Scope Recommendations

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Luxy54

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Hi all,

I have a Sport II and I'm contemplating adding an optic. What type is the question. It's primarily a range toy, no hunting or tactical stuff. I'd just like to be able to shoot more accurately at distance than my old eyes w/ iron sights will allow. 300 yds. is the max at our range. I'm not really looking for high magnification or an RDS so I've been narrowing the choices down to a 1x5 or 6 style (Vortex?) or fixed mag. 3 or may be 5x. I kinda like the style of a fixed sight (Primary Arms) but I'd like to get feedback from those that have actual experience with either one style or both on their AR. Oh, and I'd like to keep the cost under $250.

Appreciate your input and recommendations!

Luxy
 
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I'm 73 and need a scope too. I did a lot of research and ended up with a Vortex Spitfire 3X and couldn't be happier. I can benchrest down to 1moa with it, but still pick off steel at 300 yards and shoot close-up too. The crosshairs also act as range finders. Look it up and see for yourself.
 
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Thanks guys.

Sort of validates my thinking that both types will probably meet my need. I don't want/ need a big and heavy optic. I really do like the aesthetics/ idea of a lower fixed power (KISS) but don't want to be kicking myself later for not going with a variable power, especially for close range.
 
double your budget and buy american

Leupold 2.5 - 8

lifetime support and warranty no questions asked
 
For a range toy, the Acog is overkill in my opinion. Primary Arms makes compact scopes with power from 2.5 to 5x priced between $200 and $350 that will probably serve you as well as an Acog.

That said, the Acog would be my choice for combat or serious duty.

I have both the 1 x 6 Vortex Strike eagle and the 2.5 Primary Arms compact scope, and both perform very well for my use.
 
I really like the Trijicon ACOG w/ integral RDS but it's also 3x the cost of my AR and I'm not anticipating any serious combat in the foreseeable future!

Rock,
If you had to chose one as you're go to scope which would it be the Vortex or the PA?
 
I bought a Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 1.5-4x20mm several years ago. I don't recall the cost, but I don't think they are expensive. Very basic, good quality scope with a plain duplex reticle.

It's a small, lightweight scope and more than adequate for most needs. No gimmicks, illumination, batteries, or other features that may be of dubious worth to some shooters. Also, consider good resale value should you decide to sell.
 
Yes. The Mark AR is one I have been considering along with PA and Vortex. I've seen them around $250 on sale.
 
I am using this scope as a cheap bang around/range use/coyote hunting scope.
So far it has held up well and in your price range. The BDC is set up for 55gr amo, so it doesn't work well with my amo, but otherwise has been a good value.


Tru Glo S Tac 3x9x42
 
Luxy54 said:
I really like the Trijicon ACOG w/ integral RDS but it's also 3x the cost of my AR and I'm not anticipating any serious combat in the foreseeable future!

Rock,
If you had to chose one as you're go to scope which would it be the Vortex or the PA?
Click to expand...

I have the Vortex 1x6 Strike Eagle on my favorite AR. It has an illuminated reticle which when on 1 power works pretty much like a red dot. I can use it with both eyes open. When I want to reach out a bit I can crank the power up. The reticle is etched, which means even if your battery dies, you can still use it like a normal scope.

At the present time My Primary Arms 2.5 compact scope is in it's box on a shelf in my safe awaiting a rifle for it. I personally prefer the Vortex.
 
My vote goes to the Leupold Mark AR. Great optic. Love mine. Its American made and keeps more of your dollars in America.

The Nikon P-series is great too!
 
agksimon,

Looked at the Spitfire 3x. Very nice scope - similar to the PA I'm interested in but a little more $ than I'd like to spend.
 
I have two AR's with Nikon P223 3x9x40mm scopes and they work great. I also have 2 with Vortex Crossfire 2 4x12x40mm scopes that I also like. One of the Vortex scopes is on AR 10 308 that I plan on hunting Deer with.
 
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OK, this pushes your budget a little, but I've had very good service from this:
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Lux-Optics-Close-Medium-Riflescope-Illuminated/dp/B00BJXLXTE[/ame]
 
Never heard of Hi-Lux but looks like a nice scope. It is above my budget. Good reviews on Amazon for the 7.62 version. I think I'm going to wait for a sale on either the Vortex or the Leupold. Midway was offering the Vortex SE w/ free cantilever mount - seems like a decent deal.
 
Luxy54 said:
Midway was offering the Vortex SE w/ free cantilever mount - seems like a decent deal.
Click to expand...
Yes, $300 for a scope and mount is about as good a deal as you'll find. Vortex makes great scopes. The Strike Eagle is one of their lower end scopes, but for your purpose it's the right thing.



Just for the record:
Save money on the gun, but spend money on the glass. A good scope will almost always cost more than the gun. Every rifle I have has a scope on it that cost more than the gun. One is 3x the cost of the gun. I've had many cheap scopes and all were a disappointment. Once I finally broke down and got a decent scope, I realized just how important a quality scope is. You can shoot sub MOA groups with a $1,500 scope on a $500 gun. You can't shoot even MOA groups with a $7,000 gun and a $50 scope.
 
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Luxy54 said:
Never heard of Hi-Lux but looks like a nice scope. It is above my budget. Good reviews on Amazon for the 7.62 version. I think I'm going to wait for a sale on either the Vortex or the Leupold. Midway was offering the Vortex SE w/ free cantilever mount - seems like a decent deal.
Click to expand...

Hi-Lux has a history during the Vietnam War on sniper rifles. Not sure where they fall in the quality scale but my impression is they fall in the mid range.
 
I have Burris 3x9 Fullfield II's on both my .308 Win AR's. Pretty good glass and a good bang for the buck with life time warranty. You can get em for $200.00 with free shipping on a lot of the optics sites on the web.
 
Luxy54 said:
agksimon,

Looked at the Spitfire 3x. Very nice scope - similar to the PA I'm interested in but a little more $ than I'd like to spend.
Click to expand...

I know the gun department manager at Cabela's and he sold it to me for $235, over $100 off. I've seen them slightly used for that and less too.
 
Midway has the Leupold Mark AR Mod 1.5 - 4x for $250 w/ mount. Seems like a really good price. Does the 1.0 vs. 1.5 make all that much of a difference? Our range is limited to 300 yds so I don't think 4x vs. 6x will be a big deal. Compared to the Vortex SE or PA that are 1-6x.

Really appreciate all the great feedback.
 
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Luxy54 said:
Does the 1.0 vs. 1.5 make all that much of a difference?
Click to expand...
No, not at all.

Luxy54 said:
Our range is limited to 300 yds so I don't think 4x vs. 6x will be a big deal.
Click to expand...
Range doesn't really matter. The difference between 4x and 6x is really very small. It's more a marketing move to increase the mag to 6x. In the real world it makes almost no difference.

I use my 3-18x50 to more than 1,000 yards. I'm glad I didn't spend the extra coin to get the 4-24x52 because the extra mag has more issues than benefits.
 
Got my m&p in 2000, 1st scope was a leupold mark ar 1.5x4. Loved it but after a nice work bonus wanted to try a eotech. It is nice, but the magnifier has little eye relief, so leupold goes back. Changed the scope(cheap) when i got a new handguard... Nope. Leupold goes back. Always has been in a burris pepr, beast set up.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
Luxy54 said:
I really like the Trijicon ACOG w/ integral RDS but it's also 3x the cost of my AR and I'm not anticipating any serious combat in the foreseeable future
Click to expand...

The great thing about the ACOG is it's not just a combat scope. Yes, it can handle combat or full blown home defense, but it's also really usefull in matches. I love mine for most of my club tactical matches because you can shoot 25-500 or even 600 yards in a blink of an eye with no turret adjustment or calculations of mildots. Just use the 5.56 reticle built in and you can put your shots an almost any distance in a blink of an eye.

It really is a great scope, one of the greatest in fact.
 
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