Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Best optics for AR 15???

The Bushnell Trophy 1.5-4.5x32 is a nice scope for an AR-15, and cheap, too ($120).

If you are shooting out to 500 yards and can estimate or know the range, try a Burris Ballistic Plex. They have a new tactical model and a 30mm tube model with lots of adjustment. They make a mil-dot model, too.

To test it cheaply, buy the Pentax Gameseeker 6x42 with the same Burris reticle in it from Cameraland for $70.00.

+1 on MS post probably the most articulate post I've ever seen on AR optics.

The optic I use is a 30mm with a standard duplex. I have been quite pleased overall with it. That being said, I would like to spend some serious time behind a circle dot reticle and see if I can gain any speed at closer targets or if it has an overalll advantage.

In regards to 1" vs 30mm, I just do not know. I want illumination as an option and I have not used a 1" tubed optic with illumination. On my play guns at home that are non illuminated, I have never had a preference.

The funny part is that this subject came up here with someone yesterday and I went back to my hooch and drew out what I believe would be the perfect reticle for the 1.5x5 for doing the work I am doing.

I apologize for the picture. It was done with a dry erase marker on the inside door of my hooch. I use it as my personal whiteboard.

It may seem a bit odd to have the 25 yard dot there, but often when you are deployed overseas, when your boots hit the ground they hand you a weapon and you go zero. Quite often enough the zero range ends up being some outfits pistol range so the furthest back that you can get might be 25 yards. This is not always the case but having a 25yd zero dot above the horizontal cross hair would be quite practical in my opinion.

I emailed Leupold customer service yesterday about this and am waiting for a reply. I would like to put this reticle in my existing optic or in a new one and give it a solid test for practical application.

MacKay,
Why don't you call Leupy? I think you'd need to speak to Cameron.

BTW have you compared the 1" tube to the 30mm? I'd except it to be brighter at 5X.

Hey Pard,

Thank you for the comment. I realize my perspective may not be the most popular or mainstream but it has come from a lot of trial and error. Maybe not so much error as thinking "what would work better and can I improve my performance?". The one thing that holds true is almost everything is a compromise of some sort.

MS.

GFB,

I am overseas at the moment and calls are tough. However if you have a contact, I sure would like to have a direct email addy to correspond to an interested individual. That would be a big help. Like I posted earlier, I just emailed customer service yesterday. I have no idea if that will get me anywhere or not.

Any help would certainly be appreciated.

Thanks,
MS

No problem, I like to give credit where credit is due. Yup it sure is a compromise. And what might work great for one person might not be ideal for another. I had a 1-5x on my "dangerous" game rifle for Alaska. I trained for a year with it under every scenario that I could think of at the time always setting it back to 1.5 so I thought I was GTG. Then one day up there I had to look down a tramac so I cranked up the mag with the scope off the rifle. It had a quick detach mount so after I mounted back on the rifle and forgot to crank it down. Good thing a griz didn't happen by. After that I got a fixed 2.5X. But I've been going back to the variables like you, it's been pretty well seared into head to turn it down after every use and checked constantly. Sending you a PM.

I've been out of the business for about 6 months. Things change fast sometimes in sales. But I still have some friends in the business so I'll make some calls. It may take till sometime next week to get some answers but I'll see what I can come up with.

Mackay, correct me if I'm wrong but if you zero at 100 yards on an AR, won't your POA need to be high at 25?

I zero at 50 and at close range I have to aim high to compensate for the height of the scope, about 1"-1.5"

The 25 yard crosshair has me confused.

edit: zeroed at 50 I'm about an inch low at 25, 1.75 high at 100 on at 200 or as close as I can tell. I don't understand your reticle and am simply trying to understand not knocking it.

Danged it, I drew that bass akwards didn't I. Good thing you pointed that out before I actually sent anyone a drawing of what I wanted.

Ultimately I want a POI/POA dot, a primary zero @ the horizontal cross hair and subsequent horizontal lines at 50/100 yd increments.

I was wrapped up in the design of the sight picture/reticle and completely dropped the ball.

The more I thought about it today too, the more I think I need to change the zero to 200yds and run the smaller horizontal bars to 400 yds. I will snap a picture of the revised version.

OK, actually putting the thinking cap on, here is what I came up with.

Using the printed ruler in my pocket notebook I measured my bore/scope offset at about 2.75"s.

I guesstimated 62 grain M855 at about 3000 fps.

I revised my plan a bit and went with a 200 yd zero after fiddling with a 4X ACOG today looking @ distant targets in our area.

200 yd zero.

25 yds -1.4
50 yds -.3
100 yds 1.1
150 yds 1.3
200 yds ZERO
250 yds -2.9
300 yds -7.8
350 yds -14.9
400 yds -24.5

I just couldn't get my mind to grasp that but usually am wrong.

This new drawing is something I might could live with. I would like to see the 25 mark a different color than the rest since things seem to happen quickly at 25 yards. The reason I like the standard duplex better than the SPR reticle, is it's too much stuff and up close and in a hurry I tend to center the whole thing instead of a little line. Just an idea...

I have trained myself to just aim high up close and way out there but I've been playing with the B&C reticle on my 22-250 and am loving the benefits of an actual aiming mark. Even been thinking ACOG because of this and ditching the Aimpoint. Sound idea and with as many AR's being sold now I'd think Leupold would embrace the idea of a 5.56/223 matched reticle.

Good catch TWR! LOL, my mind got all backwards also. Different color might be good I agree things will probably happen fast at that range. However at that distance the mag will probably be set at 1.5X and 1.1 or 1.4" on a center chest won't make much dif. When I was training hard I picked a reference point the apricot shot and trained at that mag w/ the appropriate target and let muscle memory take over. So it may be possible that a different color could be a distraction. Not a dig at you mind you, just a thought. It would all depend on which training method or school of thought you'd adhere to. MS I came up with 1.1" @ 25yds with a Speer 62gr FMJ BT at 3000fps and 2.0" offset for the sights. I'll measure the offset when I get back from hunting and fishing. Be Safe.

Last fall I bought a Trijicon 1.25x4, the ones with the 1 inch tubes, with the red triangle reticle. I put it on a .444 Marlin single shot to try it out for the winter and really liked it. My intent was to put it on my M4 carbine after deer season, but have subsequently bought a RRA predator model flat top. I put the Trijicon on it last week and tried it out. I have done a lot of reading and thinking about sights/optics for these AR's and did not really like the idea of the red dots etc much for the same reasons described so well above. The Trijicon is an excellent scope, does not require a battery and I think is gonna be just the ticket, being the best all around choice.

i like the acog by trijicon.

very cool scope, and the mount is set up so you can still use irons, and don't have to flip anything out of the way.

-tom

Anyone have any good or bad comments on the ATN Professional 5x33L Tactical?? I am not looking to use my AR for hunting. I live in PA and we can't use semi's rifles for hunting. I am new to the AR and I am looking to spend up to $400 on some optics. I'm not really sure what I want. When I go to look at scopes not everyone carries what I want to compare.

2 optics immediately come to mind with a budget of less than $400.

Weaver makes a 1x3 non illuminated scope that is not too expensive (around $150 I think)and is a solid japanese built scope. I have one mounted on a Marlin lever gun and it is one of those rare times where I definately believe I got more than I paid for. It has held up well to 30-30 recoil, adjusts true and maintains its zero. I have seen pictures of quite a few mounted on guys ARs that shoot three gun competitions and people seem quite happy with them as an AR optic.

Weaver also has the 1.5x4.5 "extreme" which is an illuminated "tactical" 30mm scope that is being closed out at natchez for around $270. I picked one up but have not had a chance to use it yet.

I would pick something along those lines before I bought anything that was made in China. I would rather run iron sights than rely on a questionable scope. Below the Leupold level of quality, I would definately go with a Weaver or buy a used Leupold.

Thanks for the info everyone. I think I'm going to go with the Millett Tactical 1-4X24 DMS.