Scopes

Scopes these days can cost as little as $60 and as much as $4,000—and that’s not even considering thermal and night-vision optics. Most shooters are looking for something in the middle, a reliable sweet spot that won’t break the bank. Enter Primary Arms.

When it comes down to it, not many of us have an unlimited budget when it comes to survival gear. So, while we might want the latest 10k night vision optic, most of us are on a tighter budget. But, thanks to Midsouth Shooters Supply, we have the $499.97 Photon XT.

So why would you want or need a very high magnification scope? There are two related reasons. You might need to see and hit a reasonably-sized target at very long range, or you might need to be able to see and hit a much smaller target at shorter ranges.

Primary Arms has a new higher-end series of riflescopes called the Platinum Series. The Platinum series is a big departure from their increasingly popular budget optics but that doesn’t make it any less of a value.

I hate to kill a sacred cow for all you tactical ninjas out there, but in most cases a magnified optic is better than a red dot.

Break out the calculators–we’re doing some math. This isn’t count-on-your-fingers math, either. We’re talking about the Mil-Dot reticle scope and its use. And this is valuable information for anyone who shoots long range. This isn’t Mil-Dot Made Easy–we’ve done that one already. This is the advanced lesson.

When it comes to shooting gadgets it is very seldom that I want to jump up and down on my roof and yell “look at this look at this look at this!” But this is the way I feel about the Leatherwood M-1000 scope. I almost wish it was a $2,000 thing, because people would take it more seriously, but though it is based on technology going all the way back to 1970, and the MSRP is $459, with a generalstreet price under $400, it is one of the most excitingly nerdy thingamajigs I have ever encountered in the shooting world. It may be a little ugly compared to the more elegant scopes of today, but this largish awkward looking scope can give you the ability to “frame, aim and shoot, ” point of aim, point of impact between 100 and 1000 meters without ever having to lift your eye from the eyepiece. And you can change from one load to the next, or even one rifle to the next with two minor adjustments. Does that totally rock or does that totally rock?

If you are a serious shooter, a good spotting scope is a must. I see people shooting long range all the time, then trying to check their shots through a rifle scope. But if I were to make a list of gear I have to have to do my reviews efficiently, this would be in the top five, right up there with my ear protection, my bench rest, and my box of screwdrivers. Lately, it has been the Meopta MeoPro 80 HD.

The Nikon P223 4-12×40 is a purpose built scope meant to handle the specific needs of long range AR shooter. The scope is designed around 55 grain, polymer tipped, .223 bullets. It is the longest of the Nikon AR scopes, and sets up some ambitious goals for the modern sporting rifle platform. But the price is right.