I will be putting this scope on 223 bolt action and AR platform rifles. I probably will only shoot up to 500 yards and in. I have looked at the Rapid Reticle 223/308 FFP scope. I have looked at the Hawke Endurance 223 scope. I need one around 500 bucks because I need to buy multiple scopes. Any suggestions or what have you guys used in this price range. Thanks

Oh boy, now you've done it.

https://tractoptics.com/riflescopes/response

I have not tried these but have 3 Tract scopes and all have been excellent.

Athlon BTR, Bushnell Nitro , SWFA SS 3-15

The Sightron S-TAC 4-20 with the MOA2 reticle.

Good shootin' -Al

Have a Burris E1 6.5-20x50 that works great .

Check out gun broker there are some great deals on them

Sightron, Burris, Leupold, Athlon, Hawke and Meopta offer excellent options. As a long standing supporting vendor here on the forum it is our pleasure to assist in discussing different options and opportunities with you. Please give a call, 516-217-1000, when you have a few moments

Doug and Cameraland will never steer you wrong.

If I was going to set up multiple rifles with one scope, this is what I'd buy. Very reasonable price. With the Burris online calculator, you can easily be killing pdogs out to 500 with any varmint caliber gun you choose. Cameraland has them in stock :

https://cameralandny.com/shop/brand...0135-de39-00163e90e196?variation=1693896
Here's the link to Burris' Ballistic calculator. Use the Reticle Analysis button.:
https://www.burrisoptics.com/ballistics

I won't say best but have 2-ea of these on .223 rat killers.

I’ve shot PDs for 25 plus years. You get what you pay for in optics. I like variable power scopes with 16-18 at the top end. Higher magnification often results in lots of mirage. All my PD rifles wear Leupold or Zeiss scopes.

I like scopes in the 4-14 power range and currently use Leupold and Weaver for the most part. As dale06 said higher magnification often results in lots of mirage and I agree that you get what you pay for in optics. Mine have been used for 20+ years without any problems.

I'd want a 10x MQ Fixed Fhuqker over everything cited,excepting perhaps a 3-15x FFP MQ. The only BTR's I shoot are Gen2 2-12's FFP Mil Lit Bitches and the reticle is too proud for said application,in my book. Hint.

You reap 10yd parallax,an erector that's real,a reticle that is intuitive/fast and jives the erector,huge erector travel,rock solid zero retention and unerring repeats. I hear that they can also take a lick. Burris,Reupold and Zeiss are fhuqking jokes. The tract is hilarious enough,to not even rate mention. Ooooops! Hint.

BDC's are a Wives Tale Myth,concocted to soothe Stupid Fhuqkers. Doubly so in a SFP,where the stupidity only aligns at one location on the zoom scale. An etched lineal angular scale grants opportunity like no other and the Mil version grants Base 10 simplicity. DOPE can easily be factored with ANY bullet,at ANY speed,at ANY distance and ANY interval of same,along with the wind at ANY angle and ANY velocity. Thus the inherent excellence of the Fixed Fhuqker and/or FFP MQ. Hint.

Al's Sightron notion is better than the others,but essentially only houses 50% of Fixed Fhuqker erector travel and is SFP...though it'll do what the others can't/won't and that is track and repeat,with nice parallax control. Hint.

Coming full circle and spit balling a 53gr V-Max at 3400fps in a modest atmosphere,it do thusly to 500yds. Hint.



Why you'd stop there,is your call,but I'd wanna know where the Transonic Slip is and count upon being able to reach same. Hint.



The 'Slip transpires betwixt the 925 and 950yd line,with the latter being a miserly 8.2 Mil correction. Everything from there back to the muzzle,is capably handled by the reticle alone and rather easily. Introduce atmospherics(wind) and you can contend 15mph full value at The 'Slip. Dial the come-up for a center elevation hold and slide the wind accordingly. You can mechanically fight 30mph full value at the 500yd line,with the reticle alone. Again,no big fhuqking deal or even close and I LOVE shooting 22LR beyond 500. Hint.



VERY few actually shoot or have a First Fhuqking Clue and they LOVE to prove it. It is a rather HILARIOUS fhuqking touch,when they "brag" on how long they've been Stupid and how amazingly sloooowwwww a "Learner" they are. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!...............

For colony varmints, the SWFA 10x Milquad is spectacular. The hash marks on the reticle will make you feel like a rock star after only a few shots in the field. 10-12x is where I find myself on a variable most of the time anyway once the mirage comes up. I remember thinking it'd be a handicap being stuck on 10x and laughing after the lightbulb came on and my hit count was through the roof!

While I’m in agreement that a 10x Milqd SWFA would go along way towards field hits and giggles from seeing red and brown chunks of fur going atmospheric.

I’m gonna toss a grenade into this mix and see if Big Stick will detonate on this optics platform @ a $450 price point.

🦫

Sig Sauer Tango4 4-16x44 FFP lit reticle.




https://www.sigsauer.com/tango4-4-16x44-mm.html

One of the best scopes I have used was a JAP Bushnell . I think it was a 3X9 but was turned to 9 and never moved. My best with that scope & gun (223) was 562 yds..

It was extremely clear. I have never found another as good. I also liked Burris. They tended to be very clear.

HiggyBaby,

You are gonna talk me into trying out one of them 10x MQ Fixed Fhuqkers yet! Hint.................





'10,

The very picture you hung says "DISCONTINUED" and I don't see any available in Mil/Mil from a Vendor I trust. Have never shot one,so cain't comment,but the feature set makes sense in Base 10. Hint.............





upoopin,

I likely drive a "few" Japanese Bushies,but they are REAL scopes,not CrackerJack Play Toy's. Your's sounds like a Magnificent System,perhaps share some "particulars" in regards to same. Hint.

I'll go first. Lowly Massaged 700,S/S Shilen Double-Ouncer,bushed bolt & turned pin,Straight 1.350" "contour" to 24",MacaMillion A2(had Dick Davis fill it HEAVY),25 MOA on 1913,40 more in The 'Horn's,yada,yada,yada. Hint.






Fair to middlin' 500yd+ Egg Rifle,even with Weaver T-16x FCH. Hint.



You REALLY "know" your "stuff" and I LOVED the Burris Muse! Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!...............

If only in extrapolation. Hint.

T-16x FCH. Hint.



Fixed Fhuqker 10x MQ,though I've shot it with 12x and 16x MQ's to boot...10x STEALS The Show. It's affectionately known as THE Baddest Mother Fhuqker On The Planet. Hint.





Pass the 10x MQ Fixed Fhuqker and hold The Fluff. Hint..............

I bought Hawke Frontier 30 5-30x50 SF - TMX Illuminated off of Doug today for varmints so I am hoping it works out!

Got a few different scopes heading to P Dog Mecca in the next couple weeks.

Namely an LRHS2 and a Vortex Razor HD Gen2 something or other.

Taking two 10X SS MQ's as back up to the two I'm taking.

Should be interesting to see how things shake out.

10x mil quad for the win !
So glad I bought 2 more on the sale !
Faithful "Rat Smacker"

'Morning 'Stick. Yes...tough to beat the mechanicals of the Sightron S-TAC's, especially for the price. Or any of Sighton's stuff, for that matter. I was working with my 36X45 E.D. SIII at the range yesterday and it just makes me smile....

Your recommendation on erector travel is spot on. Even with his 500 yd. limit, it always pays dividends for people to pay attention to mechanical travel and/or mounting options. As you well know!

Good shootin' -Al

I just plopped a 3-16x42 FFP Mil-Hash/Mil-dials S-Tac atop a 1st gen Kimber Pro-Varmint 223Rem. Tracked as it should upon initial 200yd zero and a couple groups just to make sure it stayed put. I'm only 30-40 rounds into it, however my initial impression is that it'll work for PD's and anything else that's within range whilst it's in my mitts. The reticle is plenty svelte for PD's @ 10x+.

FWIW, I grew up just on the edge of PD country. I still have a fair few PD rifles topped w/6.5-20x40 and 4.5-14x40 Leupolds of the older Vari-X III vintage. I had a S&W 1500 223 w/6-24x40 B&L in high-school and through college and that same scope rode atop a M70 "Sporter-Varmint" in 223 as well. Bull bbl'd AR's w/4-12 and 6-18 Leupolds have both sufficed. My 223AI and 243AI have 12-42x56 NXSs mounted and while it's a nice piece, when shooting PD's it rarely sees more than 22x (where the reticle subtensions are calculated for).

I generally prefer more than 10x and generally can't use much over 20x due to mirage most days.

One of my favorites is the Meopta Optika5 4-20x50 Z-Plus reticle scope. 1 inch tube, 60MOA of adjustment, Meopta quality and under $500! You can dial in the Z-Plus reticle using Strelok Pro too. These scopes are out the door as quickly as they arrive, perhaps Doug can help you out?

The Meopta Optika5 4-20x50 SFP - Z-Plus #1032581 is in stock and on our Mother's Day Sale for only $422.74

ziess v4, a little above the price. big stick finally has something I agree with that LRHS 4.5-18 probably would work great. pdog hunting is the one use I might like FFP for. however I find myself just getting a feel for the misses and adjusting by abouta thata mucha. rather than saying oh its 2.2 mils. in which case I don't think FFP really matters.

also dang near anything will work. I find myself preferring to use hold offs rather than dialing. you're trying to hit a small target and often additional shots are needed. a scope that is 14-16x on the top end is what I would want.

Don't bother with a ton of magnification or big giant objectives.

Dogs love sunny days and mirage is the king of the day.

This is not hunting, or target shooting at known distances, or shooting steel gongs. It's shooting small creatures on the ground at all different distances. A big one standing would be about as tall as size 11 shoe and they come in different sizes. We used 6-20's 40yrs ago because that was the deal back then and they worked. But Leupold tracking wasn't very reliable back then. Scopes are much better now and more power is always better. My centerfires have scopes that go to 24x or up to 32x and that's not too much. Don't have to always use it but you can't use it if you don't have it, and it does get used every time out. Looking at just a head sticking out of a mound, or some part of creature between bushes, or something way out theree, nice to have optical horsepower and zoom in for a good look. And glassing for a target, then finding it in the scope, I wouldn't even mess with a fixed power scope. Anyone who says a 6 or 10 power fixed is the way to go, has never done this and just doesn't know.

****Addition****. You asked about which scopes to get and mentioned $500 as the limit. There are a bunch of good ones for that, I've bought some that were either used or on closeout sale. But today if I were buying new and wanted optical quality and tracking precision, I'd get the Bushnell Match Pro 6-24 with unlit reticle for $449 direct from Bushnell (the only way they're sold), I have one and it's just excellent. The Athlon 6-24 model that comes in at less than 500 has real good glass and tracking. The Arken 6-24 is top quality but has a 34mm tube which is a drawback for me. Stay away from the lower end Vortex scopes, lower quality optically but a great warranty which they need because of (from what I've read) a terrible reputation for reliability. My opinions on this stuff.

Hardluck: I have been Hunting and shooting Prairie Dogs for well over half a century now (55 years in fact) and I have many Varmint Rifles in caliber 223 Remington - my first choice is and has been for many years now the wonderful Leupold 6.5x20 variable with fine Du-Plex reticle.
Thank me later.
Best of luck with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

This^^^

Best bang for the buck in a sub-$500 varmint scope. The reticle is very usable on prairie dogs and I actually prefer SFP for colony varmints. They track really well (which a LOT of higher dollar scopes don't) and the glass is extremely good for the price. 80 MOA is plenty of erector travel and a .223 will go subsonic before you run out of elevation travel. I don't want anything that tops out at less than 20X for a varmint rifle, and I spend 98% of my time with it turned all the way up.

https://cameralandny.com/shop/brand...013a-1ef0-00163e44aa35?variation=3156062

Great info guys! Thanks. I still have not decided on the scope of choice. I had my 223 55gr vmax rounds loaded today so now I got to decide on the glass. I have a CZ 527 HS Precision Heavy barrel 223, a Savage LRVP Heavy barrel right bolt left eject in 223 and a Savage Model 12 Laminated heavy barrel 223 for my bolt guns. I have 2 DPMS Prairie Panthers in 223 and a Springfield ATC Elite for my AR rifles. Gonna take 2 22 mags for the closer shots. A Henry Pump and a CZ 512. Looking forward to the trip. It will be me and my 2 boys so we each have a gun to shoot and swap out if the barrels get hot.

Leupold FX-3 12x40 AO Target.

I have these on my rat shooters. Like them a lot.

Hard to find, though.

Leupold Mark 4 16x40 on a 222 singleshot Sako AI.

Pharmseller & Northman: I am pleased that many of our CampFirers are using the American made Leupold scopes - in obvious defiance of the few Leupold naysayers on this forum.
Your insights and experiences are appreciated.

Then there is this - the display of small twigs "Prairie Dog Rifles" in that obvious "Prairie Dog Terrain" he (it?) photographed them in is, well, just laughable.
And sad.
Sheesh.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

My favorite PD scope to this day is still my Burris 8-32 with peep-plex reticle..I center the head and the rodent disappear

Best scope I've ever used for prairie rats is the S&B PM II 5-25x56 CCW FFP...use a PF4 if you want a nice fine reticle. That said, I prefer the H2CMR.

Exactly and turrets and BDC are in most cases also just so much fluff. Most prarie dogs are shot under 300 yards.

Agreed.

I ended up getting the Sig Buckmaster 3-12x44 scope with the Sig 1500 range finder combo’s for 169.00 per combo. They have worked great for the price. We have killed many prairie dogs from 50 yards to the longest being 417 yards. The most fun has been the 22 mags with the Nikon BDC. We have popped them out to 225-250 yards. Great fun!!

I've never hunted prairie dogs, but if I did I'd sneak in close and use an iron sighted handgun.

I have shot prairie dogs and like the SWFA MQ 16. Its a bit much under 100, but that doesn't matter.

Use the top side of the reticle for the close stuff, no need to spin anything...

500 yards an in? Do you want to dial for wind and elevation or hold off? I've been out shooting PD's 4 times and used 4 different scopes, so it's a limited sample based on my experience.

Let the bashing begin - I've settled on (and also the fav of someone who has been shooting longer than I) is the Leupold 4.5-14x40 with varmint hunter reticle. Good reference points, intuitive elevation and wind references, not cluttered, easy to make a slight adjustment based on impact. You can pretty much run it on 14x all the time unless mirage gets extreme. I prefer to sight in once and use hold-offs. I've pretty much decided to sell the newest scopes that I tried (PST 5-25's) after getting back yesterday from a trip and stay with the Leupold's.

Is it the best? You'll never get anyone to agree on that, but they work well.

I agree with you for the most part on the Leupold 4.5-14x40, I have quite a few of them from different generations. They are not all the same........I have several of the older ones with the A/O and like them very much, I have several of the newer ones with the side focus and like them even more, however I have 2 model 170691 VX3i with the vh reticle that have neither an A/O or a side focus and they flat out SUCK !!!!! there is always parallax above 10x. A scope Leupold should have never made, and I wish I had never bought.

I have the side parallax models, I guess I should have stated the model but they are out in the shop...VX-III long range I believe.

Yes those are awesome !!!

The Reupold 4.5-14x's are Steaming Pieces Of Fhuqking Schit,in ALL versions and sadly I've all the T-shirts and BT/DT. Hint.




They are good for ONE thing however. Hint.




Just saying.

Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!.................

Hah! LOL. I was waiting for you saying that Big Stick!

Facts are tough on Snowflakes. Hint.



Fhuqking LAUGHING!................

For the PD shooting I've done, I'd have been well served with a SWFA 10X (first choice) or the 3-9 version (second choice).

To date,Reupold cain't begin to scratch the surface of same. 10yd parallax,42 Mil's on the erector,tracks,repeats,2+ Mil's of erector for every ounce of weight and holds zero like few others. Hint.

Hell...it ain't even fhuqking "FAIR". Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!.............

I have always had good luck with the 4.5-14X50mm but then I am not forced to suffer poor rifles.

Killed a lot of PDs on the far side of 500yds with them.

While over budget for the OPs needs the 3-18X50mm Leupold is about as good as it gets for PDs but the world is awash in decent optics.

On my dedicated PD guns, I've never had the need for 10 yd parallax, nor 42 mils of elevation. I do have a couple SWFA's, and agree with your assessment of them, but I use them for different purposes where tracking and dialing is commonplace. Not needed on my PD guns and you won't be able to prove to me the VH reticle is not great for PD's.

Cheers!

rimaction,

Facts ain't "subjective". Your disabilities and lack of experience ain't mine. Hint.

There's NO fhuqking way to talk a SFP Reupold VH Archaeic Goat Fhuqk Reticle "pretty". The sanctity of an etched lineal scale windshield,that actually fhuqking means sumptin' and conjoins erector travel,is a touch more than obvious,for them who actually fhuqking shoot. Though perhaps you and Joan Squirms ringing endorsement of same,is gonna take Reupold to new heights?!? Give or fhuqking take. HINT.

Tracking,repeats and zero retention simply matter too. Hint.

Fhuqking LAUGHING!................

I have a couple.of 10x on varmint rigs, for chucks and yotes.

A benched rig for PD?

Would think at least 12x. Wouldnt mind a little more on my rigs for the bigger critters LOL

Bushnell 4.5-16x LRHS2 is a definite winner for P-dogs.

Hell, anything with a yardstick for a reticle is better than the old duplex we all grew up on.

Makes too much sense not to.

Are you saying varmintgay, and his duplexes, is a senseless twit?

Naw, I was just pointing out that a great reticle is awesome.

Does Leupold even offer anything worth while these days?

No. You just have to'hold into the wind'......sheesh

LOL

Bullies…

I find no matter the scope I end up at 12 power most of the time
Any higher the mirage is too bad
I don’t like a busy redical one of my favorites is a simple target dot

My favorite praire rat exterminator.
223 chamber, 1:8 twist, 6.5 - 20 Zeiss Conquest.

Silver scope on an AR for the win!!!!

LOL!

Matches the barrel !
And it's mine, could give a f&@> what you think.

LOL!!!

Is that thing on top, a flip-up bubba level? How fugging cool is THAT?....

can't for the life of me figger why it's not mounted if front of the front ring so it don't obscure the turret, if you're into that kinda stuff. Good lordy knows it will be tall enough to see.....

I range, twist, make sure it's level, and send.
It's a relaxing shoot...
Plenty of time to make corrections if needed, or at 20x, spot, and Kentucky windage.

That would make a lot more sense, logistically speaking.