Opinions on .204 and .223 scopes

[dave009]

Hi all,

This has probably been done to death but what scopes are you guys running on your 204s and 223s for ranges say between 200-400yards for the 223 and probably try and stretch the 204 to 500. As this will be mainly varmint shooting i guess i dont need heaps of magnification but am interested in what you guys have found works. Scopes ive been looking at are as follows,

- Vortex Viper HS 6-24x44
- Vortex Viper HS 6-24x50
- Meopta Meopro 6-18x50
- Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20x50 AO
- Minox ZA 5 HD 5-25x56

Any good/bad stories about these im all ears!

Cheers
Dave

 

[jkrueger]

Both my 223 and 20 Vartarg (20-221 variant) are wearing 4-16 viper HS-T scopes
These are both primarily varmint guns, the bulk of the shooting is done on prairie dog towns

Prior to that the 223 had a 6.5-20 and I found myself scanning the area for targets at the lowest power and then cranking up to make a shot. Most of the shots fell in the 14-18x magnification range so when I upgraded i went with a 4-16 power and am very happy with that setup now.
I take 90% of the shots at 200-300 with the 20VT and the same at 250-500 with the 223

Edit: I also like the lower profile of the 44 objective and with that size it works better (eyebox) wth a 16 top end vs a 20 or higher

 

[jrock]

I have a Viper HS 4x16x44 on my .243. Works great for popping little varmints at 400+ yards. Didn't think it would have enough power but it does. Can see the varmints well and the cross hairs don't cover them up. Past 500 I would get more power. If you plan to hunt Coyotes up close and are set on a 6 power minimum scope, get the 50mm objective.

 

[Grumulkin]

A crow taken at 311 yards with a 204 Ruger. The scope, a Leupold 2-7X.