I just purchased an LF308 BA Hybrid (http://www.livefreearmory.com/product/lf308-ba-hybrid/), one of Live Free Armory's AR10-based models with the 1/2 MOA barrel. It's going to serve as a 500+ yard gas gun with an SDN-6 to help keep the noise down. The ammo will be 175 grain M118LR. Now it needs an optic.
The scope I'm considering is the Nikon M308 4-16 x 42 with the BDC reticle on a Nikon 20 MOA base.
Does anyone here have experience with that optic? If so, what are your thoughts on it, especially on the AR platform?
I don't have experience with that model, but I do have Nikon scope one of my hunting rifles. It works, its clean, the BDC is great if you zero it right and know your .308 dope. The scope you looking at seems superior to mine in turns of long distance shooting.
Don't have that specific optic, but it looks like it shares the non lockable turrets of Nikon's like I have on my ar10. TO adjust them to read zero all you have to do is pull up/out on the lightly spring loaded knob and rotate the exposed turret to show zero. Lifting up disengages the turret from moving the crosshairs. Very annoying to pull your rifle out of the case or take it off your shoulder to see the knobs have moved in transport/walking since there is no lock, return it to zero only to find out it was still zeroed and at some point moving in the case the knob had lifted and reset zero to some other number. I'd rather have a lock on the exposed turrets v/s the quick zero return feature. I like Nikons, but they screwed up with no lock on the turrets.
@M1 Tanker: Thank you for the vote of confidence. Like you, I have Nikon scopes on some of my hunting rifles and am very pleased with their clarity and brightness. I believe that by using just one load (the M118LR) and zeroing at the appropriate distance (determined by using the Nikon "Spot On" program on their website) I can get the BDC circles to line up with the ranges of interest and keep them there. I'm normally not a big fan of BDC reticles but I believe it will be good enough for what I want to do with this tool.
@Moleman - Thank you for that insight! I read about the "Zero Reset" feature on the turrets but did not realize that they were that sensitive to being accidentally bumped out of adjustment. This is where personal experience like yours is so valuable. I'll talk with my gunsmith and see if he knows any tricks for overcoming that limitation. If so, I'll share that here so others can benefit as well.
The scope I have on my ar10 is the P223, so the turrets could be different. I didn't see a turret lock listed in the features, but I'd find out as it was upsetting to find that the elevation cap had snagged on my coat and reset zero to 9 on the way out to my treestand. Thought it had just been bumped off zero, so I returned it to zero. Later on I shot it to make sure and it was off. Easy enough to sight it back it but still annoying. It had got bumped off zero before but having the zero rest was new. If I keep it on the gun I'll likely just use some electric tape on them. Otherwise my 223 heavy barreled ar15 gets a lot less field and the scope on it has standard turrets so perhaps the scopes on them will get swapped or I'll get another one of their muzzle loader scopes as that would probably better match the trajectory of the 44x1.8" (velocity similar to 444marlin) that that upper is chambered in. I put it on there so that it would be easy to compensate for the POI change from the weight of a Silencerco Hybrid.
You should try Nikon M-308 4-16x42mm Riflescope.
I've put together another AR10 upper and as of now have a weaver 4-16 on it that I've had for years. I like the Nikon scopes, but won't buy another one that doesn't have a turret lock of some sort. Do the turrets on your scope lock, or are they like mine were and had no lock only the quick adjust where you can lift up on the turret and it will not make any internal adjustments if you rotate them. I removed the adjustment feature on mine by removing the springs on the turret screws and installing bushings.
Last edited by AxlMyk; 10-06-2017 at 12:44 PM.