# Long range/hunting scope selection



## Notbeow (Apr 29, 2019)

Hello all!

I’m looking for suggestions and help with locating an appropriate scope for my new longrange/hunting rifle.
Im not an experienced hunter nor a long-range shooter. Shotguns and their sports has always been my focus along with dabbling in milsurp collecting. Ive grown tired of packing a mil spec enfield though the bush for deer and bear and have bought a rifle capable of reaching out across those large clear cuts. Like i said before im NOT an avid hunter and the rifle will be shot against steel primarily. Ive been looking at offerings from all manufacturers in the 16-25 power range and have a budget of $1500 and under. I would prefer to go with a FFP scope with Mils rather than MOA but it appears the options available in Canada are very limited. I really like the Vortex Pst 5-25 but cannot find one thats not an MOA scope....


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## Irish Lad (Jun 3, 2008)

I have the PST in moa. I like it. The grandson has it mrad. He likes it also. I'm just use to moa.


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Check out the Sig Sauer line.


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## Coues106 (Jun 2, 2021)

A few years ago I put together a long(er) range gun for my Dad who was hunting Coues deer in AZ where long shots are more of a necessity. I used a Tikka t3 in 7mm rem mag but the scope was a Vortex viper HS-LR 6-24x50. My takeaways from this scope are:
Pros:
1. The thing can handle recoil; 7mm rem mag out of a ~6 pound rifle is some serious force and we've never had any issues with loss of zero. This is in addition to being jostled around in a backpack for miles at a time. In the last 5 years it's shot a lot of deer in the 500 yard range with no need for follow up shots.
2. Optical clarity is great; most of the deer hunts we've been on with that scope have seen some early morning or dusk shots. Coues deer are hard to see, especially at long range, yet none of us have ever had issues putting our shot where we wanted.
3. Lifetime warranty can't be beat; it might be equaled, but unless they're giving you money when you buy your scope vortex has always been a pleasure to deal with.

Cons:
1. I'm sure there are brighter scopes; I looked through a buddies leupold once as the sun had set and the optical clarity was noticeably brighter. I don't what what price point it was at but it was impressive.
2. When it comes to "long range" scopes, you want high magnification. This makes close shots hard. First time out with that rifle we had a buck at 100 yards. Even at 6 power my Dad said his vitals took up most of the scope. This might have been an excuse as he shot the wrong buck, but it still is something to be considered and has given me plenty of problems in the past. In my experience unless you're a lazy SOB you will be able to keep your shots to within 500 yards. This is my limit for an ethical shot and no matter how much money you put into your gun there are MANY factors you cannot control. It simply is not fair to the animal to lob a bullet out there when you're relying more on chance and less on anything else. Range condition are 100% different than field conditions. 

So, while I'm not saying Vortex is the and all be all, I have had nothing but great experiences with Vortex. Everytime I scope a gun, be it a .22 all the way to a .50 cal inline, I'm putting a vortex on it and the success I've had proves their reliability.


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## justismi28 (Aug 19, 2014)

Here are some options that are near the top end of your budget and won't leave much room for a base and rings. IMO, those need to be factored in and you definitely shouldn't cheap out

Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30
Nightforce SHV 5-20
Vortex Razor HD5-20 (may have to hunt for a deal)
If you are looking for something that you'll actually have to carry a bit, you'll want something lighter than the options listed above. Some options I've looked into

GAP Bushnell LRHS-2 4.5-18
Sig Tango 6 3-18
Leupold VX5 4-20
Vortex Viper HST 6-24

If it were my money, I'd get the Athlon Ares ETR and then a good quality base and rings like Spuhr, Badger Ordnance, Seekins Precision or the like. Just understand that you are going to be adding at least 2 lbs to the weight of the rifle. 

IMO the best long range rifles make terrible long range western hunting rifles. I've learned to just have two separate guns for the different uses.


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## Towler86 (Aug 28, 2018)

For long-range scope selection, elletbrothers always help me a lot. I'll suggest you to check their blog before choose anyone.


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## weaversamuel76 (Feb 16, 2017)

I have two vortex razor lht 3-15 and both have been great scopes and are 19oz so save a few ozs over other choices. My setup weights barely over 8 lbs.









Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk


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## Aznative (May 25, 2018)

Leupold doesn't make them anymore but you can find used ones. The LRP scopes are lightweight and pretty amazing. I bought one used and bought a Nightforce SHV. The Nightforce was a couple hundred more but the LRP to me and many others is actually optically better. You can find them for around 800 bucks for a 5-20 power etc. It also only weighs like 19 ounces which is pretty lightweight for hunting. The shv is quite a bit heavier. Its still a decent scope but I even feel the vortex viper pst is a little optically better than the shv. If you want to be in that 600 dollar range then go with the vortex viper hst 6-24. I have several vipers and I dial for my yardages and windage for hunting. Those have never let me down out to 500 yards on my bulls and upto 400 on deer. I just like those Leupold LRP's for the weight savings.


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