New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

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Seabear
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New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

Like the topic title says....I just brought it home. Used but close to new, already has a 20 MOA rail installed, and my bud from the range had already developed a recipe for it which I don't have yet however will in a day or so.

I'm in it for about $300 under Bud's (including rail) so I think I did ok. I want to reach out to 1000yds. A group of guys I shoot pistols with also meet once a month on a private range to shoot 100-1000 for a buck a round competition. Sounds like fun! So, I'm not rich, big suprise. I know a GOOD scope is a MUST, however my question is....What is the most economical scope for the job?

I have recomendations for many from the group, mostly in the $1400 and up range. :shock: If that is what it takes then I guess the new toy will be sitting a while till it gets glass.

Any sugestions? Comments? Thoughts on my new rifle? Fire away.
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OldCannon
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by OldCannon »

You have in your hands one of the finest long-range rifles you can buy. Congrats!

You'll find LOTS of recommendations. Go to the Sniper's Hide forums and do a lot of reading (don't post your question though -- it's been asked many times already :lol: ).

Short answer: Viper in a 4-15x range would do you well, and for about $800ish.
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The Annoyed Man
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by The Annoyed Man »

Congratulations on the rifle. My son has a 10FP-HS Precision (no "C" in the name) in .308 which is essentially the exact same rifle, same stock, etc. We bought it at the old Sportsmans Warehouse in Lewisville which is no longer there, for the NOB price of $800.

He's like you in that he didn't have the money to buy a higher end scope when he recently rescoped it. He mounted a Falcon Menace 5.5-25x50mm Tactical from SWFA. The price of the scope is $550.
http://swfa.com/Falcon-Menace-55-25x50- ... 49980.aspx

The clarity of the glass and the overal impession of quality is not on a parr with a $1,500 scope, but it isn't bad either. He mounted it with a 20 MOA rail, and the combination is certainly capable out to 1,000 yards.

Other scopes to consider:

SWFA has their own house brand, formerly known as "Super Sniper" which are now very good. I have a 5-20x50HD tactical scope on my AR10. It has a very uniquely designed tactical milling reticle which illuminates with 11 brightness settings, HD glass lenses, .1 Mil adjustment knobs which match the reticle, side focus, etc., etc. I had a chance to compare it to an M5 Leupold ERT and a IOR Valdata before buying. Both were a little pricier than the SWFA scope, and it compared very favorably to those two. It's a very good scope for $1,500.

If that's outside of your budget, there is another SWFA scope to consider and that is their 10x42HD fixed power tactical. It has no illumination, and the reticle is a standard Mil-dot, but the .1 mil adjusters are matched to the reticle, and the HD glass is simply world class. That scope sells for $800, and it will get you out to 1,000 yards if you need to shoot that far.

Also, I will say this......... 1,000 yards is a REALLY long ways away. A lot of shooters, even good shooters, will find that distance to be outside the range of their capabilities. The furthest distance I've ever shot at was 750 yards, and that was a really long ways away. The target was a life sized steel silhouette of a deer. To the naked eye, it looked like a black dot. In the scope, that black dot was magnified 10x......and it still looked impossibly small to hit. In any case, I didn't know much then about ranging, reticles, holdover, etc. I simply fired, waited the 1.5 seconds or so for the round to get down range, and watched for the fall of shot. If I saw the dirt splash high, low, or to one side or the other, I simply compensated by holding off in the appropriate angle and shot again. I eventually hit that silhouette, and using my brother's old Remington 700 Tactical .308 with a 10x Leupold tactical scope, I was even able to hit it pretty consistenly, although I couldn't call out where I was going to hit it. I would not want to earn my living that way, and I can't imagine adding another 250 yards to that distance. I guess what I'm saying is that not everybody is capable of that kind of shooting. Some are, but most aren't, and there isn't any shame in that, and even the ones that are capable of it have to shoot a lot of rounds with regular frequency in order to maintain that proficiency. Even though I got to where I could hit a 750 yard target, I would not call myself "capable." Rather, I was just having a really good day, on that day, but I have no confidence that I could have repeated it. So have fun, and don't be too hard on yourself if you turn out not to be the next Chris Kyle. There is a lot of fun in the trying..
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Seabear
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

OldCannon wrote:You have in your hands one of the finest long-range rifles you can buy. Congrats!

You'll find LOTS of recommendations. Go to the Sniper's Hide forums and do a lot of reading (don't post your question though -- it's been asked many times already :lol: ).

Short answer: Viper in a 4-15x range would do you well, and for about $800ish.
Thanks, i will do plenty of snooping and reading before I Pull the trigger. LOL
Carry safe and carry when and where you can. I'm just sayin'.
Seabear
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

The Annoyed Man wrote:So have fun, and don't be too hard on yourself if you turn out not to be the next Chris Kyle. There is a lot of fun in the trying..
Thanks TAM , I am well aware that it won't be easy and I may not stand a chance. But hey, it WILL be fun trying :hurry:

If I am not capable I at least want the gun/scope/ammo combo to be capable. I may not get many chances to shoot at 1000 but if the gun is set up right and I learn the dope, I am sure to get plenty of 5-600 yard shots at the ranch for hogs and yotes. :coolgleamA:
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

Well after reading lots of reviews and talking to people that have tried various scopes including this line I placed an order yesterday for this one... http://www.opticsplanet.com/bushnell-el ... scope.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I went with the Illuminated Mil-Dot reticle.

I've never plopped down that much money for a scope so I am excited and nervous. LOL I'll post pics when I get it all together.
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by APynckel »

I just picked up a Savage 10FCP LE. I'm buying a Nightforce BR 12-42x56 w/ the BR2 reticle. $1400, and by recommendation from a national benchrest 2nd place shooter, is the bare minimum you should put on a gun you want to hit 1000+ yards with.
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by The Annoyed Man »

Seabear wrote:Well after reading lots of reviews and talking to people that have tried various scopes including this line I placed an order yesterday for this one... http://www.opticsplanet.com/bushnell-el ... scope.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I went with the Illuminated Mil-Dot reticle.

I've never plopped down that much money for a scope so I am excited and nervous. LOL I'll post pics when I get it all together.
That was a good choice too. One thing to keep in mind......this is a second focal plane scope. On variable power second focal plane scopes, you will see the reticle remain the same size as you zoom in and out on the magnification. On first focal plan scopes, the reticle will shrink and grow as you zoom out and in. The reason this is significant is that on the second focal plane scopes the ranging capacity of the reticle is only accurate at the middle-most value between highest and lowest magnification. On a first focal plane scope, since the size of the reticle grows or shrinks as you zoom in or out, the measurements of the mil-dots remain constant relative to the target, whereas on yours, the reticle remains constant relative to the shooter. So, on this particular scope you've ordered, 24X-6X=18X, 18X÷2=9X, 6X+9X=15X, so 15X is where the mil-dots will be accurate to use for ranging purposes......which you'll need to calculate bullet drop or hold-off at longer ranges.

OR.....


.....you could do like I did and buy a good laser rangefinder. "rlol" I have trouble calculating tips now, let alone doing the ranging math for a long range shot. :smilelol5:
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

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Seabear
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

APynckel wrote:I just picked up a Savage 10FCP LE. I'm buying a Nightforce BR 12-42x56 w/ the BR2 reticle. $1400, and by recommendation from a national benchrest 2nd place shooter, is the bare minimum you should put on a gun you want to hit 1000+ yards with.

Oh well, guess I screwed up. :shock:

I'm not going to Nationals, and it's all for fun, and I have to live with what I spend. In addition, my main purpose for this rifle will be in the 500-600 yard range, the 1000 is just to hang out and have fun. I know guys that can hit a gong at 1000 with a 10 power, I'm not one of them though. LOL "rlol"

I'm glad you got the scope you wanted, I have friends shooting $3600 scopes, we all get along just fine. Like we say around here, it's an arms race. :patriot:
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

[quoteOR.....


.....you could do like I did and buy a good laser rangefinder. "rlol" I have trouble calculating tips now, let alone doing the ranging math for a long range shot. :smilelol5:[/quote]

Thanks for the info ! Like you , I really would rather have the rangefinder. I figured I could start here and move up if I need to. They have a 100% buy back guarantee. I thought about buying the $1400 model that was the 3.5-20 or 21, just figured in the long run and to keep my household budget intact this was the limit. I may change my mind after the first few shots. I figure I won't go try the 1000 yard shots very often, however 400-600 at the ranch for hogs and yotes should be fun. :hurry:
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

Hey TAM, now I am confused, I thought I ordered a first focal...."The 6-24x50mm Elite Tactical 30 mm 6245F Rifle Scope from Bushnell is a impressive first focal scope and long range scope thanks to the first focal plane illuminated mil-dot reticle. The Bushnell ET6245F is and advanced riflescope that allows for target ranging across the entire magnification range, for an unprecedented level of adjustability and precision."

Guess we'll see which one they send me, but that is what I ordered.
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by Seabear »

[quote="The Annoyed Man On a first focal plane scope, since the size of the reticle grows or shrinks as you zoom in or out, the measurements of the mil-dots remain constant relative to the target, .

:[/quote]

Well, I got it today and it is a first focal plane. The reticle definitely changes as I zoom in and out. :thumbs2: My bases may be too high, I got the mediums, but there is like a half inch between the objective and the barrel. I hope to shoot it wednesday.
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by cyphur »

For others looking for scopes of this nature....

Take a look at the 4-16 or 6-24 Viper PST for a great entry level glass for 1k yds+. If you're going to shoot at known ranges at paper or stationary targets, you can get away with SFP. If you want to eventually compete in practical field shooting with potentially unknown ranges, FFP would be quite advantageous.

If you're going to shoot BR and try to group at 1000yds, you may want to consider the higher end magnification. Keep in mind most scopes do not perform their best at their max magnification limit, so if you feel you'll shoot at 24x regularly, a 6-24 may not be your best bet. You would likely shoot that scope at 20x to avoid mirage, etc.
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Re: New to me Savage 10FCP Precision .308

Post by The Annoyed Man »

I have a 5-20x50HD from SWFA on one of my rifles. It's a pretty powerful scope with really good glass. To put it in perspective, at full magnification, an object 1,000 yards away looks like it is 50 yards away. That is sufficient magnification for that range. On the other hand, I have 60 year old eyes, and who am I kidding.....there's no way I'm walking 1,000 yards out to the target to see if I hit it or not. If I need to know and can't see it in the scope, I'll offer to buy someone a beer if they'll go out and look for me. And each time they come back and tell me that I got another bullseye, I'll give 'em another beer. I anticipate a high score. :mrgreen:
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

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