Thread: New scope options

Trying to wade through all the available scopes and choose a winner, will put my requirements down here and would love to hear real world feedback or models to look at etc.

The rifle this is for is a 6.5 Grendel Howa with a short barrel carbon sleved, this rig is destined to go into a light weight chassis at some point so keeping weight down is very high on the priority list! It's a pest control rig and shots will be from 50-500m, I'm not shooting tops or ringing gongs at long range. Zoom range to suit the 50-500 in my opinion would be 3-10 ish, more is not really needed and probably adds weight. I like the idea of a CDS or similar turret with a zero stop, I use quite a few different rifles so having range marked out on the dial so I can just tag it with the LRF, dial and bang flop is just the sort of simple that I need - I will be shooting hand loaded ammo so can keep it consistent. Simple reticle is fine as with the CDS (or equivalent) mildots wont be needed for elevation at least, even better if it's a fire dot.

Budget is up to $1200, one model I already have on my list is the Leupold VX3I 3.5-10x40

Cheers!

I wouldn't expect too many bang flops @500 yards with a Grendel, I shot a couple of red deer at 400 yards with my 22" 6.5G when i had it, 123gr eldm @2550 ish fps, and there was no bang flops, more like hits and runs. Inside 250 yards it was ok thou.

I'm picking you will be using it for goat control, I'm thinking beyond 300 yards it'll be marginal.

I personally like more than 10x once the range starts getting out there. But i do use a couple of 2-10's Weaver Super slams, i quite like them.

vxr 3-9 with a cds turret

I have a VX3i. It's packed with features for the price point, but the eye relief is shocking. I can live with it, but wouldn't buy another!

Originally Posted by GWH

I wouldn't expect too many bang flops @500 yards with a Grendel.

Point taken, I wouldn't be shooting Reds or anything big with it at that sort of range, real world I'd say 99% of shooting will be well under 300m.

Originally Posted by MB

I have a VX3i. It's packed with features for the price point, but the eye relief is shocking. I can live with it, but wouldn't buy another!

Whats hard about the eye relief? Do you find it too hard to get in the right spot? At all zoom or just max zoom? Which one do you have?

Don't want to sound rude but are you sure it's not your particular setup with a cheek weld, LOP or ring height issue etc?

Originally Posted by Mintie

Whats hard about the eye relief? Do you find it too hard to get in the right spot? At all zoom or just max zoom? Which one do you have?

Don't want to sound rude but are you sure it's not your particular setup with a cheek weld, LOP or ring height issue etc?

Scope is setup as well as possible for me, but my head has to be in exactly the right position otherwise vignetting is an issue. Seems worse at higher magnifications.

Originally Posted by Mintie

Whats hard about the eye relief? Do you find it too hard to get in the right spot? At all zoom or just max zoom? Which one do you have?

Don't want to sound rude but are you sure it's not your particular setup with a cheek weld, LOP or ring height issue etc?

They are terrible. If they were all you know then you probably wouldn’t pick up on how much of an issue it is. Without sounding like a “scope snob” I’ve been using pretty much exclusively swaro scopes the past few years and recently got a rifle that has a VX3i on it and it’s almost unusable to me

1 to 6 or 1 to 8 scope like the vortex strike eagle would fit the bill. The one off my ar sits on a howa mini in 7.62 x39. The bdc hash marks after working them out for that round come in at 180, 260, 340 and 420 yards and there's a bit of windage/moving target ability as well. For me it has worked so well at goat culling the 223 now hardly gets a look in.
It's also accounted for quite a few deer.
Vastly underrated short to middle distance round and the grendel should be no different

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

They are terrible. If they were all you know then you probably wouldn’t pick up on how much of an issue it is. Without sounding like a “scope snob” I’ve been using pretty much exclusively swaro scopes the past few years and recently got a rifle that has a VX3i on it and it’s almost unusable to me

Too add, I’ve actually had a bit of experience recently also with a 4-12x40 vx freedom and I actually found it a lot more comfortable to use than it’s much more expensive sibling the vx3i

Originally Posted by Mintie

Whats hard about the eye relief? Do you find it too hard to get in the right spot? At all zoom or just max zoom? Which one do you have?

Don't want to sound rude but are you sure it's not your particular setup with a cheek weld, LOP or ring height issue etc?

small box your eye needs to be in to be at the right focal lenght I assume. makes for a very unforgiving scope and slows things down

vx1 3-9s were pretty simple to use with my eyes, the 4-12 on the other hand were awful

you put your eye behind it and you either got all black or a small tube of light in the middle surrounded by black
till your head hits the right spot then its normal

if your budget is $1200 then snap up the Swaro 4-12x50 that's on here. Not sure if its still available but really good optics and light weight, even for 50mm objective.
500yds with a Grendel ....LOL

Originally Posted by chainsaw

if your budget is $1200 then snap up the Swaro 4-12x50 that's on here. Not sure if its still available but really good optics and light weight, even for 50mm objective.
500yds with a Grendel ....LOL

Its sold, looks like it was only a couple of hundred below retail anyway so not a great buy. They do look light weight but a bit bulkier than I'd like, this rifle is pretty compact.

For 500m shots I'm not talking big game.

VX3 HD 4.5-14 CDS
This is the lightest.
You will want good mag for best shot placement with the Grendel.
Eyebox if the VX 3i is not so good and relief varies with power. Wouldnt notice if you hadnt used better but is an OK compromise for the size and weight. Dials do turn while carrying so get the zero lock.
You will want to dial.
I dont think the 3.5-10 has parallax and you may or may not want that.

Originally Posted by Dusty Fog

Vixen 3-12 or 4-16. Pretty light

Cheap and light, but no locking zero or dialing turret.