Got 2 ARs and neither get much action. I plan to keep the FN because my husband says I have to. I'm looking for a medium to heavy barrel bolt to handle my 68-69 grain reloads. AR s a 1-9 and does fine. We are getting a lot of coyotes coming in and I thought a little predator hunting might be fun. Not exactly sure which rifle to buy. Have never owned a bolt action .223. Reasonable price range in $500.00 or so. if I am figuring correct on the scope it will run me another 3-400$.
Tired of the AR 15 Want a bolt rifle
- Thread starter Wendyj
- Start date
Wendy,T
My choice would be the Savage 11VT, from Dicks Sporting Goods/Field And Stream.
Cabelas has same rifle with different letter designation.
$399.
24" heavy barrel with Accu Trigger.
Comes with a Bushnell scope, but maybe that will help you barter for better glass.
Wife has the Savage 110FP ( prehistoric long action version of the 11VT). I'm loading 69gr. TMK in Lake City brass that is neck sized only, over a load of PP2000.
Std7mag
My choice would be the Savage 11VT, from Dicks Sporting Goods/Field And Stream.
Cabelas has same rifle with different letter designation.
$399.
24" heavy barrel with Accu Trigger.
Comes with a Bushnell scope, but maybe that will help you barter for better glass.
Wife has the Savage 110FP ( prehistoric long action version of the 11VT). I'm loading 69gr. TMK in Lake City brass that is neck sized only, over a load of PP2000.
Std7mag
Last edited:
armoredman
New member
If you can spare a bit more the CZ 527 is a great series of rifles, and the little CZ527M carbine is a light handy bush rifle with factory irons. if you can - you might find them used, but most owners tend to hang on to them.
A Tikka will most likely be the most accurate, but not under $500. At $400 the Ruger Predator is hard to beat. The original version uses 4 round rotary magazines, but they also make a newer version that takes AR magazines. The 5 or 10 round mags don't protrude enough to be a problem, but 20 and 30 round mags can be used.
The Predator comes with a 22" medium weight threaded barrel. If you want a more compact version look at the Ranch rifle. Same medium weight barrel, but 16".
I will eventually have one of these, but can't decide which one. I have the older versions and a newer version that takes AI magazines in 308.
https://ruger.com/products/americanRiflePredator/specSheets/26944.html
https://ruger.com/products/americanRifleRanch/specSheets/26965.html
The Predator comes with a 22" medium weight threaded barrel. If you want a more compact version look at the Ranch rifle. Same medium weight barrel, but 16".
I will eventually have one of these, but can't decide which one. I have the older versions and a newer version that takes AI magazines in 308.
https://ruger.com/products/americanRiflePredator/specSheets/26944.html
https://ruger.com/products/americanRifleRanch/specSheets/26965.html
I question why you feel the need for a heavy barrel bolt action .223 and "68-69 grain reloads" for coyote hunting. If you expect to be shooting at ranges where the heavier bullet would be advantageous, you should be shooting a 22/250. The only benefit you might possibly get from a HB for coyote hunting would be a slight improvement in steadiness at the cost of packing an extra pound or more(not a good trade IMHO).
I hunt coyotes all winter and the tool used most often is a 16" AR shooting 50 grain(explode on contact) bullets. My experience with "68-69" grain bullets hasn't been positive.
I hunt coyotes all winter and the tool used most often is a 16" AR shooting 50 grain(explode on contact) bullets. My experience with "68-69" grain bullets hasn't been positive.
JeepHammer
Moderator
I agree with Mobuck.
I shoot 45-55 grain bullets, a crap ton of 50 grain Hornady Vmax and they don't fail me on ground hogs, coyote, prairie dogs, feral cats (big problem here), the occasional skunk, etc.
Low budget, Dollar Vs. Accuracy scale, I'd say Savage is beating the rest of the pack.
If you can get used to the 'Accu-Trigger' (I had to use tape on my trigger finger pad) the trigger is crazy easy to adjust, it breaks clean thru it's range of adjustment, I haven't seen a bad barrel from the factory yet (with load development) all will shoot MOA to Sub-MOA from the factory.
Like any mass produced rifle, there are some fit-finish issues I would change, but all in all Savage is an excellent value in working rifles.
In the same price range, but MUCH better looking rifles (not a heavy barrel) is the Ruger M77.
I've owned half a dozen M77 rifles in .223 and not regretted any one of them.
The trigger is stupid easy to work (gunsmith thing), all of them shot MOA or Sub-MOA,
It is a beautiful, traditional wood stock rifle that just plain has GREAT lines/look.
If you want to push out a few more bucks, CZ & FN both make stupid accurate rifles.
Much better fit-finish, smooth operation, nice firearms that function well.
As for optics, I've never regretted anything I could afford with a gold ring on it.
Even the lower end Leupold glass did exactly what it was supposed to do, and did it well for decades.
With a lifetime warranty they absolutely stand behind, they aren't flashy with a hundred knobs, battery powered gadgets, but they work solidly for decades.
I shoot 45-55 grain bullets, a crap ton of 50 grain Hornady Vmax and they don't fail me on ground hogs, coyote, prairie dogs, feral cats (big problem here), the occasional skunk, etc.
Low budget, Dollar Vs. Accuracy scale, I'd say Savage is beating the rest of the pack.
If you can get used to the 'Accu-Trigger' (I had to use tape on my trigger finger pad) the trigger is crazy easy to adjust, it breaks clean thru it's range of adjustment, I haven't seen a bad barrel from the factory yet (with load development) all will shoot MOA to Sub-MOA from the factory.
Like any mass produced rifle, there are some fit-finish issues I would change, but all in all Savage is an excellent value in working rifles.
In the same price range, but MUCH better looking rifles (not a heavy barrel) is the Ruger M77.
I've owned half a dozen M77 rifles in .223 and not regretted any one of them.
The trigger is stupid easy to work (gunsmith thing), all of them shot MOA or Sub-MOA,
It is a beautiful, traditional wood stock rifle that just plain has GREAT lines/look.
If you want to push out a few more bucks, CZ & FN both make stupid accurate rifles.
Much better fit-finish, smooth operation, nice firearms that function well.
As for optics, I've never regretted anything I could afford with a gold ring on it.
Even the lower end Leupold glass did exactly what it was supposed to do, and did it well for decades.
With a lifetime warranty they absolutely stand behind, they aren't flashy with a hundred knobs, battery powered gadgets, but they work solidly for decades.
Savage Hog-Hunter
Might I suggest this Savage, for your service !! Be sure and note it's features. ..
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/110HogHunter
Be Safe !!!
Good choice on rifle; bad choice on Dicks Sporting goods. .....
Might I suggest this Savage, for your service !! Be sure and note it's features. ..
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/110HogHunter
Be Safe !!!
Look into a Savage Package. They aren't using junker scopes any more. Nikons and Weavers these days.
I'd be thinking a 10/110 Trophy Hunter XP. Comes with a Nikon 3-9x40 BDC, the adjustable Accu-trigger and a wood stock. MSRP is $719.
Same rifle with a synthetic stock is their Model 11/111. MSRP is $629.00. Both have a 1 in 9 twist. The 11/111 is currently on sale at Cabela's for $499.88. And a Model 11(Mossy Oak synthetic stock) at $549.88. It's a bit heavier. Same rifle and scope otherwise.
Best to shop around for the best price.
Bud's is showing a Model 25 Lightweight Varminter(heavy barrel, thumbhole, wood stock)sans scope for $625.219($607 cash price).
I'd be thinking a 10/110 Trophy Hunter XP. Comes with a Nikon 3-9x40 BDC, the adjustable Accu-trigger and a wood stock. MSRP is $719.
Same rifle with a synthetic stock is their Model 11/111. MSRP is $629.00. Both have a 1 in 9 twist. The 11/111 is currently on sale at Cabela's for $499.88. And a Model 11(Mossy Oak synthetic stock) at $549.88. It's a bit heavier. Same rifle and scope otherwise.
Best to shop around for the best price.
Bud's is showing a Model 25 Lightweight Varminter(heavy barrel, thumbhole, wood stock)sans scope for $625.219($607 cash price).
disseminator
New member
STD 7MAG, I checked dicks and they are out of stock right now but that is what I want. Cabelas has a limited stock about 2 hours away. I may head over next week and check one out. I've owned several Savages and have a FCP in 308 now and they are good shooters. I personally like the accutrigger. Just enough take-up to surprise you when you pull the trigger. Reason I want 223 is I already load for it. Don't want to invest in more loading gear right now. I've got about 300 vmax loaded up now for my AR but for precision the headspace will have to be set right on a bolt gun. I picked up about 500 of the 69 grain a few months ago and will enjoy banging steel with them at longer distances.
Wendy,
You mean COAL, not headspace. Lol
Your seating bullet depth to the chamber, not changing the distance from the bottom of the casing to the datum on the shoulder.
Since your loading for a bolt also, i'd segregate brass. Full length size for AR, neck size for the bolt.
I'm loading 69gr. tipped Match Kings to almost 5.56 pressures.
223 pressures are fairly low. And it's hard to find 223 with 69gr bullet data. Much less 73 gr bullets.
You mean COAL, not headspace. Lol
Your seating bullet depth to the chamber, not changing the distance from the bottom of the casing to the datum on the shoulder.
Since your loading for a bolt also, i'd segregate brass. Full length size for AR, neck size for the bolt.
I'm loading 69gr. tipped Match Kings to almost 5.56 pressures.
223 pressures are fairly low. And it's hard to find 223 with 69gr bullet data. Much less 73 gr bullets.
Don Fischer
New member
How hard would it be to find a fast twist barrel rifle for under $500? I've never seen one over the counter, at least not in a bolt action. A 223 with 50gr or 55gr bullet' would do well. As for the brand of rifle, everything suggested so far have a good reputation for shooting well. The only problem with most of them is you have to take a plastic stock with them! UGG! I'm a wood stock guy. I've never had a Rem 700 I couldn't make shoot. I also have a Mossberg Patriot in 243 that run's right along with my Rem 700! All my rifles have wood stocks! Some day I would like to get a Savage just for the heck of it but for me it would need a wood stock! If you can live with plastic stock's, lot of good shooter's out there anymore.
As for a scope for a 223, you don't have to spend anywhere near the money you suggested. Good scope's for your purpose around $150 all over the place. I have a couple Nikons I like really well, one on a 243 and one on a 6.5x06. I also have a couple new Redfield/Leupold's that are really good scopes. Of course I am a long time Redfield fan. One of these days I'm gonna get a new rifle so I can try out the Vanguard scope's, lot of good thing's being said about them. The Nikon on my 6.5x06 is a 41/2-14x and Was under $300 when I got it. Two of my Redfields are on a 243 and a 6.5x55, about $150 each and work really well. I keep hearing how much some think you should pay for a scope. Big suggestion seem's to be more than the rifle! What if you buy a $2000 rifle, gonna have to do some heavy looking to find a scope for more than that. My thought is there is a lot of inexpensive scope's out there from around $150 and up that will more than fill your needs. Figure it's going on a 223, they just may outlast the rifle! Scope on my 308 is a very old 1-4x Denver Redfield, bought it new about 1972. On the 30-06 has a 2 3/4x Denver Redfield I bought new about the same time. Never a hitch. My 25-06 has a very old Bushnell Banner on it. Have no idea where it came from any more but it's been working fine for a whole lot of years. Bottom line is before you buy one, go look at them. Many you might think you'd like you my not be able to find. So look at what you can find and take it from there. Just because you paid a bunch more money for a scope doesn't mean you have a scope that better suit's your need's. What you'd have is a scope that probably does suit your needs but at a premium price.
If you are willing to pay $500 for a rifle and $500 for a scope you can spend $700 for the rifle and still have $300 left over for the scope and a good scope can easily be had for less than that!
As for a scope for a 223, you don't have to spend anywhere near the money you suggested. Good scope's for your purpose around $150 all over the place. I have a couple Nikons I like really well, one on a 243 and one on a 6.5x06. I also have a couple new Redfield/Leupold's that are really good scopes. Of course I am a long time Redfield fan. One of these days I'm gonna get a new rifle so I can try out the Vanguard scope's, lot of good thing's being said about them. The Nikon on my 6.5x06 is a 41/2-14x and Was under $300 when I got it. Two of my Redfields are on a 243 and a 6.5x55, about $150 each and work really well. I keep hearing how much some think you should pay for a scope. Big suggestion seem's to be more than the rifle! What if you buy a $2000 rifle, gonna have to do some heavy looking to find a scope for more than that. My thought is there is a lot of inexpensive scope's out there from around $150 and up that will more than fill your needs. Figure it's going on a 223, they just may outlast the rifle! Scope on my 308 is a very old 1-4x Denver Redfield, bought it new about 1972. On the 30-06 has a 2 3/4x Denver Redfield I bought new about the same time. Never a hitch. My 25-06 has a very old Bushnell Banner on it. Have no idea where it came from any more but it's been working fine for a whole lot of years. Bottom line is before you buy one, go look at them. Many you might think you'd like you my not be able to find. So look at what you can find and take it from there. Just because you paid a bunch more money for a scope doesn't mean you have a scope that better suit's your need's. What you'd have is a scope that probably does suit your needs but at a premium price.
If you are willing to pay $500 for a rifle and $500 for a scope you can spend $700 for the rifle and still have $300 left over for the scope and a good scope can easily be had for less than that!
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JeepHammer
Moderator
Heavier the bullet, the longer the bullet since diameter is fixed.
Heavier bullets require faster twist rate rifling.
Overspinning is a way to try and fix the diameter to length issues of really heavy bullets, but it creates a 'One Bullet' rifle since it's NOT going to shoot much lighter/faster bullets well, no matter how much you try to 'Trick Load' the rounds.
When that long/heavy bullet hits 'Trans-sonic' (or 'Transonic') it's going to do REALLY stupid things.
Stroking 'Long Range' out of a .223 takes time & effort.
If you have the time, and the education to stroke that rifle/round, its not a big deal, but I don't recommend it for common shooters that mostly stick to intermediate or short ranges that will want to switch up bullet weights as different opertunity arises.
The entire idea flies in the face of a 'Common Chambering' or 'Multi-Use' rifle.
'Varmint' rifles usually don't get really stupid on barrel rifling twist, they are commonly 1:10" or 1:9" twist rate and do well with 50 to 65 grain 'Common' varmint & hunting bullets.
Keep in mind that 'Varmint' bullets have THIN jackets, easy for rifling to cut, easy for overspinning to sling off...
In some cases, the jacket can be stripped off the core by super fast rifling.
(Which is why factory 'Varmint' barrels don't overspin the factory 'Varmint' bullets)
As to 'Heavy' weight barrels, I'm a fan.
Some of the 'Hunting' weight barrels have harmonic issues that can be frustrating to solve.
It's a weight (mass) vs harmonic oscillation issue that can be a HUGE pain to solve.
If it's NOT a walking Hunter, then I don't see an issue with a heavy barrel other than it excludes some fine factory rifles.
Glass can be tricky...
The new, 'Whiz-Bang' & 'Latest-Greatest' optics companies either won't be here in 10 years, or won't be standing behind their products in 10 years...
They will be bought up by larger companies, they will have moved 'Off Shore', they will require as much to fix you optic as the next 'Whiz-Bang' company wants for a new optic.
NO BATTERIES!
Doesn't matter who you are, or how attentive you are, sooner or later you will get a battery that leaks.
You will forget to turn the optic off and discharge the battery and it will leak.
You will forget to replace the battery & it will leak.
Burris & Leupold are the ONLY companies that warranty against battery leaks I know about.
That's leaks, not discharged & ignored. That's abuse.
I went round & round with NiteForce about a leaking battery they sent installed in the optic, corroded when it arrived here. I finally got a refund from the retailer...
The customer was NOT amused!
Keep in mind the more SIMPLE the optic, the longer it will live.
Without a dozen adjustments, the seals don't get ground and give up letting (anti-fogging) gasses out & moisture in.
Without a zoom (variable magnification) the very small, delicate internal parts are reduced by half, much less to come loose or wear out.
A scalable vairable magnification optic (range estimation marks stay in scale with magnification), the focal plane will change as much as a dozen times, and that's a CRAP LOAD of really small parts that all have to work together for decades PERFECTLY.
Target shooters like 'Clicks', that's detent stops in adjustment.
That means no 'Hair Fine' adjustments you can make on friction adjusters, and more parts that can fail, keep in mind that springs/detent plungers usually ARE NOT internal, they are external exposed to elements.
'Long Fixed' ranges you can use any tube size and adjust the mount angle.
If you intend to shoot vairable ranges, the tube has to be larger diameter for more adjustment room, lower quality optics often use the same wall thickness of tube in all diameters, and that leads to weaker tubes that can deform when rings are tightened.
Oval or outright crushed tubes aren't accurate or repeatable.
Objective lense size over 40mm does you no good at all.
Your eye only has a 6mm pupal fully open.
Objective lenses do NOT 'Collect' more light, they don't jump out and run around gathering up more light, they only TRANSMIT REFLECTED light from the target.
Over 6x magnification, anything larger than 40mm doesn't do you a bit of good since the ocular lense output is going to be 6mm no matter what. Your eye can't use any more than 6mm maximum, so why pay for more?
Light transmission is a big deal, the more REFLECTED LIGHT from the target that gets through the lenses, the brighter & sharper the image will appear to you.
Super clear, high transmission glass is a big deal, and lesser optics companies don't use the best glass, just too expensive & hard to work with.
You won't see much of a difference in store lighting, you will be fine at short ranges in full daylight,but you most certainly notice a difference in twilight or heavy cloud cover!
Keeping coatings to a minimum will help a bunch in light transmission, and unless you spend all day every day on optics, UV coatings are pretty much a waste of money & darken the light transmitted.
Parallax adjustment markings are NEVER exactly correct, the lesser optics aren't even close.
Lay your optic on something sold at a 100 yard range, adjust the parallax for the 100 yard graduation and weave your head slightly behind the ocular lense, prove it to yourself.
If the reticle seems to move on the target, or the target seems to move under the reticle, the parallax graduation is off.
When it's exactly adjusted (sans graduations) the reticle will be dead still on the target.
This would be a good time to scribe/scratch a hash mark on the adjuster so you can find 100 yards again... (Yup! Scratching or painting a brand new optic...)
Focus the ocular for YOUR eye, sharpest sight picture @ 100 yards, lock the focus in place.
Cut a round piece of paper that fits as close into the objective lense, lays on the objective lense as you can, excluding as much light around the edges as possible, then cut a star out of the center getting as close to the edges as possible.
Nothing beats the old paper star dropped on the objective lense, then shinning a flash light through the optic... Move ocular lense/tube/flashlight up/down over a FLAT WHITE sheet of paper.
When the star shape is perfectly crisp, measure the distance from paper to ocular lense.
This is your EXACT focal distance for your eye to stand off from ocular lense. ('Eye Relief')
This will not only tell you the EXACT stand off distance, but you will see the point in the center are sharper, while the points out in the margins are 'Fuzzier'...
This is how well the lenses were ground (curvature) to work with one another.
Any lense in the series MUST be ground on it's exact OPTICAL center or the star will appear 'Warped' or one side 'Fuzzier' than the other.
If the center points are all sharp & crisp, then the lense OPTICAL CENTERS are correct.
If the outer points are sharp & crisp all the way around, then the curvature is correctly ground.
Most lower quality optics will have only the center 10-15% sharp & clear, that means you can ONLY rely on the centered 10-15% of the adjustment to be accurate.
With a set of lenses like this, the ONLY way to be accurate is to grind/lap the rings to center the reticle on the target, if you use the adjustment knobs outside of that 10-15% the optic is going to lie to you...
This plays hell with different range shooting since you have to get out of that 10-15% that's accurate & true if for no other reason elevation at greater ranges.
Just some facts, not by a long shot what you need to know to make an educated selection, just some rough ideas and ways to check an optic before it drives you up a wall!
Footnote,
Etched reticles never break a reticle wire,
Bulllet drop compensators & range estimation graduations are 'Normally' only accurate at the lowest magnification setting since most lower end vairable magnification optics aren't scaleable with magnification, but there are more & more scaleable optics on the market now than there used to be...
Many are poorly done, so keep that in mind.
Nobody but Windy would I write all this for...
Heavier bullets require faster twist rate rifling.
Overspinning is a way to try and fix the diameter to length issues of really heavy bullets, but it creates a 'One Bullet' rifle since it's NOT going to shoot much lighter/faster bullets well, no matter how much you try to 'Trick Load' the rounds.
When that long/heavy bullet hits 'Trans-sonic' (or 'Transonic') it's going to do REALLY stupid things.
Stroking 'Long Range' out of a .223 takes time & effort.
If you have the time, and the education to stroke that rifle/round, its not a big deal, but I don't recommend it for common shooters that mostly stick to intermediate or short ranges that will want to switch up bullet weights as different opertunity arises.
The entire idea flies in the face of a 'Common Chambering' or 'Multi-Use' rifle.
'Varmint' rifles usually don't get really stupid on barrel rifling twist, they are commonly 1:10" or 1:9" twist rate and do well with 50 to 65 grain 'Common' varmint & hunting bullets.
Keep in mind that 'Varmint' bullets have THIN jackets, easy for rifling to cut, easy for overspinning to sling off...
In some cases, the jacket can be stripped off the core by super fast rifling.
(Which is why factory 'Varmint' barrels don't overspin the factory 'Varmint' bullets)
As to 'Heavy' weight barrels, I'm a fan.
Some of the 'Hunting' weight barrels have harmonic issues that can be frustrating to solve.
It's a weight (mass) vs harmonic oscillation issue that can be a HUGE pain to solve.
If it's NOT a walking Hunter, then I don't see an issue with a heavy barrel other than it excludes some fine factory rifles.
Glass can be tricky...
The new, 'Whiz-Bang' & 'Latest-Greatest' optics companies either won't be here in 10 years, or won't be standing behind their products in 10 years...
They will be bought up by larger companies, they will have moved 'Off Shore', they will require as much to fix you optic as the next 'Whiz-Bang' company wants for a new optic.
NO BATTERIES!
Doesn't matter who you are, or how attentive you are, sooner or later you will get a battery that leaks.
You will forget to turn the optic off and discharge the battery and it will leak.
You will forget to replace the battery & it will leak.
Burris & Leupold are the ONLY companies that warranty against battery leaks I know about.
That's leaks, not discharged & ignored. That's abuse.
I went round & round with NiteForce about a leaking battery they sent installed in the optic, corroded when it arrived here. I finally got a refund from the retailer...
The customer was NOT amused!
Keep in mind the more SIMPLE the optic, the longer it will live.
Without a dozen adjustments, the seals don't get ground and give up letting (anti-fogging) gasses out & moisture in.
Without a zoom (variable magnification) the very small, delicate internal parts are reduced by half, much less to come loose or wear out.
A scalable vairable magnification optic (range estimation marks stay in scale with magnification), the focal plane will change as much as a dozen times, and that's a CRAP LOAD of really small parts that all have to work together for decades PERFECTLY.
Target shooters like 'Clicks', that's detent stops in adjustment.
That means no 'Hair Fine' adjustments you can make on friction adjusters, and more parts that can fail, keep in mind that springs/detent plungers usually ARE NOT internal, they are external exposed to elements.
'Long Fixed' ranges you can use any tube size and adjust the mount angle.
If you intend to shoot vairable ranges, the tube has to be larger diameter for more adjustment room, lower quality optics often use the same wall thickness of tube in all diameters, and that leads to weaker tubes that can deform when rings are tightened.
Oval or outright crushed tubes aren't accurate or repeatable.
Objective lense size over 40mm does you no good at all.
Your eye only has a 6mm pupal fully open.
Objective lenses do NOT 'Collect' more light, they don't jump out and run around gathering up more light, they only TRANSMIT REFLECTED light from the target.
Over 6x magnification, anything larger than 40mm doesn't do you a bit of good since the ocular lense output is going to be 6mm no matter what. Your eye can't use any more than 6mm maximum, so why pay for more?
Light transmission is a big deal, the more REFLECTED LIGHT from the target that gets through the lenses, the brighter & sharper the image will appear to you.
Super clear, high transmission glass is a big deal, and lesser optics companies don't use the best glass, just too expensive & hard to work with.
You won't see much of a difference in store lighting, you will be fine at short ranges in full daylight,but you most certainly notice a difference in twilight or heavy cloud cover!
Keeping coatings to a minimum will help a bunch in light transmission, and unless you spend all day every day on optics, UV coatings are pretty much a waste of money & darken the light transmitted.
Parallax adjustment markings are NEVER exactly correct, the lesser optics aren't even close.
Lay your optic on something sold at a 100 yard range, adjust the parallax for the 100 yard graduation and weave your head slightly behind the ocular lense, prove it to yourself.
If the reticle seems to move on the target, or the target seems to move under the reticle, the parallax graduation is off.
When it's exactly adjusted (sans graduations) the reticle will be dead still on the target.
This would be a good time to scribe/scratch a hash mark on the adjuster so you can find 100 yards again... (Yup! Scratching or painting a brand new optic...)
Focus the ocular for YOUR eye, sharpest sight picture @ 100 yards, lock the focus in place.
Cut a round piece of paper that fits as close into the objective lense, lays on the objective lense as you can, excluding as much light around the edges as possible, then cut a star out of the center getting as close to the edges as possible.
Nothing beats the old paper star dropped on the objective lense, then shinning a flash light through the optic... Move ocular lense/tube/flashlight up/down over a FLAT WHITE sheet of paper.
When the star shape is perfectly crisp, measure the distance from paper to ocular lense.
This is your EXACT focal distance for your eye to stand off from ocular lense. ('Eye Relief')
This will not only tell you the EXACT stand off distance, but you will see the point in the center are sharper, while the points out in the margins are 'Fuzzier'...
This is how well the lenses were ground (curvature) to work with one another.
Any lense in the series MUST be ground on it's exact OPTICAL center or the star will appear 'Warped' or one side 'Fuzzier' than the other.
If the center points are all sharp & crisp, then the lense OPTICAL CENTERS are correct.
If the outer points are sharp & crisp all the way around, then the curvature is correctly ground.
Most lower quality optics will have only the center 10-15% sharp & clear, that means you can ONLY rely on the centered 10-15% of the adjustment to be accurate.
With a set of lenses like this, the ONLY way to be accurate is to grind/lap the rings to center the reticle on the target, if you use the adjustment knobs outside of that 10-15% the optic is going to lie to you...
This plays hell with different range shooting since you have to get out of that 10-15% that's accurate & true if for no other reason elevation at greater ranges.
Just some facts, not by a long shot what you need to know to make an educated selection, just some rough ideas and ways to check an optic before it drives you up a wall!
Footnote,
Etched reticles never break a reticle wire,
Bulllet drop compensators & range estimation graduations are 'Normally' only accurate at the lowest magnification setting since most lower end vairable magnification optics aren't scaleable with magnification, but there are more & more scaleable optics on the market now than there used to be...
Many are poorly done, so keep that in mind.
Nobody but Windy would I write all this for...
Define well? 1MOA? Because many good 1:7" twist rates ARs are able to shoot sub-MOA with handloaded 55gr ammo.
Overspinning a light bullet will reduce accuracy of common 55gr rounds somewhat, but not a huge amount. And nor is it really a concern as almost no match shooters use 55gr bullets. The issue with overspinning is an issue with extremely light varmint rounds, which will can be torn apart by the rotational forces.
Std mag. I was referring to different headspace on the shoulder. I usually set back.003-.004 in the AR. I set back.002 on my bolts. My AR is a 9 twist and I have no problem staying moa with 77 grain from a bench. It likes 68 grain best at sub moa and will come close with 55 I reload. Factory 55 not as good but it was meant for 2 legged critters but I've shot a few 4 legged critters with it.