This is an awesome forum, am glad I found it.

    I recently purchased a Savage 10FP in .308, and it will be used for "target" at ranges 100 to 500 yds. I will soon purchase a .223 barrel and bolt face for it. The .223 will be for long-range "varmint" shooting. My budget is $500.    

    What scope would you recommend that would fit both uses? Is their any difference between a Target and a Varmint scope? Thanks for your help.

There is a considerable difference between a "true" target scope and a varmit scope. A true Target Leo can be used for Varmit but a Varmit Leo would never be used on a bench gun in a big match. Consider the Savages 204 ruger. Remember that the amount of turning on the power adjustment knob of any scope is approx. 3/4 of a turn which takes that scope from its lowest power to its highest power. If the range of the power magnification is on the higher end say 6X18 or 8X24 you will be "flying" thru the powers as you adjust, as opposed to say 3X9. This makes the degree of precision the power knob per degree of turn much more for the lower power variables. In a varmit gun the higher powers are usually the most often as is the target scopes, making them appear similiar however the width of the reticle and the subtension of the adjustments are no where close between the two. This explains the $400 difference between the price of the two. If you are a formal target shooter the target is a must, however for vermin the varmit has advantages. It's imprecision if you will, actually covers up small sighting errors and tremor.

I think a good 6-24 would serve well for target and prairie dogs.  Something with finger adjustable windage and elevation, fully multi coated and a fine plex type reticle.

 

Bushnell Elite 4200 6-24x40.....$448.99

Burris Signature Select 6-24x44.....$459.99

Weaver V-24 6-24x42.....$329.95

Leupold VX-III 6.5-20x40.....$599.95

Nikon Monarch 6.5-20x44.....$469.99

Swamprat:
You and I are alot alike...most of my prairie dog or belding ground squirrel shooting encompasses the majority of my "hunting".
With a DPMS heavy 24" barrel on my AR-15, I found it's caliber sufficed for my needs, which didn't go further than 300 yards. My
first scope of choice was a Leupold LR 6.5-20x50 side focus...

...and I DIDN'T like the $650 scope when I tried it out. I'm a lefty, and a side focus does nothing to help left handers. Lesson
learned! Plus the fine cross hair wasn't pleasant to work with, which is probably contrary to every other varmint hunters claim. I
found it too thin, and any hold-over was impossible to guage. I'm not a big dial-upper shooter. For me, holding over works with
my other rifles/scopes...just not with that Leupold for some reason!

So I took a chance and bought a Weaver V24 with a target dot for 1/2 the price of my expensive Leupold. For the next 4 years I
nailed 10 times as many rodents with it as my Leu had helped me do. For whatever reason, the Leupold and I were a toxic mix.
Can't explain it. Same rifle, different scope, exponentially better results. I love my V24 so much I swap it to my custom .22 when
the beldings come out in April, then back to the AR in the summer. Go V24 Weaver, my friend!
—bryan

mag41vance wrote:  I would get a fixed 24 power. Most people shooting target or varmints with a Variable power scope set it on high power any way. So take the gagets down to a minimum, and go fixed!

 

Bravo!  I started varmint hunting with a varible scope but switched to a fixed power 24x after the first year.  To me the varible is useless as all I ever did was set it on the highest power anyway.