AR gurus HELP!

[eviltravis]

I would like to know about scopes for my AR. What is the best, most affordable, etc. What about night vision scopes? What do you all use, and how does it work for you? Also, what are the different scopes for different applications? I am ignorant, so I have gone to the hill to consult the masters. Lay some wisdom on me please.

 

[8200 rpm]

1) If you CAN hit 12" pie plates at 300 yards using iron sights, you don't need a scope.

2) If you CAN'T hit 12" pie plates at 300 yards using iron sights, you need more practice.

Iron sights work. Don't dismiss them.

If you just have to have a scope, you need to determine what you're going to use it for. At what ranges and at what level of urgency.

Long range paper punching and varmint shooting, you can get away with using a high power (10X+) scope with a skinny reticle (crosshair); look at Leupold Vari-X series ($300-$700 as long as you stay under 14X).

If you want combat versatility, try Trijicon ACOG 4X32 ($800).

If you want close quarters battle (CQB) speed, try Trijicon Reflex II ($300).

Some people prefer red dot sights such as Aimpoint Comp M ($300-500).

The proper mounting hardware for any of these should set you back at least a couple bills.

If you have a fixed carry handle upper, forget all desires to mount scopes on top of the carry handle. Line of sight will be way too high for any kind of decent point of aim/point of impact correlation.

I also noticed that you used the words "best" and "affordable" in the same sentence. This combination does not exist in the world of scopes. Anyone telling you otherwise is either trying to sell you crap or doesn't know what they're talking about.

Finally, what ever you do please DO NOT put a $40 scope on top of your AR. You might as well buy a Honda Civic and put cheesy graphics, gaudy body work and a 5 foot high spoiler.

 

[Coronach]

I believe the phrase from 'Stripes' was:

There's nothing like a $50 shine on a $5 pair of boots.

Mike

 

[Destructo6]

You might as well buy a Honda Civic and put cheesy graphics, gaudy body work and a 5 foot high spoiler.

You must live near Rowland Heights.

 

[eviltravis]

Why no scopes on the carry handle? It looks like the trijicon A.C.O.G. is made to mount on the carry handle. Bushmaster has it for 695.00 on there website. They have a couple of simmons scopes also for the carry handle, that don't look like they would be too bad.
As for the iron sites... They work just fine. Haven't dismissed them at all. I could ward off an attacking hoard of pie plates any day with them, but I want a new toy, and I'm trying to find the best one.
As far as application goes, I like to use this gun to vaporize the not so elusive prairie dog. They are everywhere you know, Peeking out of there holes, and peeping.
Seriously though, I would also want one that would be usefull for practical application. (Not that vaporizing gophers isn't practical) If I want speed, the irons work fine.

 

[8200 rpm]

Why no scopes on the carry handle?

To be able to mount a traditional rifle scope on top of a carry handle, you first need to mount a scope base, then the rings, then the scope. Finally, your cheek will need a ladder to climb up to the proper level to align you eye with the scope. In the end, you will have an improper cheek weld and a high line of sight in relation to the bore.

We have to realize that bullets follow a path much like a football thrown by a QB, goes up then comes down. A line of sight 4" above your barrel may force your trajectory to vary so much that you'll be shooting right over those pesky prairie dogs.

On the other hand, if you mount a scope on a flattop upper (close to the boreline), you can zero at 50 yards and have the bullet impact within 2" out to about 225 yards.

But then again, what does a guy in Los Angeles know about varmint shooting?

 

[Karsten]

edited to suit this forum

 

[8200 rpm]

eviltravis says

As far as application goes, I like to use this gun to vaporize the not so elusive prairie dog.

karsten say

Why didn't someone say Colt 4x24 made just for this purpose.

then, karsten say

E Travis came here looking for advice and in my opinion he got advice from dicks who don't know

So, I go...

 

[Powderman]

Glad to help. First of all, for a scope mount, you can get an Olympic Arms mount which screws on to your carrying handle. Costs about 15.00 from Brownell's. For the scope?

Believe it or not, I have had excellent results with a bargain basement special--the Simmons 6.5-20x56 from Midway, now selling for 90.00, I believe. But, one thing here--this is an inexpensive scope, NOT a cheap scope. Good clean, clear optics, and will last a good long time--I had this scope mounted on a .300 Win Mag for about a year before switching. You will have to hold your head straight, though, unless you invest in a delta-type cheekpiece, also available through Brownell's.

www.brownells.com

 

[mpthole]

No expert here, just what I use... and I haven't experimented that much. Now that that is out of the way...:

I have a Leupold 3-9x40mm with a Leupold one-piece mount on my AR-10 A4 carbine and it works awesome. I have never tried a scope that mounts to the carry handle so I can't really comment on those - I wouldn't think they'd be good for long-distance prairie dog hunting though... I've seen some flat-top configurations that have low-mounted iron sights with a picatinny (?) rail above it so that you can use both. These configurations look like they lower the scope enough to get a decent cheek weld and still be usefull.

I recently bought the carry handle and front site for my AR-10 and am can hardly wait to try it out with the iron sights. When I pull the Leupold off that I'll be putting it on my Colt AR-15 20". If I can get it done in the near future I'll try to post my results.

Best of luck in your search. Doing the research can be half the fun!

 

[eviltravis]

Eh guys...? I was just askin' a question. I don't know what Karsten was saying cause it just says "edited to suite this forum" on his, but I wasn't trying to start an arguement. I thought this thing was for fun?
Now back on subject... Scopes for the AR! ANY info is helpfull to me cause I know very little.

 

[Zak Smith]

I have two main thoughts to contribute:

1. you can't shoot farther than you can see, but

2. there's no sense in having a scope that is more precise than you and your rifle are accurate

Some minor thoughts:

3. using optics helps some with sight picture. While I can bang away at 300yd plates with my FAL wiht iron sights, it's a lot easier to use a scope since the reticle does not cover up as much of the target as the front sight does.

4. less weight is always better

5. you generally get what you pay for

6. mount the scope as low to the barrel as possible. This will not only help your cheek-weld on the stock, it will improve the trajectory relative to the line of sight.


FWIW, on my .223 semi-auto (a Robinson Arma M96 / "Stoner 63A clone"), I am going to use a Leupold 1.5-5X.

-z

 

[dZ]

i have a colt 4x20 for my carry handle

nice scope
i think it ran me $150 used on the AR15 scope for sale board

it mounts up & re zeros nicely
you can even run the box with it via clicks over & up, down & back
it keeps the rounds in a operator induced 2 inch circle at 100
you do have to stretch to use it as it is pretty high above bore
but you can still aquire the iron sights

the leapers copy has no click stops
doesn't re-zero
and is not as bright

most dog hunters go with a flattop AR