Semi-Long range hunting scope...help please

[hmbleservant]

What is a good scope (for the money) in a 50mm objective, somewhere about the 15 power mark, with BDC or similar reticle for semi-long range work out to 600 yds or so.

My theory is that if I use a BDC reticle then I can compensate for elevation much cheaper than if I buy a scope that is true in the turrets. I would like to stay under $200.

Thanks!

 

[liltank]

For under $200 your very limited, but there is a few options:

Bushnell 10x40 Elite Tactical Rifle Scope $50 over budget, but worth the money

Mueller 4.5-14x40 All Purpose Tactical 30mm Riflescope Buddy of mine owns one and really likes the glass.

Vortex 4-12x40 Diamondback Rifle Scope

Vortex 6-24x50 Crossfire Rifle Scope

My choice of the bunch would be the Crossfire, and the Mueller.

Tank

 

[rscott5028]

In addition to the options already mentioned and because those options are limited by your budget, you can watch for a used Leupold on ebay. You need to be patient and informed as to what you're buying.

 

[liltank]

Thought I would take a look at Midway to see what they have on sale. Here is the Bushnell Elite 3200 10x40: Bushnell Elite 3200 Tactical Rifle Scope 10x 40mm 1/10 Mil Adjustments Mil-Dot Reticle Matte - MidwayUSA

Here's another to maybe look at: Simmons Whitetail Classic Rifle Scope 6.5-20x 50mm Adjustable Objective Mil-Dot Reticle Matte - MidwayUSA

Tank

 

[Pistol packer]

What do you plan on doing, how far is semi LR? sounds like you dont want to fidget with the thing, you want to set it up and shoot. ?
burris (the olderones and now i hear the very new ones) held a zero like a vise, but the adjustments lagged. the new diamond series is reportedly crisp and repeatable.
if you want to shoot to 500 yards or so and dont want to fiddle with the turrets, then the ballistic plex of the burris is excellent, so is the shepard scope, and several other scopes.
lilja told me years ago to ALWAYS check your scope out, the reticle and repeatability when you get it. for example, a mil-dot is supposed to have 3.6 in covered at 100 yards. most dont. some are 3.4, 3.5, 3.6. the dot itself is supposed to cover 1/4 th of that or .9 in. again most dont. you need to know how much power you can handle on a scope. you dont want a straight 40X on something you take into the brush. there a lot of people who cannot handle much over 6-10 X. nothing wrong with that. the most proficient sniper in modern history was a German with over 3000 confirmed and he used a straight 6 or an 8 if he could get it, 4 a lot of times and he had kills past a mile.
with a little old 8 mm mauser.
so, if you want a good scope that holds, but you dont want to mess with it in the field, any of the scopes listed here are great. bushnell is greatly underrated. for ruggedness i have 4 burrises that have survived 20 years in the alaska wilderness and arctic and NEVER moved off zero. the leupolds all busted but 2. some even bent under the recoil of a heavy boomer. but they have good optics.
get one, have a pro set it up and watch him, pick his brain about the procedure. get the dots, lines, etc. checked out to your load ( i have one scope that i dont like moving the turrets, set it up on a old 300 WM shooter. with the mil-dots set up for 700 yard zero, i never move it and it shoots out past 1100 yards with out me touching it, but just knowing where on the mils its needed with the yardage. quick and easy, drill deer and caribou between the eyes at 500 yds.)
after the set up, shoot a lot at the real ranges. nothing beats experience and the liscense on rocks and paper is free.
good luck and God speed.
doc

 

[Pistol packer]

i hope i didnt muddle things up too much. it all depends on what you want to do with it. a bench rest shooter wants optics, repeatable clicks and a repeatable zero that holds. scope ruggedness isnt a top priority (wilderness, extreme temp stability, etc.). LRH ers want the above with ruggedness.
if you dont look thru a scope for long times, then optics are less of a factor. i have to look thru a slit lamp at eye balls for long periods of time. you dont want a doc sewing up your eye or removing a tiny foreign body with second rate equipment. i have an old (made in the 60's) Zeiss slit lamp. Leica and Zeiss (when properly set up) almost feel like eye salve to an irritated eye. You WANT to look thru them, they dont tire your eyes even after an hour. japanese, high end american, british etc. are all second to those, but often a very close second. nightforce has excellent optics and it is more heavy and rugged with repeatable zeros but is out of a lot of peoples price range and needs as are the zeiss and leica.
if you have a friend (or can cultivate such) who works for or owns a sporting goods store, then they may let you take home some. many years ago i did just that. i had a nikon, schmidt and bender, sworski, burris, and leupold in one deal that he let me take for a couple of days. i set them up so i could look out over a bench on the Mission range here in MT. i did early a m checks, 30-60 min before daylight at barbed wire at 400 yards. i put all the scopes on the same power and checked in the dark till i could see the individual barbs of the wire and noted the time. a couple outperformed all the rest as they actually were almost like starlight scopes. with a starry night or even a bright quarter moon, you could see the fence. i repeated the procedure at noon and at dusk into the night. i checked them out in the glare and in the shadows and wrote it down. i then researched and talked to owners of a lot of different scopes to see about reliability and esp. ruggedness as i hunted in extreme conditions a lot as i moved to the alaskan arctic soon afterwards and you dont care how repeatable something is as you dont want to move a reticle in 50 below weather, the lubricant in the scope is solid, i guarantee you). i made my choice and never looked back. it wasnt a zeiss or leica and MY eyes know it, but they served me well for over 25 years and they were under 350$ so i wouldnt cry if i destroyed one on a hunt (not too much anyway). they have been frozen with 1-2 in of ice totally around them, dropped, beat, and 10's of thousands of rounds shot under them and they have never even moved off zero. most of the LRH on this site would probably not like them as they move their reticles a lot, even shot to shot and they can do things i only dream of one day doing with their ballistic programs and scopes.
so, DEFINE what you want in a scope. what will YOU do with it? then research it for THAT scope that fits the bill for you
good hunting and straight shooting.
doc

 

[hmbleservant]

Thanks for everyones help. I made a decision yesterday and went with the Mueller APT 4-14x40AO. Funds were very limited and this scope seems to do what I need it to do. Thanks again. Awesome resource!