Ordered one of these and it should be in mid week. Trying to decide what scope to put on it. I have a vortex viper 2.5-10 and a zeiss conquest 4.5-14x44 on the shelf but really don't know if either of those are what I want to mount. Minimum would be a 3-9, but just getting some opinions. I love the zeiss and have that scope mounted on several others but not sure about it on a 16" barrel.
Ruger American Gen 2 ranch 16” 308
- Thread starter jmoreland
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All depends on your intent for the rifle IMO. A 16" barreled .308 can certainly be stretched out accurately in most cases. I think that Zeiss is a great fit
DaveB
Well-Known Member
Varget and 150's should do the trick. Happen to know twist rate? Just being nosy.
BigCityBubba
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With a 6.5 pound rifle with a 16 inch barrel, it seems like you would want to put the lightest scope possible with a low end magnification range. Seems like the perfect dense woods hunting rifle. As mentioned above, it really has to do with the intended purpose of the rifle. The swfa ultralight 2.5-10x32 seems perfect on paper but I have no experience with it. In the same basic price range you also have the luepold vx freedom 3-9x40. If you could find a used vortex razor hd lh 1.5-8x32, that seems like another great choice.
Of the 2 you listed, I would go with the viper because the power range seems more appropriate for the rifle. The zeiss has better glass but I would prefer a 2.5x magnification over a 4.5x magnification on the low end. You will get a much better field of view with the vortex. If you are just going to be shooting at the range and maybe some open field type hunting, the zeiss would be the better choice.
Of the 2 you listed, I would go with the viper because the power range seems more appropriate for the rifle. The zeiss has better glass but I would prefer a 2.5x magnification over a 4.5x magnification on the low end. You will get a much better field of view with the vortex. If you are just going to be shooting at the range and maybe some open field type hunting, the zeiss would be the better choice.
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too much scope and too much weight on a short barrel leads to balance and point ability issue. id look for a lightweight scope- 10 to 12 oz max
A 2.5-8x 36 VXIII would be my choice.
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Nice rifle. Make sure you wear hearing protection, that short barrel is going to be very loud. I've got a 16.5" 7/08...it's deafening.
I just removed the muzzle brake. I'll be shooting this one suppressed most of the time.
What can are you using?
Sig SRD 7.62
PillsburyDoughboy
Well-Known Member
Vortex is crap and 2_5x10 is over kill for a 16 barrel. Unless ur just working up load development and then have at it.
A scope more fitting for the weight and balance of that rifle would be a 2.5 8 × 32 or a 1×5 .
Of course if you don't care anything about Weight and balance put that Zeiss on there. You will be a lot better off in terms of glass. VORTEX IS JUNK.
A scope more fitting for the weight and balance of that rifle would be a 2.5 8 × 32 or a 1×5 .
Of course if you don't care anything about Weight and balance put that Zeiss on there. You will be a lot better off in terms of glass. VORTEX IS JUNK.
Damn, are all Vortex junk? Or just certain models. I personally don't own a Vortex but seen a lot of them shot here at my range that seemed to track well and look pretty clear to me. So I am assuming you have had some bad experience with Vortex.
Lots of Vortex in the group I shoot with. Venom, Viper, Diamondback Tactical are the main ones. So far pretty much everyone that uses them in our group has had to send theirs back at least once. One just got a new Venom and it's bad out of the box, won't hold zero. A new guy came down today with a new Venom and it won't focus under 150yds. Vortex keeps sending them new scopes so they're happy with them.
TIGGREM2
Well-Known Member
I own a few vortex scopes . Never had a bit of trouble with any of them ! Now they make a line called sonora and i havent heard great reviews on them ! Of course everyone would love a high end leupold , zeiss , kahles or nightforce but for alot thats just not in the budget or doesn't make sense to put that one a low budget rifle !!
Sadly same experience with my shooting buddies as well, no longer any. Sold and switched to other brands.
Anything vortex below Viper/PST is dookie. VIPER is suspect. Razor is good, but I have seen multiple razors fail for silly things like reticles delaminating or turrets slipping. I would buy a cheap vortex for a 22 and not be sorry about it. For a serious tool, try Leupold, Steiner, nightforce. Some of the EOTECH vudu lines are doing well also.
That is a nice can for your application.
If there happy that's all that matters.
I guess, kind of amazes me they're happy with scopes that have to be returned so much but everyone is different.
We just returned a Revic back to Gunwerks which they bought Revic out and it definitely wouldn't track properly. You would think a scope that cost over $2000,00 would track, we received an email that said it did have a problem and would be took care of it.It can happen to any of them!!
It can, but when I see 15 guys in a group and there are 15 vortex scopes in the group and 12 of them have been sent back at least once that leads me to believe there may be an issue with that company.
Maybe they're just unlucky.
I've had a few Leupolds go back, two SWFA and I've seen a few Nikons fail. The leupolds had a lens coating issue and 2 that would hold zero. Both swfa's were bought used and abused and the parallex went belly up. The Nikons I guess an internal lens fell out.
So, out of the 20 or so leupolds I've owned for 30 yrs I've sent back 3. I have 4 swfa that have been beat on pretty hard and the 2 used ones went back. The Nikons weren't mine but they were new and just kinda fell apart inside, lol.
That's not hardly going 12/15 on returns on scopes less than 5 yrs old.
Damn. Like I said, I think the lesser lines are a total crapshoot. I had a pst gen 2 on a 22 bergara trainer I built and it performed well in that role.
I have shot Leupold's for 50 years, and still do and always will. As for 12 of the 15 being sent back I see a lot more than that shot here every year and people seem to really like them. But like I said I don't own one or shoot one so I can't judge them other than what I am told and seen shot here.
Ridgerunner1992
New Member
I have 5 Vortex scopes, 1 Rangefinder, Spotting scope, 2 sets of Binos. They have been fantastic and customer service is extraordinary. I also use Leupold,and Burris. Other then Nightforce I would pick Vortex over everything else.
