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scope for savage tactical .223

4570marlin
I am looking for a scope for my savage 10fp tactical in .223.
Has anyone heard of or had any experience with a Mueller scope?
I was also looking at a Weaver grand slam, they seem to have gotten some good reviews from some people.
I like to mount a scope that has adjustable power settings in the range up to at least 20x .
Any advise or comment will be greatly appreciated.
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • 3_47Inf
    4570marlin,

    You are going to get about as many different answers as there are scopes. Some will tell you (and correctly I might add) to go with a Springfield Armory or a Leopold scope. But I will assume from the scopes you are describing that you are not looking to spend that kind of money.

    I have a 10FP in both .223 and .308 and they both mount a BSA Contender 8-32x40 scopes on Leopold mounts. I tried mounting a 50mm scope on the .223 but the mounts would not let the lens clear the barrel. I have used BSA products for about three years now and love them. They are well within the price range I can spend, at least if I want allowance left over for powder, caps and shot, and they have been accurate for me. Even the BSA Red Dot on my Mini-14 has been excellent.

    Some will, and have, argued against the BSA for very strong reasons. It is not as clear of a scope as the Springfield Armory and it does distort a bit beyond 24 magnification. BUT the strengths for me are 1) price, 2) it holds a zero well, and 3) it is rugged. All of my buddies use BSAs for the same reasons. They are a great scope maker that gives you quality that is much greater than what you are paying. And the cost is affordable plus it is not going to make you cry too badly when you break the scope or crush it.

    Now I have also been told to not spend the money on a Savage. I was a school trained and qualified sniper in the service. I carried an M21 and was really saving for a Remington 700. On the advice of a buddy of mine, and urging from my wife to save money, I got the 10FP in .223. After the first day on the range I loved it so much that I purchased it in .308 on the way home from the range. I have shot a lot of great rifles, but the Savage 10FP with my handloads gives me more accuracy than I can shot. With military surplus 7.62 ammo I can group at less than 1 inch at 200m. What I am trying to say is that I am assuming by your selection of a 10FP cost is going to be important to you. The BSA is the scope for you. With the money you save you can get the lens caps, the Harris Bipod, and an Accu-shot monopod. Then you have a rig that shooting snobs may sneer at (I have had that happen) but that they will respect when the shot groups are measured (and I have enjoyed that) at much less of a cost.

    Good Shooting.
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  • 4570marlin
    Thanks for the reply 3 47inf.
    I can cerltainly agree with you on savages having great accuracy at an offordable price. I own three savages, 10fp in 223, a 112bvss in 300 win mag, and 11g in 7mm wsm. I just got the 7mm and haven't had a chance to sight it in yet. As far as the other two rifles I simply love them. I also appreciate your views and info on the bsa scopes. I have tried a bsa scope. I currently have a nc star on my 223 and it works alright accept on the higher power settings like from 20x and up it has the gray haze thing going. On the 300 win mag I use a nikon 3x9x40. It holds zero very well and the optics are nothing to complain about. I am interested in some of your loads for the .223 if you don,t mind please e-mail them to me at swperformance@yahoo.com I understand and take full resposibity for these loads and will not hold you liable
    thanks
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  • 3_47Inf
    LOL Okay, no holding responsible for loads! LOL [:D]

    I'll e-mail you. I just did some loading for my 9 year old to use the .223. It was a 15 grain load. About the power of a .22lr with less noise, no kick, same effective range and a bit more knock over power with the .55 grain Hornady.

    I'll e-mail you.
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  • Sunray
    A 20X scope on a .223 would be a waste of your money. Think 2.5-8X. Max a 10X scope. Mind you, it does depend on what you intend to do with your rifle. As a varmint/small game rifle, it's dandy, but anything bigger than coyotes and you need a different calibre. Oh, and the term 'tactical' is a marketing thing. There's no such thing as a 'tactical' rifle.
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  • 3_47Inf
    Sunray,

    I would disagree with you on the caliber choice. .223 at a 62 grain is a substantial round up to a man sized target at distances under 400m. I would agree that you should avoid hunting elk, elephant or grizzlies with it, but there are not going to be many who would try that. In heavy brush areas with shots under 100m, dropping a white or black tail deer with a .223 is not that big of a task for a well placed round. Most are unable to achieve enough accuracy with that round so they opt for the more accuracy forgiving rounds over .30 caliber.

    As for the scope, I would agree that for most eyes and most shooters a 10x is exactly the right magnification. I would argue that anything less than an 8x for a .223 is to underestimate the impact of the round that is well placed. In my younger years, I would be able to use a lesser power scope, but as my eyes have moved out of iron sights and have a harder time acquiring target points unaided, I have had to up the magnification. I tend to suggest buying the ability to up the magnification is a good option.

    [:)]
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  • chuck
    Sunray, Im with you on this one.

    3-47 I disagree with the first half of your post.[V] So what do you think of that?[:0]
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  • 4570marlin
    To the above questions on usage of the rifle. I am mainly shooting varmints and targets with the rifle. I have a ncstar scope on it that is ok but when you go to the higher power settings I have the gray shading effect thing going on. I have been looking at a bushnell 3200 series scope, any comments on the scope series?
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  • raskil
    The 3200 ELITE scopes are realy good scopes and they're covered by a lifetime warrenty. Sent you an email with more info on them.
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  • 3_47Inf
    LOL Chuck - fair enough. If we all agreed on these kinds of issues, what would we have to talk about over a beer.
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  • retiree
    I only want to add that the Weaver's are not a bad choice, but avoid the Springfield scopes like the plague. I've had three of them (the first two were fine when I bought the third one), but soon all of them had to go back one or more times. I finally got fed up and rid myself of the bunch. They were replaced with a Weaver V16, a Bushnell Scopechief, and a Swift brand 6 X 18 scope. All three have been trouble-free. For top notch optics, the Scopechief cain't be beaten, but for overall value I would buy a Swift scope without qualms. They can be purchased at Arthur Brown.com for a very reasonable price. Good luck - the Savages cain't be bettered for accuracy and value.
    Lifemember NRA
    Lifemember Varmint Hunters of America
    lifemember North American Hunting Club

    TRG22
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