Depends on what you call cheap.
Depends on what you call distance.
Jesus, guys. It IS acceptable to just answer the question as best you can WITHOUT being a sarcastic ass. I know this is the internet, and I definitely know there's some pot/kettle here, but...
OP:
The most key responsibility of a long range sighting system is to adjust your trajectory correctly and precisely ("track"), and then to be able to reverse to the previous position and come to the right place ("repeat").
Tracking and repeating, while they seem conceptually simple, are not done very well by quite a number of manufacturers.
For "cheap" money, yes, it can be a challenge to get what you need. The Good-Fast-Cheap triangle is not in your favor.
That being said, I recommend you take a look at eBay for a used Weaver El Paso "T" scope. Steel tube, Micro-Trac.
Along the lines of these, 16x and 10x, respectively:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weaver-T-1...h=item1a66db4319:g:JoYAAOSwzThb-DF6:rk:1:pf:0
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weaver-T-1...h=item54594021b5:g:Y7MAAOSw4PRasRGS:rk:5:pf:0
Yeah, they are steel, yeah they are fixed power... No, they don't have all the cool gadgets of more modern scopes like side-adjust parallax or illumination. No, the optical clarity will not be up-to-par with a Schmidt und Bender.
But the adjustments WILL be, and the scope will make the rifle perforate where you point it as well as 99% of scopes made today...and better than ANY in that price range.
Keep your eye on the prize, and accept the costs of your budget.
-Nate
More info is required to answer the question. For instance, what if his idea of long range is hitting the mile mark with a 308. You just recommended a scope without the internal travel requirements to accomplish the task at hand making the money completely wasted. I don't think its a bad thing to gain a little info before just making recommendations.
If I ask "whats the best cheap truck for pulling a trailer" wouldn't a reasonable question be how heavy the trailer is? Would the recommendation be the same if the trailer hauled a 1000 pound lawm mower as it would a backhoe? I realize people just want quick and easy blanket right answer's, but more times than not individual circumstances come into play.
First, Allen, I was not specifically singling out anyone when I said what I did. I'm not saying the shoe fits you at all; I'd instead let you re-read your first reply, and see if you provided any value.
Man we have a tough crowd around here! I didn't say cheap...I said cheapEST. So no I'm not looking for a "$20 scope to shoot bullseye's at 1000 yds" but I would like to find a scope for less than $200 that'll get er done tho.
Thank you Nate for the great info! So in your opinion a $350 used Weaver is the cheapest, decent quality scope I can find right now?!! DAMN.......
Jesus, guys. It IS acceptable to just answer the question as best you can WITHOUT being a sarcastic ass. I know this is the internet, and I definitely know there's some pot/kettle here, but...
OP:
The most key responsibility of a long range sighting system is to adjust your trajectory correctly and precisely ("track"), and then to be able to reverse to the previous position and come to the right place ("repeat").
Tracking and repeating, while they seem conceptually simple, are not done very well by quite a number of manufacturers.
For "cheap" money, yes, it can be a challenge to get what you need. The Good-Fast-Cheap triangle is not in your favor.
That being said, I recommend you take a look at eBay for a used Weaver El Paso "T" scope. Steel tube, Micro-Trac.
Along the lines of these, 16x and 10x, respectively:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weaver-T-1...h=item1a66db4319:g:JoYAAOSwzThb-DF6:rk:1:pf:0
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Weaver-T-1...h=item54594021b5:g:Y7MAAOSw4PRasRGS:rk:5:pf:0
Yeah, they are steel, yeah they are fixed power... No, they don't have all the cool gadgets of more modern scopes like side-adjust parallax or illumination. No, the optical clarity will not be up-to-par with a Schmidt und Bender.
But the adjustments WILL be, and the scope will make the rifle perforate where you point it as well as 99% of scopes made today...and better than ANY in that price range.
Keep your eye on the prize, and accept the costs of your budget.
-Nate