I have a Ruger American Rifle Ranch 5.56 (compact model w/ 12.5" LoP) on order and am trying to sort out what I will want for the glass.
I suspect a fair amount of the shooting will be <= 100yds, but I will occasionally want to reach out to 3-400yds on 4-6" targets. Most of my shooting will be during regular hunting hours and any night varmint/predator hunting that I might do is <100yds & at the bottom half of the magnification range. I would definitely like to get AO or SF on this scope, but it is not a "requirement." Similarly, re-settable turrets are almost a "must-have", but I might overlook them if the rest of the scope was strong enough.
Unfortunately, my budget will likely top out <$500, so the FFP PSTs, Razors, SIIIs, NXSs, & VX-6s are out. OTOH, I could see myself holding off year or so to get the budget for a Z3, FFP PST, etc. if I thought they were the "perfect" long-term solution. I am just not convinced as yet.
I don't have any strong brand loyalty, but I tend to think Vortex, Sightron, & Weaver offer great glass for the money, but I have gotten the strong impression that Vortex leads Weaver in the CS department by a large margin & have heard little on Sightron's CS. I am open to a Leupold, but I haven't been happy with anything outside of the VX-3 line. I am not a big Bushnell fan & cannot stand the Nikon BDC reticle, so those two lines are out.
Considering my budget, a few scopes that stood out are:
Vortex Viper 3-9x40: $300
Vortex Viper 4-12x40 (SF): $400
Vortex Diamondback HP 3-12x42 (SF): $300
In a push, I thought about including:
Swarovski Z3 3-9x36: $775
Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10x32 FFP: $800 (demo: $669)
I really hope this can become my "go-to" rifle, so I want to get the "correct" tool for the job. What options am I missing? What do folks on here suggest/prefer for similar use rifles?
I suspect a fair amount of the shooting will be <= 100yds, but I will occasionally want to reach out to 3-400yds on 4-6" targets. Most of my shooting will be during regular hunting hours and any night varmint/predator hunting that I might do is <100yds & at the bottom half of the magnification range. I would definitely like to get AO or SF on this scope, but it is not a "requirement." Similarly, re-settable turrets are almost a "must-have", but I might overlook them if the rest of the scope was strong enough.
Unfortunately, my budget will likely top out <$500, so the FFP PSTs, Razors, SIIIs, NXSs, & VX-6s are out. OTOH, I could see myself holding off year or so to get the budget for a Z3, FFP PST, etc. if I thought they were the "perfect" long-term solution. I am just not convinced as yet.
I don't have any strong brand loyalty, but I tend to think Vortex, Sightron, & Weaver offer great glass for the money, but I have gotten the strong impression that Vortex leads Weaver in the CS department by a large margin & have heard little on Sightron's CS. I am open to a Leupold, but I haven't been happy with anything outside of the VX-3 line. I am not a big Bushnell fan & cannot stand the Nikon BDC reticle, so those two lines are out.
Considering my budget, a few scopes that stood out are:
Vortex Viper 3-9x40: $300
Vortex Viper 4-12x40 (SF): $400
Vortex Diamondback HP 3-12x42 (SF): $300
In a push, I thought about including:
Swarovski Z3 3-9x36: $775
Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10x32 FFP: $800 (demo: $669)
I really hope this can become my "go-to" rifle, so I want to get the "correct" tool for the job. What options am I missing? What do folks on here suggest/prefer for similar use rifles?
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