Always been a iron sights shooter, AR-15, AR-10 and M1A. Picked up my first .308 bolt action, is there a short (in length) fixed power scope that I can use on the semi auto and bolt? Looking at the Steiner T536. Back up plan is just get a SWFA 6x42 for the bolt and continue with the iron sights on the semi-autos. All my shooting is up to 300 yards on paper and hog hunting out to 75 yards. Thanks in adavance.

If I understand your post correctly, you're wanting one scope to swap around between various rifles? That's not a recipe for success. The scope will need to be rezeroed every time it's put on a different rifle. So instead, you'll want to get a separate scope for each one of your rifles, to install, zero, and then leave on them. (Or just one scope for one rifle, and keep using iron sights on the others. )

So, would something like a T536 work on a bolt? When I say work, I mean fit, carry-ability and handling in the field. Or do I go with the standard style rifle scopes.

The T536 is designed for use on a flat top rifle with a straight stock, like an AR. ARs and similar rifles require an optic that is mounted in a rather tall mount, since the top of the stock where your cheek rests is so close to the top of the rifle.

Such an optic/mount combo will not work well on a bolt rifle with a traditional drop-comb stock. It would be better to go with a traditional scope for your bolt rifle, mounted in a set of standard rings that place the scope closer to the top of your bolt rifle, and in line with your eye.

Note how tall the T536 is in the below photo. Then look at your bolt rifle, whose stock drops even further below the top of the bolt rifle, compared to an AR or similar. Putting an AR optic with such a tall mounting system on a bolt rifle will end up putting the scope in line with your forehead or hairline (rather than your eye) if mounted on your bolt rifle.

Thank you for the detailed response, a conventional style scope it is.

I deleted my previous post because it was much more involved than making my point required. To try again:

You didn’t tell us much about the rifle you acquired, but you could almost certainly make the T536 work with a raised cheek rest, and ideally one that’s adjustable. As scopes have become larger and chassis systems with handguards become more common, raised cheek rests for other stocks are also more available.

Aftermarket cheek rests for conventional rifle stocks are most commonly two types: ones that require modification of the stock such as drilling holes for mounting screws, and the kind that strap on. I have experimented extensively with the latter, and the type that bolts on is much better, IMO. The strap on type tends to slip position regardless of how tightly it’s cinched, and adjusting the height involves adding or removing spacer material or pads rather than just loosening screws and moving the rest up or down.

The only thing about raised sights I’ll mention and that you may already be familiar with is that I find they make acquiring the sight for snap shooting a little slower and more awkward than when the sight is mounted closer to the bore line. If you like shooting your M1A with irons, you may be happier with a conventional scope on your bolt action for that reason.

Personally, I'm okay with a small riser when necessary, but I wouldn't want to deal with a ~3" riser, like what would be needed if cobbling an AR-height optic onto a bolt rifle. To each their own.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Personally, I'm okay with a small riser when necessary, but I wouldn't want to deal with a ~3" riser, like what would be needed if cobbling an AR-height optic onto a bolt rifle.

Yes, I don’t like such setups much either. An extreme example is what’s necessary to mount a scope above the receiver of my M1A. It does work, however, if that’s what we want.

Browe makes ACOG like scopes, one of them is ring mounted, so you would just need a lower ring. You could also put the Brownells 4x Colt clone in rings if you wanted, I think the tube is 35mm.