.223 optics and rings

[lars49]

Hi, Im new to this forum but am hoping that someone can help me out.

I have a remington .223 action that has been trued and fitted with a shilan match grade barrel with a 1:8 twist, the action is currently bedded into a Mcmillan A5 stock the trigger has also been modified.

I am currently looking for a scope for this gun I am looking for something along the lines of a Nightforce 5.5-22x50 or 56mm not sure what the pro's or cons of either are, I would like to shoot this rifle out to around the 1000 yard mark so I will need bases and rings with 20moa or more elevation.

What are the benefits of a 50mm or 56mm objective and what height bases will I need for these scopes?

what are the pros and cons of having the recticle in the first or second focal plane?

[Alfred Crouch]

I think you are way overly optimistic to expect a 223 caliber to be a 1000 yard rifle. You may do better to think in terms of a 260, 6.5 x 284, or 7 mm mag.

I like the 50 mm objective but find the 56 to be a bit too big. The 56 is a slight bit clearer but not worth the bulk to me. I like the NF scopes. Never used a front focal plain scope so I can't speak to those.

[BillR]

The .223 will make 1000 yds depending on the barrel twist and bullet. If you have a 1-8 twist and can shoot the 70 JLK's it can do it. I have done 650 with a 50 grain BT and think I can do 700 with it in perfect conditions but at that range there is no excitement when you hit a prairie dog at that range. They just fall over. Of course the hit gets you excited but no red mist.
The big question is what is the gun to be used for. That will have a lot to do with the scope you use. I'm using a older 1" tube VX3 Leupold in 6.5X20X40 AO that has been boosted by Premier Reticules to do my long range shooting with my .223 and it works great. It has had the tall turrets put on it so I can dial up my ranges and I"m using Leupold 20 MOA base and 1" rings on it. For sure its not a running coyote gun but for targets that don't move much its great. For the longer distances I use a Leupold 6.5X20X40 30MM tube with the turrets and 20 MOA base which gives me a lot more up down to it to reach the range your speaking of.

[lars49]

Im only going to use this gun to shoot steel plates and small game for fun like rabbits and crows etc. im thinking about converting it to a 6mm Br to gain better ballistics and enable me to shoot heavier bullets.