Has anyone made an SPR out of their M&P? I put an 18" 1:8 twist match grade barrel on my M&P and have been using a Bushnell AR Optics 4.5-18x40. It's been serviceable.

I'd like to upgrade my scope. As awesome as it would be to have a $1,000+ optic, my budget is only $400.

What are you guys running on your SPR? Recommendations???

What type of range are you shooting your SPR? Is this being used as an true intermediate sniper or designated marksman rifle? What is the Bushnell not doing well for you?

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Use should dictate gear!

The Bushnell is not bad. The parallax adjustment doesn't work all that great. The glass is average, but I'd like something a little clearer and cleaner. The BDC is a bit off, but I expected that.

I haven't shot it farther than 300 yards. With good ammo, I shoot about 1 moa at 100 yards. It would've made a good coyote gun, but I haven't hunted in years. I just want to squeeze out every 1/4 inch I can.

Well if you are looking to get better groups at 100 I think it is more about the Indian than the arrow at that distance unless your glass really sucks.

With your budget I would look for a Leopold AR line. Mark AR Rifle Scope | Leupold

The Mark AR MOD 1 4-12x40mm fits your needs and your budget.

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Use should dictate gear!

Yes, this indian knows his skill level. I'm not really looking for better accuracy. I'm looking for better quality glass. I just wondered what others were running on their SPR.

Getting better glass than what you have, when you only have $400 to spend, is going to be tough, but not impossible.

The scope I would recommend for long distance with an AR is this one:
Buy SWFA SS 12x42 Tactical Riflescopes at SWFA.com

It fits your budget, has a decent reticle and good reputation. A friend and I went to a long distance class. He has one of these on his .308Win rifle. He was ringing steel at 1,250 yards.

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Freedom isn't free.

I have a SWFA SS and for the money it is real good value.

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

Thanks! SWFA wasn't even on my radar. I'm really warming up to the idea to a fixed power scope. Why not? I don't hunt with it.

I've got a fixed SWFA SS. Put it on one of my long range .22LR. The criteria was the over 100MOA of elevation adjustment and a reputation for the turret mechanisms holding up to abuse... and with a .22LR going from 60 yards out to 300 there's a lot of turret cranking! . I also like the big bold turret markings... nice for older eyes. That said, if the criteria is better looking brighter sharper glass... doubt you'd see much difference over what you have now.

To throw an extra hundred or two toward a scope (over what you have now) with the expectations of significant improvement in how the glass looks to your eyes... that's not so easy. You might consider taking your Bushnell down to Cabela's or Bass Pro or other large store (inside distance) and compare one on one. When you look at a white wall that appears dirty tan... hand those back to the sales guy.

You mentioned a BDC reticle. At the distances you're shooting that's not much value. Maybe reconsider what type reticle and thickness is best suited for what you want.

If your in no hurry waiting for holiday sales will put some nice scopes in your price range.

The Vortex I run is normally in the $600-700 range and I picked it up for $400.

Labor day is coming soon.

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

I'm in no real hurry. I was looking at the usual suspects like Vortex, Leupold, Burris, etc.

It's interesting that a $200 scope is on a similar level as a $400 scope. I wonder at what price point you get to the next level?

In the world of tactical optics there's a big difference in quality between a $200-$300 optic and a $400-$500. Although, I'm not sure if there's a huge difference in performance between those price points.

I think I may save a bit more and wait for a good deal.

Thank you to those who responded

Not really. It's a simple truism that optics manufacturing has improved greatly in the last 20 years. In the past you could clearly (see what I did there) see a difference between low and high quality glass. Now they are able to maintain a very high clarity even on low end scopes.

But glass isn't everything. Clear glass is great, but if the internal mechanics aren't good, the scope won't hold zero. Low end turrets/adjustments make for squishy and uncertain adjustment. Poorly etched reticles are hit and miss on whether you get an accurate reading.

I've learned the hard way; it's worth it to spend the money on glass and save money on the rifle. I can shoot a 1/2MOA group with a $500 rifle and $1,500 scope. I cannot shoot a 1/2MOA group with a $5,000 rifle and a $50 scope.

I've done a lot of research on optics. It's worth it to spend the money on the glass. That is, unless you really don't care.



Now, you're a vet. Vortex offers a 40% discount to vets. I can refer you to the program or you can just call Vortex. This program puts really high end optics in a price range us regular guys can afford. I saved up for a few months and bought a Vortex Razor HD Gen II 3-18x50. It was worth the wait.

To make this perfectly clear, this discount means you can get this scope...

Vortex Viper PST Gen II 1-6x24

...for $600 (MSRP $999) shipped to your door. This is not their top end, but it's right next to it. If you want more magnification, the 3-15x44 Viper PST Gen II would be $719 shipped to your door.

In other words, if you push your budget just a little, you can have a really nice scope with an unlimited, no questions asked warranty (that you won't need to use) for not a "high end" price tag.

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Freedom isn't free.

I'm thinking about purchasing this one. I was looking at the Viper line at Cabela's. VERY nice glass for the $400-$500 range. I do believe it'll be an upgrade to what I'm using now.

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I recently bought a Vortex HS-T 4-16x44mm. I got the milliradian version, since my software can give me predictions in both MOA and milliradians. It has tic marks at 1/2 mil intervals rather than dots. Glass is very clear with no edge distortion and side focus works very well. I borrowed a Leupold AR 6-18x40mm but was not impressed by it due to lack of clarity.
I find that unless I am handloading, there is no point in using a high power scope. Commercial ammo is only good for 2 to 3 moa.
POSTSCRIPT: I considered a BDC reticle, but decided against it. Here's why: The usefulness of the BDC reticle depends on how closely your ammunition duplicates the performance characteristics of the ammo they used to position the hash marks on the BDC reticle. For most .223 reticles, it is a 55g FMJ bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3100 (sometimes 3200) feet per second. If your ammo of choice departs from this standard more than just a little, the BDC marks will not be very helpful. This is especially true if you shoot heavier bullets at slower velocities. Also, even if you shoot a 55g bullet; ballistic coefficient may vary from the standard they used and will change the amount of drop as the bullet flies downrange.
But a reticle with MOA or MIL hash marks does not depend on the type of ammo used. You will need some ballistics software to enter your chrono data along with weight and ballistic coefficient (available from manufacturers website) and you will get good drop predictions for out to 1000 yards and beyond. Some good ballistics programs are free at the app store. I use a program called 'Bullet Drop' and run it on my Iphone. So at the range or in the field, your software will be at your fingertips. A better way to go, in my view.

I have and use that scope, mine has the mil dot instead of the BDC reticle though.

Being or have been military is there any reason your not signing up for the Vortex military discount?

Either way, for the money it's a great scope with a great warranty.

I now also have a gen II Viper pst 5-25 x50mm, and while it's better glass than my standard viper it's not that far off.

I think you'll be happy. Here is my viper in a cheap BURRIS PEPR QD mount on my DDM4V11 PRO rifle.

IMG_8408 by hd_rolling, on Flickr

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

BTW, the Burris PEPR is an excellent and popular mount, but it is heavy. It weighs 8.7 ounces. In an effort to keep the weight of my AR down (after adding a 20.3 ounce scope), I bought an Aero Precision mount for mine. It weighs a little over 3 ounces. Photo below (with a different scope).

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That was my 2nd choice. Cabela's had those for $399. The glass clarity was EXCELLENT! It looked like a great deal.

I use that Burris mount on 2 of my AR'S. I'll definitely take a look at that Aero Precision mount.

I used the Burris PEPR at the time because it was what my budget would allow and it was going on a budget optic. Worked well for a range only mount.

For my Vortex Viper GEN II PST I went with the ADM recon QD mount with built in 20MOA, I use this on a 6.5 Grendel at 600-1000 yard ranges hence to need for the added 20 MOA.

ADM makes a great mount if your still researching mounts as well.

Pic of AMD on my 20" Noveske 6.5 Grendel

oogf by hd_rolling, on Flickr

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

Great info. I have a PEPR on my XTR II and was looking for a lighter weight mount. Is it the "ultralight" scope mount? About $ 80.

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Still carrying my S&W 642

That price of $399 is a STEAL for that scope. $549.00 is the most common online price and is what I paid.

I may be mistaken... It was the MOA model. It was not the -T model (whatever that designates). They have so many different versions. It was still a great price at $399.

The Viper HS (hunter scope) has covered turrets

The Viper HS-T (hunter scope-tactical) has exposed turrets and I believe a zero stop.

The HS models are normally around $100 or so cheaper than the HS-T model.

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M&P15 sport II, Retired Army

I also have the Aero Precision on my custom built AR with the Strike Eagle scope. I got the ultralight with the maximum extension and it works perfectly. Weight is about 3 oz.

CustomAR 02.jpg

It was this one... it's on the Cabela's website. Great price. I'm sure I'll regret not getting this one too. (Believe me, I thought about it.)

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Yes, the 'Ultralight'. There are several different versions depending on whether you need 1" or 30mm rings, basic position, 1" forward, or 2"inches forward. There may also be a 3" forward. Also colors: black and desert tan.
Best prices were on Amazon. I paid $59 for mine.