I have a budget of 950$ for scope, have heavy barrel 300 win mag custom rifle, would like to try and shoot to 1500 yards with, have talked to alot of experts and the type of scope they recommend I will not be able to get for some time, I have heard alot of good reviews on the vortex viper pst series, are there any other cosiderations before I do this. This wouldn't be a hunting scope just want to challenge being capable of hits at that distance.

I got my vortex viper from cameraland... with a bdc reticle... other than it only works at full 16 power,, and I can see my heartbeat at 16x, its great.. i'll but another, but with a different reticle...

I got a 6.5x20 Zeiss Conquest with a bullet drop reticle from the Camera Land demo list for a couple hundred less than you are budgeting. I really like it!

Some of the review on some of the Vipers state that the eye relief isn't that great. For a .300 Win Mag, I passed on Vortex, for that very reason.

Still haven't decided what to get ... In that $950 price range sounds like Leupold is really the only player.

quote:

Originally posted by sierra whiskey:
I have a budget of 950$ for scope, have heavy barrel 300 win mag custom rifle, would like to try and shoot to 1500 yards with, have talked to alot of experts and the type of scope they recommend I will not be able to get for some time, I have heard alot of good reviews on the vortex viper pst series, are there any other cosiderations before I do this. This wouldn't be a hunting scope just want to challenge being capable of hits at that distance.

I have a Nightforce 3.5X15X50 with the NP-R2 reticle that I replaced with a S&B that I will let you have for 1,000.00 dollars plus shipping. That is an excellent price for this scope

Stretch your budget and get something you'll be happy with. That used NXS is a good choice but you'll probably end up like me and want more power. My LR 300 WM wears a 5.5-22x NXS with the NP-R2 reticle. I wish that I had another for my 308 though the 3.5-15x NXS it currently wears works quite well. You can always turn them down, but it's hard to turn them up past the top end!

I have worked on a few guns from friends that had the Viper PST on them. I have shot them pretty extensively at this point and find them to be good scopes.

The one I most recently used was a 6-24x with MOA reticle and adjustments. That rifle was a Remington Sendero .300Win Mag I bedded and did load development for. Shooting 190gr Bergers over H1000 for about 2980fps I find there to be adequate eye-relief.

I would seriously consider the offer for the Nightforce. I had one and lost it along with the rifle when it was stolen from me. I feel 1x magnification for every 100m is plenty and don't feel like you will be underpowered if you are shooting steel. If you are trying to shoot Xs on paper you may want more magnification. I shot a night sniper comp last week with my scope on 5x because of atmospheric conditions and targets went out to 800m.

Currently my long range hunting rifle has an NXS 2.5-10x32mm if that is any endorsement. I shoot mostly Leupold scopes for work and they work well. I don't own a Vortex (except for binos) but would if my budget made me choose between their PST and Leupold's SFP scopes.

I would jump on jwp;s Nightforce!
My experience over the years has been the vast majority of scopes do not have turrets up to the task. They must be repeatable. They must be calibrated correctly. I've had mixed success with the otherwise excellent Zeiss Conquest. 1 out of three had good turrets. I've never been a Leupold fan, and the few I have used failed to deliver adequate turret function. The two Nightforces I have owned were spot on, as is the Schmidt Bender on my long range varmint rifle.
I am currently using the 2.5-10 NF on a light weight .270 WSM, and it has given precise turret function. That rifle has shot around a half MOA at 850 yards, dialed back to zero, then out again to shoot at 5 or 600, back to zero... you get the idea.

quote:

Originally posted by cobrad:
I would jump on jwp;s Nightforce!
My experience over the years has been the vast majority of scopes do not have turrets up to the task. They must be repeatable. They must be calibrated correctly. I've had mixed success with the otherwise excellent Zeiss Conquest. 1 out of three had good turrets. I've never been a Leupold fan, and the few I have used failed to deliver adequate turret function. The two Nightforces I have owned were spot on, as is the Schmidt Bender on my long range varmint rifle.
I am currently using the 2.5-10 NF on a light weight .270 WSM, and it has given precise turret function. That rifle has shot around a half MOA at 850 yards, dialed back to zero, then out again to shoot at 5 or 600, back to zero... you get the idea.

I shoot twice a week at long range. On Friday mornings I gong shoot at 500 yards. On Tuesdays I shoot at 600, 700, 750, and 820. I use three brands: Leupold, Nightforce, and Horus. The Horus I obviously don't click. But I have never had a problem with Leupold scopes not returning to zero.

A bigger issue IMO is getting a good solid mount. Toss the Redfield style mounts in the trash for a starter...

Speaking of Redfield, now there was a scope that absolutely didn't track when you dialed up/down.

quote:

Originally posted by cobrad:
I would jump on jwp;s Nightforce!

+1

That is a very good deal. I have a NF 3.5x15x56 and I love it. I also have the NP-R2 reticle. I would buy another one.

Edit: I would want more magnification for the distance you stated.

They are heavy, so you really need to be sure you have a solid base and rings. This is critical for heavier recoiling rifles. I would epoxy the base or pin it for heavy recoil. Check with NF for recommendations for your rifle if you decide on NF. I use a pic rail and it is easy to level the scope with feeler gauges.

I concur, JWP's deal is much more than fair and a NXS is a very solid scope.

I'd suggest looking for a good used Nightforce. If you can get 20 or 25X on the top end it won't be wasted. Don't be concerned with seeing your pulse. It's always there whether you see it or not. If you can see it there are things you can do to mitigate your pulse when shooting long distance.