Scope recommendation

[Ophidian]

I hate having to make these but I’m really confused at this point

I have a 6arc howa build im going to be using for 400y and in (east coast whitetail and WY antelope). I rarely take shots over 200 and with a max PBR of 285y I don’t see myself dialing or using holdovers much.

Budget is 1k

The only real requirements are clear glass/light transmission, illum reticle (at least the center dot) durable and 30mm tube. I LIKE parallax adjustment and a reticle with some sub-tensions for wind/elevation. FFP/SFP don’t matter much to me.

A lot of my shots are at first/last light so the light transmission and clarity are paramount.

Thanks

 

[tumbleweed419]

Tract Scopes would be a good option for you, and they are in your price range.

 

[Hnthrdr]

maven rs 1.2, night force, trijicon, Swfa…

 

[Corvus Corax]

Nightforce SHV 3-10x42

 

[nobody]

Trijicon accupoint/huron/credo
Nightforce SHV

You should add zero retention and durability to your list of requirements. Good “glass” and low light performance don’t mean anything if your system won’t stay zeroed under normal use.

Also, I understand you saying you don’t plan to ever dial, but it may be worth getting set up with an optic that is capable of dialing if you get interested down the road, especially with the performance of 6 arc. I thought the same thing when I got my first 6.5 creed back in 2017, and within 6 months I was scope shopping again to get an optic I could dial with. The Trijicon credo 2-10x36 is IMO a great little do it all optic right at that $1k price mark you want.

 

[Ophidian]

I had a creedo 2-10x36 on it for initial testing and I did not like the thin reticle at all. Just sold it

 

[nobody]

I had a creedo 2-10x36 on it for initial testing and I did not like the thin reticle at all. Just sold it

Then I would read through these and shop accordingly. Glass doesn’t matter AT ALL if it doesn’t function as an aiming device first and foremost:

Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

rokslide.com

 

[Macintosh]

Hard to beat an shv 3-10. You can pull a cap
and dial it in the unlikely event you ever need/want to, in your situation having an exposed turret is probably a lot more of a liability than it is a benefit.

My rifle set up for similar has a schmidt and bender klassik 3-12. Initially I got it with capped turrets, planning to use the reticle for anything past point blank. I found I wasnt able to be as precise as I wanted with just the reticle past 350 yards or so, so I added the dial later. It’s a ok eastern scope and a decent western scope, and probably the best “crossover” scope Ive found. The only drawback is the turret limits you to 600-650 yards or so depending on cartridge.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Another vote for the SHV 3-10. I don’t think you can go wrong for your use case.

 

[juju]

This is going on a Howa Mini? Low light $1K scopes tend to be huge. Might be able to sacrifice illuminated if your eyes aren't over the hill yet?

 

[juju]

Then I would read through these and shop accordingly. Glass doesn’t matter AT ALL if it doesn’t function as an aiming device first and foremost:

Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

rokslide.com

Your zero can wander a little and still make a 200 yard lung shot. You do have to be able to at least see the blame thing, however.

 

[nobody]

Your zero can wander a little and still make a 200 yard lung shot. You do have to be able to at least see the blame thing, however.

So you’re ok with a scope failing at its only job (aiming device) as long as the glass is good?

A 2 MOA shift is a shift of 4 inches at 200 yards, which on a whitetail can potentially mean the difference between dead fast (back 1/3 of lungs) and dead multiple properties over (grass bag).

No thanks, I’ll take scopes that stay zeroed. All of the ones that do have plenty good glass to get a guy waaaaaaaay beyond legal shooting light.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

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[juju]

So you’re ok with a scope failing at its only job (aiming device) as long as the glass is good?

A 2 MOA shift is a shift of 4 inches at 200 yards, which on a whitetail can potentially mean the difference between dead fast (back 1/3 of lungs) and dead multiple properties over (grass bag).

No thanks, I’ll take scopes that stay zeroed. All of the ones that do have plenty good glass to get a guy waaaaaaaay beyond legal shooting light.

Your 2 MOA shift is an exaggeration of what most scopes do. We know this is true because of all the deer that die every year even though the majority of scopes don't hold exact zero over time.

 

[NB2506]

I would echo focusing on reliability then deciding. Brands have reputations for a reason

 

[Ophidian]

I ended up throwing a NX8 on it and its working very well.

 

[Macintosh]

Your 2 MOA shift is an exaggeration of what most scopes do. We know this is true because of all the deer that die every year even though the majority of scopes don't hold exact zero over time.

And most of those deer are shot inside 100 yards. Ive had 4 scopes fail to hold zero. All of them had center of groups wander by around 2 moa. One was sometimes upwards of 3moa. In 3 of the 4 cases when sent in for warranty the work order came back saying “reworked erector mechanism”. So my direct experience with multiple scopes was that 2moa is very realistic. Even if that isnt an automatic miss at 200 yards, when stacked on top of the gun’s precision, plus all the normal field shooting error, that can easily be the cause of a wounded animal. And, given the OP’s statement that he wanted it to be good out to 400 yards, that degree of error starts to be really significant and starts to equate to frequent wounded critters and misses. I’ll buy it being less of an issue inside 200 yards, but when someone is talking about shooting well past that range it definitely matters.
In any case, its unlikely to be an issue in an nx8.

 

[cafemike]

Trijicon accupoint/huron/credo
Nightforce SHV

You should add zero retention and durability to your list of requirements. Good “glass” and low light performance don’t mean anything if your system won’t stay zeroed under normal use.

Great recommendations- would also suggest Eotech Vudu-very nice glass. In addition, the NF SHV it's not a sealed scope and can get damaged by water according to the NF warranty.