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Lucid Long Range
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by Devin Standard
The Savage Long Range Hunter in .338 with a Lucid L5 scope.
I just checked on-line. A Savage Model 111 Long Range Hunter Rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag with a 26″ Barrel and equipped with an AccuTrigger, an AccuStock, and an adjustable comb, sells for $863. A Lucid L5 6x-24 50MM Rifle Scope can be found for $327. Yours Truly is no super sniper, military or law enforcement high-speed, low-drag, kind of guy, but I can consistently hit targets out to one mile with this set-up. This means you can too! And if you are a really disciplined shooter, your results should be phenomenal. This changes everything.
As of the summer of 2014, 9 men have been credited with using a sniper rifle to successfully engage their nation’s enemies from 2,000 yards or greater. Corporal Craig Harrision of the UK’s Military holds the record, having taking down Taliban from 2,707 yards away. Carlos Hatchcok and Chris Kyle are the two most famous Americans to have achieved this distinction although Sgt. Brian Kremer and Nicholas Ranstad have recently done so as well. In addition to excellent physical fitness, bottomless amounts of courage, amazing eyesight, phenomenal training, meticulous discipline and some luck, these men have all been blessed with the best sniping tools money can buy, and that the world’s best engineers can design. The Western World’s security has been buttressed by optically beautiful super long-range scopes, ultimately precise CNC machined rifles, extremely consistent, highly-toleranced CNC machined projectiles, chemically consistent propellants and priming compounds and very fine brass.
Lucid CEO Jason Wilson, center, with his long-range students.
As such, the ability of a professional sniper to consistently hit targets one thousand yards away, even a mile away, has never been easier. If you have the money, the time and discipline for training, a great spotter and a place to shoot, you might be able to shoot a mile too.
A top tier scope, like the Nightforce 5-25×56 F1 B.E.A.S.T Riflescope goes for +$3,298 on-line. A top-shelf weapon system Like the Asymmetric Warrior® ASW338 Precision Tactical Rifle,chambered in .338Lapua goes for $8,500 or a Barret M82 .50BMG goes for about the same. Throw in scope rings, bases, bi-pods and ammo, and all of a sudden you are talking $12,000 or more!
This cowboy would love to shoot like the big boys, but I don’t have $12,000 lying around. It seemed that +1,000 yard shooting was going to remain on my bucket list for some time. But then I received an invitation to Lucid Optic’s Long Range Marksmanship clinic.
The Lucid range covers a lot of ground. Reaching out to a mile has to happen gradually at first.
One mile equals 1,760 yards! I pondered 1,760 yards as I drove the 5 hours from Salt Lake City to Riverton, Wyoming in order to attend Lucid Optics’ 1st Annual Long Range Marksmanship Clinic. I was OK at 1,000 yards, I’d even once dialed in the Remington 700SPS .300WinMag I’d won at a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation dinner, at 1,200 Yards on Camp Gurnsey’s reactive target range during Neale Ashe’s Precision Rifle Workshop. With that background, my hope was to become competent at 1,500 Yards. But was I good enough to go beyond that? Where my physical skills and mental discipline sufficient? I thought breaking my 1,200 yard personal best by a hundred or two hundred yards would be acceptable. If I could ring steel at 1,500 yards, I would be satisfied, and happy the rest of my life. I was skeptical when Jason Wilson, Lucid Optics’ CEO told me that he would have me ringing steel at 1,760 yards. I was stunned when he also told me I didn’t need to bring my rifle. Wilson personally fires about 1,000 rounds a week, is a good hunter and a competent bench rest shooter, so I trusted him and cranked the cruise control higher. One mile equals 1,760 yards!
Wilson offers hands on instruction with the small classs.
We got to the range Friday morning, received a safety briefing from the RSO, and then CEO Wilson introduced us to Lucid Optics and then to his new Lucid L5 Rifle scope, $449 MSRP. Believing that long range shooting is only possible with thousand dollar glass from the likes of Vortex, Nightforce, Zeiss and Leupold, I was quite skeptical, but I kept listening.
The Lucid L5 scope features 1/8MOA windage and elevation adjustments on lockable and re-zeroable tactical style turrets. It also has side parallax adjustment combined with an ocular diopter adjustment to provide a crisp target image over the entire magnification range. The most important point for me was learning that the L5 Reticle is a precise MOA measuring devise with 2MOA increments below the rifle’s zero, and has easy and meaningful windage values built in the reticle. All I had to do was to learn to apply the reticle to my specific bullet’s ballistics, and–theoretically–I should be able to make very long shots, even in windy conditions, or on moving targets. I would have to hold the cross-hairs in the required position, execute proper body position, cheek weld, grip, breath control, trigger squeeze and follow through, and the projectile should go precisely where I aimed, at least within the limits of the cartridge.
Short range consistency first. Then take it out farther and farther.
Theory is fine; the proof is measured by the bullet’s impact. On the range, we chronographed our rounds and fed speed plus current atmospheric data into the STRELOK ballistic calculator program on an iPhone. Based on a 100 yard zero, the program indicated where I needed to hold if I wanted to hit a target at 400, 600 or whatever distance; theoretically. I entered the data, and the little yellow mark popped up where my point of aim should be inside a picture resembling my view through the Lucid L5 Scope. There are always inconsistencies in the manufacturing tolerances of the cartridges, primers, powders, bullets, as well as in the temperature or cleanliness of the firearm and so on, so you have to shoot and make fine course correction. I aimed the Savage LR Hunter .300WinMag I had been assigned at a paper target 100 yards away and shot an adequate 3 round group. Jason showed me how to dial up 2MOA and left 1MOA, and then I was spot-on at 100, on paper, as well as on the 10 inch gong at 110. So far, so good; but nice groups at 100 yards isn’t worth 10 hours of driving.
The Strelok program makes the math easy and accessible.
On to 400. The Strelok program showed a picture of exactly where I needed to hold, in the scope, to hit at 400 yards. I aimed at the center of the 10×12 white steel target, squeezed, and was rewarded with an audible smack. It was an edge hit though, not center. Was it me, or the wind? I worked the bolt on the Savage LR Hunter and locked another .300WM round in the chamber. I squeezed and dented another primer; ping. Dead center, so it had been me. I repeated the pleasurable process once, twice, three times and then smiled. Even though the wind flags were switching direction every few seconds. The round was heavy enough to still nicely hit that 10×12 at 400 yards.
Confidence in the Savage, topped with Lucid L5 glass, established at 400, I moved on to 600 yards. At 600 there were two 10×12’s side by side, like two little Taliban down range. The wind was a little trickier at 600 yards. The blaze orange wind flags would blow left at attention, then straight in, then straight out. My confidence diminished slightly as that flag danced, then died, then did an about face, but I was there to shoot. The Strelok ballistic program showed me the correct holdover; yet I had to figure out the wind better after 2 misses. It turned out that I had to hold on the left edge of the target and it would hit dead center when the wind was blowing full value. Dead center yielded dead center when the wind flag dropped limp. Once I figured out the wind read and the wind hold, I was able to project my will at 600 yards again and again. I was having a good morning ringing steel!
Savage Model 12 F Class in 6.5 Norma.
I traded guns with one of the other students and now shooting a 6.5×284 Norma F Class rifle also topped with a Lucid L5 6x-24x 50mm Rifle Scope. I had a good feel for how to use the reticle, the Strelok program and for the wind. I had also established a good working rapport with my spotter, and in long-range shooting, spotters are key! Sight alignment, body position, cheek weld, breathe control and trigger management were all established with the new gun. I was quickly rewarded with ring of steel at 800 and 1000 and many calls of “HIT” from my spotter. I had a serious permagrin on my face. I was getting comfortable using the Lucid L5 reticle, and was now dialed in so that I could nail any target I wanted to between 100 and 1000 yards, with authority, with consistency, and without fiddling with the elevation turret.
Blowing up Tanerite on the range is a great way to learn how to use a scope.
After lunch we played search and destroy, blowing up some Tannerite filled jars which had been hidden down range. Then we started what was to become my favorite game. We four students sat at the benches with our rifles. I was assigned a 7mm Mag also topped with the Lucid L5 6X-24X 50mm. Jason Wilson explained the rules to us. We were to put 2 rounds on the 400, 600, 800 and 1000 yard targets, and then work back down two 400, finishing with one round on the 100 yard gong. I realized, after completing this exercise in under a minute, and winning a Lucid M7 Micro Red Dot Sight, that Wilson used this game to force us to learn how to quickly use the L5 reticle’s ranging elements. In fact, all 4 shooters completed the exercise in less than one minute, without dialing. This is a testament to the quality of the various Savage Firearms, the Lucid L5 Scope and the instructors from Lucid Optics, and even more remarkable when you consider the fact that one of the successful 1000 yard students had never even fired a rifle before.
Shooting long range requires a good spotter.
On to a mile!
I got back on the bench with the Savage LR Hunter in .300WinMag that I really had a good feel for. The Strelok program said I was going to have to hold 2/3 of the way down on the fat line at the bottom of the reticle. I could barely see the target, a 48×48 in piece of steel with a 4 inch black square in the middle. The wind was my biggest concern as the flags were moving in a wide variety of directions at the various intermediate distances. Whether I could hit this, and repeatedly, would determine whether my 10 hour drive was to be worth it.
Bipod down and preloaded, correct grip, body position and cheek weld. I called “shooter ready” to my spotter, received “shoot” in response, and did so. Miss 5 feet right, 10 feet short he called a few seconds afterwards. Was it me, the 25-30mph wind, or both? Squeeze again same hold; same miss; must be me. OK, I made a slight adjustment to my hold over, squeezed the trigger, dented the primer and concentrated on shot follow through as I had learned at Appleseed. “HIT” my spotter called out 3 seconds later. I repeated the shot: “HIT.” I could barely hear the pings. I rang that 48 square inch of white metal 4 more times. One of my bucket list items had just been checked off. I had made 5 good shots, in a row, on a target 1 mile away. Remnants of the smile are still on my face.
You can spend as much as you want on a long range rig.
The day wasn’t finished. I got to ring steel at 350, 400, 600, 800, 1000, and then 1 mile away, using the Savage 111 LR Hunter .338 Lapua topped with the Lucid L5 6x-24x 50MM as well. Same process, same use of the reticle to hold for wind, and for range. Same use of the Strelok ballistic program for positioning within the scope, combined with a high quality shooting tool and proper application of the fundamentals of marksmanship delivered the same result; HITS and more HITS! The Lucid L5 6X-24X 50mm and the Savage LR Hunter is an amazing combination. All 4 of the students in the class were successful at 1 Mile on one of the first days of summer 2014. I never would have believed this was possible without the $10,000-$12,000 setup I described earlier. My mind was blown.
Conclusion
A Savage Model 111 Long Range Hunter Rifle chambered in .300 Win Mag with a 26″ Barrel and equipped with an AccuTrigger, an AccuStock, and an adjustable comb sells for $863. A Lucid L5 6x-24 50MM Rifle Scope sells for $327. For this kind of performance, that seems hard to believe.
Souveneirs to take home.
We are blessed to be living in the true Golden Age of firearms and optics! In the early summer of 2014 brilliant young firearms industry entrepreneurs like Jason Wilson and Gun Companies like Savage have mastered computer design, computer controlled machining, 6 Sigma quality control and aggressive cost controls so well that they can put a stock rifle and scope in your hands that give you the ability to consistently ring steel One Mile Away, and do so for less than $1,200. $1,200 is 1/10 of $12,000 which is the price of the top-shelf rifle and optic combination I thought was required for this type of shooting. Just give up the Starbucks and we can all manage that cost of entry! I plan to rearrange my firearm collection a wee bit and personally spend my hard earned dollars to buy this Savage .300Win and Lucid L5 6x-24x 50MM “Mile-Maker” set-up. A public “Thank You” to Jason Wilson and the team from Lucid Optics for putting on an amazing 1st Annual Lucid Optics Long Range Marksmanship Clinic, you helped make one of my dreams come true! Another public thank you goes out to the men of the US Military who do this work for real, with targets shooting back at them. I greatly appreciate the challenge of what you do, and the conditions under which you do it. Stay Safe.
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Form and control are still fundamentals you can’t ignore.
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Long range accuracy is possible with a wide range of guns.
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When you shoot in Wyoming, shelter from the elements can prove useful.
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The gongs at the 600 yard mark are 12″ and 14,” hard enough to see and harder to hit.
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The students’ experience levels varied, but the concepts are easy enough to master.
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A Savage F-class and a suppressed DPMS.
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The best way to test the potential of a scope it to test drive it on a variety of rifles.
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A Houlding Precision .308.
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DPMS .308 and Lucid L5.
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On target. Under budget. It is a bold claim, and one that Lucid stands behind.
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The Lucid L5, an affordable scope that’s effective at some surprising distances.
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A comfortable facility helps control some of the variables that might otherwise be obstacles. Then take what you’ve learned into the real world.
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The brass from a Savage Long Range Hunter that just connected at a mile.
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At 800 yards, the silhouette is 14 inches.
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Strelok on an iPad. Tap in the appropriate calculations, and Strelok removes the guess work.
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For 400-1000yds my go to rifle is my M1 Garand with GI iron sights, i can hit area targets with it from 1,200 For
1,000+yds I use my M1903 and leaf sight aperture, my longest shot with it is 2,100yds I have done that exactly twice ;). But i am consistant at 1,800. I use Surplus M1Ball (hard to find now) for shots over 1500yds. M2 AP for shots 1000-1500yds (doesn’t have the energy to pierce the plates) and M2 Ball for under 1000yds.
Soon ill have to start using optics for these shots, my eyes aren’t as great as they used to be.
Awesome article. It helped me lot to broaden my understanding on this field..
Thankyou
The Savage 111LR has more than proven it self with the Lucid L5 6x24x50mm. I shoot along side two friends 1 with a .50 Bmg the other with a .338 Lm while I shoot my little .300wm and constantly out shoot there $10,000.00 set ups at 2640yds using Winchester brass CCI primers IMR 4831 powder and 190gr. Berger VLD bullets. My advise to all non-believers is to practice with proper discipline and form before you criticize. Try it you just might surprise yourself. Happy shooting & good luck to all.
Trying to find that bullet. What diameter?
I just bought this optic in a 4-16 with L-5 and put it on my 6.5 Creedmoor after reading this article in predator Magazine. I really liked the reticle and the way it is was set up but the glass was very Blurry. I was even seeing 2 dots at 200 yds (the distance I zero my hunting rifles) I banged through about 75 rounds getting my Rifle broken in and sent the scope back after contacting customer service. They seem very helpful and accomodating initially. We shall see what happens when they send it back to me???
I want something from which I can shoot a pakistani ranger from about 2 km.
none
Where did you find the lucid l5 6×24 50mm at?
Optics Planet, Amazon.
Hi Guys,
I would like to reiterate for all the commenters a couple of facts.
1) All the students at the class did ring steel at those distances, with the tools described in the article, with witnesses.
2) I was one of those students & I still have a grin on my face.
3) The Lucid L5 6-24 x 50mm rifle scope performs as advertised on the Savage rifles as described.
4) They are planning on putting on several clinics around the country, so I recommend you go out and try it yourself.
5) I heard Lucid will have a couple of the Youtube personalities shoot a similar course of fire in the near future(Stay tuned).
6) I suggest that rather than doubt and criticize based upon your theory of how it ought to work, that you actually go and try it out for yourself. Even if you only have a 500yd range near you, you can get a good feel for it.
7) I reiterate, for the $$ it is my opinion that this set-up is hard to beat. And as we are Americans, we are all entitled to our opinions. It may not work for you. I can’t imagine why if you are a capable person; but it may not work for you.
8) We are all shooters, so go out and shoot. Please make a video proving, or disproving my claims and I suspect that GunsAmerica.com would be happy to show it, or the Lucid folks.
9) Finally, here is someone’s review on Youtube. See for yourself. http://youtu.be/C85HHLNB4Uo
10) I wish you accuracy and lots of happiness sending rounds down range. That is all!
DSS
I wish you would do a review on the Burris Eliminator 3 Scope on that Savage LRH in 300-Win-Mag out to the 1200 meters it say’s it’s good for… As that’s a true hunting scope. (Only 2 Hunting scopes I know of on the market, is the Burris Elem-3 and the Ziess $6,000+ scope!) I’m mostly interested in shooting out to 1000 yards at the range with the guys and hunting 800 and under out here in the west for Elk and Mule-Deer… You should get it and have a “bunch” of people use it and see how it holds up after 1000+ rounds and if it still holds “Zero”… Also you didn’t mention what ammo you were using, for this review. Were you using Box ammo? Or custom made ammo? I also wanted to know did you get that gun “From” Savage? Or did you/they just buy it from a store? As some one said that these companies “Fine-Tune” the gun like custom Builders do, before they send them out to people that “Review” them, that way they shoot really good groups for the magazines… But when people buy them they don’t get that top quality gun and they just say “it’s the shooter”… I have a friend that did that with a Browning, they said it was the shooter because at 100yards 5-shot groups were 3.25in average, but he could cover his 5-shot Old-Remington 7mm-Mag with a quarter at 100yards… So, I was just wondering if you could get a “Store” to donate it, or you can buy one from the “Store” so it would be an “Honest” test… With a store bought Burris Elem-3 Scope?? I look forward to that review… Thanks
Burris just sent us that scope I believe and we will be testing it soon.
Please test the Burris Elm-3 scope using a “Savage LRH” in “300Win-Mag” as that’s the setup a bunch of us are interested in getting for hunting here. We were looking at the Savage LRH, and the Rem-700-Sendero, or the Thomson-Center 300-Win-Mag, for the gun, but we were not sure which one was best for long range shooting… (I think all rifles 270cal and over should have MOA test at 500yards as well as the Basic 100yards.) Please, “None of us” are interested in the 338 that everyone likes to test with, as it’s way too expensive to shoot and kicks too much as well… We can reload or buy the 300WM much, “Much”, cheaper… We are leaning towards the LRH now, but you never answered the question, was that a “Factory” tuned LRH gun, or a “Store-Bought” gun you tested??? If you can, please test it with a store bought Savage-LRH gun… We are looking forward to that complete test…. Thanks
I dropped 2 elk at 500 yards with a savage 111LRH with a Vortex Viper HS 6.5-20 x50 SFP with the BDC reticle – I also have custom yardage turrets – ($80) – I dialed in 500 yd on the top – held at the shoulder and down it went – – had 2 tags and before the elk standing next to the dropped on realized what was happening – I dropped that one too – great hunting rifle setup … Regularly ring steel at 750yds.
Great article Devin. I wish I was there to do it with you. Nice shooting. It feels good to do good, right?
First picture is the 10/110 FCP HS Precision not Long Range Hunter at least as far as Savage Arms website is correct. I would not have believed a 300WM capable of a one mile shot but there are those folks who swear you cant shoot 1000yds with a 308. I didnt think I could do it either but the first time I tried, my first shot was on paper. My first (and possibly only) Savage rifle purchase was a Model 12FV in 308. I could punch out clover leafs at 100yds all day long with match ammo. 300yds looked like a shotgun blast. Sold that sucker. You see some 12 FT/R’s on the line in F class shoots and they shoot well. It’s still a Savage though and I cant get over that their stocks looked like fence posts and boat oars for the longest time. That and the fact that they true their barrels by bending them. Yikes!
Precision long range shooting possible? Yes and no! Not on account of gear, but because of range. Where in the heck do you safely shoot those distances legally?
Want to see something amazing? Check out YouTube for 1/4 mile coke can with an air rifle! (Tofazfou)
All with cheap glass and holdover predicted on smartphone ballistic app.
Another guy hits 800yrd coke can kill with air rifle up in Oregon (roachcreek)
Loved the comments, I would love to shoot one.
For my .02, the price of admission for this optic assumes, but appears to be worth, some risk. Of course it’s not made in Switzerland by 4th generation watch assemblers in their spare time. I have a fairly high degree of confidence in the author of the article, who tends to tell it as it is and leave the hype to the ad men.
If Higginbotham says it will consistently ring steel at 1750+ yards, I’ll definitely give his words more credence than the vast majority of review remfs. Serious LR glass for under 4 bills? Absolutely worth the risk.
Higginbotham didnt say it…Devin did.
I’ve been using a Ruger, in 7mm and take mule deer out of Powell, Manderson and Newcastle Wyoming. I dialed in at 400yds. at a range near Powell or Cody. I don’t remember exactly, because a local guy took me there. To reach out to 800yds. on up is truly remarkable. I have a lot of respect for anyone who accomplishes this, especially our young men defending this country. God bless you all!
I really don’t want to be a prick, but the comments regarding military snipers and so forth isn’t all that accurate as put forth above with regards to Hold Over, in the comments section. Hold over is our best friend, your talking range shooting not real world while your HIDE is being struck by random BS full auto AK spray. If you are going after a single target, scope setup like elevation is a must because your talking cold bore, one shot one kill. If your talking war zone with multiple hostiles from varying angles and distances in a perch you can’t evade from, hold over lets you hit 8, 10, 12 targets instead of getting one shot off before you have to switch targets and recalculate. I guess if there are armchair quarterbacks there must be benchrest snipers. Let me go down range and shoot back at you and see if you don’t use hold over. Being knoweldgable is OK, having 10 minutes to take a shot is OK, but don’t knock techniques you don’t understand. Do you ever shoot at moving targets or do you wait for the dear to stop, drop its head and get something to eat. Practice, practice, practice. Go setup on a bunch of pigs and after your first shot rings out see how many of its companions you can put down before they scatter. Thats hold over. A .308 3 inches off center mass will put you down the same as a center mass shot, difference, I can put 3 to 5 down range to your 1 and all of them are kill shots.
Well said Jay……
Why spend all that money? Back in the early 1970’s, I subscribed to several Hunting and Sportsman’s magazine’s in which two gentlemen who wrote frequently for several magazine’s, published article’s on one of their favorite pastime’s, shooting at a nine inch pie plate at a one mile distance and hitting it consistently, with their favorite choice’s of rifle’s, a.243, and a .308 caliber. I can’t remember the rounds they were using, but my favorite for the .308 is a 150 grain bullet. Expect they would probably have used the same for the .308, can’t say for sure for the .243 as I never shot it. If you can find old hunting magazine’s from the early to later 1970’s, you are sure to run across their stories.
That would be real nice to read.
Let us know if you can actually come up with those sources.
I just wasted 10 minutes searching for them.
People hit at 1000 yars with ancient (and/or replica) Shiloh/Sharps rifles equipped with tang-mounted iron ladder sights, so anything is possible. [Side note, for long range, .308 is better off with 175 gr rounds rather than standard 150s.]
What I really wanted to mention though, with all due respect, is to remove the apostrophe key from your keyboard for a while. 😉 An apostrophe is used for the possessive case (e.g. Keith’s rifle), NOT for plurals. (This a VERY common error these days, probably says a lot about our educational system.) For example, it’s “wrote for several magazines” not “…several magazine’s…” Similarly it’s pastimes, not pastime’s. Same goes for dates; the magazines you mention were published int the 1970s, not the 1970’s.
Maybe I’m being kind of an “English Nazi”, but it’s meant in a friendly educational way, not a condescending one. It’s our country’s language, we should all be as good at it as we are with our rifles.
What you said Steve: our youth today are graduating from High School unable to tell analog time, unable to read a simple ruler, and dont get me started on the rest. I know this for a fact because I have a son with those handicaps
That is very cool you were able to be invited to the clinic, wish I were there.
How much would it cost for us to go there and are there other locations?
Also, how much for that Strelok program ?
You should get a commission an all the Savage rifles and Lucid scopes that will now be sold on the count of this article/review. WTG!
I find all the nit-pickers to be very amusing and predictable.
You laid it out very thoroughly on how to get the thrill of shooting a mile cheap.
You need these things;
Attend the Lucid Optic’s Long Range Marksmanship clinic.
The Strelok program.
A Savage Model 111 Long Range Hunter Rifle .300 Win Mag/ 26″ Barrel
A Lucid L5 6x-24 50MM Rifle Scope
They just can’t believe what you thoroughly showed them for their benefit. That’s very funny.
I really enjoyed and appreciate your writing this up. Many shooters dreams will now come true.
Thank You Dave Higginbotham, so much for probably the best thing I ever read on G.A-NBN&R
This Lucid scope sounded very good – almost too good to be true. And you know what happens when something sounds too good to be true – it is generally NOT true. I decided I should get one of these scopes, so I googled it to see who’s selling them & for how much. I immediately found one on Amazon Prime for only $380, including shipping. However, the reviews for it were not at all good. Made in China, for starters. People complain about the turrets and about the scope not matching the picture. I googled other reviews. There was a long discussion about it on SnipersHide, but not very conclusive. Mostly favorable, but not rave, reviews on OpticsPlanet. There was also a complaint on OpticsPlanet about the scope not matching the picture. “MadOgre” gave a rave review. Other reviews were mixed. Is it worth buying? I’m not sure; i’ll have to think about it. I don’t see it as a definite yes or definite no. I’d suggest people research & read reviews before jumping on the bandwagon.
Product reviews are full of inept users who don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground.
Pretty sure you can take the advise of the professionals at the clinic.
For my .02, the price of admission for this optic assumes, but appears to be worth, some risk. Of course it’s not made in Switzerland by 4th generation watch assemblers in their spare time. I have a fairly high degree of confidence in the author of the article, who tends to tell it as it is and leave the hype to the ad men.
If Higginbotham says it will consistently ring steel at 1750+ yards, I’ll definitely give his words more credence than the vast majority of review remfs. Serious LR glass for under 4 bills? Absolutely worth the risk.
I have been looking at that lucid scope for a while now and have made up my mind. tell me where I can find this scope for their best price and I will send in order for one. very good article and thank you for that. let the Idaho wolves beware.
Walt Morris, I was strongly advise you to slow down on your wiseass statements, some can and will note you and your decision to illegally shoot Idaho wolves. Just on the perchance you do, then hoping you declare it, and allow officials to visit you, and see where your actions take you after that. Your so called humor is not, and your attitude sucks, Mister.
It is legal to hunt wolves in Idaho….
Legal in Montana, too.
They’re killing hunting dogs in Michigan, and cattle here and there.
Gary, it’s people like you that we’re trying to send back to California. If Walt wanted his mommy’s opinion, he would have stated it as a question. If he wanted an idiot’s reaction, he would have started it with “Hey all you demoncrats!”
You’re not welcome in MT.
Wolves are killing all the elk I plan to eat, killing our neighbors cattle. Taking peoples farm dogs, and chicken’s. You sir are obviously NOT from Montana or Idaho…. My bet is you live in a state full of morons ran by Diane Feinstein.
I think the rifle in the first picture is actually a Savage 10/110 FCP HS Precision from their “Law Enforcement” series. The 338 Lapua model includes a 5-round detachable box magazine, fluted barrel, muzzle brake and scope rail. MSRP is about $1677.00
what cartridge are you using in 300 win
Nice article. Please read up on Carlos Hathcock (see your spelling) aka “white feather”. His accomplishments were achieved with good, but not equal to current rifles and optics.He even mounted a scope on a .50 cal machine gun, predecessor to the current .50 cal sniper rifles-Carlos could/should be credited as the father of the .50 sniper rifle.Not to take anything away from current snipers, but Hathcock did more with less than anyone of the long range snipers. His is a fascinating story and should be “must read” for any aspiring sniper or long range shooter.
Nice to be able to buy a gun off the shelf for a good price, but I did that 35 years ago with a Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag with a Bushnell 3 to 12 Banner (with a set of ruger high scope rings). Now I have a 6 to 20 Weaver on the same gun. Nothing is said in your article about the ammunition used. Surely, you cannot be telling me you used factory ammo! I reload 190 grain Hornady match bullets on top of IMR4831 powder in my best loads, to cover a group with a quarter at 100 yds and four inches high to come in at zero at 300 yards (police sniper range). For the novice, Colonel Plaster’s book gives you a chart for the vertical height at 100 yards and velocity at 100 yards to hit zero at any yardage to 1000 yards, so you can zero your gun at 100 yards, before going to longer ranges (possibly, you can alter your powder load to use the cross hairs on center for each yardage, instead of compensating in the scope, an advantage of reloading for target or hunting) . This conserves ammo at the longer ranges, when trying to zero your scope and finding where your bullets are going.
I have been shooting 1000 yards for several years with my Savage Model 10PC .308Win topped with an SS-10X42 using my standard Military loading of 42.8grs of Re-15 under a 175gr SMK. This combo is so easy @ 1000 yards as to be boring. I imagine using the 26″ bbl Savage combo in the article it gets there a lot quicker than the 20″ bbl on my Model 10PC not to mention hitting harder due to greater retained velocity.
I’ve been looking at long range shooting for awhile now. Looks like great fun! Just too expensive until now. Don’t have to wait any longer! Will order the savage and Lucid this week. Thanks for the great article. It contains the info I was looking for. Thanks!
It sounds great and this is a year later, I don’t doubt the author, but it is like every thing else, you get successful and rest on your laurels and quality goes down the tube. Hit or miss. Need to bring the factory back to America or pay those Chinese more and have some one at the end of the production line take the scopes out and test them all the way out to a mile.Ya I’m a gun nut, but I’ve seen it over and over. They start out great get lazy and crash or get back up dust them selves off and work, work work to get back on top again. Kind of like the country people got lazy and stupid and the country is falling apart. Need to turn off the T.V. and pray and get our houses back in order.
I really enjoyed this article and am looking to buy 1 of the scopes, ASAP. I do a lot of PD shooting in WY & MT with 22 & 24 cal. HB rifles that shoot within 1/2″ @ 100…so now want to get out further and will look hard at a 6.5X284 set up.
Well done article. The world’s largest standing Army–the Armed American Citizenry– can now have professional grade sniper assets! You gotta love this great country and its innovative free market ability to strive forward to solve problems. Now if we only could just solve the ‘regime’ problems?
If you want another relatively inexpensive, except for the ammo, type similar ‘ big fun’ in terms of reaching out long distance to ‘touch something’ , I know some ‘cheapskates’ who picked up these fifty BMG uppers that go on top of your AR-15 for only around $1200… and talk about making easy 1500 meter shots without high tec and extensive training? It was amazing to me how ‘easy’ it was to get the consistent hits with this ‘poor man’s Barrett’ by non sniper trained average shooters.
Maybe one of the GA boys should do a test on these types of .50 set ups? That would be interesting?
Interesting.
Going to be a little bit more pricey.
But interesting.
Great article and shooting!! I shot at 1000 yards when in military but nothing further. Thanks for the article that shows you can afford long range accuracy while on a budget. I have to get me one of these rifles and optics!! Thanks again maybe I can mark this off my bucket list if I can find a range with this distance 1 mile would be awesome.
Amazing eye-site ? Does that mean an amazing place to get eyes? Do you mean eye sight?
Doh!
Great way for budget shooters to get started. By the way the Gunnery Sergeant you were referring to is Carlos Hathcock. He and Chris Kyle are my heros!
Me, reading the article: “A Lucid L5 for $327? I need to get one. Shooting a mile is within my financial means!”
Me, shortly thereafter: “Eh, never mind. There aren’t even any ranges longer than 200 yards around me.”
I would be very interested to know how any rifle with 1/8th moa clicks would even come close to ringing steel due to elevation)(or lack therof),as most 1/4″ moa scopes will not come close to those distances without a canted scope rail minimmum of 25-30 moa.
And as for a $327.00 scope?,Please.Staying together, H2o proof,Elevation?, no way Jose.Not w/out TONS of elevation,
“Believing that long range shooting is only possible with thousand dollar glass from the likes of Vortex, Nightforce, Zeiss and Leupold, I was quite skeptical, but I kept listening”.
THOUSAND dollar glass is considered bargain basement now for LR.
For a GOOD quality optic you are going to drop a minimum, of CLOSE to $2,000, and one that can take a beating and( HOLD ZERO,and REPEAT it), PLUS have enough moa in Elevation to GET you there.
Of the four brands the guy writing about scopes is talking about, 3 of the 4 are going to set you back well over $1k.
Vortex, unless they have gotten their act together are troublesome.
THE NF is the best of the bunch, and I would stongly advise against ANY scope with a 56mm Objective, 50 is max.
That is because he didn’t touch the elevation knob after zeroing the rifle. He made it pretty clear that he shot the whole thing using hold over on the reticle.
If you shoot this way the repeatability of the erector tube adjustment (turret “clicks” up and down…) factors much less. A shooter can get away with using a less finely crafted scope because you are not changing the internals as frequently (or in this case, it sounds like…at all).
Some might view holdover hits as shortcut shooting; and rightly so, because it is a less complicated way to shoot, but a hit is a hit.
For professionals, however…when the results of a shot have life and death consequences I don’t imagine that they take shortcuts if they can avoid it.
-my $.02
Sorry but have never been aware of vortex having problems I own and shoot with 11 different vortex scopes and have never had any problems with the glass or coming back to zero the price range from $379 up to $2089.they will come back to zero by shooting your zero go left 2moa up 2moa right 2moa down 2moa they have always came back to point of aim how many scopes do you know can do that???
I had a Vortex Crossfire that was junk out of the box. Would not hold zero shooting on a 22. My LR mentor bought one of those Vortex 6-24 scopes at SWFA that was on close out. I told him not to but he said it was for his hunting rifle and it would be good enuff. It would not hold zero shooting 308. Vortex did not want to honor the warranty. He convinced them that it was in their best interest to replace the scope. They did and he immediately sold it. Two LR shooters here that will not own another Vortex.
Awesome article and great shooting! I already own savage rifles but I am really interested in the lucid scopes. Thanks for the read!
Awesome article and great shooting! I already own savage rifles but I am really interested in the lucid scopes. Thanks for the read!
Awesome review I love savages to I own 4 of them. There you go YouTube sensation Mr. Surgical Precision you said a factory rifle couldn’t be consistent at 1200 yards well how about 1760 yds with a Savage.