competition season or results...
 
For around $1000, I’m not certain there is a better optic available than the Bushnell Elite Tactical scopes, the DMR II, DMR II Pro, and XRS II.
There have been some real good sales on those scopes, and should be again. Bushnell is supposed to be coming up with a replacement for the XRSII later this year. Got that from the Bushnell guy at the last match.
 
Thanks. That's very helpful. No, I don't want to have to send a rifle back to the manufacturer for a rebarrel. After building a couple of Remages, I'm more comfortable with the idea of spinning a prefit on myself. But that's a topic for another thread. I'll keep this one focused on the scope.
 
Oh, I have a Vortex PST Gen II and it is nice (On sale for $700), but I agree that the DMR II Pro and XRSII are better glass.Got my DMR II with a "free" Kestel Sportsman for $960 shipped from GA Precision.
 
i'll also say the bushnell elite are pretty much the best you're going to get in the $1000 range. those bushnell track surprisingly well and are very durable. glass isn't the best though. they're fairly light weight too. and compact. pay attention though, as their marketing dept isn't nearly as good as their engineering, and seems to want to name their cheaper models very similarly. so it's easy to get confused.

however, moving up into the $1500-1700 range will snag a good used vortex gen2 razor 4-27x which is a significant upgrade imho.
 
I don't have any experience with the new Bushnell Elite scopes. I do have an older Bushnell Elite 4500 SFP 6-24 MIL-DOT that has been an excellent scope for me. I'm sure that Bushnell has improved the new Elite scopes since the 4500 came out.
 
Thanks, all. Just made a deal for a second-hand Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27X56 EBR-2C MRAD just back from Vortex with a clean bill of health. Should arrive next week. I'll put it on my Defensive Edge 260 Rem to get familiar with it while deciding what to do about a rifle.
 
My buddy Jeff has a 50% off Vortex cert from a prize table last year, I keep telling him he needs to buy a Razor Gen II with it.

Say what you will about Vortex for the fanboi “bEsT WarRaNTEee iN duH MarKet” stuff, but Vortex does support the sport highly. Discounts for shooters/Mil/LEO/instructors, match sponsorships, prize table products and discount certs... they do put their money where their mouth is to support the game.
 
Don't kid yourself they make a ton of money on optics sales.
I like my GE although at full power it is slightly darker than my Sigthrons.
Just my opinion, but making money and continuing to support the community arnt mutually exclusive.
Vortex maybe getting their investment back from the community but I cant fault em for that.

Ive still hace not gotten to handle one of rhe new Razors, haven't heard anyone complain about them yet tho.
 
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