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Scope for AR

3K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  kerryJ 
#1 ·
My son is looking for a scope for his AR 15 in .223. He found a Leupold(sp?) red dot. However he is not thrilled with it. I told him to give it a couple of days and I would ask here. What is a good mid priced scope. Target shooting and predator hunting. What is a good power for hunting? coyotes and wolf. Thanks for any help.
 
#2 ·
By midrange price i'm assuming you mean the $350-$500 range... a 1-4 power is good for most tactical/sport type AR shooting, with a 3-9 power being very popular for hunting.

A lot depends on what distances your planning on making hits at... whether hunting or target shooting. A red dot optic is for more close range type work and I wouldn't go past 150 yards with one.... at that distance a magnified scope would be better.

Some magnified scopes have BDC type reticle or red dots in them, giving you the best of both worlds.

Once we clear up some of the details of actual use & application, I can recommend some brands and models for you to consider if you like.
 
#6 ·
You may want to check out the Burris AR-332 3X fixed power scope in the $300.00 to $350.00 range. It will get you out to the 150 to 200 max yard range on game the size of coyote and covers close up HD/tactical work as well.

I agree with TapNRack, a 1X4 is good for most tactical/sport type AR shooting, with a 3-9 power being very popular for hunting. I'm have three Nikon BDC ProStaff's in 3-9 power as primary hunting scopes on other rifles which fall within your price range. If for a primary target/hunting scope I'd go with a 3X9.

Of course there are many others, but the ones I've mentioned have all worked very well for me.
 
#9 ·
For hunting purposes within 200 yards I would consider the Nikon P-223 3x32. This is a fixed magnification, 3X power scope. This would not be as much magnification as a precision target shooter might like, but the advantage is that the scope is light and compact (short). This can be a real plus for a carbine that one might be carrying any distance. A disadvantage of many longer scopes, including most 3-9X or higher magnification scopes, is that their length requires a heavier and more expensive one piece cantilevered (extension) scope mount in order to be able to mount the scope on the receiver rail and get the eyepiece far enough forward for proper eye relief.

As others have said, Nikon scopes have excellent optical clarity. I have also used a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x32 scope on my AR for more precise shooting from rest, but the scope is much larger and heavier, and at higher magnifications the eye box will shorten significantly making head placement much less forgiving.
 
#10 ·
One more vote for Nikon scope!
As advertised, Nikon's caliber-specific scopes are well-built and clear. It works great on my Ruger Precision 308. You may want to consider more options, check out this https://thetacticalscopes.com/best-ar10-scope/
The thread is over two years old and the person who asked doesn't seem to be active. Besides, by now his son has probably long since purchased a scope. However, I liked the site you linked to. Helpful to others, I'm sure.

That said and for others. I love Primary Arms illuminated ACSS reticle. It's very similar to the reticle used in the ACOG the Marines now use. The military did a study and claimed the biggest reason for a miss was improper range calculation and the second was improper calculation for lead on moving targets. Third was improper windage selected. The ACSS can help with all of them. Dial it down to 1x power and you basically have a red dot.

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