Inexpensive glass for .50 BMG

[Chipperman]

I've been looking into various .50 options, and think I'm gonna go with an upper, either Ferret or ALS.

While browsing some auctions for Barretts, I've seen several that come with Bushnell Elite scopes. Checking out SWFA, I've noted that these retail for less than $200!!

I was under the impression that any scope for a .50 needs to cost at least $600, and probably more like $1200 if it's going to last. Is this not true? Are these Bushnell scopes gonna be toast after 5 rounds? Are there any scopes for a .50 that cost less than $600 and will last?

Thanks.

 

[bclark1]

I'm not sure how a Bushnell would hold up as I've never tried that combination... but just as an aside regarding practicality... at $4 a round for factory stuff, is .50BMG something you really shoot on a budget?

I know that some of the nicer Bushnell scopes seem to hold up fine on slug guns, but I haven't heard for much bigger than that.

 

[PvtPyle]

Super Sniper. Works well on my M99.

 

[quatin]

get a leupold with their life warranty. price doesn't always equal quality.

 

[Chipperman]

I am willing to spend the money to get a good scope. I just don't want to spend a $1000 if $500 will do, you know? (BTW, You can find factory .50 rounds for much less than $4 each).

A big part of my push to get one now is the recent election. I fear we will have a .50 ban in MA within the next year.

SWFA has Super Snipers for $300. That's certainly inexpensive enough for me to be happy. Do they have a good warranty? If I have to spend more to get a good warranty, I will.

price doesn't always equal quality.

Exactly. That works both ways, too.

 

[soul_rapier]

i seen some leupold at wally world starting around $300 and up good scope got one on my 7mm no problems at all with them ..good luck

 

[Fred Fuller]

One more vote for the Super Sniper (w/o side focus, mind you). Worked ok on Serbu's prototype and has done well on my production example too.

lpl/nc

 

[ocabj]

Barrett was bundling the Bushnell Elite 3200 10x mildot on their rifles for a while. These scopes are tested for 50BMG and they are very rugged. There is nothing wrong with the 3200 10x mildot. It has repeatable adjustements and clear glass. It's not variable, so if you require a variable scope, this isn't for you. It's 10x, so if you require higher magnification, then this isn't for you.

If you're going to get a Leupold, you need to get a Mark4 series or better to make it worthwhile. There's no point in getting a VX3 or less. There are other scopes that are the same quality, if not better, in the VX3 (or lesser) price range. The Leupold Mark4 series is the best sub-$1k scope.

Nightforce probably makes the best scopes in the $1k price range.

Burris has a new 'tactical' scope line which hovers at the $650 price range. Definitely worth looking into.

Lots of people blindly recommend Leupold. Granted Leupold makes good scopes (as long as you're not talking about their Wind River line) and have excellent warranties, so do the other scope manufacturers.

 

[50 Freak]

The Super Snipers have a tendency to fail on lighter 50BMGs. I've had 2 20X SS's fail on my 50's. One was a Serbu BFG (22 pounds) and the other was the UltraMag50 (15 pounds).

I now have a IOR Valdada. Haven't had a chance to shoot it, but it looks tough and very heavy duty.

If you are mounting a SS on a 40# Armalite, then you will have no problems, but on the lighter guns...spend more money on the scope. You need the strongest one you can afford. And make sure it has a fantastic warrantee.

 

[Chipperman]

The Super Snipers have a tendency to fail on lighter 50BMGs.

So should I hang a brick from the muzzle break?

I'm gonna be shooting at 600 yards or less, so I don't need extreme magnification. Most of the time, I'll probably be shooting at 200 yards.

 

[50 Freak]

I like to see what I'm shooting at and the 20X is fine for me. Although I have cut it down to a 10X recently.

 

[Outlaws]

If you are going to get a .50BMG rifle, being on a tight budget might not make it the best of purchases. You still need a lot of accessories that will add up to some serious cash. You seen the cleaning kits? You can spend $150 on one. What about a case for the rifle? Those are gonna cost you a good $200 if they are not supplied. You might be able to get cheap ammo for $1-1.50 a round, but like everything in life, prices go up and down...but in this case I don't expect it to go down. You going to handload for it? Those presses are not cheap. Expect at least another $500 to get started on that.

Ask over at the .50 forum about what scopes they recommend. I was only aware of about 3 scopes that are suitable for the BMG. I mean really, if you are going to spend $2000 on a .50 upper, is it really that bad spending $1000-1500 on a nice piece of glass for it?

 

[Chipperman]

One more vote for the Super Sniper (w/o side focus, mind you).

A lot of the Leupolds have side focus. Is side focus bad all around, or just on Super Snipers?

 

[ndh87]

seems to me that if your already buying a .50 cal a hundred dollars more or less on a scope isnt going to matter too much

 

[RecoilRob]

Re: side focus

I LOVE the side focus feature on a scope that you will use to engage targets at varied range.

Much more convenient to reach and most have range markings that can act as a 'poor mans rangefinder' of sorts once you have the target in focus.

The advice about the recoil potential of the rifle chosen vs scope choice IS relevant and true. The heavier rifles don't pound you or the scope as badly as the featherweight ones will.

And, the choice of muzzle brake can influence the decision too. A really effective brake can mitigate the recoil on a light rifle...but at the expense of negative G recoil on the scope.

Most scopes are built to take normal recoil force but the brake applies a force backwards to what is normal. Very similar to spring piston air rifle recoil that seems to be hard on some scopes that weren't built for the purpose.

I have an AR-50 with an older Tasco Custom Shop 10X40 50mm with 30mm tube on it. Has held up fine over 300 rounds or so...but could fail miserably on the next shot. Have heard of Leapold and (gasp!) even Nightforce scopes coming apart on our favorite rifles.

My normal advice to someone contemplating the move into the 50 World is to 'Get The Rifle'. If you put a cheap scope on it to get it shooting, well, you are shooting! How long it holds up is an undefineable variable. So long as you don't have much money in the scope it isn't that much heartbreak to replace it when it fails.

Of course, this is offered for the casual 'rock buster' and NOT a Counter Sniper or Competitor who would suffer sever consequences if they encountered a scope failure.

So long as a scope blowing up would only be a 'damn, the scope is wrecked' kind of moment and no lives or trophy lost, why not go with a reasonable priced scope and see how it lasts?