Hey guys, I'm looking for some advice regarding a scope for my Ruger Ranch Rifle (Mini 14). I've never purchased a scope before and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction. I was poking around on Cheaper Than Dirt and the Cabela's website, but wasn't exactly sure what I was looking at when it came to quality, etc. I'm not looking for anything too extravagant; just something that works well and fits in the scope rings that came with the rifle. Thanks!

Some basics.

Tube diamater is generally 1inch or 30mm. Most US rifles that come with rings are 1 inch.

The numbers 2-7x40 as an example are magnification (2-7 times magnafied) and the last number is the size of the front objective of the scope (40mm for this example). Some scopes are a fixed magnifaction (10x50 for example)

Make sure you don't buy a scope with a front that is too big for the rifle, when you start hitting the 44 plus range you are more likely to run into this problem.

A lot of scope options are personal preference but also depend on what you shoot and at what distance.

If your shooting a 223 at 100 yards then you don't necessaray need a huge scope. If you plan on airing it out past 500 yards then you may want something larger. I have a 6-12x44 on one of my AR's which I shoot out to 200 yards and with Shoot-N-See targets I can see my hits easily.

My 308 Remington 700 has a 50mm objective for more light and clearer vision out to 600 yards.

Bushnell, Leupold, Redfield are good names, there are others. If the price seems too good to be true, it isn't likely a great scope.

Mini's come with standard height rings. Don't remember if 1 inch or 30MM (believe 1 inch). A 40 or possibly a 42 MM optic is a big as you can get on the gun with standard size rings. Ruger does offer High Rings but you have to buy them. A 3-9 X 40 would sit very nice on the Mini. Bigggest question is how much do you want to spend. SWFA.com can be used as a reference guide. Amazon, optics planet, there are many discount houses that offer rifle scopes over CTD and Cabelas. Shop around for the best OTD price. Simmons and Bushnell are two vendors that offer nice value scopes. There are many others too! Lately I have been using Sigthmark with good luck for the price so far (Amazon). Good Luck!

Thank you so much for the guidance, guys. I really appreciate it! I felt so lost looking through the various types of scopes that are out there, so the specifications (like 3-9 x 40) really helped. I'm going to shop around and see what I find! Thanks again.

I have a Simmons Prodiamond 1.5-5x32 SG 1R mounted on my 6.8mm Ranch Rifle.

I actually saw that on one of the websites I was looking at, Paul. How do you like it? I was considering this one (Simmons 3-9x40 Blazer Rifle Scope).

IMO, 3x is too high at the low end.

On a short, compact rifle like the Ranch Rifle, I would keep the scope trim and would opt for a 1x4 or 1.5x5 variable power scope.

3-9 is fairly much a standard for hunting rifles. It is intended for hunting at ranges between ~100-to-300 yards.

 

We live in the Sheeples Republik. So, unless you are planning to escape later in life or prepping for a collapse in government, size your scope to your range (only place in NJ that you can legally use it).

 

Consider the maximum distance you can shoot at your range and think:

< 50 yards: why are you buying a scope?

50 yards: anything greater than 1.5x or 2x mag will have too confined a field of view (FOV)

100 yards: 4x magnification is all you need

200 yards: between 5x and 8x mag

300 yards: between 9x and 12x magnification on the high end.

These are just rough guidelines. Everyone has different eyes.

 

Good luck and us me know what you decide upon.

Watch for sales on NatchezSS.com, they often run great deals in the fall and around Christmas time.