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Want a 1.5-6x40 scope, Hawke, Burris or other?

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6.5x55_Hunter View Drop Down
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    Posted: October/19/2016 at 11:31

Hello all.  This is my first post on OpticsTalk, but I've been reading posts here for several years and also been a past customer of SWFA.

I'm looking for a 1.5-6x40ish scope, and would be interested to hear the opinions or experiences of any forum member who'd be willing to chime in.

Some quick  background:

This scope will be mounted on a 6.8 Rem SPC II AR and used for hunting deer in Virginia.  The area I hunt is thick woods running through hills and ravines and occasionally broken up by small pastures/clearings.  To date I've been hunting with the ubiquitous 3-9x40 scope, and I've found my scope is almost always set on 3x, many times I've wished for less magnification, and in the rare event I have a shot across a clear area, I don't think the mag has even gone above 6.  9x is nice for shooting little groups at the range, but truly unnecessary for the area I hunt. 

I find the 1.5-6 type scopes with a 40ish mm aperture to be interesting, so I want to try one out.  In a perfect world I suppose I'd be looking for a 1-6x40, but I don't know if such a beast exists (and if so, probably out of my budget).

To date I've only used scopes with some favor of the standard crosshair reticle.  I'm looking to try an illuminated reticle on this scope, and possibly a different reticle configuration.

Budget for this scope is around $350.  I can stretch it a little, but not a lot. 

I've found two scopes on the market currently that are holding my interest:

First is the Burris MTAC 1.5-6x42 with Ballistic AR reticle. 

Second is the Hawke Endurance 30 1.5-6x42 with either L4A or 30/30 cross reticle.

Here's my general list of questions:

  • Any thoughts on optical quality of the two scopes?
  • I like the L4A reticle, but the 3.5 MOA center dot is troubling.  At 100 yards that's going to cover a big area, and at 200 yards it's covering a huge portion of the kill zone.  I really wish this reticle had a smaller, say 1 or 1.5 MOA, center dot.  That said, has anyone used this reticle in the field?
  • Burris has a horseshoe shaped center ring.  How does this reticle work in a hunting environment?
  • Specific recommendation between the two scopes mentioned, or something else I should be considering in the same price range?


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supertool73 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 13:29
I have a burris euro 1.5-6x40 on my 6.8 Ar. I absolutley love it for that caliber. I got it on close out several years back for a smoking deal. Mine has a 4a reticle. I dont think i would like the reticle in the Burris u mentioned. I would pick the hawk. Plus it has center dot illumination.
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supertool73 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 13:31
Leupold also has the 1.75-6x32 VX3i. Its a nice scope.
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vortech347 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote vortech347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 13:58
I have the Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6x24 on my 16" 6.8 AR and like it a lot for the money.

It has enough power to shoot groups at 100 and you can shoot it both eyes open at 1x.  

The reticle is really designed more for 3 gun or man sized targets but the circle works very good for lining up a pig or deer's vitals.

The glass quality is good for a $329 scope.  The turrets are the only thing I'm not thrilled about.  On mine they are pretty mushy with very light clicks when adjusting.  But they do hold zero so it's a minor issue for a scope in this price range.

The illumination works very well even if there is no off setting between brightness.  Another place where Vortex reduced cost to offer the scope at a good price point.

Overall, I'm very happy with the scope as I use my 6.8 AR for hunting out of a blind for deer and stalking pigs.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote vortech347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 13:59
http://swfa.com/Vortex-1-6x24-Strike-Eagle-30mm-Rifle-Scope-Kit-P79330.aspx
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 6.5x55_Hunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 15:03

Originally posted by supertool73 supertool73 wrote:

I have a burris euro 1.5-6x40 on my 6.8 Ar. I absolutley love it for that caliber. I got it on close out several years back for a smoking deal. Mine has a 4a reticle. I dont think i would like the reticle in the Burris u mentioned. I would pick the hawk. Plus it has center dot illumination.

Well, the scope you have sounds about perfect, too bad it's no longer available. 

My only quandary about the Hawke Endurance is the, in my estimation, very large center dot. If it was more in line with the Leupold VXR scopes (I think they're 1 MOA) then I'd jump on it. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vortech347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 17:08
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/19/2016 at 17:12
Generally, the dot in Hawke's L4A reticle is 3.5MOA at 4x.  At 6x, it is 2.33MOA.

In your price range, your options are a bit limited.  Between the two options you mentioned, I prefer the Burris.

Generally, you should also be looking at various 2-7x32, 2-8x32, etc scopes.  At low magnifications that you prefer using you can get away with a smaller objective.  A good example is Vortex Diamondback HP 2-8x32.

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/20/2016 at 07:44

I'm going to suggest this on - http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-1-4x24-Tactical-30mm-Riflescope-P78365.aspx


not quite up to 6X as you wanted but I've used this on deer all the way out to 400yds with good results...  I've rang steel with it at further distances.  Glass is great, illumination is great, durability is great.... price is right in your range. Plus you can use it at 1X just like a red dot should you  want to pull double duty with your AR on the range or something besides hunting where you needed that kinda fast target acquisition.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote urbaneruralite Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/21/2016 at 21:51
The Burris Euro 1.5-6x40 with #4 was a solid low light deer scope. I replaced one with the VX3 1.75-6x with heavy duplex. It is as good for my eyes and significantly lighter. The point here is the 40mm lens may not be necessary. 

Another point is the the field of view on the 1.5x was more than necessary on anything other than very close moving targets. I did  shoot some deer on the move at spitting distance with it, but my use of scopes with fields of view as small as 50' @ 100 yards show them to work just as well. 

So, I suggest you could expand your scope to 2x scopes with smaller than 40mm objectives. A 2x with 50' FOV is a very different thing than a 3x with 35'.

I can't comment on those exact reticles, but I can offer something on using thick reticles at lower magnification. You shoot them with holds like you would iron sights. You can place shots very well with irons, but it's different shooting than dialing up the magnification and picking a hair.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brazos_Jack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/21/2016 at 23:30
My 6.8 SPC AR deer rifle is wearing a Burris MTAC 1.5-6x. I like it a lot. For hunting in wooded areas at first and last light I would not even consider any scope that did not have an illuminated reticle.
Brazos Jack

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