Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Chosen scope for AR?

In this case, a Rock River .223. for uses other than normal hunting. Not seeking long explanations - would like to know the chosen equipment and reasons.

Which scope would you mount, how, and why? Thanks.

Zeiss Victory HT 1.5-6 x 42 in LaRue LT-104, chosen for low light close range deer hunting. Kahles 3.5-10 x 50, in LT-104 chosen cause I still have it and can't kill it, Aimpoint T1 in aimpoint supplied QD mount, chosen because its on my home Colt 6720. Eotech XPS2-0, chosen because I never tried one before.

For my 18" .223 rifle, I went with the Nightforce 2.5-10X42 for its build quality, optical quality, size, and features. I put it in a JP mount due to it's rugged yet lightweight design. I use this rifle for hunting mostly, shooting steel, and the occasional competition.


SPR by wareagle700, on Flickr


On my .308, I went with a Nightforce 3.5-15X50 in a Nightforce Unimount for the same reasons as above. I wanted a little more magnification for as this rifle as it gets shot out to longer ranges than the .223.


MATEN by wareagle700, on Flickr

What uses "other than hunting" are you talking about?

Thanks for the info to date.

Uses? Rather local target/competitive shoots and knocking off the occasional careless long-distance coyote here. Heaven forbid one would need to use it for its defensive capabilities, but - .

Leupold VXR 4x12 with CDS Dial. It's mounted on my Rem R-15 Hvy Barrel Varmit .223. Perfect for long range Coyotes. Great Glass, Lighted dot on reticle, and love the CDS feature. Also great for Prairie Goats.

The reason I ask is I have an SPR with a Leupold MK4 3.5-10 that I use for long range targets as well as called coyotes.

I have a RECCE with a Leupold VX6 1-6 Firedot that works great for up close and out to 400 yards or a bit further.

Then I have a pencil barreled carbean with a TA33G-H ACOG on it that also works well out to 400 yards but ain't bad up close either.

All mounted in LaRue QD mounts cause I like to shoot irons too.

I just received a SWFA SS 10x MILQUAD scope that I put in an ADM mount to play with at long range steel. The glass is much better than the one I looked at several years ago but I haven't got to twist the turrets much yet. This one will wind up on a 22 but I may look at a 6x mil dot version for an AR if this one lives up to the hype. So far the $300 SS rivals my $1000 MK4 but it's too early to make a determination.

They are a big heavy scope better suited to a heavier gun but still works on a pencil barrel.

Colt AR15A2 Government Model with a Burris XTR II 1X-5X-24mm scope in an ARMS #2 carry handle mount and ARMS #21 scope rings. The rifle is used for home defense and 3 gun matches.

Leupold VX-3 1.5x5 with Illuminated circle-dot reticle in Weaver 1pc SPR Tactical mount.

Because the low mag & the circle dot illuminated reticle makes CQB target acquisition easy enough & the 5x mag helps target ID at a fair range possible.

The dot is not quite as precise for long(er) range shooting as crosshairs, but on a 2 ft. square target area with a 5x, it's good enough.

Low folded height rear sight provides a backup system.

MM

I have 2 different uppers that see use for long range fun & hunting. Both have SS 3x9x42 FFP MilQD reticles and both are in SWFA mounts

I really like the milqd reticle from swfa. Lots of room in the erector and both of mine have been twisted and turned and they move spot on.

I have a stock pencil barrel with irons and another with Aimpoint Patrol.

IMO for self defense NOTHING beats irons.

Randy

Trijicon Accupoint 1-4 w/ green triangle reticle on DD 16" midlength. Very fast acquisition of targets to 400 yards. Very clear glass. Fiber optic and tritium reticles provide day/night use. very rugged.

mike r

My AR budget is more modest than most, it seems.

Burris Fullfield 2-7x32 Ballistic Plex in high Weaver 4x4 rings atop a Weaver riser block.

I also have a Vortex Strike fire sight for it, but haven't had it mounted in a couple years or so. The low end of the Burris seems to work well enough up close that the Vortex is unnecessary.

I have a Burris FFII 3-9 tactical in a PEPR mount. Tried a VX1 2-7, an Eotech, something else I can't remember. I believe I'll just keep it the way it is now until something breaks.

I had the scope on another rifle and proved itself to be repeatable and I like the turrets w/ the ballistic plex reticle combo. The magnification is fine for as far out as I care to shoot it, and not so big as to be a PITA. The PEPR mount is solid, and simple. My AR is a RR, nothing special. I did put a quad-rail foreend on last year. My handload for it is 26.4 gr Varget, Rem 9 1/2, Hornady 55 sp w/ cannelure. THough it'll shoot most things pretty well. I have some 64 Speer rounds it loves, but wouldn't keep the Winchester powerpoints into much less than 2" if that at 100.

Forgot to add I also have a GG&G flip up rear and the standard front sight.

I have a Burris 2x7 E1 in a PEPR mount and that has proven pretty versatile. I have been shooting 3 gun with it, no hunting as of yet. Cost me about $100 so hard to beat.

Paul, the Nightforces are fine, but spendy, costing more than the rifle.

For a general purpose scope, a Leupold VX-R in either 1.25-4, 2-7, or 3x9 is a moderately priced, quality scope, and it has the firedot illuminated dot in the center, if you need to fix a problem in low light. Pick the one that makes the most sense for you. You can also get a Leupold Mark 6 in 1x6, which is an impressive, but likewise spendy scope, and it has a 34mm tube, which is bulky.

The nice part about AR's and their Picatinny rails is you can use a quick detachable mount, swap optics for different situations, and the zero will normally hold within 1 MOA or so. LaRue make a good one, as do other folks, but they are not cheap, either. If you find a scope that you're content to leave on all the time, then a QD mount is not required, and any good mount is fine. Leupold has one that is fairly nice looking but others may be fine, too.

I've got this 1.25-4 VX-R in a Leupold mount on this Armalite .308. Eventually I think I will put a bigger scope on it, but that's down the road.

Take a look at what Primary Arms has to offer.
My son has had very good "luck" with them and they don't cost more than the weapon itself.

I'm running a NF 2.5-10X32 on my scoped AR. Nice size, great optics and built like a tank.



Terry

This.

And a SS 6XMQ for shooting long.

Nikon P223 3x
Nikon P223 3-9x
Vortex Crosfire II 2-7x.
Real good bang for your buck. Clear, bright and all came with mounts as a package. The Nikons have good resettable turret adjusters. The Vortex has standard adjusters with caps.

P223 3X here on a flat top carbine w/16" medium heavy barrel, in Nikon P mounts/rings. Left the A2 front sight on, doesn't cause a problem.

Still can't hunt with an AR here, so no need for more power. Eyes finally got too feeble for the peep sight that was on the critter, so went with the 3X Nikon.