Hi, Got a new M&P Ar 15 sport 2. I want a scope that i can target shoot at 200 yds & get fairly tight good groups. 200 yds is as far as i shoot. I know its not a target gun. I'm 66 yrs old & have good long distance sight while wearing my glasses. It has a fixed A2 front sight. Any brands or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

We have a Weaver T36, thin crosshair, that gets use on a Colt AR, a No1V in 223Rem and some 22LRs
Easily sees bullet holes at 100 yds and have not tried it a 200 or more yet.
Often called a poor persons F Class glass.

Also doubles as a spotter for 380ACP at 50-100yds.
Weaver said it will handle 375H&H recoil levels.
LaserLyte MBS makes for quick sighting in work.

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I'd go with a 1.5 to 4X or thereabouts. Maybe a 2 to 7X, but keeping it small. Burris and Leupold make some pretty good compact and lower powered scopes.

One thing to be aware of though. At lower power that front sight post may case a shadow in the scope lens. Especially if the AR is a flat top type with relatively low rings.

Leupold scope of your choice. Lifetime guarantee! Don't put a cheap scope on a good rifle or handgun.

The scope will not give you tight groups. Only a good rifle with a lot of practice will get good groups at any range with irons or a scope.

A Leupold is a great scope. I hear that Vortex makes a good scope for the money. Both have lifetime warranties. Stay away from high power scopes 32X and larger, as you can see your heart beat in them and it can be distracting. A good variable power scope of 3-9X or a bit larger ought to do you.

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You need a low power variable scope of 1-4 or 1-6 power.

At roughly 1.5 to 2 power, the front sight will become invisible.

I’d recommend a Steiner P4xi 1-4X scope, ($640 at B&H Photo) they’re mid-priced optics and not cheap, but they’re excellent, have a lifetime warranty, and will perform well past the range you said you’ll be shooting at.

Keep in mind that inexpensive variable scopes with higher magnification ranges like 1-8 or 1-10X, are optically inferior to those with lower magnification ranges in the same price range.

Optical quality trumps magnification.

If you decide go with a low budget scope, buy one of the lower range of magnification optics.

When it comes to optical quality, accuracy/maintenance of zero, and durability, you get what you pay for.

Meopta makes excellent 1-6X variable scopes, the Optika 6 line, and they sell them at reasonable prices, about $100 less than the Steiner at B&H.

If you can afford to avoid the cheap Chinese scopes, avoid them, otherwise a Vortex low power variable is probably your best bet, but again, stick to their lower magnification range products.

Good luck.

ETA: shop around for the best price because prices vary widely among dealers.

I have 1-4X Leupold on my .223 Mini. I also shoot at 200 yds. It's plenty for that range and the usual accuracy of a 2-3 MOA carbine.

That scope won't be enough to see the holes on some paper targets so buy a 30-40x spotting scope for that. Don't load your carbine up with too much glass. It defeats the design and purpose of the rifle. It isn't a precision bolt rifle.

Most of the people I shoot with are satisfied to ring 12'' plates at 200 because 3 MOA is a 6'' dia POI at 200.

It's entirely possible that you have a 1 MOA AR but I haven't seen very many.

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My one and only scoped AR is a 20" govt model with a Vortex 4-12. More than good enough for the money. Used for a few years with approx 1,000 rounds or so. Excellent resolution imo.

The nice thing about high magnification is that you can see your heartbeat and shoot between the beats.
Mirage etc is another issue.

Old AR Sporter with the Colt scope, 3x, would group at 1.5" or less prone at 100yds.
I have a 2.5x28mm Leupold that is also used on our ARs and the 458 No.1H.

pic circa 1980.

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Well, new guy here OP.

Optics, big can of worms for discussion.

You want to work targets at 200 yards on an AR with results
you'll feel good about...OK.

My solution, is an optic that will get to a minimum 12x,
and a little more wouldn't hurt.

But when it comes to optics, that a lot don't understand,
is buy the best you can afford.

Plus one for the Meopta Optika6 1-6x24 SFP scope. At around $500 it is a lot less $ than the Steiner 1-4x24. My son and I have over 2000 rounds under ours both in carbine competitions and pig hunting. Heck of an optic for a great price. I love that it's made in Czech Republic by a company known for quality glass and quality control. Definitely worth a look. I preferred the SFP just because my older eyes don't like FFP and 24mm obj.

I like Nikon also. Have two 3-9X40's Prostaff's on rifles. One problem is that Nikon has stopped making riflescopes, to much competition.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Have got a M&P 15T and two STAG #3s that are basically like your rifle but don't have the fixed front sight post.

If you want something smaller and more balanced looking look at one of the 1-8 power scopes from Vortex, Shepherd, etc. I have the Shepherd Rugged 1-8 on the two STAGS and have no problems making hits on target out to 600 yards.

If you want more magnification would go with something in the 3.5-10/4-16 range. Still have a low enough power for close in fast shooting but more than enough topend power for precision shooting at 200 yards... Leupold would be my first choice... American made and a bullet proof lifetime warranty no matter who owns the scope... They have a wide range of powers and price points...

Bob

A friend of mine just bought a Vortex 6.5-20X44 Viper from Midway. Price was $299.00 on sale. Will see how it is next week as I will be mounting the scope on his rifle and helping him sight it in.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I’m surprised so many folks are recommending low power scopes for a rifle that will be used for paper punching. I’d look for something in the 4–12x range. And I would buy anything without an adjustable objective for shooting paper. Pick whatever brand and model is within your budget. I’ve had good luck with Leupold and the Bushnell Elite scopes. The Vortex’s I’ve tried seem to be good scopes for the dollars spent.

Step 1 is to understand the tool you're using and manage expectations.

A basic milspec AR in 5.56 is not a precision instrument. I've seen them shoot sub MOA, but most shoot MOA or slightly worse. So, start with the expectation that you'll be seeing groups no better than 2" at 200 yds and be pleased if it's better.

Step 2 is to decide if you want to relegate the rifle to target/varmint use with a high power optic, or if you want to keep it closer to it's design intent and have something that is also useful as a HD/bugout gun.

For the former, pick the high power optic of your choice. The best advice is usually to buy the best glass you can afford. It's not uncommon to spend more on glass than the rifle.

For the latter, any of the 1-6/8x LPVO optics designed for the AR would be a good choice. The allow you to use it as a red dot on 1x up close, and dial up the power for precision shots at longer distances. I have a Vortex Strike Eagle in 1-6x on a 16" AR, and it has shown MOA performance on paper out to 150 off the bench, and reliable hits on steel out to 300 in timed drills. IMHO, it performs pretty well for the price point.

I've had good luck with a Nikon P223 3x9-40 on a Nikon M223 mount.

Got A Vortex and a Aimpoint red dot on my other 2.

Thanks Folks !! I have taken in & understand all this advise & different views & ideas. this thread has been very helpful. One of my shooting buddies ( an engineer) told me "Buy once, Cry once". I see his point I don't want to end up going through 2 or 3 scopes that are not really what I'm looking for, you could of bought one you do like. I might end up spending some money. Thanks for all the help, much appreciated. This forum rocks.

Now if you can get recommendations on the type of reticle………

Let us know what you do.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

I took out my AR 15 carbine yesterday. It has a 1:7" twist barrel and I was using handloads with Reloder 15 and a 75 gr. bthp bullet. I was leaning against a fence post and shooting a steel plate about 8"x10" and getting consistent hits at around 150 yards. It was a cloudy and windy day. My carbine has a Leupold AR 1.5-4x scope with the integral Leupold mount. I was using the 1.5x setting.

The old T36 has the parallax adjustment from 50 feet to infinity.
As stated, buy the best you can afford.
Not sure if Weaver is still in business.

Some people have trouble seeing with fixed power scopes compared to variables.... so I let them use an old 3x9 wide angle.

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Weaver isstill in business. Just had positive QC dealings with them.
Thier scopes are ok I have 2 of them.
Jim

Leupold VXIII 1-4 power is what I have on my AR15.

Great little Scope, then again this setup is for Coyote
Hunting not Riots. Black Scopes do Matter.

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I put a Leupold VX-R Patrol 1.25-4x on mine.

I don't even consider anything, other than Vortex scopes these days. Best value out there. Try there Diamondback 4x12x40, standard plex reticle, scope's not even 12" long, lifetime warranty, crystal clear.

They are not the same as several years ago.
Limited number of products and other changes with warranty work etc etc.
Natchez is involved as is Bushnell.
Check the web.

If I needed another scope for punching paper and other targets, at long range, I'd consider a Leupold 45x45 at minimum or a quality variable with similar or higher magnification.
Lifetime warranty is a plus.

A 20x was issued to me with a Win 52D for smallbore with the AirForce in the late '60s.
It was like cheating against those with irons in prone.

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That front sight is going to get in the way of any optic. Your rifle may be different, but I never was able to get 1 MOA at 100 yds. from my 1:9" barrel and that's why I swapped it out for a 1:7". The heavy 75 gr. and 77 gr. bullets fly well at 200 yards. Putting any scope over 9x is a waste for this carbine, increases weight substantially and impedes handling.

Vortex is your friend here.

Midway has some great deals on Vortex currently. I only have Leupold on all my rifles. My son has all Vortex. I really can't tell any difference be tween the 2.

I bought two of the Leupold AR scopes, a 1.5x-4x and a 3x-9x and mounted them with the Leupold AR mounts on two Colt ARs. These scopes work very well and the adjustments are repeatable. I got plain duplex reticles. These simple reticles work well, perhaps better than a lot of the oddball and gadgetry reticles. If you ever want to sell or trade, the Leupold equipment holds value and is much easier to sell than lesser products.

I own Leupolds, Vortex, and Nikons. They all do about the same job. The Leupold VX-III is by far easier/faster to get a sight picture than the Vortex Viper. To be fair; it cost a bunch more. For a long range bolt gun I’ll stick with Leupold. For an AR at 200 yards most any quality name should be fine.
Your Engineer friend is spot on. I tell people all the time, “Buy Once Cry Once” when you are looking for quality. But don’t think putting a grand into a scope instead of $400 will make you a better AR shooter at 200 yards; it won’t.