1-8 scope for 12" grendel

[Jakegsxr11]

I'm looking for a quality 1-8 scope for my planned 12"grendel. Around or under $400, general use for short range targets up to 300 yards and hunting. I like the strike eagle and primary arms scopes but I'm not sold on the odd reticle. I am also not sold on the illumination. What do the reticles look like without the illumination on? Are there any plain mil dot reticle non illuminated scopes I'm not seeing? What are your recommendations?

[Bigs28]

I have the nightforce nx8 1-8x. My cousin has the vortex strike eagle 1-8x. If i could go back in time i would save the 1k and buy the strike eagle. The illumination is really nice when shooting at a dark background. Better to have and not need then need and not have. It's also faster to pick up when walking on 1x.

[imaguy3]

These are from when I was comparing a 1-6 strike eagle vs a 1-4 mtac... These were taken with my cell phone but they give you an idea of diff settings and how illuminated vs non looks.

[imaguy3]

Here is the mtac... I liked the burris a lot... I havne't looked lately but I bet they have a higher mag range by now too...

[imaguy3]

I tend to only use illumination when it's dawn or dusk and I'm aiming at something dark.. I find it tends to wash out to me compared to the black reticle with the slightest bit of light. That's also with other illuminated scopes I've used as well... including my Bushnell elite tactical I currently have.

[LRRPF52]

Great pics man! I have a 1-4 MTAC and have had people bring them through my DM courses.

Glass isn't that bad actually, but I don't like the reticle. I also have the 1.5-6x42 LaRue included with the full package Stealth 2.0 in an FDE SPR mount.

The glass is very good on that scope, but the reticle really limits it to more of a closer range hunter.

I'm personally looking at the March 1-8x24 Mini, which is a $2k+ optic.

[imaguy3]

Great pics man! I have a 1-4 MTAC and have had people bring them through my DM courses.

Glass isn't that bad actually, but I don't like the reticle. I also have the 1.5-6x42 LaRue included with the full package Stealth 2.0 in an FDE SPR mount.

The glass is very good on that scope, but the reticle really limits it to more of a closer range hunter.

I'm personally looking at the March 1-8x24 Mini, which is a $2k+ optic.

Yea that's why I ditched the mtac... Their "bdc" dots were just too big for the distances. It was great for up close coyote though, I love the circle dot reticles.. I switched to the 1-6 strike eagle right when they came out and sold the mtac to a buddy. The XTR II line Burris has is nice... I wouldn't hesitate to pick one of those up either, I just prefer the reticle of the Bushnell Elite Tactical.

Then I scored a killer deal on an elite tactical 1-6.5 ($500 on ebay) and quickly sold that strike eagle lol. The elite tactical is well worth the money, especially looking back through my buddies strike eagle. They carry the same warranty as Vortex, so if you get one used no worries. I actually smashed mine at work during training and since they discontinued mine (the 1st gen) they sent me back a new version (SMRSII) with the integrated throw lever. The eye box feels big, glass is superb, and the reticle is incredibly useful. They have a 1-8.5 but I doubt you'll find one as cheap as I did. https://www.bushnell.com/Products/Ri...4/?sku=ET18524

Here are some reticle pics from my smrs II. Again, these are cell phone pics, where it didn't always focus correctly, and then cropped and uploaded. My neighbors house that I'm looking into is about 75 yards away. The far house in the wall pics is close to 150 yards.

Here is 1x


6.5x


In his garage with illumination on max 1x


and 6.5x

[Bigs28]

I narrowed mine down to the march shorty and nightforce nx8. I won't with the nx8 because it was $400 less. I did like the reticle on the march better. I might sell the nx8 and change to the march. But staying in op budget there vortex is a great option.

[imaguy3]

I know you said 1-8... however a 1-6.5 with superior glass would be more useful imho. At 8x in your price range, you have a 2.5mm exit pupil, combined with mediocre glass... meanwhile for a cple hundred more you can have great Japanese glass with a 3mm exit pupil. I can try to take some night pics through my bushnell so you can see just how much light comes through if you'd like...

This isn't a bad deal at all.. especially b/c if you "accidentally fall down a hill while hunting and it gets bashed" they will send you an "equal or greater replacement if it's no longer available"

This is a FFP with their "BDC" type reticle... It's been discontinued. So if an accident were to happen they'd probably send you one of their current line up... which is the one I posted in the pic which is SFP with their mil reticle.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bushnell-ELITE-TACTICAL-1-6-5-x-24-Scope-BTR-1-Reticle-E1624F-First-Focal-Plane/192760584856?epid=1100613830&hash=item2ce16d1a98:g:gz8AAOSw22FcEtW5:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

Here's what that btr-1 reticle looks like in real life.. this was a sfp though at 1x, so the ffp would be a small little circle-ish dot, but it woul dlook like this at full mag.... This is the scope I broke at work that they replaced with the one in the previous post (this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bushnell-El...ectupt=true).\

[Jakegsxr11]

Thank for the feedback and pictures. I'm not opposed to going with the 1-6 if it nets me significantly better glass. I'll keep an eye out on that link and the used sites for one of those bushnell elite tactical scopes for sure.

[LRRPF52]

Am I reading that correctly that the Bushnell SMRS 1-8.5x24 is 32 ounces?

I like the reticle and glass clarity, but that's a beast...

Most people rate the Vortex Razor 1-6x24 as heavy at 25.2 ounces.

The new Razor Gen II-E 1-6x24 is 21.5 ounces.

[imaguy3]

Am I reading that correctly that the Bushnell SMRS 1-8.5x24 is 32 ounces?

I like the reticle and glass clarity, but that's a beast...

Most people rate the Vortex Razor 1-6x24 as heavy at 25.2 ounces.

The new Razor Gen II-E 1-6x24 is 21.5 ounces.

boy it sure says that... but it is a 34mm tube...

the 1-6.5 I have is 22oz

[biodsl]

Am I reading that correctly that the Bushnell SMRS 1-8.5x24 is 32 ounces?

I like the reticle and glass clarity, but that's a beast...

Most people rate the Vortex Razor 1-6x24 as heavy at 25.2 ounces.

The new Razor Gen II-E 1-6x24 is 21.5 ounces.

I have a SWFA SSHD 1-6X. I agree it's heavy at 24 ounces. I really like the scope but wouldn't consider it for a pistol build.

The other factor is the weight of the mount. Here are four I own. All are 30mm:
ADM Recon; 8.7 oz
La Rue LT158; 8.1 oz
NF Unimount; 4.8 oz
Aero Precision: 3.3 oz

I personally think the Nightforce is the sizzle. 4.8 ounces, titanium, 20moa cant. It's got everything you need for that "I'm-a-bad-mofo" pistol build and a price to match.

[LRRPF52]

I love the NF Unimount as well for scopes that have at least 2x on the bottom end.

The problem with a 1-N LPVO that is meant to be used on 1x in place of a RDS is that when you have 20 MOA slope on 1x, your combined eye picture gets warped going into your brain, like a cheap set of binoculars that have mis-aligned tubes.

Since most reputable LPVOs have a boat load of elevation travel in the turrets, it isn't a big deal if you are dialing for distance with them, but another argument in favor of a stadia with wind hold reticle as well for a practical combat scope. A low profile elevation knob with a locking feature would make sense for dialing when you want to use precision elevation with the crosshairs.

[Jakegsxr11]

I'm now leaning towards a Viper PST gen ii 1-6. Any recommendations for a standard vs extended mount?