Recommendations on a prairie dog scope?

[greatshot]

Hey guys. I am going on a prairie dog hunt, and need a scope. I am trying to not break the bank, but want one that will get the job done. Any recommendations?

[Jester560]

Athlon Argos BTR 6-24 50 is a steal for under $400.

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[jpx2rk]

Mueller scopes are pretty good for the $$ as well. I've got 2 with no complaints.

[yobuck]

Actually you will probably not be doing as much dialing as you might think.
But that could depend on the guns you take along also.
I use a 223 Savage model 12 with a fixed 10x Bushnell tactical scope I bought about 10 years ago for less than $200.
I dial it in on holes in the 200/250 yd range and then just hold up or down on shots out to about 350/400.
I also use a 22x250 AI again in a model 12 and it has an older Sightron variable I dial in for about 450 or so and there it stays, again holding up or down for shots.
I use the 22x250 AI with 69 gr bullets on shots out to about 600. For shots beyond that I use a 6x284 with 105 gr bullets with a 6.5 x20 Leupold and dial for each shot. The vast amount of my shooting is with the 22x250, especially in the 300 to 600 range.
You will find that most of the close shots dry up pretty quick once you start shooting.
The problem with dialing each shot is time wasted. Not just the dialing, but very often before you get it done the dog is back down the hole or down in the grass. You can choose to wait it out or go for another and start over where the same thing could happen.
Anyway im there to have fun, not keep score.
I use a portable bench with a bipod on the gun and single feed for a shot. A good day for me would be about 125 rounds fired, I don't clean my guns during the day.
I would take along one of those 10x10 pop up type shelters as the sun can be pretty intense at times.
Or you can use the vehicle and tie off a tarp from that with a couple tent poles.
A good pair of hand held binnoculars is very important, looking for targets thru a rifle scope isn't a good idea and dosent work as well.
7 or 8 power is enough, any more will require a support and isn't necessary unless you plan on a lot of very long shots.
Each hunter should have his own, a spotting scope isn't necessary, unless again you plan on taking some very long shots.

[BB68]

yobuck has posted very good info and true advise.

All I can say is I like thin crosshairs. Nothing worse than the dogs being able to hide behind them. I have friends that have been going for 20 years now with $50 Tascos and have never had a problem.

[yobuck]

yobuck has posted very good info and true advise.

All I can say is I like thin crosshairs. Nothing worse than the dogs being able to hide behind them. I have friends that have been going for 20 years now with $50 Tascos and have never had a problem.
Actually, some of the old Tascos weren't all that bad, especially for something like dog hunting.
I bought the Sightron on another site from a guy who really needed a Nightforce for his new Gap, so that it matched his other Gap.
I figured it would be perfect for my 22x250, I think I paid about $200 for it, it has 1/8 min clicks with a mill type reticle.
As a rule I don't count clicks, and I do believe a minit is always a minit. lol
I really do like the 10 power Bushnell tactical. It's a very good cheaper scope, it also has a nice mill type reticle that is handy for hold overs.
After a few shots you get to know what reticle mark to use at certain areas even without a rangefinder and dialing, same for wind.
Just hold and shoot.

[BB68]

We never dial either. Like you said they pop up all over and by the you get it set they can be gone.

I guess my other point with the Tasco, as long as a scope doesn't shift POI any can be used. A certain $ isn't necessary.

[Ryfulman]

Primary arms makes scopes with reticles optimized for certain pplications. Varmints is one of their reticle options. They allow instant ranging of targets and fast shots.
I prefer the Christmas tree type reticles. My vortex viper has 36 MOA of drop on the reticle which allows me to holdover for shots up to and passed 1000 yards cartridge depending.
I don’t dial in distance unless I absolutely have to,or if most of the targets are at a certain range I’ll re-zero then just correct using the reticle if needed.
I’ve used the second focal plane type scopes and they are great for fixed distance targets,however I’ve found them to be a hinderance when the targets are more dynamic and distance varies. The DMR type reticles are great as long as the ballistics match the reticle.

[yobuck]

Primary arms makes scopes with reticles optimized for certain pplications. Varmints is one of their reticle options. They allow instant ranging of targets and fast shots.
I prefer the Christmas tree type reticles. My vortex viper has 36 MOA of drop on the reticle which allows me to holdover for shots up to and passed 1000 yards cartridge depending.
I don’t dial in distance unless I absolutely have to,or if most of the targets are at a certain range I’ll re-zero then just correct using the reticle if needed.
I’ve used the second focal plane type scopes and they are great for fixed distance targets,however I’ve found them to be a hinderance when the targets are more dynamic and distance varies. The DMR type reticles are great as long as the ballistics match the reticle.
I would argue that first or second focal plane is meaningless at least as it applies to targets while hunting.
Other than FFP does increase the reticle size when the power is increased, which many feel is undesirable.
And it matters not wether the load matches the reticle, although it would be more desirable if it does with programed type reticles.
A prairie dog for example is a fixed target at possibly an unknown distance when you first take aim on it.
Seeing the bullet hit with relation to it is all that really matters. You can either choose to dial to the hit, or adjust your hold and shoot again.
Thats really the whole idea of the Christmas tree reticle, just hold the hit location on the target and shoot again.
Reality is however that any mill type reticle can be used in the same manner, or any reticle for that matter with a little practice.
With Prairie dogs there is usually lots to practice on and misses are as a rule small, so holding is a quick and easy solution.
But you do have the choice of either playing with all the toys you brought, or shooting at Prairie dogs. lol
Actually it's an excellent time to prove to yourself just how easy long shooting can be, and how little equipment is really needed in order to do it.

[hamiltonkiler]

For a .223 a fixed swfa is great. Get a good zero and you have nice clean marks in the glass for hold overs.


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[sharpshooter]

The best reticle for ranging prairie dogs is a .5 moa dot. A .5 moa dot is the same size as a prairie dog's head at 300 yds. If the dot doesn't blot their head out, it 300 or less.
Years ago, I used a 12x Leupold with a .5 dot,on my .17 Rem. and a Leupold 6.5-20 Varmint with the Leupold dot on my 22-250. That dot was .3 moa @20x, which made it the same size as a prairie dogs head @ 500 yds. If you backed it off to 16X, it was .5 moa.
Took me about a half a box of a ammo to get onto it, but after that it was like you couldn't miss.

[efm77]

Sightron S-Tac is another one that's very hard to beat for the money. You can get the 4-20x50 model with MOA reticle for less than $400. The center dot is .25 MOA which leaves a very fine aiming point for small targets. Same tracking as the SIII's have and supposedly the same glass too. They're just less expensive due to be assembled in the Philippines instead of Japan.

[jpdown]

+1. The Sightron S-TAC is an excellent scope with very good glass and tracking for the money. Also like the MOA reticle with center dot for prarie dogs.

[BB68]

hmmm another possible scope purchase.

[SageRat Shooter]

hmmm another possible scope purchase.


Yeah, Wish he would have posted the S-tac reminder about 2 months ago.... Then I wouldn't have made such a bad error in judgment last month when I bot my Dad a Nikon FX 1000... Should have stayed with Sightron.... live and learn.

[efm77]

SageRat, what do you not like about the FX 1000? They seem like good scopes but I don't know anyone with any first hand experience so I'm curious.

[Sled]

I was going to go with the FX-1000, really liked that scope, and when they are on sale with the free mount it's an outstanding deal, but there are just too many complaints about the turrets not tracking correctly. A few complaints I understand, but there are A LOT of complaints about it on that scope, which surprises me because it is supposedly Nikon's Flagship line. And I think that is what was wrong with SageRat's scope as well. I went a different direction and will be purchasing a Vortex Gen 2 PST 5x25

[efm77]

Thanks for the info Sled. That's disappointing to hear since Nikon is such a good brand. All have their lemons though from time to time. The main thing that made me choose Sightron was their reputation for good tracking and they seem to have a lot more adjustment range than most others in similar power and price ranges. There are a few exceptions to that but not a lot.

[tric3imagery]

Agree with some post Parie dog shooting your better off hold overs and better off having a turrent marked glass, like a mil dot, Christmast tree , or something similar reticle

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[SageRat Shooter]

SageRat, what do you not like about the FX 1000? They seem like good scopes but I don't know anyone with any first hand experience so I'm curious.

I was very disappointed in the tracking. the elevation turret and windage turret didn't track even close to what it should have. I'd have to say that they were "straight up broken". I went from the box, to the rifle, and back to the box, as it took a rifle that will shoot 4-5 shot groups I could cover with a nickel (7MM caliber) and made it shoot like a 12 gauge shotgun.

Nikon is covering the cost to "fix it", but for a scope that is supposedly "Competition ready straight out of the box" it failed miserably. The one positive I can give it, is the glass is really nice for the price point. It's not quite as nice as my Sightron SIII glass, but it's no slouch.

Repair time is estimated to be 4-8 weeks, so will have to wait to report back if it tracks at all.