What scope to buy

[Turk]

Have been a fullbore shooter for many years and eyesight is not the best now. Thinking of taking up F class shooting, but my problem is "What scope to buy". I would appreciate any advice.

[Guest]

Turk.

Ask that question of 6 poeple and you will get 6 different answers.

If you want to shoot F open, you will need a 1/8 min scope.
If you want to shoot F standard a 1/4 min scope is sufficient.

For FS 20x, maybe 25x is ok. For FO you maybe need to go 25x minimum. Not being an FO shooter it's difficult to advise on max magnification, but mirage becomes a problem the higher magnification you go,

For ranges from 300 to 1000 you will need around 30 minutes of elevation to get to 1000yards.
Scopes come in 1" dia tube and 30 mm dia tube.
Generally the 1'' tube scopes are limited to about 48 minutes of elevation
while the 30 mm dia tube is limited to 72 minutes ( Leupold ) but some of the others like Nikko or Lynx have 90 minutes plus.

The scope mounting rail needs to be tapered so that you can utilize the available elevation of the scope.
The rail taper for a 1'' tube is more critical than for a 30 mm tube.

A good set of scope rings is a must. there are plenty about such as Leupold, Warne etc

Scopes such as Nikko and Lynx are around $700 to $800
A leupold 1'' tube Varix 3 will cost you about $950-- this is a variable 6.5/20X.
A leupold 30 mmtube Varix 3--8/25x is around $1300
A good set of rings costs up to $140
A tapered rail will cost from $65 to $120 depending upon where you purchase same.

If you really want to spend a lot of money, look at NightForce scopes which start at around $1500 up to #2500

You need to shop around to get best price.

Dont waste your money on the cheaper scopes .
Leupold will give you a lifetime warranty even on a second hand scope-- Don't know about the others.

Regards

Barry Davies.

[Lynn Otto]

Turk

Barry has given some very sound information, the only other thing I would add, and it may be minor for some people, is to consider the reticle available in the scope you are looking at. There is a great deal of variation available and they don't all suit any given individual. I prefer the reticle in my Leupold (FS rifle), but was unable to get a similar reticle in my Nightforce (FO rifle) in the model scope I preferred. Anyway, be aware that there are choices and that it is something to consider, you may have to live with it for quite a while.

Lynn

[Simon C]

Turk,

I agree with everything the others have said. Lynn's point on the reticle is a good one. I use a Mil Line reticle (same as mil dot but lines) to hold over etc. U just need to get an understanding of how to use them which doest take long.

A tapered rail (20 MOA) is a must from my point of view. It gives u plenty of adjustment and will allow u to shoot match rifle out to 1200 should u want to.

With regard to power range.... I find I cannot handle anything above x24 but thats me. I personally shoot on an NXS on x22...there are plenty of people using 15 or 16 power scopes though. In heavy mirage, u often find u need to wind the scope down to get any semblance of focus. Parallax adjustment is a must.

As Barry said, u will get many differing opinions from those u ask however, bad/cheap optics usually bite u in the bum...often the clarity of the images and the accuracy of the adjustment are the downfall.

Just my $0.02

[Cameron Mc]

Scopes are a very individual thing. I would try and look through some of the brands mentioned to compare. I shoot FO and don,t go over 25x. But that is what suits me. One of my favoured scopes is a $800 Weaver 24x. I also like the NXS (nightforce), but I could have bought 3 Weavers for the price of one NXS.

I hope this helps

Cameron

[rainbow]

turk

there are quite a few f class shooters to be found in the wimmera, whom i have found are only too happy to give anyone a look at their ''eye pieces." I guess you might take their opinions with a grain of salt, but. As you would know there is no substitute for a hands on appraisal of the workings of various manufacturers wares. Seeing them on the job, as it were.
For what it's worth, I use a Mark-4 leupold for Fstandard. Which has a 30 mm tube, 8.5-25X 50 , with 1/4 min adjustment. While I know there are a few nightforce used here abouts (their cost seems to limit their widespread use in these parts), and an assortment of other less expensive scopes (which can do the job) the only limit is really the size of your hip pocket.

I, myself have only been shooting on the range for a few months. Having previously concentrated on hunting for the past 20 years. I am enjoying the disciplines and skills required to get results on the range, as well as the new friends made at the club.
I hope your questions are answered, and to see you continuing your sport for many more years to come

[Tony Q]

Well said rainbow.

There are, as Cameron says, some fine scopes to be had around the $800 mark without needing to invest in something like a Nightforce BR or NXS, the Weavers offer exceptional clarity and they are rugged and precise to boot.

Buy the best you can afford and even consider the second hand market. While they are few and far between target scopes do surface from time to time.

[bully_eye]

Weight of the scope is also an issue, especially if your rifle is near max weight. The Nightforce scope I have just bought is 13.5oz heavier than the Leupold scope it is replacing.... more than a 50% increase in weight which has to be shaved from somewhere else. Not a problem with an unbuilt rig like mine, but something to remember when you are buying. By the way my new scope is a x12-x42 but I doubt I would ever use magnification above x20 for F-Open- apart from issues with mirage, field of view is quite small at high magnification and especially at short ranges, it is very easy, and costly in a prize shoot, to put a shot on the wrong target.

Michael

ps never had an issue with this, but apparently some scopes get shipped with canted reticles. I think Leupold allow up to 3 degrees. Anyway, they WILL fix it but better if it doesn't have the problem in the first place. There are some good comparisons between different scopes on 6mmbr.com and I'm sure numerous other websites. Worth a look.

[bully_eye]

Sorry I was talking out my arse about Leupold having a 3 degree tolerance. Nevertheless it can be a problem and needs to be looked at when purchasing.

Michael

[jlorimer]

Hello Turk,I agree with what everybody has said on this thread, and here is my 2 bobs worth.

Don't stuff around with cheap scopes. I did in the beginning, and when I look back ,I've kicked myself for doing it. I could have bought some pretty good gear with the money I would have saved.

The old motto is true when it comes to optics. You pay for what you get. Being a full bore shooter, you know the value of a good spotting scope, well, when your shooting Fclass, your aiming through everything you see in your spotting scope.

My advice is to get a nightforce 8 x 32 X 56 Bench rest model, around $1400 at Horsley Park in Sydney, or purchase a Leupold 8X25x50 for a couple of hundred less. Lynn has sound advice about reticles. I personally like the 1/8 dot reticle, with the least amount of cluttered up lines or dots. too much info I find tends to confuse a bit, also I'm too busy looking at conditions, and like to have a pretty clear view. Hope this helps

[Daniel]

Turk;
While scopes are a personal thing, it is true that you get waht you pay for. For a few years I used a Leupold 8.5-25x with a fine ch. The only downfall of this scope was the side mounted parallax adjustment that Leupold say must be wound out to infinity & back to obtain a true & parallax free image. Great optics though.
I am currently using a Nightforce 8-32x BR model (NP1 crosshair). These come with 1/8 moa clicks and are considerably cheaper than the NXS. Great optics, great reliability and tracking.
Weaver must also get a mention as for the money you pay, they have the most reliable tracking you can buy. Optically they are excellent. From all the probing around I have done, no one seems to have even heard of a T-series Weaver going back for warranty work.
It all depends on whether you like a variable or a fixed power and the reticle you like. 36x is a fair bit of magnification for F-open and if the light gets low or the mirage is thick you're stuck with 36x.

Daniel.