Help for the ultimate noob

Esteemed experts,

I am nearing the end of the CT mandated waiting period on my first rifle ever.  I've never fired a single shot from a long gun, though I have had some experience with pistols.  I've been spending my 2 week wait researching optics and I'm afraid I'm in a worse place now then when I started.  And now I seek your knowledge...

The gun is a Browning A-bolt .308 Winchester, and again my effective range is currently 0 yards.  I will not be hunting, this will be strictly for paper.  But I went with the .308 for its versatility in the event of a zombie invasion / collapse of capitalism / whatever.  The 2 clubs I am considering have a 200yd range and a 300yd range, so that is my longest practical distance for the time being.  I would like to work my way up to about 500-600yd without reinvesting in a new scope, so I need something with decent clarity off a bench or bipod from 25-600yds.  Monday-Friday I'm a computer geek, and calculating elevation/windage and then dialing it in manually is part of the appeal for me, so bullet drop reticles or other assistance / compensators are a drawback to me, particularly when they cost more.  I'd also really like finger-turn turrets for ease of manipulation.  I understand parallax adjustments are not common in the magnification levels that achieve 0-600yds, are they really not needed at that range?

And finally, I hope this is acceptable to post here, being tied to SWFA and all.  I bought the rifle from Cabela's and would like to get the scope, base and rings there as well.  They will mount and bore sight it for me, and pretty much hold my hand.  I need that right now, though in the future I will certainly have more flexibility.  So, if you've made it this far, thank you!  Does it sound like any of the scopes sold by Cabela's in the $400-or-less range fit the requirements?

For what you are looking for the 20X SS is about the best I could recommend.  Don't worry about getting the scope  and stuff there.  We can walk you through doing it yourself.

I looked at the fixed power models, since I'm a firm believer in fewer moving parts means less opportunity to break.  Would that magnification be ok in my early days starting out, say at 25-50yds, or should I just skip the short distances and go straight to 100?  Also, why the 20X and not 10X?

Forget Cabelas for scopes. Anything you need in that regard can be found at S.W.F.A.

mostly forget Cabela's scopes because you can do better!  Since you bought the gun there, they will mount and bore site......... although my experience (and I worked at Cabela's) is such that they don't always know what they are doing!!  You might be better off finding a gunsmith to do the scope mounting for ya!

For the ranges listed, I would go with the 10x. Especially since you are a new shooter, I think the 20x would translate to much movement, from just breathing and heart beat. Plus if you ever do decide to slay the hairy beast, the 10x is much better suited for hunting than the 20x.

 If you can read a level and turn a screw driver you can mount a scope yourself. As for bore sighting you can do that at the range with out any specail tools, so say thanks but no thanks to Cabella's.

Rethinking i would say the 10x as well not the 20X

rjtfroggy wrote:  If you can read a level and turn a screw driver you can mount a scope yourself.

Screw driver and level, yes.  But I have no vise or any way to measure torque.  Wouldn't the job be more successful with them?

But aside from how I ultimately get it mounted, is the consensus that the SS 10X is definitely the way to go over a variable like say a Leupold VX-3?

To mount it you will order the base and rings......after you know what scope then you can determine what height rings you want.  When you get the items you need in the mail with the scope from SWFA.....You will mount the base using the supplied screws and wrench (allen) and some loctite and finger tighten snugly using the short end for leverage not the long end.   Then mount the scope the rings to the rail, and scope in the rings, level the reticle, snug all down and yoru done......VERY VERY EASY if you take your time and don't over tighten. now this is just a brief summary from a "goober"........not an expert.  But there is definately enough help on here we can save you time money and a headache from cabelas if you want

Edited by SVT_Tactical - March/19/2010 at 16:26

what about bedding the base and making sure the rings are square.  

thats why i said breif summary not perfect.  Nit Picking arent' we lol

The first question is what is your scope budget?

Nice choice on the Browning, they make a fine rifle.

I'll assume you are not reloading and will be buying .308 off the shelf. That is pretty expensive paper punching at over $1.00 a shot for decent ammo. The .308 is a great round and is about my favorite for hunting, so I'm not at all trying to say you've made a mistake, but will ask if you've considered a good rimfire to learn with?

I ask because as a first rifle the .308 is expensive to shoot, loud, and has a bit of recoil. You'll never regret having it, and as you gain shooting skill will really be happy with it.

If your budget allows it, look at getting a .17 HMR or a .22 magnum.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36_323/products_id/41754

It'll be 6x cheaper to shoot, way less recoil, and uses the same action as the browning.

A good thread about this can be found here.

http://www.opticstalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=22159

Again, not trying to second guess you. Do what makes you happiest. I personally shoot a lot more rimfire than I do .308 "and I own 2 .308's" 

As for scopes for what you're looking at doing, I have to agree with the guys about the 10x  Super Sniper.

benjamin199 wrote: I would probably recommend a variable in the 3-9x range.

That's what I had initially thought too, but 10X fixed seems to be the popular vote.  One thing I learned from researching lenses when I bought an SLR camera a few years ago is that variable power lenses tend to be of reduced quality at the extremes.  Is that true of scopes as well, such that a 3-9 would give a "sweet spot" around 6X?  If that is the case, would a Bushnell 4200 4-16X40 be a nice choice?  Seems that should have a sweet spot right around 10X while still giving the flexibility of less or more, as needed.

CrimeDog,
A fixed 10X SS would be an excellent choice. 

If you decide to go with a variable scope, these would be good choices for your stated purpose and $400 budget...

http://swfa.com/Vortex-65-20x44-Viper-30mm-Rifle-Scope-P11232.aspx
http://swfa.com/Bushnell-4-16x40-Elite-4200-Rifle-Scope-P11606.aspx
http://swfa.com/Sightron-6-24x42-SII-Riflescope-P40519.aspx

If you are willing to up the ante on your budget a little more (maybe by another $200 or so), your options open up considerably.  Ideally, for the ranges you mentioned, a good 2.5-10X or 3-12X would work perfectly.

You are correct in that variable power scopes usually have optical compromises at one extreme or another.  Either you get excessive tunnel vision on low power, with less field of view than you would expect, or compromised image quality at high power, with critical eye position and reduced light transmission.  Fixed power scopes have fewer lens elements, so all else being equal, they permit slightly more light transmission and potentially better image quality.  The above generalities sometimes don't apply in high end variable scopes.  Regardless, a fixed power scope is usually more durable than most variable scopes.  Less moving parts = less to fail.

A fixed 10X SS will be an excellent choice.  I started my daughter on one with her .243... She hasnt missed a beat, or a deer...  You will be very happy with the 10XSS even up close... I can focus my 10XSS at 10 yards... Good Luck!!!

OK guys, I think I'm going to go with the SS10X.  I was heavily leaning toward the Bushnell 4200 because of the Elite Bulletproof warranty and 12 month return policy.  I can't find anything on SWFA about the SS warranty, which concerned me a little.  Thought I was basically getting a Bushnell without the company standing behind it.  Didn't seem right to me.  But other posts on here seem to suggest that SWFA fully stands behind them and Bushnell will in fact repair them.  If that's the case then it's definitely the right scope for me.  Can anyone shed some light on the official warranty terms?

And now, on to base and rings.  I'm going to go ahead and do it myself as suggested, but I don't know where to start.  Should I start a new thread for that?

Your right on that SWFA stands behind every SS they sale.  As far as the base suggestion goes you can put a new thread in that section stating what rifle and what optic your using and ask for what base and rings you should get in your price range.

http://www.manventureoutpost.com/products/Wheeler-540%252d127-1%22-Scope-Mounting-Kit.html