Folks ,
I need advice on a scope and mounts for fox/coyote hunting from 25 to 250/300 yards . Also punching paper . The upper is at Krieger having a 20" VARMATCH 223 Wylde assembled .
I was thinking of a Leupold AR 3x9x40 illuminated . My reason is weight as the barrel although fluted is .812 . The AR series is light ; if necessary I can increase budget to get the right scope and mounts for the job . I want to do it right the first time .
Thank you in advance for your time and help .
Soup

I recommend one of the cantilever mounts, nikon has one, weaver, leupold, vortex etc. nearly all the optics companies have specific AR 15 scope mounts out there. I recommend seeing which one you like best. just about all the mounts out there have the bottom of the scope ring 1" above the top of the pic rail. I personally prefer my scope slightly higher it gives me a quicker and easier view through the scope. most guys want lower the better. I want an easier faster view. with that said rock river arms makes a very sturdy mount, the problem is its pretty heavy. its about 1.25 to the bottom of the scope ring. I run that setup and I also use a bsquare mount. the bsquare mount is kinda cheesy and ugly but it works and provides the height I like without being too heavy.

as to scopes thats totally personal opinion, the leupold isn't a bad choice. I prefer a bushnell elite if its a 3x9, buts thats just me. check out the meopta meopro or cabelas instinct same scope. once you get around $400 for a scope there are tons of options. I don't think your really going to end up using the illumination on the scope. I never use it on my nightforce and its got a much more complicated reticle than that leupold.

On mounts just pick a quality mount that you like. The Burris is a good one for a reasonable price. The SWFA 6X or 3X9 would be a good choice

I use a nightforce one piece cantilever mount that has high mount 30mm rings. Works very well for me. Rear mount also has the built in level bubble.

Worried about weight with a 20" varmatch barrel? That train has left the station.

Burris PEPR and a SWFA superchicken.

I'd get a Burris PEPR and either a 3-9 MK AR mod 1 with mil/mil, or a SWFA Super Sniper.

There's a 3-9 SWFA in the classifieds right now for $500.00.




Travis

Having used the Burris PEPR, I dont care for it. Its bulky and cheap. For about the same money, the Aero Precision mounts are a much better piece of gear, in my opinion.

For me, however, the standard AR mounts place the optic too high. I have settled on the IOR Valdada Lo Profile rail extension and a set of low rings. There is no need for cowitness with a magnified optic, and this combination puts the optic about a half inch lower than a standard AR specific mount.

You must be a freak. No way can I get my eye into a scope 1/2 " lower on an AR.

The Burris PEPR may be "bulky and cheap," but that's precisely why I like it. It's rock-solid and won't break the bank.

Oh, hell, it appears I just agreed with Travis...

Which is why I mentioned the Aero Precision mount. Roughly the same price, or cheaper, that the Burris, and a considerably more well made piece of equipment. Chinese extrusions vs. American machining.

TTT

The aero precision mounts look to me like they are way too light. look at how little metal there is in the uprights. in both my last 2 outting my guns have taken an impact to the scope/mount area. not a hard one. They just make me leary there isn't enough metal in the mount. for what its worth we are talking about the difference between 3 oz for the ap mount vs 6-8 oz for beefier mounts.

I will take a little bit of quality over a lot of cheap. As for the mount itself, they are quite well made, and I have far more faith in it that the Burris.

Either way, I prefer the lower mount I described earlier, so for me, the point is moot.

SWFA makes a good one. It's a 30mm, but comes with 1" reducers.

The SWFA mount is the same thing as the Burris PEPR.

TTT

Larue

JP Precision

I have had both and I like the larue a bit better.

Scope wise the Leupold will be a little lighter

If you can stand the price, LaRue is hard to beat.

I've got an ADM right now but will probably sell it. It works but I prefer LaRue.

Both of these are QD which you won't need so it's a moot point anyway.

As for the scope, a super chicken would be great, the gun is going to be heavy with whatever you put on it, you might as well put a scope on it that you can use to reach way out there.

Larue is one of the top tier QR AR scope mounts. I looked hard at it but decided on the ADM (American Defense Manuf) AD Recon mount. It's QR design is such that it does not wear our gouge the underneath side of the Picatinny rail, like the Larue can. The return to zero capability is phenomenal once you use the same attachment technique. On my heavy sniper rifle, I can shoot my 12" plate at 1000 yds, remove the scope/mount, then replace it and right back to hitting the plate again.

Here is my SWORD Mk15 AR15 with an AD Recon mount and an older NF Compact 2.5-10x32.

Notice the dual QR levers on the left.

The only complaint I have with ADM is there's not enough room on the first lever for my fat finger to flip it out. I turned it around but I use a sling mount on top of my rail that causes the same problem.

They both (LaRue and ADM) return to zero and are worth the coin. Here's a link that compares several options.

http://www.maxicon.com/guns/optics/one_piece/ar15_onepiece_mounts.htm

Great link! Still glad I went with ADM.

Alan

Bobro if you want a QD mount!!