Optic to gun cost ratio

[Jont22]

Thank you all for sharing the knowledge. I think the gist of it is ??? lol. Depends on the person, what they want to do, etc., etc.

For me, being pretty new at this, I think I need to figure out a bit before settling on anything.

 

[ditcherman]

Heck, I thought I read on this site you can easily do that with a pistol and iron sites!

All the time. But that’s not this thread.
Dot helps too.

 

[Tombs]

What would the average person consider reasonable to spend on an optic as it relates to the value of the gun? I recently bought a savage mark ii and I’m struggling with a suitable scope. I’d like to have something nice but what’s too much to put into an optic on a $250 gun?

Personally, Id most likely just use it for plinking, but something versatile would be good. I’d like to hit 100-150 yards. No certain targets.

It's more an issue of what you want to do with the firearm and how important it is that it is reliable for that task.

There's red dots from holosun under $200 that I'd have no problem trusting my life to. Red dots in general don't really get that expensive to begin with, you can have the absolute best of the best for under $1k. You can have the best of the best with a magnifier for right at $1k.

When it comes to magnification, things change quite a bit. If you need the glass clarity to resolve fine details, you will pay for it. Then if you need it to be durable and reliable enough for trusting your life to, you will pay a LOT. How ever, if you're just shooting sparrows in the back yard, then neither of those things matter and a walmart special might be sufficient.

If it's just a range gun you're wanting to wring accuracy out of as cheaply as possible, I'd get an SWFA SS 10x. For $300 you'll have the capability of stuff that's at least 3 times the cost, and it's bomb proof.

And remember, the gun is only as good as its sighting system, and the sighting system is only as good as the mounting system. I wouldn't put a $4k steiner on a savage axis, and I wouldn't put a simmons on an accuracy international.

 

[Hookeye]

What kind of target shooting?

Hitting targets or getting small groups as best you can?
If playing the small group on paper game.........12X proly min for 100 or past it.

For 25 to 100 yards (and farther), something w an adj objective might be best.

Clay pigeons, on the 100 yard bank.........hell a reg 4x will up your hit ration over irons.
Prev posts..........other threads maybe LOL

Id run a 4x on deer to 250 and not worry.

 

[Jeepster48439]

I was always told 3x the cost of the rifle.

 

[ancjr]

For me, 4-6x is nice for offhand plinking. More than that, I want a sturdy support.

 

[Jont22]

What kind of target shooting?

Well, usually whatever random stuff we can find or paper targets. Lol

Hitting targets or getting small groups as best you can?

Just hitting to start.

 

[DadSmith]

My son has a SAKO Model 85LR 338 Lapua Magnum. He mounted a Razor HD Gen II 3-18X50 on it and a Harris bipod. The optics is several hundred dollars lower than the rifle itself, but it's an excellent scope.

Sako 85 Long Range .338 Lapua Mag Rifle JRSLH44

Sako 85 Long Range .338 Lapua Mag Rifle JRSLH44 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

RAZOR HD GEN II 3-18X50 RIFLESCOPE - EBR-7C MOA

 

[two70]

Buy the best you can reasonably afford, not the most expensive you can find nor the cheapest.

Given your stated purposes, you'll likely be fine with anything better than the rock bottom options. If you can swing $200-$300 for the a scope then, provided you do reasonable homework, you'll likely have a scope that you won't out grow for a some time. If not, you can still find scopes that will fit your needs for under $200.

Focus on glass quality and mechanical function instead of fancy features. Forget about the scopes with holdover dots, tactical Christmas trees, dialable turrets, or other such BS. You'll find better quality scopes for better prices and it'll be easier to learn if you skip the bells and whistles. Also, there's little need to start out with more than 9X magnification on the top end for a beginner in my opinion, which will also save you money and/or improve the quality of the scope you purchase. You can go lower on the magnification but 3-9X is a good middle of the road option.

 

[DadSmith]

I personally am biased to 2-7x scopes. For the money Vortex Crossfire II 2-7× are excellent scopes. I have them on most of my AR-15.

I also like the Bushnell AR 1-8x scope as well.

 

[bwframe]

Well, usually whatever random stuff we can find or paper targets. Lol


Just hitting to start.

This looks like a pretty good deal?...

WTS: - SWFA SS 10x42 Mil/Mil Scope- SOLD!

SWFA SS 10x42 made in Japan scope -Mil turrets -Mil quad reticle If you are reading this you likely know about the SWFA fixed power scopes. It is in mint shape. I had it mounted on a rifle that I recently sold but never really used. I can’t find any dings or marks from the rings. $200 obo -...

www.indianagunowners.com

 

[Jont22]

This looks like a pretty good deal?...

WTS: - SWFA SS 10x42 Mil/Mil Scope- SOLD!

SWFA SS 10x42 made in Japan scope -Mil turrets -Mil quad reticle If you are reading this you likely know about the SWFA fixed power scopes. It is in mint shape. I had it mounted on a rifle that I recently sold but never really used. I can’t find any dings or marks from the rings. $200 obo -...

www.indianagunowners.com

I just ordered one of these...

High Quality Rifle Scope Neos 4-12×40 BDC 22 Rimfire

The Neos 4-12×40 BDC 22 Rimfire high quality rifle scope has an impressive list of features and is designed and built to endure, at an affordable price.

athlonoptics.com

 

[bwframe]

I just ordered one of these...

High Quality Rifle Scope Neos 4-12×40 BDC 22 Rimfire

The Neos 4-12×40 BDC 22 Rimfire high quality rifle scope has an impressive list of features and is designed and built to endure, at an affordable price.

athlonoptics.com

Excellent!

Please post up pics of your setup and targets shot with details.

 

[Gingerbeardman]

the worst thing you can do is shoot a really good scope, and then shoot a cheaper one. I have different power scopes, with different reticles, ffp and sfp, and all i would add to the conversation is good glass. the zoom factor and fancy features depend on what sort of shooting you're doing and I think you got a good scope to start with that could be the last one you get for that rifle. I read a lot of reviews when it comes to scopes but you never know the base of knowledge the author is coming from. One says "great glass" and the next guy says "not to good." I also buy all my scopes either used or highly discounted. After last weekend, I'm strongly debating replacing at least one because I shot the 'good' scope first, looked through the next one and said 'this thing's junk!'