which scope do you think best?

[Huntchic]

I've got 4 different scopes with mounts i can put on my 18" AR Grendel for hunting whitetail deer. I did load work ups and currently have a Vortex 6-18x 44 AO on the rifle.
my other choices are as follows. Vortex 4-12x40, strike eagle 1-6 and a strike eagle 1-8. lastly i have considered getting a Vortex 3-9 for it.
Trying to keep it light as possible but there isn't more than a 6 oz difference between them.

[Huntchic]

I forgot to add this. 75% of shots are normally under 150 yards. on occasion 150 yards to 300 yards.

[LRRPF52]

The 1-6 or 1-8 would work well for those distances and keep it more compact.

Main thing is to get a bunch of trigger time with it on deer vital zone targets with whichever scope you choose.

[Huntchic]

You feel the few extra ounces of the 1-6 or 1-8 with there caviler mounts is better than going the 6-18 route with normal rings then.
my dilemma was i dont see running under 4x ever hunting and wasn't sure if 8x was enough on longer shots.

[Huntchic]

I actually do a good bit of shooting couple times each week with various rifles. AR platforms I've shot more than i care to think on. Accuracy is very important to me. I'm a huntress way more than a bench shooter.

[grayfox]

First thing about scopes, my opinion, is what works best for your eyesight. I have several vortex scopes, so you have a good list.
for my eyes I tend to like more magnification, I need to be able to sometimes count antler points, so magnif. Is what my eyes need. What do yours need at those ranges? No one else can definitively tell you that. For “low” mag that 1-8 strike eagle is a nice pkg. the 4-12x I have has the moa reticle, not just bdc. I prefer the extra marks. Your 6-18x44, is that a 1” tube? Another pref I have is 30mm, they are a bit heavier but gather more light, plus I don’t hike much through the woods any more at my age.
I personally don’t recommend separate rings on an AR, I’d recommend a cantilever ( plus maybe cheek riser if you need), the cantilever keeps any relative movement of hg vs upper from impacting the scope.
Anyway a couple of ideas for you to ponder.
In the eastern woods, more clarity is better than less when you’re lining up a shot. My new 18” grr has a primary arms 4-14x44, ffp on it and weighs 9 lbs, which isn’t too bad, I could lighten it up a bit but seems ok like this.

[Huntchic]

Excellent Response Grayfox.
Like you the higher magnification helps me pick out parts of deer and other details. an example would be when lying in a field or up in a tree looking across a fild being able to pick out a deer standing back in edge of the woods and if it has antlers or not. I agree on 30mm vs 1" the gathers more light. I have older eyes now too but I've never been a fan of the BDC type recitals hunting and get V plex style. I don't mind the basic BDC too much like the ones in the Strike eagles but some get bit to "busy" The military type MRAD drove me nuts lol. easy in its way but really busy. i still have on MRAD but its for long shots when time isn't a factor.
the Idea of going Grendel was to have lighter rifle for backpack hunting that could also work well as a "security firearm" around camp at night besides just a handgun and bolt rifle. I do like the 1-8 and have used it and the 1-6 on blackout and 5.56 so im pretty comfortable using them at short and mid range but after your comments about seeing points etc. It reminds me why i run a 4-12 on my 06. I think 6-8 is plenty for shooting to 300 yards but picking out details and antlers at distance or in woods might warrant the higher power scopes.

[Zeneffect]

i did a lot lot lot of looking around. if you want to go light weight, swarovski or leupold. and under 16oz for the vx3hd 4.5-14x40 with side focus and windplex reticle. the CDS dial sucks initially, but there are ways around it. thats over 1/4lb lighter than basically anything in the vortex line where i think the lightest one they have is 19oz through their entire optics line while retaining parallax adjustment. i pulled off a diamondback 4-16x44 and saved 1/2 lb off the top and didnt give up much of anything except a busy reticle. that got my 22arc down under 7# with mag + 5rds.

given the all vortex choice (i seem to replace a vortex within a week of putting it on the rifle) id say the strike eagle 1-8. the glass isnt bad at all, you have a decent reticle if you decide to use it to its potential. also 6oz is a lot to shave at once. "its only 6oz" well... thats almost 1/2lb. which sounds heavier?

[Huntchic]

I understand the nearly 1/2 lb different. I’ve got the 4 scopes on hand now and 3 others that are older people have given me for doing work for them or whatever so I kinda hate to buy another scope right now but I will look into the ones you suggested. Thank you.

[Huntchic]

I just weighed the vortex 1-8 x24 strike eagle with mount and the 6-18 AO with mount.
both have vortex cantilever mounts. The 1-8 is more compact but weighs 3 ounces more with mount than the 6-18 with mount.

[Huntchic]

Correction. I said that backwards. The 1-8 with mount was 3 ounces lighter than the 6-18 AO.

[LRRPF52]

Since there is a lot of canopy cover in those woods, I would really want whichever scope provides the most optical clarity at dusk and dawn with overcast, and has capped knobs that don’t get bumped or spun off zero. That might push you into the upper tier Vortex scopes instead of what you have.

For hunting in the woods of NC, even lower 6-8x magnification might be enough to count points within 150yds, but you may also see reductions in light-transmission at dawn/dusk.

I’ve spent many years busting brush in the woods in NC, Virginia, Georgia, and Louisiana when I was in the Army. Until you get out on a power line road or drop zone, I don’t ever recall having more than 150yd clearances unless it was some farmland. Most of the time line of sight distances were about 50-75yds. Beautiful deciduous and pine forests all around there, of course with the tics and chiggers to make your life miserable. VA was the worst for that out at AP Hill. I prefer Panama to AP Hill when it comes to bugs that eat you.

I would take what you have out in the early morning and after sunset, get under some forest canopy, put up some pictures of deer with the white paper cut out to eliminate the contrast, or some dropped antlers mounted to where you can see them, and take readings with each tube at different distances. That would answer your question for what you have better than any of us could I think.

Make sure your diopter adjustments are dialed-in, focus is squared away for your eyes, and eye relief is set for correct inner edge Field of View.

[Huntchic]

Thank you. Last year and this coming year I’ve been spending a good bit of my muzzleloader and rifle season hunting an older field that doesn’t have crops and 2’ give or take tall grasses. The field is 25 acres and surrounded by terrible thick brush and briers. I’ve been hunting from a stand on the field in different places depending on conditions. Shots are at deer from 15 yards out to 200 mostly but could see to shoot to 300yards if I wanted.
I would say that 30% of my hunting is in national forest semi open woods and mountains. Uwharie and Pisgah national forest as well as Pennsylvania some.
im right now thinking of using the 6-18 over the fields and the 1-8 for the woods. However like you brought up the 1-8x24 might not work well in woods with lower light levels. I run a 3-9x40 on a couple woods rifles and a 4-12 on my 30-06 and a night force 7-35 on a 300 win. I’m kinda thinking the 6-18 I put on the Grendel is going to be too much scope at 6x in woods maybe but be fine over the fields. I’ve used LPVO’s on ar platforms before fine but not ever tried one for hunting. Going to take your advice and try it in the woods at different times of light to see how it does. Then decide.

[Wanheda]

Hi huntchic.
I've hunted for a few years with a 3-9x40 Vortex Diamondback and will give you my opinion on that scope. I hunt in Wisconsin so my use and needs will be affected by that hunting environments.

The areas I hunt in tend to be wooded, with some openings that are 200-250 yards across. I like the wide FOV of the DB for use in the woods. 9x magnification has always been more than enough for this area. This scope is a relative light weight at only about 14oz. This has Vortex's BDC reticle, and although I don't use that feature, it is a simple reticle to use and the hash marks are easy to ignore. Early morning and late afternoon view are good and distinct. While we don't have to count points on a buck's rack, antlers have to be longer than 3-inches to qualify as a legal buck deer.

Negatives are fairly minor for me. The eye relief is a little short if you have a hard recoiling rifle. My 30-06 never hit my face, but I've has shooting buddies express concern about that. The short eye relief also makes for a 'fussy' eye box. Since I seldom use more than 5x or 6x mag while hunting neither of these are much bother to me. FWIW, I am at that age where some call me senior, and I have been wearing glasses for well over 40 years.

I hope you find thus useful.

[Huntchic]

Thanks Wanheda,
I have a crossfire II 4-12 on my 30-06, a 3-9 on custom Ruger 10-22 i built and 3-9 on my inline muzzleloader. been very happy with them and taken plenty of critters. 3-9 they always been great in the woods. Now that i hunt a good bit around fields where i can see to 400-500 yards and see deer sometimes at 350 often i was thinking i needed more scope for shooting for the neck especially. problem is i cant really seem to find scope that i feel would be good for woods and closer shots but also give me the precise shots out at distance i would like. the field is surrounded by terrible thick stuff and property lines not far off so like them not going far. in the past i just passed up taking shots that i felt wouldn't be a sure bet. I've also considered since i have the 1-8x24 and the 6-18 both on Cantilever mounts just swapping them around for whatever conditions are going to be. would have to check zero each time though n be a bit of a pain. Ive been considering hard on just buying a new Leupold 3.5-10 or 4-12 to cover everything and be lighter than the Vortex models. just for boasting here is a pic of the Ruger i built. same hole groups and squirrels drop from the trees like rain when they see it. LOL