Inexpensive Scout Rifle Scope

[Storm]

Last week I picked up a sporterized Spanish 1916 Short Rifle chambered in 7mm Mauser (7x57). I have two of these rifles in original condition, but this sporter was extremely well done. Someone spent a lot of time, money or both on this rifle as the bolt has been greatly modified and the rifle refinished to one of the nicest finishes that I have seen. The metal on a 1916 can be pretty rough under the wood but someone did a major job on this one. The bore is very, very nice, and all old sights have been removed. The stock was aftermarket in excellent condition but with blah grain, so I decided to apply a black hammered textured finish, which I am very happy with. The rifle was bought as part of the collection, and I got it for $99. The previous owner indicated to the shop that the work done to the bolt alone cost him $90.

As 7mm Mauser is a good caliber that I'm partial to, and my experiences with the 1916 have been very positive (both in 7mm), and with the very short size and light weight, I figure that this could make a good scout rifle. As the gun has no iron sights the scope will be set far forward requiring extra long eye relief. I've done a search and the best somewhat affordable scope that I have some up with is the Leupold M8 IER 2X Scout Rifle scope. And while I recognize that a good scope is very desirable, I want to limit my expenditure on a scope to the cost of the rifle, which is around $100. That seems to rule out the Leupold unless I get really lucky.

Are there any decent scopes with the extra long eye relief for a scout rifle that fall into this price range that anyone could recommend? I know it won't be a great scope, but I really don't want to tie up too many bucks into this rifle, and, it will be used at ranges of at most 100 to 150 yards.

 

[greyling22]

I bought a leupy pistol scope recently. research showed the 2x pistol scopes run $125-150 on ebay and gunbroker. a little cheaper on GB. I saw a couple swift pistol scopes sell for about $65 on ebay. they're around 100 new and I hear good things about swift. the eye relief on the leupold pistol scope is around 12-24 inches.

how are you planning on mounting the scope? the scout mounts I have seen attach to the rear sight.

 

[dakotasin]

i have a burris 2.75x on my ruger frontier. it is serviceable - not great, but ok - and i believe is under $200. i wouldn't want a further drop in quality, regardless of how inexpensive the scope is, because a forward mounted scope is kind of a finicky animal.

 

[rbernie]

The Weaver 2x pistol scope will work; most other pistol scopes (especially the variable magnification scopes) will need more eye relief than your mount will likely provide.

 

[Storm]

how are you planning on mounting the scope? the scout mounts I have seen attach to the rear sight.

The scout mounts that I have seen attach directly to the barrel. There is also the XS Sights mount that mounts back by the ring, but I am more partial to using Weaver Grand Slam mounts. Here's a photo of one that shows where I'm going with it http://www.castbullet.com/misc/photos/m9303.jpg BTW, that is a Simmons 2x20 pistol scope in the photo. The Swift or Weaver sounds good.

 

[MutinousDoug]

I have both a Burris 2.75x Scout Scope and a Tasco 1.5x EER pistol scope that I am satisfied with. The Tasco is mounted on a Ruger MarkII pistol and it needs at least 12" of eye relief or you'll get vignetting. The price is in your ballpark though and at 150yds magnification is superfluous if you can make that scope work. The Burris Scout scope I have is on a 6.5 Swede and it serves well in that application. I think the barrel mount adversely affects accuracy though. Why are you committed to a scout configuration? (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

 

[Storm]

I think the barrel mount adversely affects accuracy though. Why are you committed to a scout configuration? (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

I like the idea of a long eye relief scope allowing me to see outside and around a regular scope's limited view. It would also seem to aid in quick target acquisition.

Most of the mounts that I have seen go into the old rear sight mount, but my rear sight mount is gone. The XS System attaches further back at the ring extending a rail forward.

I also want to keep the area over the bolt open.

Also, in all honesty, I like the idea of a scout rifle.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Any $39 pistol scope or red dot. BUT, you do get what you pay for. The cheap scopes will probably give out to recoil after awhile........

 

[Badlander]

Look at the NcStar 2x7 pistol scope.Eye reliefe is perfect. You can find them for about $50. they hold up well. Good reports on them over on www.marlinowners.com.

 

[Jubjub]

There's a Simmons 2X pistol scope that has a 9" minimum eye relief. Sells for about $100. I used to have one on a Ruger MKII, was a nice scope.

 

[MutinousDoug]

"Storm:
I like the idea of a long eye relief scope allowing me to see outside and around a regular scope's limited view. It would also seem to aid in quick target acquisition.

Most of the mounts that I have seen go into the old rear sight mount, but my rear sight mount is gone. The XS System attaches further back at the ring extending a rail forward.

I also want to keep the area over the bolt open.

Also, in all honesty, I like the idea of a scout rifle."

Paragraph 1:
I agree, and the idea of seeing "outside and around" the scope aids in quick target acquisition.
Paragraph 2:
There are mounts that facilitate Mauser rear bridges with the rear sight removed, but I like the XS system you just pointed me to; I think it would work better than drill and tapping the barrel like I did on my Swede.
Paragraph 3:
Having the loading area clear is what attracted me to the Scout concept but it has (IMHO) limited application in a hunting rifle. However, I have an FN Mauser with a standard scope mount that I can't use the bolt locking half of the safety rotation because of the scope interference and have lost a few rounds of ammunition when carrying the gun over my back when the bolt lifted and the rounds in the mag rattled out. That was annoying. There are remedies for this type of safety though.
The gun looks like a good application for your project; Your challenge will be finding the appropriate mounts and scopes given the limited choices available compared to standard setups. Good luck with it.
Doug

 

[GunTech]

I've never been too impressed by the NcStar, but after my Mini-14 killed two scopes (a Nikon and a Millet) I tossed on a cheap NcStar EER that I picked up as an emergency replacement. So far it's help up quite well.

 

[Storm]

I ended up ordering an NcStar 2.5x30 pistol/EER scope. I will leave the mounting question up to my gunsmith as I trust him 100%. He is a reasonable guy who will know what isn't overkill for a setup like this. I figure I can start out with the NcStar and if the rifle proves itself I can think about upgrading. Heck, the scope was only $33, on sale at OpticsPlanet, so there isn't much to lose while I figure out if the rifle deserves more.

Thanks much for the opinions.

 

[DeputyVaughn]

I have a 1916 using a NC Star 2X7 pistol scope. Shoots 1.5 groups at 100yds offhand. I have a 16.25 in barreled Mosin (formerly M44) using a NC Star 3.0X pistol scope. It shoots nice 1.25 inch groups with the 150 gr sp that I hunt with.
Both have held up well to sighting in and hunting carry through the woods for 2 hunting seasons. I think the NC Star scopes are a good value for the money.

Scott

 

[KBintheSLC]

I use a Burris Scout Scope, and I have to say it is worth the extra money. I can't think of much under $100 that I would trust for prolonged use. The Burris is tough stuff. I zeroed it once about 1500 rounds ago, and it has not moved POI the slightest bit... even though I regularly remove it from the rail. Just remember that you get what you pay for... you can burn through 2-3 cheap scopes with plenty of disappointment, or just buy 1 good one. Don't forget to get a good set of rings/mounts. No sense in buying a good scope and mounting it on a $10 set of garbage rings.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Cheap optics...

Storm--Gun Tech summed up the argument against cheap optics very well:

I've never been too impressed by the NcStar, but after my Mini-14 killed two scopes (a Nikon and a Millet) I tossed on a cheap NcStar EER that I picked up as an emergency replacement. So far it's help up quite well.

He's happy--or at least satisfied--with his THIRD cheapo 'scope. He's about paid enough for 3 cheap 'scopes to have got the Leupold scout 'scope in the first place, and been done with it.

With optics it's even more true than usually: You get what you pay for. If you don't mind distortion halos around the edge of the image, the possibility of wandering zeros, relatively poor light transmission, and the chance that the 'scope will fail completely, with no warning, just as The Jordan Buck steps out in front of you, why then, go ahead and save $$ on a cheapo 'scope.

Otherwise, it's smart to cut corners somewhere else. Drive bald tires, eat Ramen Noodles, wear patched jeans, skimp on haircuts, buy the cheapest grade of gas, lower the thermostat in the house and sleep under another blanket, etc, etc, etc. But save up and buy decent optics for any firearm you respect.

'Nuff said.

 

[Storm]

Smokey,normally I would agree with you 100%, but this rifle is an unknown quantity, so before I spend big bucks on a good scope, a rather specialized one that I have little to no other use for, I need to have some inkling whether it is worth it. A $33 investment will give me an idea of whether the rifle is worth further expense. If the rifle turns out to be a winner (it has no sights right now so that remains to be seen) then the second scope will not be a cheapo.