Originally Posted by
smcrea
This good advise thank you!
I'm not an experienced hunter to I was thinking that a more powerful scope would allow me to take that longer shot and be sure of a clean kill. But what i'm hearing and correct me if I'm wrong is that most shots are usually within about 300 yards and a lot at 50 yards or less. If you have a scope that is to powerful then a) it will be hard to acquire because its to powerful and b) if you do then you will just see a brown blodge and not an animal!
My initial research when I got the Burris came up with a 3x9 40mm as the optimum scope for hunting and it seems that you are re-asserting this finding!... So maybe I should just get another Burris 3x9 40 from the AR I'm building ???? and Leave the R-700 as is?? After all the Burris is a pretty good scope right?
I have two Burris FFIIs the 3-9x40 and also a 2-7x35. I think they are a great value for the $$ spent and I'd think it should continue to give you good service atop that .308 (or wherever else it might end up). If you are planning on "varminting" with the new AR then you actually might want a more powerful scope on it (smaller targets).
A 3-9x40 would not be out of place, but a 4-12x40 or something similar would also work well, IMHO. A VX2 in 4-12x40 with AO is within your price range. Starting at a lower price break, Redfield makes one, Leupold also makes the 4-12 in it's Rifleman and VX1 series and for about the same $$ as the 4-12x40 VX2 mentioned above, you could also get a Zeiss Terra 4-12x42 ($450).
If you go up just a tad more in magnification, Burris also makes some scopes in FFII, FF E1 and Burris C4 in 4.5-14x42 for $300-$400.
As you well know, the sky's the limit when it comes to optics. Best of luck finding what you want!