Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles What Scope for an AR15?

Quoted from a Rost495 post on 04/09/07 in �New AR, you build it!�.

�Scope wise no one has mentioned double recoil. With the bolt slamming home, the AR, even in 223, and especially with overpower springs for the buffer, can chew up scopes at times. �

I am planing to put a scope on my �new to me� AR15 as my eyes are so old. What about the Bushnell Elite scopes? I have one of the Firefly models to use for night hog hunting. Also have a 4X IOR and a 6X Meopta that might be tougher. If I used a normal scope for daytime, I could move a Holosight to it for night hunting.

The used AR I purchased is RRA NM 24" heavy barrel model. I intend to change the upper to a flat top to use scopes on. What do I have to watch in setting up the new upper? It shoots much better than me now and I don�t want to mess that up. Is is safe to let my local smith do the job, he builds AR15s now for the local police , or should I send it out to a specialist. The gun is intended for varmint and non competitive target shooting.

Thanks in advance for your help.

The new upper just has to have the barrel in secure, the gas tube lined up properly and not touching anything basically. Other than that it'll be up to the bolt/barrel/chamber.

No need to send out to a specialist, and no need to head to specialist for your needs. IF you were competition shooting or demanding utmost accuracy, you'd be better off with a better barrel and good smith doing the work, but you will be fine.

As to the scope-- all I can say is if you have etched cross hairs you are better, but the erector system still takes a beating. Any scope designed for an air rifle will be better at handling the situation. That being said I"ve run a Tasco target 8x32x 44 mm dot scope for testing since the early 90s. As long as the adjustments are centered, it still does fine. Note thats not a lot of shooting though.

In the meantime, I wouldn't worry, just buy what you want, but be aware when/if issues arise. Like I said, my 2.5x8 variX whateve is becoming very unclear after 3 years on the 50 beowulf. Its time to send it in. NO big deal to me though.

Jeff

Of the scopes you mention the IOR, depending on the model, is likely the toughest. I know they make a 4x version with bdc for .223 that is scecifically designed for the AR. I can't like the eye relief on them, though. Perhaps your IOR is a 4x hunting version. If so, it's probably still the toughest, but I have never looked through one of those. I have two IOR's with one, 4x14x50, on an AR 243 WSSM. Nice match up, but heavy.

If you're mounting it on top of the carry handle, be prepared for some mongo adjustment to get it to hit anything closer than 600 yards.

I don't think an AR is particularly hard on a scope. I've got a Swavroski on my flat top, and it's as safe as can be. Got a red dot on my M 4, and it's great.

May not be particularly hard, BUT as mentioned, I've seen more than a few Leupys go TU on top of them and I have one same situation right now.

Jeff

Good thing Leupold has a lifetime warranty.

What's rough on scopes is air rifles!!! Man, they don't last long! With a regular scope, the force is back, and the scope naturally tries to go forward...with an air rifle, the force is forward and the scope tries to go back.

I've shot mine a lot, no problesm so far, and sorry you're having one. I mounted an Aimpoint on a handle of an M 4, and was shooting at least six feet high.

Edited to add: I shot a M 21 quite a bit, which has more recoil and a heavier bolt, but it did not seem to affect the sight. Which was, if I recall, a Letherwood. But I can see the bolt going forward being a factor.

Yep thats what the AR does also in a mini way. Recoil goes one way, the bolt is heavy and slams the other way...

edited to add that Leupy told my wifes shooting partner they would not warranty his scope a second time if on an AR.....

Jeff

Just when I was thinkin' it was safe to go back to the range (have a Vari-X II)...

turk;

not knowing what your budget is, the following would be worth taking a look at;

schimdt and bender short dot, 1-4x

a.c.o.g. ta31 4x

if you want more power, 2.5-10x night force

i think you will find all of these up to the recoil. good luck.

I believe all the above would handily suffice. Not on the low budget side though.

I think I mentioned some fair service from a trashco load testing scope so far too... but I can tell its starting to wear on the erector system some.

Seems like the erector system flaunted in the new simmons(can't belive I can type that name.....) might be a cheap solution if the new ones ever came out.

And from what I hear leupy is going to fix their erector issues soon, but have only seen that in print as a rumor..

Jeff

Don't ask, don't tell!

How are they going to know it was on an AR?

Honesty. And a few strong words that Leupy doesn't say squat that it can't be used on an AR.

Don't know if I would stretch the budget for a $chimdt and bender. But I am thinking I need at least one Nightforce. Just don't know which one. Perhaps the 2.5-10 would be a good one to start with.

To start with, I plan to mount a Bushnell Elite 3200 5-15 FireFly. Anyone try one of these on a night hunt?

Night hunts. Have seen and even have one scope with a lighted reticle.

I've found that if I have enough natural light to shoot, I prefer no light at all. It dims my pupils and hoses the light gathering.

If I have artificial light, same thing really no need.

YMMV. That being said I think the battery is dead on my one scope, I havent' checked it in about 5 years. Never had a need to. Shoot pigs at night with stars or moonlight on 5X easily to about 100 yards or more.

Jeff

I've only sent one Leupold back for repair, and they didn't ask me what kind of rifle it came from.

Anyway, it says "Guarantee" and I would have to hear it from the horse's mouth that they won't stand by their word with an AR. I've seen nothing in their literature about that.

A search of their website might reveal it, but there are lots of folks out there shooting scoped ARs, and I mean LOTS, and I've never heard of a problem. And as I said, there are far heavier rifles, like the M 14, that don't seem to have that problem.

I just think at Leupold's price you should be able to depend on it.

Gene

I agree totally. But I've seen it. And they did not ask about the rifle until after they repaired it because the damage was very similar to what an air rifle does to a scope.

FWIW I'm sure you've seen more than a few ARs. I know I've seen a lot as a service rifle shooter. I know the possibility is out there due to th double recoil.

For what I pay for a leupy, I'd demand they fix it each time. Regardless. They don't say a word about not using it on an AR. Just to the couple of folks that had them sent in, IE we won't fix it again...

Jeff

I've got a 6x springfield armory 7.62 G'vnt range finder with approx 7k rnds on it; internal level bubble came loose at approx 3k, it isn't affecting the zero, so I haven't sent it back for repair.


bushnell 3200 10X with 500 rnds on it; no problems yet,


and a cheap 4x BDC ncstar with approx 10k rnds on it; the screws that hold the scope to the carry handle mount came loose after approx 150rnds, I cleaned them off, applied some red loctite and haven't had a problem since,

it has a 28mm tube so fov is about 35' at 100yards and it fogs up, but it also only cost $30.

I have a Leupold VX-III 4.5-14x40mm LR scope on my Bushmaster XM15 Varminter (top). My Bushmaster XM15 M4 type carbine has a Leupold Mk4 CQT 1-3x14mm on it (bottom).


My Colt Match Target Competition HBAR has a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x50mm Illuminated Reticle scope. This one has been on it since the late 1990's (top). The other one is a Colt Match Target Match HBAR (bottom).


All of these have thousands of rounds through them, particularly the Colt Competition HBAR. I've never had a problem with any of the Leupolds.

Thousands of rounds might not quite do it. Folks I shoot with often shoot 10K a year or more...