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Options for 308

Printed From: OpticsTalk by SWFA, Inc.
Category: Scopes
Forum Name: Rifle Scopes
Forum Description: Centerfire long gun scopes
URL: http://www.opticstalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=25092
Printed Date: March/29/2024 at 01:07
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Options for 308
Posted By: NonniHerkall
Subject: Options for 308
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 01:00
Hey there, I am in the midst of building my first rifle, a Saiga 308.
I have seen some plant these huge scopes on them but for myself I am not a big fan of a huge tube on my weapon. I have got a Barska one, the one with that cross in the middle but wondering what options a budget strained person like me can do?? Offcourse I would love nothing more then a triijcon ACOC on my beast but Uncle Sam is not yet paying an enlisted guy like me enough to toss out a grand for a luxury like that. Has anyone of you tried Bushnell-1x32-Trophy-Red-Dot-Sight-P6913 on a big caliber like that?? I am kind of curious to see how the Barska fares as it will be my starter one but would love to get some suggestions and feedback on the issue. Not familiar with so many of those brands out there and already tried jumping on some unknown brand and not wanting to do that again. Nut Kicker


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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.



Replies:
Posted By: Kickboxer
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 02:03
A .308 is not going to do any damage to the Bushnell 1x32... unless you actually shoot the sight.  It should be just fine. 

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Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living


Posted By: Urimaginaryfrnd
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 06:39
Im not sure why you are thinking red dot and I rather cringed when you said your go to scope was a Barska.  I would be really comfortable suggesting you select a fixed power Super Sniper in either  6x or 10X and I think you would be much better off with one really tough military grade optic than a questionable scope and a dot.  I would select the 6x42 Super Sniper if it was my rifle.

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"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".
Bobby Paul Doherty
Texas Ranger


Posted By: VYD
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 09:51

Good grief, Barska scopes are such a junk, it's almost like a cuss word...Big Grin

Saiga is a hunting rifle and was in fact made for hunters. In Russia you can not legally own a military AK47/74 but you can own variety of Saigas chambered in .223, 5.45x39, 7.62x39, and .308.
 
If hunting is the only application, I'd go with a light, low power scope. Which one, the sky is the limit here. I do support the SWFA 6x42 suggestion though.


Posted By: NonniHerkall
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 12:31
Hey thanks for the tip, looked that scope up and think I will put that on my to do list to get.
I figure as time goes by I will have quite a few optics on hand to use depending on the task at hands with the rifle. I have that cuss word scope just on hand that I acquired so since I depleted my budget on the rifle for now I figured I would start with that to have something.
This is my first rifle I have bought since moving to the States and I wanted it to be a good one and serve a multipurpose role. Granted it is made with hunting in mind but that caliber is also good for tactical purposes and with the modifications I bought for it, it will be a beast.
I will make sure to post pictures here as I go along with it and try out different scopes on it in the near future.


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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.


Posted By: NonniHerkall
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 12:36
Oh one quick question, I looked up your thread with that  6x42 Super Sniper and noticed that reddish or orange thing on the back of it, what purpose does that piece serve and can you get it in the same color as the scope or black??? Seems odd on a tactical scope to have something in a screaming color like that.

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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.


Posted By: stickbow46
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 18:21
SS are great scopes but they are 30mm tubes.You stated you didn't want a large scope also you didn't say what was the purpose of this .308[meat -papper-or competition]Take a look at the Zeiss conquest if you can't deal with the SS.
 
Another tip is to look at the SWFA  scope list for a good scope.


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Pearls of Wisdom are Heard not Spoken


Posted By: NonniHerkall
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 20:48
one more, just looked at the Bushnell Banner 6-24x40 with the mil dot reticule. Are those pretty decent for low cost scopes????

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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.


Posted By: hometheaterman
Date Posted: September/04/2010 at 23:17
The Banner is not one of the greatest scopes out there. They often get decent reviews for holding up, but the glass sucks and they don't always hold up. You'd be much better off with spending the extra for the Super Sniper if you want a tactical scope, or go with something like a Vortex Viper(if you can get a clearance model), Burris FFII, or Vortex Diamondback if you can live without it being tactical. If you can't and are on a tight budget the Vortex Crossfire at SWFA for $99 is another choice. I think it's a 6-24 or something, but I've not read the best things about it. Really at $100 and under, there aren't very many good choices. There are a few decent ones, but if you want features like high magnification, you aren't going to get that and a decent scope for under $100. 


Posted By: NonniHerkall
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 02:05
Been looking at the scopes that have been recommended here. Ran into a couple of others on the browsing through here on SWFA, the Bushnell banner 6-24x40 banner who is fairly cheap but no reviews on and then the SWFA SS 16x42 tactical. Both have the mil dot's but the Bushnell costs less then half of the SS. I am pretty sure the SS is a way better made one but has any of you heard anything about that one from Bushnell?? I looked at one today at Bass Pro Shop out here and it seemed a real nice scope, very clear and felt sturdy but off course I have not used it on a rifle yet.

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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.


Posted By: SVT_Tactical
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 07:19
take a look at the simmons aztec master series they are on sale for 139.99 and you get a 25% rebate to mail in.  I just tested one out and the glass is surprisingly surpising!

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"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln


Posted By: 300S&W
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 07:43
 Banner?  Worked with one that lasted on 7 shots on a .308.   Their CS was good but still.............
 
 For cheap?  I'll +2 the Simmons.  I've got two Pro Hunter MS's that are better than decent.  One sits on a .45-70 Guide Gun.


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"I ain't got time to bleed!"


Posted By: NonniHerkall
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 11:38
Originally posted by 300S&W 300S&W wrote:

 Banner?  Worked with one that lasted on 7 shots on a .308.   Their CS was good but still.............
 


Lasted 7 shots?? Did it explode after those 7 or something worse??


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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.


Posted By: hometheaterman
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 12:08
Originally posted by NonniHerkall NonniHerkall wrote:

Been looking at the scopes that have been recommended here. Ran into a couple of others on the browsing through here on SWFA, the Bushnell banner 6-24x40 banner who is fairly cheap but no reviews on and then the SWFA SS 16x42 tactical. Both have the mil dot's but the Bushnell costs less then half of the SS. I am pretty sure the SS is a way better made one but has any of you heard anything about that one from Bushnell?? I looked at one today at Bass Pro Shop out here and it seemed a real nice scope, very clear and felt sturdy but off course I have not used it on a rifle yet.
I have two friends that have them. One of them has 2 of them and another one has 1. The one with two has his on a muzzle loader and a 30-06. So far they are still holding zero for him and working, but the glass on them sucks. When hunting and it starts getting dark, he literally can't see crap out of his scopes where as my Burris FFII(which isn't a high end scope) is still looking great and I can see quite a bit out of it. After seeing the optical quality of his, I don't want one on anything I'd hunt with or really do anything else with. I might would put one on a .22 or something, but that's about it. The other friend has one mounted on a shotgun, and it seems to work okay too, but he hardly ever shoots it. The optical quality isn't great in it either. I mean you can't expect but so much for the price, but at the same time you can get a lot better scope for not much more and it's not like the Banner has any special features to make it stand out.

That being said I'd read a few reports online of guys having problems with them. When they say they fail, it often means that they fail to hold zero and start moving around with each shot.


Posted By: hometheaterman
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 12:23
I also forgot to mention, I don't know how well they track. I do know a lot of cheap scopes don't track well at all and are not repeatable. This is where the SS and other good quality scopes really are better. Both guys I know with them are guys that set them and never adjust them again, so they wouldn't know or care how it tracked. 


Posted By: 300S&W
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 14:31
Originally posted by NonniHerkall NonniHerkall wrote:

Originally posted by 300S&W 300S&W wrote:

 Banner?  Worked with one that lasted on 7 shots on a .308.   Their CS was good but still.............
 


Lasted 7 shots?? Did it explode after those 7 or something worse??
 
 Erector assembly came loose shifting the crosshairs 45 degrees to the right.  Just me maybe,but I won't use any of the Bushnell scopes under the Trophy or Legend series on a centerfire.  There are scopes series of other manufacturers that I'm the feel same about.


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"I ain't got time to bleed!"


Posted By: NonniHerkall
Date Posted: September/05/2010 at 15:37
Cool, thanks for those pointers, think I am going for the SWFA SS, then later when I start making the big bucks I might start getting myself the big dogs like Zeiss. Just from reading posts on this forum I have learned that most of you guys have multiple scopes for each rifle, guess I am going to join that club and try out a a few.

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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.


Posted By: NonniHerkall
Date Posted: September/13/2010 at 22:22
Took a close look on the Simmons, having a zoom makes it a feasible choice in my opinion.
think I might go for:
 http://swfa.com/Simmons-4-14x44-Aetec-Master-Series-Rifle-Scope-P11550.aspx 

Did try out the Barska this last weekend, for a fixed 3x I suppose it did ok meaning it did not break or blow up on me, however I felt right away that I was shortchanging the rifle with that scope plus its reticule seemed to be tilted slightly and not straight making it not look right. And with their horribly poor customer service there is no way in hell I will ship that damn thing back and forth and pay them to fix whatever might be wrong. Will be walking around telling everyone I know and don't know to stay away from that brand and let them go out of business quietly. Shot a bunch of rounds with the Iron sights as well and did just as well as with the damn scope so I would give it an F as a final grade. Lesson learned, check with you guys before I buy any scope.


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Beware of the Hamster wheels, they tell you to go run in them but it will get you nowhere.


Posted By: Scarthy
Date Posted: September/14/2010 at 02:24
I'm not sure what you aim to shoot?Loco
I shoot target 308 to 600 yds. I have Vector siting looking at me it's a very sad tale. A Bushnell that aint a Bushnell? China rubbish. I had the windage housing come off and discovered the problem.
Brass threads slopping all over. You adjust zero and it locks up. to clear you screw out the winadage max right? They are all made in the same shonkey factory. The parallex is terrible about 5 min at 300yds.

My advice is Nightforce 42 x 50= 60 out of 60 at 600, perfect score. Costs the earth but it works.




Posted By: stickbow46
Date Posted: September/14/2010 at 12:32
Welcome to the OT Albert!
 
Good advise.


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Pearls of Wisdom are Heard not Spoken


Posted By: hometheaterman
Date Posted: September/14/2010 at 20:12
One thing to point out, is for the reticle that isn't straight, are you sure you mounted the scope level on the rifle? You need to level the rifle, then level the scope, then tighten the rings down while keeping the scope level. It's really hard to do it by eyeballing it, and I have a big problem getting this straight. If you don't have it all level though, you will notice the reticle looking slanted. 


Posted By: martin3175
Date Posted: September/14/2010 at 20:17
Just a heads up -- I used to have a Saiga 308 ..If you hit the butt pretty hard with your hand ( and the safety on ) , it would fire ..Or let the bolt fly - it would fire .. I bought it from a dealer buddy of mine and he took it back ..Probably just a one off, but just in case


Posted By: Scarthy
Date Posted: September/15/2010 at 01:11
Join a good shooting club, you soon learn who gets the center. What scope and rifle work.

I know from my family history. In in the Arden Forest, zero temp a fogged scope on a  Mauser failed to match a LE with open sights.
A crap scope on a perfect rifle is US. A perfect scope on a crap rifle is the best.  

You generally get what you pay for.

I think I will use the Vector Scope in the car to defend myself. Its far more use as a night stick than a scope. I got my money back from Pay Pal so it's a free bee.

Regards Bert   




Posted By: cj17
Date Posted: September/15/2010 at 01:33
Vortex Viper 2-7x32 comes to mind and is a lot of scope for the $.


Posted By: martin3175
Date Posted: September/15/2010 at 06:46
The Vortex would be a fine choice and value



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