[ncvarmint]

I am building a 6.5 Grendel for mostly range work out to 600 yards, might try 750-1000 later. I am pretty set on leupold optics and the two i am looking at are
Leupold Freedom 6-18x40 $485
Leupold Mark 3hd 6-18x50 $675
I like the price of the freedom but like the glass and 50mm obj on the mark 3. I am used to moa and not mil’s but can learn and will have a cheat sheet on the scope or gun anyway.
looked into a vortex Venom 5-25x56 but can’t get over the made in china. I also know the leupold has better glass than the venoms.
What you fellas think?

 

[VASCAR2]

I have five 6.5 Grendel AR-15’s and one Cz 527 24” 6.5 Grendel. My first recommendation if you ever plan on shooting past 700 yards is to use a 20 MOA mount. I am old enough my brain thinks in feet and yards so I tend to prefer MOA scopes. I also gravitate towards second focal plane scopes. I normally have a laser range finder or know the approximate distance I’m shooting. I normally don’t use the reticle for ranging.

I think for the price difference the 6-18x50 will have superior HD glass. If you plan on shooting in all light conditions I think Mark 3 HD would be better. You didn’t mention barrel length on your build but the Mark 3HD is 20.5 ounces compared to the Freedom 17 ounces. Unless your going to be carrying the rifle a lot and need a fast swinging carbine I think the Mark 3 HD is worth the extra weight.

I have several of the Warne SKEL 20 MOA mounts and they are a very good mount for the price. I have an AR Stoner and Brownell’s house brand mounts which look to be Warne but are heavier but cheaper.

I have a few Vortex scopes and the Viper and Diamondback scopes are manufactured in the Philippines. AA optics sell refurbished Vortex Optics for very good prices and still have a complete life time warranty. AA Optics also offer a Mil/LE discount. Another source for Demo/used optics or competitively priced optics is EURO Optics.

Welcome to A&A Optics Inc - Certified Vortex Dealer

aaoptics.com

Here is a link to the Eurooptics Demo/used optics.

Rifles, Scopes, Laser Rangefinders, and So Much More - EuroOptic.com

Optics, scopes, & more for the precision marksman and serious hunter - Nightforce, Swarovski Optik, Vortex, Sako, Leica, Blaser, Tikka, Trijicon, & many more.

www.eurooptic.com

 

[ncvarmint]

I have a warne 0mmoa mount already i’ll use and it has an 18” BA fluted barrel so weight isn’t an issue. It looks like i can get 700yards with the Mark3 hashmarks as it looks to have 5 mils on it.

 

[VASCAR2]

The Specifications I looked at were 52 MOA or 15 mils of elevation adjustment for the Mark 3 HD scope. You only get about half the adjustment travel with a zero cant mount or about 26 MOA of adjustment. Looking at Hornady ballistic calculator for G1 with 123 grain bullet .510 BC, 2500 FPS, scope 2.75” over bore shows 21.8 MOA up at 700 yards. 750 yards is 24.6 MOA up, 800 is 27.5 MOA up.

My 16” 6.5 Grendel with Leupold Mark AR scope with 55 MOA adjustment was pretty much maxed out at 800 yards with 2450 FPS with a zero cant mount. The elevation where you shoot and your actual velocity will determine whether your scope and reticle will cover the distance. As a rule I generally figure beyond 800 yards you can benefit using a canted mount. I moved my Zero can’t mount from my 6.5 Grendel to a 5.56 AR-15 and use 20 MOA mounts on my 6.5 Grendel because I tend to shoot them at further distance than 5.56/223.

 

[ncvarmint]

Thanks for the info..
I called leupold today and the guy i spoke to said that the glass between the mark 3 and the freedom were pretty much identical and the mechanical parts were the same just that the mark 3 had more adjustments and was in mil adjustments. Kinda figured the Mark 3 would have better glass

 

[VASCAR2]

That is surprising. I suspected the scopes wouldn’t be that similar.

 

[ncvarmint]

Makes me wonder if he knew what he was talking about. I even asked him if the Mark 3 would have better late and early day/evening light transmission with that glass. He said they would be very similar.

 

[ncvarmint]

My 2 final choices are
Leupold mark 3hd 6-18x50 sfp mil reticle
Vortex viper pst gen 2 5-25x50 moa reticle
Both are around same price
Which one?