Tactical Scope Needed (Am I missing any?)

[svltrack]

In the market for a Tactical 3-6 to 18-24 power variable in 40-44 scope for my AR10. I have been looking at a few.. namely the IOR Valdada, Leupod and Vortex.

Am I missing any? I doubt I really could go wrong with any of the mentioned setups however if someone has a better recommendation I am all ears. I am OK with a higher budget item but would like to stay below $2k

[TommyG]

If you are willing to spend up to $2K I would take a look at Nightforce. We have been shooting out to 600 with a new 5.5 to 22 and it is really impressive.

[sjohn26]

SVL:

Do your skills and shooting conditions really "need" a scope of that cost or is the money better spent on ammo or other necessities?

[TommyG]

SVL:

Do your skills and shooting conditions really "need" a scope of that cost or is the money better spent on ammo or other necessities?

Good advice. Give that some serious consideration and be honest with yourself. The potential price difference could mean another gun, tons of ammo or even a good training class.

[svltrack]

SVL:

Do your skills and shooting conditions really "need" a scope of that cost or is the money better spent on ammo or other necessities?

I'll give the benefit of doubt and assume you have no malice. I do think by me posting a thread on the topic it is implied that I see a need to have an optic on this level.

If you have any other options that I have missed that would be great..

[J Krammes]

I have some experience with Leupold Mk4. Real nice glass. I have used it out to 500yrds on a .308. I just picked up a Vortex Viper in 6.5-20x50. I did not get it mounted on my rifle yet, but just looking through it, I am VERY happy with it. Super clear. I just wish it had an open center like the Leupold. I hear that the Vortex Razer is great. I know a guy who lives in Texas who does alot of long range shooting. He runs Shmidt and Bender, but says that the IOR scopes are right up there. He acutally got to shoot the Leupold, Night Force, IOR, and S&B side by side. He puts the Leupold on the bottom of these.

Jeremy

[FLICK]

I didn't see US Optics on the list.....

[arrrrgh15]

Counter Sniper make some great glass!! And they have a military contract. Says so right on the scope!

I have seen an IOR go tits up at the most inopportune time for no apparent reason.

If I had $2000 to spend on a scope I'd spend $2000 on a scope and not look back, but the scope would obviously have to compliment the rifles accuracy.

You said your looking for 3-6 to 18-24 power, 40 to 44mm objective for under $2k. There are litteraly dozens of scopes that fit that catagory. It all comes down to features and preference. If you have LR shooting experience, you should be able to narrow the field a little.

The NF scopes will come in below $2K depending on what you're looking for. But the higher magnfication scopes have objectives in the 50 to 56 mm range. Leupold makes decent scopes less than $2K that fit your catagory. They do have a "mid range" sized scope though with a 32mm objective.

What reticle are you looking for? Do you want Mil/Mil, Mil/MOA, or MOA/MOA? Are you an objective focus guy or do you prefer side focus?

I think once you define your needs the solution will present itself.

EDIT

PS. Is the AR-10 in your post the one the scope is going on? 16" barrel? If it is, I'd put a $950 leupold or NF mid range on it and call it a day.

[animalmother85]

I'd stay away from the MOA adjustments/Mil reticle setup. Go MIL/MIL and don't look back. I wish I had sooner, oh well. Having a mil reticle and MOA adjustments isn't a bad thing, but I wouldn't call it a good thing. My Mk 4 Leupold is like that. I just don't like the idea of having a target that is read in mils and then needs MOA adjustments to get there, either mil reading and mil adjustments or moa reading and moa adjustments, like my nightforce with the NPR-1 reticle.

IORs are not bad by any means, my next scope will be a Valdada(IOR), they seem to be pretty serious and reportedly have been able to take a beating(reportedly = hear-say from fairly reliable source, nothing I've seen, but the customer service is pretty good). I plan on putting the 3.5-18x50SFP on an LWRC REPR sooner then later.

This guy/webstore is pretty good, he's a member on snipershide as well, he can answer allot of questions as well. http://www.libertyoptics.com/index1.html

[Tomcat088]

I'll give the benefit of doubt and assume you have no malice. I do think by me posting a thread on the topic it is implied that I see a need to have an optic on this level.

If you have any other options that I have missed that would be great..

It's funny that you mention this. I hope you don't take this the wrong way because it's not said out of malice. Most people don't have any "need" of a $1,500-2,000 scope, that's just how it is. If that's what you "want" and your budget can easily accomodate it, go for it though. The truth of the matter is that lots of times people spend a TON of money on a scope that they'll never fully utilize. I've seen guys with Accuracy International rifles with USO and even Schmidt & Bender scopes on them, and they've never even taken them to 300 yards. I mean if you haven't taken those kinds of rigs to 1,000 yards often, you're just spending money and not really utilizing what you have. Lots of guys that don't really shoot LR "see a need" for lots of things, but actually needing/using and "seeing" are two COMPLETELY different things. Either way, if that's what you want, we'll make recommendations. As has been said in this thread already, if you think you "see a need" just because it's an AR-10 that you MIGHT could take to 1,000 yards, then you MIGHT being seeing things a bit too much on the optimistic side.

Counter Sniper make some great glass!! And they have a military contract. Says so right on the scope!

I have seen an IOR go tits up at the most inopportune time for no apparent reason.

If I had $2000 to spend on a scope I'd spend $2000 on a scope and not look back, but the scope would obviously have to compliment the rifles accuracy.

You said your looking for 3-6 to 18-24 power, 40 to 44mm objective for under $2k. There are litteraly dozens of scopes that fit that catagory. It all comes down to features and preference. If you have LR shooting experience, you should be able to narrow the field a little.

The NF scopes will come in below $2K depending on what you're looking for. But the higher magnfication scopes have objectives in the 50 to 56 mm range. Leupold makes decent scopes less than $2K that fit your catagory. They do have a "mid range" sized scope though with a 32mm objective.

What reticle are you looking for? Do you want Mil/Mil, Mil/MOA, or MOA/MOA? Are you an objective focus guy or do you prefer side focus?

I think once you define your needs the solution will present itself.

EDIT

PS. Is the AR-10 in your post the one the scope is going on? 16" barrel? If it is, I'd put a $950 leupold or NF mid range on it and call it a day.

I completely agree with what R-15 has said here, lol. Well, besides the Countersniper comment, which I'll highlight for the truly unwashed. I would NOT touch an IOR for a tactical rifle scope, but that's just my opinion. I have heard LOTS of horror stories about IOR's NOT being able to take a beating, and not really even being able to take "normal use". They have very good glass, some of the best glass that you can get for the money. I'm not the biggest fan of their reticles, but they do work, so can't hold that against them. The main problem is that they have ALWAYS had problems with their turret systems. They don't track reliably and consistently, or they will for a while and later just go to hell. Lots of reports of bad and/or inconsistent tracking, or the scopes just going to hell and not holding zero. Every "new generation" of scope they offer, they say they've fixed the past problems and it's basically the best glass and tactical scope for your buck, and every generation (so far), has been plagued with similar problems. No thanks, I'll leave the IOR scopes to guys that like good glass, and don't dial their turrets.

It sounds like you want a decent piece of glass and are willing to pay for it. I agree with R-15, list out what you really want from the scope in terms of other specs, and a solution will present itself rather quickly. Do you want Mil/Mil, Mil/MOA, MOA/MOA in terms of reticle and turret adjustments. Do you want AO (adjustable objective) or side focus? Do you have a preference in reticle style, like a TMR, Mil-dot, Gen II Mil-dot, "Christmas tree", etc? Are you willing to go with a larger objective than what you listed? Do you want the reticle to be SFP (Second Focal Plane) or FFP (First/Front Focal Plane)?

R-15 kind of hinted at this, but I'll just flat out say it. If you don't know what 3/4's of what we just talked about is, or how to utilize it, then you probably don't NEED a ~$2k scope. If you still want one and want to grow into it, that's fine. Just realize that some of these things are PREFERENCES. That's why we're asking which you KNOW that you prefer, if you don't know or don't have a preference let us know. We bring this up because it's great to have quality glass, but if you have to learn how to use it and what features you like, it means that you may have purchased the "wrong" scope for you. It's just silly to most of us to pay almost $2k for a rifle scope, then realize that you want something different, and take a hit and sell the scope so that you can get most of your money back and buy another high end scope. The unwashed think that it takes a $1,500-2,000 scope to reliably shoot to 1,000 yards, and THEY'RE WRONG, but they sure are nice. Don't make the assumption that because you have a nice .308 (semi or otherwise), that it's going to make 1,000 yards, especially with a 16" barrel (even if it was a bolt gun). Loads make a BIG difference, especially past 800 yards, and 16" barrel in a semi auto .308 has a LOT of ground to make up.

As stated above, if you could kindly answer some of our questions about the particulars of the scope you had in mind, we'll be happy to toss up some recommendations that fit the bill. As it is right now, the question is far too broad to be all that serious. Answering a particular way on some of those questions may knock that number down to only 2 or 3 scopes.