Trying to decide which scope to get to put on my RRA .223 varmiter. I mainly hunt coyotes but am planning to go after prairie dogs this year. I want 12-14x at the top end and was thinking about one with a bdc, my budget is between $450.00- $750. any advice would be greatly apperciated.

Check out Natchez.They have lots of great scope deals going on now.

I put a 4.5x14 Leupold with the varmint reticle on my 223. I got it off ebay for about $450. I really like it!

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
I put a 4.5x14 Leupold with the varmint reticle on my 223. I got it off ebay for about $450. I really like it!

That's a great scope and an excellent choice, but if you want to save a few bucks, the 4-12 VX-II will do the same thing. If you don't care about "click" adjustments, the value-priced 4-12 VX-I will, too. The difference in any of those scopes is much more in the advertising copy than in their optics and performance.

I have varminters topped with Leupolds from the VX-III 6.5-20 on the "top end" of price and magnification down to the VX-I 4-12 and have equal confidence in all of them. In my experience, if you can't see a prairie dog magnified 12 times, then the little bugger is too far away to shoot at.

Also, the wider 12X field of view will let you see your hits and misses when the recoil may take you off-target with the narrower field of view of an 18 or 20X scope (depending on the caliber and weight of the gun.)

By the way, I much prefer using the stadia lines of the Leupold varmint reticle (or dots on the LR reticle) to twisting adjustment dials back and forth. Using the stadia lines is quicker, presents less wear on the scope, and you never forget where you've got it set from one shot to the next.

LJS had some good advice. I'd look for a leupold 4.5-14x40 with the varmint hunters reticle on e-bay or gun broker.com.I have two 6.5x-20x40 with the varmint reticle and love them and especially like that varmint reticle. PS> I almost never turn my power rings over 16x, 14 would probably be just as good. My hit percentage went up by 50% on shots over 250 yards when I acquired scopes with the varmint hunters reticle.

I put the nikon Coyote special on mine. I love it. The circles help me aquire the target fast. It might not mesh with the Prairie dogs though.

I have a springfield armory 4-14 on my AR.Range finding to 700 yards.Other than not having an adjustable objective,I've been very happy with it. If you have up to 750 to spend I would go with a leupold 4.5-14. The 4.5-14 seems to be just right for the shooting ranges of the 223

If you are not decided on a scope, I'd seriously suggest sending an email or a PM to gr8fuldoug who is a regular here and a really knowledgeable guy to boot.

Here is his writeup of the SHOT Show:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...1421043/m/2041074841

And he also has a free scope/bino contest:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...1421043/m/7591042941

Anyway, in your situation I wouldn't hesitate to contact him and tell him your wants and budget and get his suggestions, I've done some stuff with him in the past and was plenty happy.

Most all of my shooting is at prairie dogs. Some years ago I started using 12 X scopes and after using them a few years I wonted to try a more powerfull scope. I ended up with two Leupold 6.5-20 X AO scopes. Because of the limited feild of view when set at 20 X I set them down to 18 X most of the time. My last two prairie dog rifles , a 17 Fireall and 221 Fireball are mounted with Leupold 6-18 X AO with additional lines below the cross hairs. I find that the additional lines below the cross hairs has helped me increase my number of hits. I set up a target at 100 Yds then fired three shot using the cross hair followed by each of the lines . I then could see how high each group was above the center of the target.

I bought a Leupold VX3 in 4.5x14x40 for this purpose as well. I suggest buying the VX3 vs. one of the early models. The newer glass looks clearer to my laser enhanced eyes. I just upgrade all of my scopes from VariX III to VX 3

I can't believe I am going to say this as I have been a Leupold hardcore for years but....
Try Vortex Optics. They are a really good scope for the prices with an unconditional lifetime guarantee. My Uncle and I have bought a couple recently and they are pretty good scopes. They get good reviews on savage shooters and snipers hide, thats why I decided to try one.

I have 2 Pentax pioneer 4-14s, one on a 22/250 varminter, & a second on a .308 Win deer rifle. Got both (at a great price - I think they are closeouts) from Gr8fuldoug - search this site. They are clear, with good eye relief & easy target acquisition, & both are holding zero very well.

Thanks for all the advice I'm going to the gun show in Ft. Worth this weekend and will try to find a leuopold.

Personally, I'm a Leupold fan, but I put a Millett TRS-1 4x16x50 w/side focus, illuminated Mil Dot bar & a 30mm tube on my 700 VS 223. Bought it from MidwayUSA after hearing about it and reading 30+ positive reports. I paid around $300 and it comes with several accessories. I was surprised how well it's put together. Haven't shot it yet but will as soon as I can take it out. It is not high end glass of course but better than I expected.
LDK

That 4.5-14x40 VH at $450.00 was a great buy. That would be perfect for a .223. Get one with side focus and the varmint hunters reticle. You'll be happy with it.

Because you want to shoot Pdogs with tis rig, the higher magnification will be needed. I agree that for a general purpose rifle the variable powered scope is the solution. Check with the varius online retailers and good luck.

I have Leupold VX3 6.5x20 EFR scopes on my .223 VSSF's. Both with the tiny target dot and fine reticles.

Take a look at SWFT website and look at their Sample list,...you can get some great deals on returned, and display scopes,...but selecttion is limited,...also there optics talk forum would have enough info to make your headspin.

Just a note you have to get really high rings for an AR for proper eye relief I ended up getting the bushnell A.P.E.R. mount the second time because the high rings I got still weren't high enough for proper eye alignement.

The other thing to consider is what will you hunt more yotes or PDogs, Too much magnifcation can be a hinderance in thick cover for yotes.

I have had several different scopes on 223 rifles. I use then for mainly groundhogs, target, coyotes, and my first trip on prarie dogs commin up in june this year I hope. What really has shown me the difference in optical quality is out target F class shooting out to 700 yards.

Here are some of the ones I have used swift 6-18, weaver grandslam 6-20, leupold vari X1 3-9, leu vari XII 6-18, leu rifleman 4-12, and finally a leupold VX3 6.5-20X40 currently. The VX3 is hands dowm the best of the bunch. I also have the varmint hunter reticle.

In the power you want I would suggest a leupold VX3 4.5-14. There are also several different variations in this scope. I was used to the adjustable objective being on the front of the scope so I went with the 1" tube that has this type of adjustment. On the long range series the adjustment is on the left side of the turrent(easier to reach from a sitting position) of the scope and a 30MM scope body, which is what a buddy has and is a bit more handy. We really couldnt see any difference optically from the 30mm tube to the 1" tube with both of them having a 40mm objective and both have the same posted adjustmant range. The side focus is about $65 dollers higher. I also REALLY like the varmint reticle. We have used our ballistics program on the reticle and got precise ranges of the different lines using actual velocity,BC, scope height, and altitude. We have done this at several different powers so we have different ranges for each line and it is GREAT! If you use leupolds chart and match the "given loads" using factory posted velocity for your load they will be suprisingly close to what they say. Ours on the small triangle which you use with our 50gr loads like the literature says are within @ 5 yards of being exactly zeroed for 200-500 yards for example.

The VX3 with the varmint reticle and 4.5-14 power is a great scope. Do some research on the net and locally for price and you can save some $. Give this scope a try. I feel that you will find it well worth the money.

Thanks
224TTH

I got the Nikon M223 in 2-8 for my AR. They come in 3-12 as well with a choice of 4 diff. reticles. vey nice, you should check them out.

Thanks everyone I ended up getting a vortex viper 3.5x10x50 it seems clearer to me than a friends VX3. I am very happy with it so far, 4 coyotes in the last 2 weeks.