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Budget Glass


Singlestack

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I picked up a Remy 700 sps Tactical and I need suggestions on decent glass. I don't plan on competing but I'd like to be able to play out to 600 and hunt with the rifle too. I've never done any long range shooting and I want to learn how to use a mildot reticle (I think). I know the mantra is buy once, cry once but I'm not gonna spend a lot on this project. I really want to spend less than $500.

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There are lots of decent scopes out there under $500. I happen to have a good one sitting on the bench with a mildot reticle and tactical knobs. If you'd like to borrow it for a spell I'd be glad to loan it to you. There isn't much to learning the mildot reticle once someone explains it to you. I prefer the MOA style reticles myself as I think in 1" increments a lot better than 3.6" increments.

If you're interested, just the other side of EAGC is a monthly 1000 yard match that starts up in February. You don't have to be a pro to come out and sling some lead at steel plates. The shooting starts @ 600 yards and finishes up on the 1000 yard steel. It's a 36" round plate at 1k, so it's not that hard to hit. COF is 20 rounds, 5 at 600, 5 at 800, 5 at 900, and 5 at 1000. There is a large group of folks shooting it in the .223 class. There are 3 classes, .223, factory rifle, and Anything Goes. I've won the factory rifle class (most guns are custom guns built in factory available calibers with factory available twist rates) and the Anything Goes class as well. On the short range at the cabin we have steel from 100 yards to 650 yards in 50 yard increments.

If you need help getting some data I'll be glad to assist. Chrono your load and I can get you real close (minute of steel) with a ballistics calculator.

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There are lots of decent scopes out there under $500. I happen to have a good one sitting on the bench with a mildot reticle and tactical knobs. If you'd like to borrow it for a spell I'd be glad to loan it to you. There isn't much to learning the mildot reticle once someone explains it to you. I prefer the MOA style reticles myself as I think in 1" increments a lot better than 3.6" increments.

I think I would think in 1" increments better too. I have not seen any reticles like that yet. Did I mention I don't know squat?

If you're interested, just the other side of EAGC is a monthly 1000 yard match that starts up in February.

That does sound fun. How much power do I need for that?

If you need help getting some data I'll be glad to assist. Chrono your load and I can get you real close (minute of steel) with a ballistics calculator.

I don't even have dies yet. :goof:

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I have extra sets of .308 dies and tons of load data. Your rifle most likely has a 12 twist barrel. I'd recommend either 175 gr or 155 gr bullets. I have Varget, H4895, and Re15 powders and have burned out 2 custom .308 barrels (if that tells you how much I have shot the caliber, a bbl is good for 7500+ rounds). I've tried them all and I have my favorites. It really depends on the application as to what weight bullet might be better. Typically the 155 will outperform the 175 in almost every case.

Next time I see you, I'll show you my MOA reticle scope. I have one from Nightforce which I worked with them on to get one better suited for my needs. They wanted to make them available to the public and anyone can now buy one, it's called the NP-R1 reticle. A trip to their website will show some drawings. There is a cheap MOA reticle scope out now, but it is exactly that IMO, cheap. I'll toss that extra scope I have in the truck and next time I see you I'll letcha borrow it. It's already in rings so all you have to do is mount it up and zero it. It's a 3.5x10x44 and it has some really nice glass in it.

Have you bought a base yet? Go ahead and get a good base. I really like the Badger Ordnance 20MOA base and Marty is a big sponsor/contributor to the shooting community. You can usually find one used for $100 or so.

I'll put those dies in my bag too so I don't forget them. You're going to croak when you see the cost of rifle bullets. Some ppl like the 155 Lapua Scenar bullets but those in my group have found them a little too inconsistent down range so we use the 155 Berger VLD. In your roomy Factory chamber, you'll want to be around 47.8gr of Varget in Win brass behind a FGM 210M primer with the 155's. It seems to work universally in guns like yours.

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You can also choose from some nice demo scopes at swfa.com. They have a lot of quality scopes that have been demo'd or mounted, or maybe factory refurbished and you can save a few dollars. If kguns is going to take you out to the long range matches, I would take him up on that for sure. Check out what everyone is using and doing, and use that input to help with your decision.

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Falcon Menace 4.5-14 with mil/mil setup so its easy to range stuff. They run about 375 bucks and are good scopes for the price. They dont compete with 2,000 dollar glass but in the less than 600 buck range it is what I would choose and is what I plan on buying when I get some more dollars.

If you dont reload for rifle I highly recommend it.

35 bucks for 20 rounds of match ammunition or 8 bucks for 20 rounds reloaded. It pays for a single stage press and dies quickly!

I'm new to long range shooting as well and so far have only shot out to 200 but it is fun.

Edited by rrflyer
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I picked up a Remy 700 sps Tactical and I need suggestions on decent glass. I don't plan on competing but I'd like to be able to play out to 600 and hunt with the rifle too. I've never done any long range shooting and I want to learn how to use a mildot reticle (I think). I know the mantra is buy once, cry once but I'm not gonna spend a lot on this project. I really want to spend less than $500.

I really like Burris Black Diamond line of scopes. They also have a lifetime warranty.

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I have a SuperSniper 10x mounted on my Howa 1500. I've shot it out to 250 yards so far. Got it used but like new condition for $250 with Butler Creek end caps. The glass is pretty clear for the cost and it sure takes a beating. Another scope I want to invest in that's in your price range is a Bushnell 4200. Got to look through one the other day, very clear glass, and around $450-500 dep on power range and reticle.

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Super Sniper, Falcon mil/mil, maybe the new Wonder Optics MOA scope...... all decent entry scopes...... and the Bushnell 4200 6-24x50 Tactical Mildot is hard to beat for under $500, if you can find one used..... The Nikon Buckmaster 4x14 Mildot with side focus is anohter good scope for under $300, but its not really "tactical" enough for most :)

Let kgunz11 hook you up, he knows what he's doing.

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Super Sniper, Falcon mil/mil, maybe the new Wonder Optics MOA scope...... all decent entry scopes...... and the Bushnell 4200 6-24x50 Tactical Mildot is hard to beat for under $500, if you can find one used..... The Nikon Buckmaster 4x14 Mildot with side focus is anohter good scope for under $300, but its not really "tactical" enough for most :)

Let kgunz11 hook you up, he knows what he's doing.

I don't like the Wonder Optics scope. Lots of problems out of the small sample base that has made it to the market thus far and it is a SFP scope that ranges on what??? 7 or 8 power? Even the owner/seller of the scope Matt Wonder wasn't sure exactly where each scope was accurate on the power ring and told end users they would need to find out for themselves by testing each model. That's a big negative on a variable power scope that you plan to use for any kind of holdover. Yeah it will work once you know exactly where it is.

I still have emails somewhere from my correspondence with the Falcon folks where I was urging them to make a mil/mil model a year or so back. They didn't think it would sell very good here in the states. :rolleyes: So far it seems to be a decent scope from the reviews I have read on it. I am still super impressed with the Mueller TacII 3.5x10x44 mildot. Glass is very good and CS is top notch. I have one and was planning to let John borrow it. I get to see and test a lot of scopes. I write about the good ones and send the bad ones back. ;)

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