Looking for a new scope-my brain is fried!

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  • Grendelshooter
    Warrior
    • Jun 2017
    • 214

    Looking for a new scope-my brain is fried!

    I bought a Nightforce 2.5-10x24 for my 18 inch ARP grendel rifle.
    I thought that would be the end of it. Buy once cry once right?
    Not. So. Much.

    Now I've got a 16 inch ARP socom 223 Wylde barrel for a new upper. I'm going to load 77gr match ammo, so I need a barrel other than my chrome lined PSA carbines right?! Lol!

    So I think the Nightforce will be going on that upper for my wife to shoot.

    So now I'm back to scoping the grendel rifle.

    What I'm looking for:
    Rifles purpose is taking two-legged game at up to 1000 yards.
    So a tactical scope-combat rugged.

    No more than 10x on the top end.

    Fixed mag is fine-I have a spare RMR to ride it piggyback. Though I'm not averse to a variable.

    MOA reticle and turrets, preferably illuminated or otherwise capable in EENT/BMNT.

    Budget, well, as close to $500 as possible. I could go to a grand, but I'd really rather not.

    Scopes I've been considering:
    SWFA SS 10x. This one really seems too good to be true. I haven't found anything bad about it and I know of some soldiers using them in the sandbox. No illumination but I've read it works well in low light.

    Burris XTR II 2-10x42. Seems to check all the boxes but it's BIG! Really big! Not gong to lie I want something that looks and feels balanced on my 18 inch SPR type Grendel.

    Vortex Viper 2-10x32. The gen II looks nice, but I don't like the reticle. I want hashmarks for every MOA, not every other.

    Leupold Mark 4 LR/T: No, just no. MOA turrets and MIL reticles. WTF?

    Nightforce. I just don't want to spend that much money again.

    After looking at all of those I keep coming back to the SWFA (non HD, all HD are mil scale).
    Am I nuts?

    Any other options I've overlooked?
  • Kilco
    Chieftain
    • Jan 2016
    • 1201

    #2
    I owned two SWFA SS 10x42 scopes, and I was far from pleased.

    Got the first one about 4 years ago and had it on a Rem 700 308. Scope had A TON of adjustment, 120 moa if I remember correctly. I read such great reviews and saw such great YouTube reviews. My experience was far different.

    The low light clarity was the worst of any scope I've ever owned. My ancient Tascos that go on my 22lr and 17HMR had better light transmission. A $130 Redfield Revolution had FAR better glass. Also the SWFA had a picky eye box, especially for a fixed power scope. Turrets were very mushy, not very audible clicks, the windage turret had almost no sound for clicks at all.

    After a year of NO abuse, this was a safe queen gun, the "housing?" Part that the elevation turret sits into, the part with the horizontal hash marks for each revolution of elevation, came loose itself and would rotate with the knob. This made it impossible to keep zero if you were dialing.

    Contacted SWFA, I had to pay shipping and sent it to them. They just sent me a brand new scope. I mounted it on a Ruger American .243 Win. Same mushy turrets, and again the absolute worst hunting scope I had ever used. 30 min before legal time being 100 yard no way you could tell a buck from a doe. It was that bad. I sold it to a local looking to do some long range shooting for the first time.

    If you are only shooting during prime daylight hours, and sporting your hits beyond 600 yards isn't very important to you, then I'd say the SWFA SS 10x would be fine. Other than that, I would highly advise against it.

    As far as your criteria goes, the only scope I can think of that meets your requirements, especially regarding budget is the Viper PST 2.5-10x32. THE gen 1 is a MUCH better value than the Gen II.

    I've never had a vortex fail on me, but people claim it does happen. If I were building a guun for 1000 yard two-legged action with a top of 10x, moa turrets and 1 moa hash mark reticles like the NF MOAR and RELIABLE illumination, you will probably have to fork out a little more moolah.

    Comment

    • howl
      Warrior
      • Nov 2015
      • 236

      #3
      Some web sellers will do free shipping returns. Some brick and mortar stores will, too. I suggest narrowing your choices down to a few and buying them all. Send back the losers. A side by side test, unmounted of course, will tell the tale with no questions remaining. This is just how I do it anymore. The last time I did it, I wound up sending back my first choice due to a characteristic I never would have seen otherwise until the first time I took it hunting.

      Comment

      • Grendelshooter
        Warrior
        • Jun 2017
        • 214

        #4
        I've tried looking around for these scopes locally and my local sporting goods stores have jack.
        More NCstar than anything else.

        Funny enough I do have a friend that had a Vortex break on him. That said he's the type that buys the budget line leupold on sale for $200, and thinks people that buy $500 scopes are crazy.

        He about shit himself when I told him how much my NF cost. Told me I got rooked because the only scope worth a damn was leupold lol.

        Now what makes you say the gen 1 2.5-10 was a better scope?

        Comment

        • Kilco
          Chieftain
          • Jan 2016
          • 1201

          #5
          Not a better scope, a better value. What I always found attractive about the PST line was the features per cost ratio. Then Gen II has removed the value part, and stepped the line up into a cost tier where you can find more reputable scopes. Used to be able to get the PST 2.5-10x32 FFP for around $700 if you shopped. You will be lucky to pay less than $900 for a Gen II. If I were going to spend that much I would rather buy a NF SHV 2-10x42. Or save a little more and get into the $1200 braket of scopes. It's really all about budget and what tier of scope you want to get into...

          The Burris XTR II 2-10 isn't a horrible idea, however there are many reports of illumination failing, It has a 34mm tube which looks and more importantly feels quite huge on the AR15 platform, and you are paying over a grand for a scope made in the Philippines. Thay may or may not bother people, and it typicaly doesn't bother me, but when i start paying over 1k for a scope, it's going to be either made in Japan or the U.S.
          Last edited by Kilco; 08-20-2017, 09:13 PM.

          Comment

          • Grendelshooter
            Warrior
            • Jun 2017
            • 214

            #6
            Makes sense.
            I actually just found a gen 1 pst 2.5-10x32 still on the virtual shelf. Still priced at $800.
            For that I might as well get the gen II for 150 more.
            Or I could grab the gen 1 and a mount.

            God damn.
            Last edited by Grendelshooter; 08-20-2017, 09:34 PM.

            Comment

            • Kilco
              Chieftain
              • Jan 2016
              • 1201

              #7
              Great scope without a doubt. Many hardcore Vortex guys claim the 2.5-10x32 was the best model in the PST lineup.

              Comment

              • Grendelshooter
                Warrior
                • Jun 2017
                • 214

                #8
                Just got a gen II PST, new in box, off the equipment exchange at ar15.com for $800 shipped.
                I am glad this search is over lol

                Comment

                • Kilco
                  Chieftain
                  • Jan 2016
                  • 1201

                  #9
                  That was a good deal!

                  Comment

                  • Grendelshooter
                    Warrior
                    • Jun 2017
                    • 214

                    #10
                    Hell yes it was!
                    Now I need a mount lol.

                    Comment

                    • Kswhitetails
                      Chieftain
                      • Oct 2016
                      • 1914

                      #11
                      Lt 104?
                      Nothing kills the incentive of men faster than a healthy sense of entitlement. Nothing kills entitlement faster than a healthy sense of achievement.

                      Comment

                      • Grendelshooter
                        Warrior
                        • Jun 2017
                        • 214

                        #12
                        Oi veh with the 200 dollar mounts!
                        Lol!
                        I'm going to see how it fits my Larue spr-s mount then we'll see.

                        Comment

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