Which Scope?

C

CaseyJohnson

Inactive
I have a HOWA 1500 .308 Long Range rifle. I am ready to start shooting past my normal 500 yards (the maximum range for my scope now is 500 yards) Want kind of scope should I buy in order to shoot 1000 yards?
 
This is going to turn into one of those threads ya' know. :p

What scope are you using for 500 yds... does it have the optical clarity and sufficient magnification to see your POI and not subtend that POI? do you want to continue on in that vein with an increase in magnification and the applicable reticle and subtension?

With a dedicated 600-1000 yard .308 you will need a base that provides a minimum of 10 minutes and preferably about 24 minutes of included angle so that your scope will zero in the approximate center of the vertical adjustment range. These are simply called "long range scope mounting bases" and are made by a number of individuals... look 'em up.

Cheers,
C
 
I will be honest, buy the very best you can afford. If its a Schmidt & Bender, USO, NightForce, Leupold, or others. I really like S&B, but that is a chunk to pay for glass. A good NF is $1500-1800. A Mk4 Leupold for just around a grand. There are a lot of good scopes lower price, Millet,SWFA, etc. my favorite for under $1000 is the "new" Bushnell Elite Tactical(love the tracking and 90 moa adjustment). Now this is just food for thought. But when it comes to scopes buy the best you can..
 
Great advice so far. I can't afford a NF without giving up something else so I went Vortex Viper PST. Great optic for the money. I even have it on a Howa Target .308 with a 24" heavy bbl.
I get .60"ish per 5 @ 100 with it consistently.

On another note.... I love .308 but not for 1000 yards. I use it but don't even try FGM 168's as you will be disappointed. At 800 they flew well. After that serious bullet path issues.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2
 
What's wrong with 168 FGM?

"On another note.... I love .308 but not for 1000 yards. I use it but don't even try FGM 168's as you will be disappointed. At 800 they flew well. After that serious bullet path issues. "

Can you expound on that? I, too am building my first long range rifle. I was going to do it in.260 Rem., but the reciever I got came with a nice 26' heavy barrel in .308. Do not know what the twist is yet. Figured I would save $500 or so, at least for now. Had planned on using the 168 gr. FGM.

What do you recommend in a factory load?
 
For a scope take a look at Sightron. Awesome scopes. 308 and 1000 yards are very do-able for sure. As stated before,not with a 168 gn though. Take a peak at 175,155 palma or 155 palme hybred. 168 will do it,but for some reason at around 700 yards they seem to have a mind of their own:). I stepped up to the 175 for a while and was happy with them. I do how ever disagree on the base mounts. I do it with regular bases. I am close to maxed out on adjustment,but not maxed. Look to get a MV of around 2800. Work your way out from 500 ,100 yards at a time and have fun. Keep us posted
 
HShack said:
Can you expound on that? I, too am building my first long range rifle. I was going to do it in.260 Rem., but the reciever I got came with a nice 26' heavy barrel in .308. Do not know what the twist is yet. Figured I would save $500 or so, at least for now. Had planned on using the 168 gr. FGM.
Click to expand...

It is generally accepted that the .308 with a 168 grain bullet hits the trans-sonic barrier somewhere between 800-1000 yards. This varies, of course, with your load, your rifle, your shooting conditions, temperature, altitude, etc,, etc, but generally, the bullet drops below the speed of sound somewhere between 800-1000 yards. In broad, general terms, when your bullet passes through that barrier, it wobbles. When it wobbles, you don't know where it's going.

There are plenty of cartridges that will make it out past 1000 yards without going subsonic. Think high BC bullets like the various 6.5mm, 7mm, even longer .308 bullets like the 173 grain class. Load those same .308 bullets in the .30-06 or the .300 Win Mag and they'll make it past 100 yards supersonic.

1000 yards is a long, long way to shoot a bullet, and while many folks do it successfully, it's a difficult task. Probably the most important task you'll face is learning to read wind, which will influence your bullet much more than the trans-sonic barrier. Higher BC bullets buck wind better and fly farther before they hit that sound barrier.
 
Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 is a FFP with a VIP unconditional lifetime warranty. The Nightforce is a little nicer scope but it's twice the price.

I'm using a Vortex Viper PA to shot 6.5G past 1k. It's not FFP and does not have a fancy reticule or target turrets. The PA does have a zero reset turret and it gets the job done at a very affordable price.
 
I hear most top shooters use the 20-50x scope for those long shots.
A rule-of-thumb for scope selection I use is:1000/25 = 40
 
PawPaw said:
It is generally accepted that the .308 with a 168 grain bullet hits the trans-sonic barrier somewhere between 800-1000 yards. This varies, of course, with your load, your rifle, your shooting conditions, temperature, altitude, etc,, etc, but generally, the bullet drops below the speed of sound somewhere between 800-1000 yards. In broad, general terms, when your bullet passes through that barrier, it wobbles. When it wobbles, you don't know where it's going.

There are plenty of cartridges that will make it out past 1000 yards without going subsonic. Think high BC bullets like the various 6.5mm, 7mm, even longer .308 bullets like the 173 grain class. Load those same .308 bullets in the .30-06 or the .300 Win Mag and they'll make it past 100 yards supersonic.

1000 yards is a long, long way to shoot a bullet, and while many folks do it successfully, it's a difficult task. Probably the most important task you'll face is learning to read wind, which will influence your bullet much more than the trans-sonic barrier. Higher BC bullets buck wind better and fly farther before they hit that sound barrier.
Click to expand...

My rifle did better with the 155 Palmas. The 168's were awesome until right at 800 then....wobble.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2
 
So what if this thread's a broken record? I've said it before and I'll say it again... I love my Viper PST FFP!! :D $900 very well spent. Put a Vortex on the ol' Marlin 60 too.. cause she was jealous. I've knocked golf balls off the railroad tie at 300 yards with my 700 .308; not sure how much more clear a piece of glass needs to be.

IMAGE_765181DC-F3D6-4B0A-90CC-EACC3A2372BE.JPG
 
Most of us will never make good use of a First Focal Plane Scope which are more expensive.

We can make do with a Second Focal Plane scope which is less expensive and satisfactory for our uses. You have no argument from me.

Now if I was involved in long range competition shooting or hunting at longer ranges I would be using a more expensive scope.

Since I don't The most I have paid for a scope is around $400.00 The Average being around $200 or a little under. Does everything I need it to do.
 
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