Need help on choosing scope

backwoodsshooter

there’s always a method to the madness
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Alright, so since everything is falling in to place and I’m getting to a good point it is time to start the journey in to LR shooting.

the scopes that are gonna be in question are either going on a 6.5/300 PRC, or a 338 LM. The chassis in question will be in the Ruger Precision

so now, the 2 I have narrowed it down 2 are

the Vortex

Strike Eagle 5-25x56 FFP MRAD.

Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP MRAD

I can get both from Vortex cheaper than what I’ve be able to else where.

so I the PST worth right at 200 more than the strike eagle?
 
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Alright, so since everything is falling in to place and I’m getting to a good point it is time to start the journey in to LR shooting.

the scopes that are gonna be in question are either going on a 6.5/300 PRC, or a 338 LM. The chassis in question will be in the River Precision

so now, the 2 I have narrowed it down 2 are

the Vortex

Strike Eagle 5-25x56 FFP MRAD.

Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50 FFP MRAD

I can get both from Vortex cheaper than what I’ve be able to else where.

so I the PST worth right at 200 more than the strike eagle?

Yes.

I have the gen 1 pst 6-24 and love it. My only complaint is it’s only 5 mil per rev and not 10. The gen 2 are much nicer imo. My next scope will probably be the gen 2 like you’re looking at unless I bite the bullet and buy a razor gen 2.


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Yes.

I have the gen 1 pst 6-24 and love it. My only complaint is it’s only 5 mil per rev and not 10. The gen 2 are much nicer imo. My next scope will probably be the gen 2 like you’re looking at unless I bite the bullet and buy a razor gen 2.


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my apologies if this comes off as.... well idk but it’s not meant to be.

melts put it this way, the best scoop I currently own is a Vortex 2-7 diamond back (I think).

never had much in the way of a good scope why should I should the extra on the PST over the strike eagle?

just better glass? Features? If I had the money you dang skippy I’d drop it on a Zeiss or Some other high end Euro optic or even a razor but I’ve never had the chance to treat my self to a nice optic and my budget is around 500-1000 max.
 
my apologies if this comes off as.... well idk but it’s not meant to be.

melts put it this way, the best scoop I currently own is a Vortex 2-7 diamond back (I think).

never had much in the way of a good scope why should I should the extra on the PST over the strike eagle?

just better glass? Features? If I had the money you dang skippy I’d drop it on a Zeiss or Some other high end Euro optic or even a razor but I’ve never had the chance to treat my self to a nice optic and my budget is around 500-1000 max.


One thing I have figured out in my journey into LR shooting is that you get what you pay for. Will the SE work? yes I'm sure it will. Will it track as good as the PST? I doubt it. LR shooting is all about repeatability and consistency. To get the SE to the price point they have there are corners that have been cut no question. IMO the price difference in these two is negligible. Now if we were talking the $$ difference of a razor thats a whole different story. Now the SE does have a 34mm tube which will give you more avalible adjustment and it had a bigger objective so theoretically you should get more light in it. If you are wanting to compete in a PRS type environment I would go with the PST, if not and the $200 is too much to swallow then go with the SE. I don't think that one path is wrong but I do believe the PST is a better optic for $200 more.
 
My recent scope puchase was a gamble... Athlon Cronus BTR UHD 5x25x56 APRS1 Mil/Mil...

I didn't pay the 1999 MSRP on it.. much less.

I have not taken to the range, but I believe it has better FOV, Clarity at High Magnification and excellent eye box. The clicks are repeatable and has 2 stops.

I was going to buy a S&B... but I got a better reticle and better turrets for 50% the cost.
 
My recent scope puchase was a gamble... Athlon Cronus BTR UHD 5x25x56 APRS1 Mil/Mil...

I didn't pay the 1999 MSRP on it.. much less.

I have not taken to the range, but I believe it has better FOV, Clarity at High Magnification and excellent eye box. The clicks are repeatable and has 2 stops.

I was going to buy a S&B... but I got a better reticle and better turrets for 50% the cost.

I'm hearing from lots of folks that S&B isn't what it used to be.
 
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I might argue that the optic - and mount - are perhaps a more important consideration than the actual rifle.

Better eye relief, better reticle, better light gathering, clarity, etc. Your shooting sessions will be a lot more enjoyable if your eye can relax and do its job. There’s nothing more tiring or distracting than a poor optic that you have to stare through for 50-100 shots in a session.
 
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One thing I have figured out in my journey into LR shooting is that you get what you pay for. Will the SE work? yes I'm sure it will. Will it track as good as the PST? I doubt it. LR shooting is all about repeatability and consistency. To get the SE to the price point they have there are corners that have been cut no question. IMO the price difference in these two is negligible. Now if we were talking the $$ difference of a razor thats a whole different story. Now the SE does have a 34mm tube which will give you more avalible adjustment and it had a bigger objective so theoretically you should get more light in it. If you are wanting to compete in a PRS type environment I would go with the PST, if not and the $200 is too much to swallow then go with the SE. I don't think that one path is wrong but I do believe the PST is a better optic for $200 more.

I might argue that the optic - and mount - are perhaps a more important consideration than the actual rifle.

Better eye relief, better reticle, better light gathering, clarity, etc. Your shooting sessions will be a lot more enjoyable if your eye can relax and do its job. There’s nothing more tiring or distracting than a poor optic that you have to stare through for 50-100 shots in a session.
Just sold my gen 1 pst and bought a gen 2. I just sighted it in today but seems to be a nice upgrade. I don’t know how it compares to the se but I’m happy with it.

Here’s a thread on the new se from the forum I read the other day. https://www.carolinafirearmsforum.com/index.php?threads/new-vortex-strike-eagle.60603/


Good luck op.

My recent scope puchase was a gamble... Athlon Cronus BTR UHD 5x25x56 APRS1 Mil/Mil...

I didn't pay the 1999 MSRP on it.. much less.

I have not taken to the range, but I believe it has better FOV, Clarity at High Magnification and excellent eye box. The clicks are repeatable and has 2 stops.

I was going to buy a S&B... but I got a better reticle and better turrets for 50% the cost.

Thanks gents. Looks like I'll save a little more and get the PST Gen II.
 
Out of all those choices, I would buy this for $420
europtic.com/Nikon-BLACK-FX1000-Riflescope-4-16x50SF-Matte-FX-MRAD-FFP-16512.aspx

@KitShickers care to bless us with your opinion knowing that you've owned several Vortexs and chose the Black FFP over the Athlon and others?

I was looking at them heavy until I saw this. Where they’re supposed to be stopping making scopes. Also in the prs setting you’re limited to 30 cal and down with max speed of 3200fps. Just saw where you were thinking of getting a 338.


https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2019/11/27/nikon-discontinues-line-rifle-scopes/


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I'm hearing from lots of folks that S&B isn't what it used to be.

Yeah... that's what I heard as well. The guy that likes S&B told me that S&B is as good as they always been; they just have not innovated at the same pace as all the other companies. That made sense to me.

IIRC S&B sells their scopes primarily to the Military Forces where Training Regimen's are measured in years.. so it makes sense.

@JBoyette could probably give a good answer on that better than I could.
 
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Out of all those choices, I would buy this for $420
europtic.com/Nikon-BLACK-FX1000-Riflescope-4-16x50SF-Matte-FX-MRAD-FFP-16512.aspx

@KitShickers care to bless us with your opinion knowing that you've owned several Vortexs and chose the Black FFP over the Athlon and others?
I was looking at them heavy until I saw this. Where they’re supposed to be stopping making scopes. Also in the prs setting you’re limited to 30 cal and down with max speed of 3200fps. Just saw where you were thinking of getting a 338.


https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2019/11/27/nikon-discontinues-line-rifle-scopes/


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that’s the biggest reason I market Nikon off the list. Which sucks as they had some decent scopes


You will get higher velocities in every bullet weight with a 338 RUM.

Same action as a LM? I’m at work and would dig in to it but will also look at it more as I thought about the 338 run a couple years back
 
I have a Gen I, 5-25X50 on my 338 LM and it does just fine. The only down side are those silly shims to set the zero stop. Supposedly they no longer have that silliness in the Gen II. Check out Burris. There are some good deals on them right now.
 
I have the Viper PST gen2 5-25 and I love it. Zero complaints but my buddy just got the Strike Eagle model and it has a 34.. tube and locking turrets which I think is a big upgrade. If it were available when I was in the market Id have gotten it over the Viper PST. I personally can't see any glass clarity difference between them. But I'm not out shooting past 1000 yards or anything. Cant go wrong with either in my opinion.
 
And don't forget how are you going to shoot "LR"? Off barricades, on the bench, prone? We started out banging steel out to 900-1000 and then when that got old we starting shooting for groups at that distance. We now put a piece of tape on the plate and measure the hits around it. Between the guys I shoot with we have a variety of rifles and scopes (from $300 SWFA to $2500 NF and everything in between) and only a few of the rifles/scope combos will group at a 1,000. Hitting the plates is not a problem but putting your bullet where you want it on the plate creates a whole new nightmarish scenario. The insanity never ends! :eek::D
 
Just ordered a SE 5-25x56 yesterday, will be here Wednesday. After reading all of the reviews over on the Hide, I couldn’t see dropping the extra coin on the PST. The extra elevation, 34mm tube, wider FOV, coupled with glass that is being called on par with the PST II, excellent tracking, and just as audible/tactile turrets, it was a no brainer for me. I’ll report back once it arrives.
 
never having a nice scope I think it’s gonna set the bar high for future scopes lol.

There is that. I'd never paid more than $250 for a scope before. In putting together a SHTF AR, I decided to pony up for a Steiner 1-4. Took one look through it & knew immediately that I was gonna be paying much more for glass from now on.
 
The SE 5-25x56 arrived today. Initial impressions, I’m impressed. Optical clarity is excellent for the money, turrets feel great. The parallax adjustment knob is VERY tight but I’m hoping that’ll loosen up with a little use. As soon as I have the opportunity to get to the range, I’ll give a full report on it. It may be a while, my usual invite to PHA has been far too busy for any range time lately and I don’t really have anywhere else to go test it. But overall initial impressions.. this is a lot of scope for the money. I’m optimistic that the performance will match the initial impressions.
 
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