| Advice please. [message #5137] |
Tue, 31 May 2011 15:07  |
musicmanof76
Messages: 4
Registered: May 2011
Location: Mililani, HI
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Forum Newbie |
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Aloha,
So, I am a beginner rifle shooter and I have just ordered a T/C Contender G2 in .223 with a 23" barrel. I am looking to pick up a scope for the range. The range has targets set up between 40 yards and 400 Yards. I picked up a Nikon 3-9x40 BDC Rimfire for my .22LR barrel, but I have not used it yet. I am assuming that the BDC would be much different for the .223 and would not work properly. I am also assuming that the 22LR scope may not handle the recoil of a .233, is this correct? What scope would you folks recommend for a Contender rifle in .223 at the range I mentioned?
Thanks,
Tom
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| Re: Advice please. [message #5138 is a reply to message #5137] |
Tue, 31 May 2011 16:55  |
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Crubear
Messages: 1798
Registered: March 2010
Location: NW Georgia
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Top Contributor
Forum Moderator |
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This is one of those personal preference items that goes with the size of your wallet. You can go from a hundred or so up to a couple thousand.
If you're going to shoot out to +200yds, then the more you get the better (6-24, 8-32, or a fixed power >24x) I don't like BSA scopes, but others do. I've heard good things about weaver 36x. If you're just punching paper with no chance of field work (what ever the rodents are in HI), then don't waste your money on Mildot and go ahead and get one with the small target dot.
Bottom line, you get what you pay for. And pay for what you like the most. General rule of thumb I've heard is you should pay more for the scope than you did the rifle.
It's equally important to spend your money on a good set of scope rings - cheap is very, very, very bad here.
Honestly, I have all the barrels I want or could ever need..... wait, look, there's another!!
[Updated on: Tue, 31 May 2011 16:57] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Advice please. [message #5141 is a reply to message #5138] |
Tue, 31 May 2011 20:05 |
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cajuntec
Messages: 1251
Registered: November 2009
Location: Williamsburg, VA
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Top Contributor
Forum Admin |
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I've never subscribed to the "pay more for the scope than you did the rifle" saying, but everyone is different. Crubear gives really solid advice, although I believe in getting the most bang for your buck, and my scope of choice gets noses turned up by a lot of Leopold, Swarovski, Zeiss, etc... shooters. Not all, mind you, but many who have spent thousands on their scopes look at my choice as "going cheap".
That said, I have a buddy who is a huge Leopold fan. He swears that everything he shoots will have a gold ring on the scope. So when I initially went to buy my first "better" quality scope than what I had been using, I picked up the Leopold VX-1. I was determined that it was the scope I'd start with, and then I'd move up to better in that line. That is, until the salesman handed me a Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40. Comparing them side by side, I could see my target MUCH better with the Nikon, and right away, I moved away from the Leopold. I've never regretted it.
I liked that Nikon ProStaff so much, that every Encore barrel I own has one on top. My .30-30 lever action wears one. When Cabelas recently put them on sale for $99, I bought a bunch more for "future barrels". Now I see that Nikon is coming out with a new version of the ProStaff. I'm looking forward to picking one up to compare the old to the new.
I've checked out higher end since my first purchase, and I just keep coming back to that scope. I have never had a bad one, and they have handled everything from .270 on down for me. The glass is excellent, and the price is right.
Long way to say it - but pick out a few "good" brands, and then go to the store and compare them without concentrating on the brand or price.
Crubear's advice about the rings is excellent. The best quality scope in crappy rings will end up as a huge disappointment.
All the best,
Glenn
If at first you don't succeed... buy newer / better equipment!
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| Re: Advice please. [message #5147 is a reply to message #5137] |
Wed, 01 June 2011 00:41 |
Sierra Ghost Hunter
Messages: 103
Registered: April 2011
Location: West coast
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Junior Member |
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The Nikon BCD in a Buck Master 6-18X40 is a very nice scope for a rifle in the long range category. I shoot one on my 270 and have one for my 17 cal for plucking squirrels and stuff out of places that the 3-9X40 can't see. Nikon is producing very fine optics and that is all that you will see on my rifles till I win the Lotto.
DITTO on the quality scope rings.
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| Re: Advice please. [message #5149 is a reply to message #5147] |
Wed, 01 June 2011 06:56 |
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Crubear
Messages: 1798
Registered: March 2010
Location: NW Georgia
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Top Contributor
Forum Moderator |
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Most often the size of the scope determines the height of the rings. It sucks when you put a scope on and the bell touches your barrel (especially when the adjustable objective just doesn't clear the barrel). I've known a couple shooters who liked having the scopes higher though, they couldn't squeeze down far enough for low rings or their bifocals made it hard to focus on the cross-hairs.
I only wish I could go buy the more expensive scopes.
Honestly, I have all the barrels I want or could ever need..... wait, look, there's another!!
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