daved20319
12-21-2017, 02:33 PM
Have a new (and first) Savage on the way, one of the Cabela's 12FV's in .223. This will be strictly a bench gun for shooting groups out to 500 yards at most, and more typically 300 yards or less. I don't compete, although if the bug bites hard enough, that might change. But in the meantime, this is very much a budget project. Which brings me to the purpose of this post.
I'm scope shopping, obviously, and have mostly succeeded in confusing myself. I have zeroed in on what my parameters are, here they are in no particular order:
30 mm tube
Target/tactical reticle
Target/tactical turrets, no caps
No proprietary BDC reticle
And the kicker, only a $300 budget
I know, I should wait until I can afford better glass, but that means my new rifle will sit in a corner gathering dust for a long time. I'm almost 60, so middle aged eyes have put limits on me that I still gripe about. That means magnification matters, even at relatively short distances. If I can't see it, I can't hit it. So with the disclaimers out of the way, here's what I'm looking at.
I'm down to a short list of just 3 scopes, the Primary Arms 4-14 FFP, the SWFA SS 12X (probably), and the Falcon M18+ 4-18x44. The last is available as both first and second focal plane, and all are available as MOA or MIL. On the latter, I have no particular preference, although I'm learning towards MIL. I'm not a fan of FFP scopes, I had one of the Midway/BSA versions and found the changing reticle size annoying. I suppose if I anticipated ranging with the scope, I could learn to like it, but for my purpose, I don't see any advantage. That said, the PA has a solid following, and is the least expensive on my list.
The SS series have a solid reputation, and it seems reasonable to expect better glass and mechanics from a fixed power scope at the same price as a variable. But those middle aged eyes get in the mix. I know 10x isn't enough for the longer range shooting for me, I don't know if 12x is going to make that much difference, but I'm afraid 16x will be too much for 100 yards. I've already ruled out the 20x.
Which brings me to the Falcon. It's got good reviews, but not many of them, and I know some of the older model Falcons had issues. The overall feature set on this ticks all my boxes and then some, but it is another Chinese scope, and that makes it a crap shoot. So what I really need is for someone to talk me into/out of this scope, because I'm leaning hard this way. Thanks in advance.
Dave
I'm scope shopping, obviously, and have mostly succeeded in confusing myself. I have zeroed in on what my parameters are, here they are in no particular order:
30 mm tube
Target/tactical reticle
Target/tactical turrets, no caps
No proprietary BDC reticle
And the kicker, only a $300 budget
I know, I should wait until I can afford better glass, but that means my new rifle will sit in a corner gathering dust for a long time. I'm almost 60, so middle aged eyes have put limits on me that I still gripe about. That means magnification matters, even at relatively short distances. If I can't see it, I can't hit it. So with the disclaimers out of the way, here's what I'm looking at.
I'm down to a short list of just 3 scopes, the Primary Arms 4-14 FFP, the SWFA SS 12X (probably), and the Falcon M18+ 4-18x44. The last is available as both first and second focal plane, and all are available as MOA or MIL. On the latter, I have no particular preference, although I'm learning towards MIL. I'm not a fan of FFP scopes, I had one of the Midway/BSA versions and found the changing reticle size annoying. I suppose if I anticipated ranging with the scope, I could learn to like it, but for my purpose, I don't see any advantage. That said, the PA has a solid following, and is the least expensive on my list.
The SS series have a solid reputation, and it seems reasonable to expect better glass and mechanics from a fixed power scope at the same price as a variable. But those middle aged eyes get in the mix. I know 10x isn't enough for the longer range shooting for me, I don't know if 12x is going to make that much difference, but I'm afraid 16x will be too much for 100 yards. I've already ruled out the 20x.
Which brings me to the Falcon. It's got good reviews, but not many of them, and I know some of the older model Falcons had issues. The overall feature set on this ticks all my boxes and then some, but it is another Chinese scope, and that makes it a crap shoot. So what I really need is for someone to talk me into/out of this scope, because I'm leaning hard this way. Thanks in advance.
Dave