[planterguy]

So I brought home a savage model 10 tactical today and am still up in the air on a scope. Mostly I will be working on my long game with this gun on a range but will take it to a few dog towns hoping to reach out further and more consistently than I can with my .204.

I looked through a few at cabelas and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of their euro scope. It really was a crisp however I have never even looked through a $2500 scope.

Was hoping to keep it in the $750 - $1,000 range but know I might have to go a little higher.

I also am thinking I am going to want a 20 moa base?

This is new territory for me. Like I said I have a .204 on a AR-15 platform and its an absolute blast to shoot but anything out further than 600 yards is a crap shoot. Doable but lots of luck is involved with any amount of wind.

Thanks

 

[USAF452]

Savage 10 in what caliber?

 

[planterguy]

Sorry. .308

 

[Acheron2010]

so, i came across your thread, and my first thought was, you are considering putting a hand built engine into a stock car.
Should you start out by seeing how your car performs with a nice set of headers? In other words, work out your MOA with handloads and stock bedding and custom triggers with a nice but not extravagant scope? YMMV.

 

[planterguy]

Right I totally agree and I am saying I don't want a $2000 scope. I really don't think that the 750 to 1000 dollar range is extravagant. Yes its not an entry level scope but an entry level scope won't get me to 1000 yds will it?

 

[Dirty Rod]

The difference between an entry level, $750, and a $2k scope is durability, adjustability, and the quality of the glass. $750-$1k will definitely buy enough scope for 1k yards. SWFA has several very good options.

I ran a Bushnell Elite for quite a while before moving to a Nightforce. When I put them side by side, you could see the clarity difference which resulted in the need for less magnification to make out targets at distance. I could also shoot for about 20 mins longer at dusk with the NF because the target was still visible after being impossible to make out with the Elite.

I also am thinking I am going to want a 20 moa base?

It won't hurt but it's going to depend on how much elevation you have in your scope. It takes 35.25MOA for my 175gr .308 bullet to get to 1k yards. My NF scope has 100MOA of travel which means 50 of elevation so the scope has plenty even though I can't push the bullet much further. My Elite had 48 total so I needed the 20MOA base to give me 44up and still zero at 100. You will find that the lower end scopes won't have enough travel to get out far.

 

[schnyd112]

Look at vortex. Great glass but haven't been around as long as the big boys. 30 mil tube standard, kick it across the room and get a new scope, I got my viper hs 4-16x50 for less than $500. Adjustable paralax next to the turrets, and zero reset, hand adjustable windage and elevation turrets.

I was ready to go $900 for a zeiss when I found this.

.308 is light recoiling, with a 20 Moa base you have plenty of adjustment and the glass is crystal clear. The nightforce is great, but it's 3-4x as much money. If you were shooting something stouter, .338, or ultra mags I would say te nightforce is a must.


(You should also chuck that .308 barrel and get a 7mm-08, way easier to keep supersonic at 1000)

 

[planterguy]

Yeah I was looking at the vortex scopes. They look like they have a great warranty. Looking at the pst 6-24x50 ffp. Looks like a great scope and really like what I here from the reviews that I have read. I got the .308 because it was the cheapest round to shoot. Maybe that was a mistake as I am big into prarie dog hunting and am used to going through roughly a thousand rounds/day on a good trip. Probably won't be going through anything like that with this gun but that was the main reason, Cost per shot. If that weren't a problem I would probably be in a .338 Lapua.

 

[Acheron2010]

1,000 rounds/day....A round per minute for 16 hours?

 

[planterguy]

yeah. thats a really good trip but we are usually out by 5:30 and dont come in till 8:30. Thats the reason we bring at least 3 guns per man. Barrels get to hot to shoot that much. It's a blast if you've never been I highly recommend if you get the chase. The only problem is it get expensive going through that much ammo.

 

[schnyd112]

We'll if you shoot it that much when the barrel is done its a quick switch. You can use all your .308 brass and bullets will be cheaper.

A thousand round a day between 3 guys at p-dogs? Definitely doable, fun day for sure. We got up around 1000 rounds some days, but we were shooting rim fire.

 

[sw1911]

check dvor often. they usually have deals on EGW 20moa HD bases (alum or steel).

 

[RetiredFCC]

Yeah I was looking at the vortex scopes. They look like they have a great warranty. Looking at the pst 6-24x50 ffp. Looks like a great scope and really like what I here from the reviews that I have read. I got the .308 because it was the cheapest round to shoot. Maybe that was a mistake as I am big into prarie dog hunting and am used to going through roughly a thousand rounds/day on a good trip. Probably won't be going through anything like that with this gun but that was the main reason, Cost per shot. If that weren't a problem I would probably be in a .338 Lapua.

I'm sure you know that 1000 yards is pushing the limits of a .308! The trajectory looks like you're lobbing them in. Anyway, I have the Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 but not the FFP model. It's a rugged scope and the glass is excellent. I routinely shoot 600 yards with my .308 and the Vortex scope on a +20 MOA base. I think you would be happy with one on yours. Here's a picture of my setup.... Rem 700 ADL Varmint in a Choate Ultimate Varmint stock.

 

[LocoGringo]

I own a Savage 10 FP in .308 and shoot handloaded 175 grain SMK bullets cruising at 2740 FPS at the muzzle. I've started the medium range game on my way to working up to 1000. I've got a Leupold Mark 4 on my rifle mounted on a Ken Farrell 20 MOA base. I agree with needing to know if your scope will have enough internal adjustment, but also offer that using a 20 MOA base will keep the adjustments more in the middle of the scope range rather than moving so much towards the edge.

I also own a Vortex Viper PST in the 2.5-10 power range and am quite pleased with it. You can't beat their warranty...match it maybe, but not beat it. I'd say it would be a great first option to begin.