If you just bought a new Ruger American in 6.5 creedmore , what scope would you put on it for long range hunting ?

Not a long range gun , entry level rifle so any entry level scope will cover it.

it will shoot 1k, but is not a long range hunting rifle. if you want as close a comparison as you can get, the 6.5 CM case is almost identicle to the 250 savage. not a long range cartridge by any means.

Ok , are you talking a 3x9x40 ? What if a guy wants to shoot a coyote at 1000 yards , would a 4x12x42 or a 6.5x24x50 be more suitable?

ok, to shoot 1k, you need first the accuracy to do it, you need a rangefinder that will range a coyote to 1k (that starts with a leica 1200), you need a drop chart tuned to your trajectory and capable of adjusting for atmospheric conditions, lastly you need a scope that tracks well and has precise adjustments. I would reccomend a Nightforce 3.5x15 minimum

I's go with a 4-12 x 40 Leupold. They make a Creedmore version but I like a B&C reticle.

The Ruger American is a fine platform.........for what it was intended for. What you have recently purchased is a fine 400 yard and under deer/antelope, etc rifle. 1000 yard coyote ??? Not so much. Even between 400 yards and 600 yards a WHOOOOOOOOOLE lot of trajectory/drift/mirage difficulties arise when it comes to hitting small targets. Another 400 yards beyond that complicates things IMMENSELY.

Putting a $1K - $3K scope on a $500 rifle won't make it a 1000 yard varminter.

Lol, thanks everyone.

Curious why you think that? I happen to know of a gentleman that put a NightForce scope on this exact gun and can ring the bell at 1000yds. He bought it just to “plink” with, plus he has more money than sense, lol. Also hitting out there with a .308, 7mm, and .300. He hunts but just likes to plink more than anything. What’s funny is he’ll tell you straight up he doesn’t shoot anything alive past 300 yards.

How big is the bell he's ringing?

Most factory guns would be shooting minute of coyote plus at 1k.


Anyhow, Night force makes an excellent scope. I'd recommend them also if money is no object.

It’s about a 3’ diameter gong I guess. Or somewhere around that size. He built an elevated “shooting house” to shoot from. Has paper target stands out to 300 and gongs out to 1000. Didn’t ever say he was hitting a bullseye every shot, lol. At least not yet.

I have a friend that does the same with a 6.5 but not on a Ruger American. My son-in-law rang the bell last weekend (8”x8”)plate at 495 yards with his 30-30 , just for fun . That’s most of what I will be doing , I’ve killed a coyote at 760 yards with a .243 ( with a witness) lol . I want a heavier bullet for windy days .

I hear ya, pretty good shooting at that for what he has.

That was my next question, too. LOL !!!

I'm definitely not down-talking anyone's rifle. My daughter's first rifle was a Ruger American in .308 Win with a Burris 3-9x40. It is a good rifle. I'm no 1000 yard marksman, either. But I've played around at distance (along with some other pretty serious shooters) on many occasions. We all use highly accurized guns. But no race guns or heavy barrels. All sporter weight rifles in flat shooting chamberings. We shoot at an 8" round A514 (T1 armor plate gong. In my experience 500-600 yards is where the chaff gets separated from the grain.

If money is no object I would start with a rifle and cartridge more suited to 1000 yd work. That's not a criticism of the RA rifle or the 6.5 CM cartridge but rather a realistic assessment of what is needed to make ethical shots on game at 1000 yds. For the Ruger American in 6.5 CM I think a 2.5 -10 x 40 Trijicon Huron w/BDC reticle would be a reasonable match. The Huron lists on the Trijicon site for $699 but sells at $455 on Eurooptic. You might be able to find a good deal on a Vortex Viper w/BDC in 3-9x40, which would also be a good match. I got one recently from Sierra for $199. I prefer BDC reticles instead of dialing when hunting for a variety of reasons but find that their usefulness tops out around 600 yds with a 7mm Rem Mag and 500 yds with a 30-06. Beyond those ranges I would need a scope that tracks with a high degree of precision and that adds lots of $ to the cost. But also, beyond those ranges the retained energy has really dropped off and becomes marginal for big game.

Now that’s some impressive shooting with a 30-30!! I’d love to know the holdover on that, lol!

BDC's don't work at 1K

Always read how someone hit something X amount of yds away but never hear how many shots it took. 1out 5 or 10 or a 100 or a 1000? Misses count too.

Like most have said here, to consistently hit a coyote at 1k yards an off the shelf ruger American isn’t gonna cut it, no matter the caliber or scope choice. Even if you are a competition shooter, shooting from a bench, on a dead calm day, with a custom hand load, the tolerances on a production rifle like that are generally not tight enough to perform like that. I took my brothers AR15 in .223 with a 3x holographic sight and hit a gong many times at 800 yards, but I missed about as many times as I hit it. When I’m shooting at an animal I’m only shooting past 300 if it’s the buck of a lifetime and I know I can’t get any closer. Any further than 400 and I’m finding a way to get closer no matter what the animal is. Too much can happen in the time between a trigger pull and the bullet hitting the target out past 400 for me to be confident in that shot

I am partial to vortex optics myself, i have a 6-24x50 on my 6.5 and in my opinion you can’t get a better bang for your buck.

This is what works for me

you can see 2 turnkey custom rifles, along with the support system, a windmeter, a rangefinder, a handhelp computer that has all my load data stored in it. once I make my adjustments, I expect bullet impact to be within 1/2 moa at whatever the range.
These setups are not cheap, but in order to do what I do, I feel it is money well spent. This group is 3 shots at a lazered 752 yarrds.


this kind of practice and investments allows this to happen, this was the second shot taken at this deer, the first was a spotter shot to be sure I had correctly figured the drop and windage. this is one of 7 I have taken beyond 1000 yards.