By Jason Vincent
You do not need a 25x magnified optic on a .308. Let’s just get that out of the way.
Hell, you don’t need 18x, but it won’t hurt. Neither will 25x.
After taking Springfield’s 2020 Waypoint to Africa and Alaska–specifically to hunt with True Velocity’s polymer-cased ammo, I’d grown attached to the rifle; it shot like a heavyweight but carried like a lightweight. By the end of our Alaska hunt, when Don asked if he could borrow it to test the True Velocity himself, I had no problem letting it travel with him to Florida. It didn’t really belong to me anyway.
It only took me a week to regret my generosity, and when I did, I called my contact at Springfield and asked if I could buy another one. If they wanted the loaner back, they could deal with Don directly. Good luck to them.
My new Springfield arrived a few days ago. The first thing I did was remove the muzzle brake and replace it with a thread protector. Then I adjusted the Trigger Tech to 2lbs.
But what scope to use? I have a few that need homes, but one jumped out at me over the rest: The Vudu 5-25×50.
When Eotech sent me this scope, my first observation before removing it from the box was, Damn, this thing looks short. And it is at only 11.2 inches from end to end. It’s actually the shortest 5-25x scope on the market.
When I removed it from the box, I also realized it’s light for a long-range scope. At 29.5-ozs. it’s considerably lighter than its competition. Hell, it’s even lighter than Eotech’s 3-18x Vudu. Indeed, all these little numbers jive with the lightweight mindset that went into the design of the carbon-fiber Springfield host rifle.
But lightweight doesn’t always inspire confidence in the durability of an optic.
And I’m known for breaking things.
The jury is still out on the durability of this scope as I’ve yet to field it, but my initial impressions are that it’s:
-Light
-Compact
-Very good glass
-Precise feel of elevation and windage adjustments
So far the 5×25 Vudu appears to be the perfect pairing for an ultralight long-range rig. If it’s durable, I have a few other rifles that could stand to go on a diet.
