Figured we should have a thread on this one

Heres what I know of

basic iron sights

and a huge variety of scopes ranging from red dots to 24x hunting optics

What would you use for a close to medium distance battle rifle? My favorite scope playing COD was the ACOG scope, how useful is that in the real world?

My favorite was the redfield 3x9x40 for medium and out to a 150 yards on a Remington 700 m-40

The ACOG is a nice scope. The ability to use a 4x scope and shoot a man-size target at 500 yards is do-able, yet not practical in our real world. In the real world, if you're a trained marksman at expert level, you could do it. COD is a game and everything seems easier in a game. Hell, I took out a German SS officer at over 3000 yards with a 4x scope on some stupid game my brother gave me. Don't get me wrong. If all hell breaks loose and that's all that I had to put on my sniper rifle, you bet your momma's ass I will use it!

Trijicon makes a 6x ACOG, but at over $1000 for the 4x and $2100 for the 6x I could get a LOT more scope for a LOT less money.

Depending on what your use is, you may find that you will need to have 2 or more scopes. It's a good thing you've got a flat top on your new DPMS rifle. It will come in handy when swapping out optics and returning them to zero.

Mid-Long Range: Consider the SWFA Super Sniper 10x43 scope. It is one of the clearest and most accurate scopes I've ever hand and have used it many times to shoot distances of 100-600 yards. It's a fixed 10x with a mil-dot reticle and you can get it with a side parallax focus or a front parallax focus. Price? $399 and $299, respectively. If you're a southpaw like me, you'll want the front parallax focus and save yourself $100.

My best 3-shot group with this scope is 1/3" @ 100 yards with my 308 bolt rifle. Basically, they went through the same hole. SWFA offers a lifetime warranty and in my 6 years of ownership, I've only used the warranty once. The 2nd day aired me a replacement and I sent mine back in their return box.

Next, invest in a quick release scope base. Either a lever type like the American Defense ($180) or a socket type like the Burris P.E.P.R. Mount ($70). Obviously, the lever type is faster and requires no tools. However, I always have a small tool set in my sniper bag, so keeping a 1/4" ratchet and socket is no big deal and it saves me $100.

For close and mid-range, consider a dot scope. The Burris Fastfire is a good choice to attach on top/front ring of the Burris P.E.P.R mount, as the rings have a picatinny rail on them. It will set you back $200, though. For a cheaper alternative and maybe an increase in the Cool-Factor, check out the Burris Trophy 1x32 dot scope. It has both a green and red reticule several power levels. A great value for around $150. The older version had iron sights on top. They worked well, in case your battery dies and you got a zombie charging right at you.

Ok, so if you went with the SuperSniper 10x32 with side focus ($400), plus the Burris P.E.P.R mount ($70), and the Bushnell Dot scope ($150), you're only at $620. Add in the Burris Fastfire ($200) and you're barely tipping the wallet-scale at $820-$830. A FAR cry from the 4x Acog, which starts at over $1000.

Oh, just in case you want to enter the realm of the Elite Snipers... you'll be spending around $2500 for a scope. May I suggest Vortex Razor HD or Nightforce NSX.

will the FA front iron site interfere with viewing targets through the scope?

Nice information again Jimmy.
Thanks for links. When's your birthday? I saw your Amazon wishlist is getting rather large.

offroadaz wrote:will the FA front iron site interfere with viewing targets through the scope?

It should not!

any opinion on the truglo sites? I found a cheap one for $60 that I was looking at




TruGlo tactical dual color dot sight
lifetime warranty
30mm objective lens
3 MOA red/green center dot
68' field of view at 100 yards
Unlimited eye relief
Flip-up lens caps and detachable sunshade included
3.82" overall length
7.9 oz.

It's an OK red dot scope. They have a good track record. Their older models have some nice reviews. This one with the dual color dot is nice. I like the flexibility of the red/green dots. Long term durability comes into question, though. However, with a $60 dot scope, you can't bitch to much about it. :)

okay one other question

MOA? I think I have an understanding, basically the lower number MOA the more accurate the scope is right?

MOA refers to the "Minute Of Angle". By standards. 1" @ 100 meters is one MOA. Most will accept that 1" @ 100 yards is close enough to one MOA. Most scope adjustments offer 1/4" MOA adjustment per click. Therefore, it takes 4 clicks to move the bullet's point of impact (POI) one inch @ 100 meters/yards. Scopes that offer 1/8" MOA will use 8 clicks to move the POI one inch. This "fine" adjustment is crucial for pinpoint accuracy.

If you have two decent scopes that are EXACTLY alike, other than 1/4" vs 1/8" MOA adjustments, the 1/8" will allow you to more precisely correct your impact point.

Most high grade "sniper" scopes actually use "mil" adjustments. One click moves the POI 1/10 of a mil. Unless you know how to use "mil", disregard this fact.

Most benchrest shooters and target shooters like the 1/8" MOA because it offers such fine tuning. For the rest of us average joes, 1/4" MOA works just fine. Define what your purpose is, then pick the right scope to meet that need. If this is a plinker and a "just in case" zombie rifle, a 3x9 or 4x12 power rifle with 1/4" MOA adjustments will be fine. Remember, the better quality of the scope, the more "true" the adjustments will be. More importantly, the adjustments will actually hold.

There are methods for testing the "Tracking", repeatability, and Return to Zero of your scope. It's a lot to write. Contact me and we can talk about it. If there is a demand, I will do a Video Demo.

If you're on a budget but don't want to throw your money away on junk, consider this scope.

http://swfa.com/Pentax-4-16x50-Gameseeker-II-Rifle-Scope-P45830.aspx

Pentax GameSeekers have some really clear glass. They are bright and highly visable. I have one of their 3x9 on one of my coyote guns. At $150, these scopes are worth twice their price.