Poll: Which Scope for Savage 6.5-284 Norma

[95huskers]

I am scope shopping for something to use with my 6.5-284 Norma (out to 1000yds) and have it narrowed down to these options. Help me out as I am stuck and don't know which one to get. Looking at the Mildot Reticle in all of them...which one will give me the best bang for my buck?

Nikon Monarch 4-16x42 Side Focus Mildot
Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44 Mildot
Millet TRS Mildot
Millet LRS Mildot
Bushnell Elite 4200 Tactical

 

[270winshort]

bang for your buck with an excellent warranty vortex viper

 

[WildRose]

Of those you have listed the only two I'd even consider are the Bushnell elite tactical series and the vortex viper.

If you get the vortex get the PST though as from the reviews I've read they are a little better made.

The best advice I could give you though is to save your money a little longer and get better glass than any of those you list above and stick at a minimum to the VX-III Leupold and Zeiss conquest as the bottom end of scopes you are looking at.

Nothing sucks like a great rifle that still cant' live up to it's potential because it's got a cheap scope on it.

Years ago a friend gave me a good rule of thumb. "Be willing to spend as much on your glass as you did on your rifle or more".

The Vortex Viper PST gets good reviews and a lot of first hand "I like mine" if you read around on the net. So do the Hawk Sidewinder Series scopes, but neither has been around very long, and ten years from now who knows if either will be around to service their warranty.

 

[backwoods83]

I'm not sure what size target your going to try for but on a regulation 1k IBS target you won't see the bullseye with anything you mentioned, its hard with a 12-42 nightforce and quite a bit harder with a 8-32 nightforce, my suggestion would be spend 800 on a 8-32x56 sightron or 900 on the 10-50x60 version or look for a used Nightforce for about a grand, you can literally use them as a hammer, there hard to beat, only thing id use for extreme ranges over the nightforce or sightron would be a March and at 3k+ that's **** near impossible to stomach!

 

[WildRose]

I'm not sure what size target your going to try for but on a regulation 1k IBS target you won't see the bullseye with anything you mentioned, its hard with a 12-42 nightforce and quite a bit harder with a 8-32 nightforce, my suggestion would be spend 800 on a 8-32x56 sightron or 900 on the 10-50x60 version or look for a used Nightforce for about a grand, you can literally use them as a hammer, there hard to beat, only thing id use for extreme ranges over the nightforce or sightron would be a March and at 3k+ that's **** near impossible to stomach!

Are you talking aout this target?

If so anyone that can't pick out the blue 9/10 ring with even a good quality 10x scope doesn't need to be shooting beyond 300 yards without glasses and a spotter.

It's a 42x42" target the center blue makes up roughly 1/3 of the width of the target so it's around 11-14" in diameter... .

No you wont' be able to count the numbers or maybe even distinguish the center white portion of the 10 Ring but there's no reason a decent shooter couldn't center up and punch it with sub MOA accuracy if the rifle is capable of it.

The number of cantelope and watermelon sized targets we've destroyed at a 1,000yds with M1 and M4 Leupolds with no greater magnification than 16X would fill many a freight train.

Anyone who's ever worked with Army, Marine, or even Air Force snipers for a day or two can attest to that.

You don't have to be able to count the numbers or see what color their eyes are to center the target and kill it.

I realize bench rest competition is a different game, but bench rest shooting is not generally the subject here.

 

[backwoods83]

Yeah that's the one, why the f#*' must everyone pick my **** apart, since I'm refering to the 3" X in the center, tell me you see that with a 10 power annd I'm gonna say you lying your *** off.

 

[WildRose]

Yeah that's the one, why the f#*' must everyone pick my **** apart, since I'm refering to the 3" X in the center, tell me you see that with a 10 power annd I'm gonna say you lying your *** off.

This is a discussion board. We are discussing. As to the rest, perhaps it's your charming personality that draws us to your posts... .

Perhaps through all the froth you missed this, perhaps it's an eye issue so I'll try and help.

No you wont' be able to count the numbers or maybe even distinguish the center white portion of the 10 Ring but there's no reason a decent shooter couldn't center up and punch it with sub MOA accuracy if the rifle is capable of it.

And...

I realize bench rest competition is a different game, but bench rest shooting is not generally the subject here.

 

[backwoods83]

The 9 ring is 13 the 10 is 8 but I don't care what the hell your shooting a 10" target is a 10" target period! If your using a 16x with a target dot it may very well cover your entire target, then you can just poke and hope. Oh my blood pressure is normal, its my tolerable ignorance level that's borderline. I hear countless stories from exmillitary people, including some friends, about what they shot and what they shot it with and all that horse ****, and I ask myself if they are so **** good why do they pay me to load there ammo? I don't need the specs of an ibs target either I've got over 20 in my closet and a couple on my wall!

 

[WildRose]

The 9 ring is 13 the 10 is 8 but I don't care what the hell your shooting a 10" target is a 10" target period! If your using a 16x with a target dot it may very well cover your entire target, then you can just poke and hope. Oh my blood pressure is normal, its my tolerable ignorance level that's borderline. I hear countless stories from exmillitary people, including some friends, about what they shot and what they shot it with and all that horse ****, and I ask myself if they are so **** good why do they pay me to load there ammo? I don't need the specs of an ibs target either I've got over 20 in my closet and a couple on my wall!

You certainly are entertaining.


No one but you mentioned target dot reticles.

The center of the 42" target is the center of the 9.

It is also the center of the 10

It too is the center of the 3" white zone inside of the 10 Ring as well.

Center the target, pull the trigger and kill it.

Again, as I said, Benchrest competition is a completely different game and that's not generally the subject of ""Long Range hunting". I do however applaud anyone who can punch three holes in a 1000yd paper target with sub .3MOA groups even though it doesn't make a hill of crap's difference when hunting game.

 

[liltank]

I own the exact same viper, but with a target dot. Very good scope and would recommend it to anyone. I would have voted for the the 4200 Tactical, but quality apparently has dropped since its first production run. My cousin has an early model and it is holding up very well. Gets abused on a Lapua quite frequently.

Tank

 

[MHO]

VORTEX VIPER PST.....By far the best glass under a grand IMO. We shoot with it at 1K all day long. Just a great scope for the money.

 

[solitude]

Vortex has the best optics, warranty and customer service for the money. If you can afford the PST with better optics, then I'd spend the money and do it. You won't regret it.

 

[rscott5028]

I would love to have a 60x March or 42x NF for my 12F.

But, the center of the target is the center of the target. Palma shooters are quite successful with peep sights at 1k. From what I've heard, which may be skewed, their 20 shot groups aren't much bigger than 20 shots worth of combined aggregates for IBS.

I have a Leupold VXiii 6.5-20x40 with a target dot reticle that works just fine for shooting at 1k. If I was competing, I might do something different.

In any case, the Vortex and Bushnell are my pick for the top of your list and the bottom of where you should set your sights.

-- richard