Need advice for scope

[brnzbk]

Hi everyone
This is my first post so please be gentle. I am having a custom AR 15 built, 6.5 Grendel 18.5" barrel. Most of my shooting will be under 500 yds with the occasional 700+ and also some pig hunts. I had basically decided on a Zeiss 4.5-14X44 until I started reading the net. I am hearing good things about the Nikon Monarch, Weaver T models and even the Super Sniper. With this broad range of pricing I am quite confused, I don't want to cut corners nor do I want to spend money unnecessarily.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions and advice.

[ChellieWiles]

Welcome Brnzbk to the horde. I have that exact scope on my 22" Grendel with the rapid z 1000 reticle(zeiss conquest 4.5-14X44) and it's the best scope I've ever owned with the exception of my U.S. Optics (though it's hard to really justify the price difference given how close of quality they are...clarity, ease of use...blah blah). The rapid z 800 reticle would be about right for 700-800 yards but I had never owned one before purchase and have soon found that the Grendel shoots very well out to 1000 with that scope. Whatever you choose, Zeiss makes some very good scopes for a price point that should be comparable to a majority of 2000-3000$ scopes. You will not be disappointed with that Zeiss scope, just make sure to get that reticle, it's very good.

[JASmith]

I am very pleased with the Sightron S1 3-9x Mil Dot scope. At under $140 at Midway, it is truly a value for the price.

You can get an idea of what the sight pictures might be for different targets by going to the Build Sight Picture Utility at ShootersNotes.com. Use, for example, the 120 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip zeroed at 200 yards. This bullet will be -61.2 inches low at five hundred yards and will have a 10 mph wind drift of 26.7 inches at 500 yards. You will want to enter these values in the appropriate boxes, select the Sightron Scope, and then you can look at several alternative targets, ranges, and wind strengths.

You will see that the Mil-Dot gives lots of reference points for holdover and drift correction. That and a simple range table will give you a pretty good shot at connecting at ranges of less than 500 yards. Doing well at the longer ranges may require more sophisticated trajectory calculations and a tactical scope.

[txgunner00]

Welcome. You can't go wrong with the Zeiss. I would not put the others you mentioned even in the same ball park, but the Nikons and SS scopes I have owned have been good for what the were. No experience with weavers except for one that's about 50 years old.

[Bedford]

First, establish a budget, it is easy to spend more on the optic than the rifle! (although to be fair, you can move the optic from rifle to rifle). Second, what is the main purpose of the rifle?

For a practical DMR (which I define as a torso sized target out to 500M) I want the following characteristics: compactness; light weight, durability, external turrets with as close to 1 MOA adjustment as possible, and with a reticle that has range finding ability but is otherwise as uncluttered as possible. High magnification is not needed, as you would expect targets to be moving and the higher the magnification the easier it is to lose track of the target. The Grendel needs little/no adjustment if sighted in at 25M on a torso size target held center of mass to 400M. The best scope that matches my criteria is the Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10 x44. I know there are much better scopes out there, I simply could not afford more. With my scope, if the scope is set at 5x put a torso sized target between the small hash marks; if it is bigger than the hash marks, hold center of mass and fire. If the torso matches the space, it is 500M (4MOA @ 500M); you need to make elevation adjustment (either by hold over or by clicks, how much depends depends on individual rifle/load. roughly 5 MOA for me). Very simple and fast. To make hits beyond 500M its a whole different ball game, and I am sure it can be done with my scope, its probably not the best. I also have a Valdada M2 Dragonov 4x. It is a nice DMR type scope, and built like a tank.

I cannot comment on the higher priced optics, but I feel that the Nikon and higher end Leupold that I own(ed) are more than adequate for ranges up to 500 yards. They are durable, have a great warranty, and a good value. For hunting and tactical, the binoculars are just as important as the scope.

[brnzbk]

Thanks to everyone for your advice and expertise. I decided on the Zeiss Matte 4.5-14X44 AO Mil Dot with hunting turrets, should arrive sometime next week.
Thanks again,
Gary

[BjornF16]

Thanks to everyone for your advice and expertise. I decided on the Zeiss Matte 4.5-14X44 AO Mil Dot with hunting turrets, should arrive sometime next week.
Thanks again,
Gary

I agree with CW...I really like the clarity of my Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x50 (but it is sitting on my 7mm Rem Mag).

I also have the hunter turrets...if I had it all to do again, I would get the target turrets. Kenton Industries makes a nice customized ballistically matched turret that is a drop in for the Zeiss target turret (needs a mod for the hunting turret). Of course you can use the mil dot for your holdover.

I just ordered a Minox ZA5 scope for my Weatherby Ultra Lightweight (3-14x42) 7mm-08 with Kenton ballistic turret...anyone have any experience with Minox? If I like this scope, I may get their 1.5-8x32 for my stalking Grendel.

[txgunner00]

Thanks to everyone for your advice and expertise. I decided on the Zeiss Matte 4.5-14X44 AO Mil Dot with hunting turrets, should arrive sometime next week.
Thanks again,
Gary

Nice glass. You will love it.