Curious about what you use for 50-100yds PRS
- Thread starter koster18
- Start date
Most do run 30mm tubes, some are running the newer 34s. I looked at not only the data but looked through a lot of scopes. Maybe on the more top end scopes, tube diameter might give some advantage, but in my price range, I did not notice the larger barrels to be brighter (I expected they would be). Nor were they any clearer. Maybe a bit more elevation travel in some brands, but not all. They are certainly heavier-weight- than 1". I set a budget of <$500 for a scope; and in this price range I would suggest finding a high quality 1" scope might serve you better than buying an entry level 30 or 34 mm tube. Also pay attention to the reticle, it must be fine enough to not obscure the target. I also considered illuminated and they all seemed to be a bit coarser, so I went without. Parallax is a must; Zero stop for elevation is nice as is center zero for windage, providing the scope tracks repeatably.
Last edited:
Arken EPL-4 6-24x50 or 4-16x44 if your shooting is more dynamic. Fantastic glass, great reticle. zero stop, adjustable parallax, illum reticle. It's FFP but the center aiming dot is 0.4 MOA at 25x. Really hard to beat for under $600
Last edited:
Rimfire PRS can have targets at 25m so you want a scope that'll focus that close.
Also, a course of fire can have you engaging targets at different distances and back again and you run out of time if you spend too much of it dialing elevations, so look for a scope that has a good set of hash marks on the lower leg of the reticle. Then you can for example hold the third ticky on your target at the corresponding distance and not have to look around at the elevation dial. Work up your DOPE chart in terms of how far each hash mark goes.
The parallax dial is less of an issue because so long as your hand knows where to find it your eye looking through the scope is what tells you the image is sharpest. Goal is to keep your eye behind the scope looking through it your whole stage run as much as possible.
And for this sort of work over-magnification can be your enemy, giving tunnel vision and making it harder to find the next target, so a 16-power may be plenty.
Also, a course of fire can have you engaging targets at different distances and back again and you run out of time if you spend too much of it dialing elevations, so look for a scope that has a good set of hash marks on the lower leg of the reticle. Then you can for example hold the third ticky on your target at the corresponding distance and not have to look around at the elevation dial. Work up your DOPE chart in terms of how far each hash mark goes.
The parallax dial is less of an issue because so long as your hand knows where to find it your eye looking through the scope is what tells you the image is sharpest. Goal is to keep your eye behind the scope looking through it your whole stage run as much as possible.
And for this sort of work over-magnification can be your enemy, giving tunnel vision and making it harder to find the next target, so a 16-power may be plenty.
If you're planning to get into PRS seriously, it's ideal to invest in a first focal plane (FFP) scope with a minimum top-end magnification of 16x. A 5-25x scope is even better suited for the sport. Personally, I tend to shoot an entire match between 16x and 22x, and I use a red dot sight (RDS) to help point the rifle quickly and accurately.
It's also important to choose a scope with a parallax adjustment that goes down to 25 yards, as many rimfire targets are close. Make sure your scope has tactical-style turrets that can be dialed easily during a stage—avoid capped turrets that require a screwdriver or coin to adjust.
A Christmas tree-style reticle is highly recommended, even more so than in centerfire PRS where many prefer a simpler reticle (i.e. see Tangent JTAC reticle). In rimfire, we often rely heavily on holdovers for both elevation and wind, and the tree reticle helps a lot with quick wind calls. I shoot both centerfire and rimfire PRS competitively, and I've noticed that holdovers are used more frequently in rimfire. I suspect this is because we regularly dial 5+ mils in rimfire between targets, whereas in centerfire we rarely exceed a mil from one target to the next, making it more efficient to hold than dial.
If you're venturing into rimfire PRS, especially matches with targets beyond 250 yards, make sure your setup allows for enough elevation travel. A canted base (e.g. 20 MOA or more) will help maximize your scope’s internal adjustment range. At this weekend’s qualifier, we had a few targets past 400 yards, and I needed over 20 mils of elevation to reach them.
Long-range targets in PRS rimfire typically fall in the 200 to 300-yard range, similar to what you'll see at US national finales. These targets are usually more generous in size to account for the challenge.
There are several great YouTube videos on rimfire PRS setups that are worth checking out. You can also post in the Practical Precision Shooting forum on CGN for community-based advice specific to PRS in Canada.
It's also important to choose a scope with a parallax adjustment that goes down to 25 yards, as many rimfire targets are close. Make sure your scope has tactical-style turrets that can be dialed easily during a stage—avoid capped turrets that require a screwdriver or coin to adjust.
A Christmas tree-style reticle is highly recommended, even more so than in centerfire PRS where many prefer a simpler reticle (i.e. see Tangent JTAC reticle). In rimfire, we often rely heavily on holdovers for both elevation and wind, and the tree reticle helps a lot with quick wind calls. I shoot both centerfire and rimfire PRS competitively, and I've noticed that holdovers are used more frequently in rimfire. I suspect this is because we regularly dial 5+ mils in rimfire between targets, whereas in centerfire we rarely exceed a mil from one target to the next, making it more efficient to hold than dial.
If you're venturing into rimfire PRS, especially matches with targets beyond 250 yards, make sure your setup allows for enough elevation travel. A canted base (e.g. 20 MOA or more) will help maximize your scope’s internal adjustment range. At this weekend’s qualifier, we had a few targets past 400 yards, and I needed over 20 mils of elevation to reach them.
Long-range targets in PRS rimfire typically fall in the 200 to 300-yard range, similar to what you'll see at US national finales. These targets are usually more generous in size to account for the challenge.
There are several great YouTube videos on rimfire PRS setups that are worth checking out. You can also post in the Practical Precision Shooting forum on CGN for community-based advice specific to PRS in Canada.
Last edited:
Some excellent points made about your findings. Size of the tube does not determine brightness or clarity! Large objectives DO NOT gather light. Nothing gathers light. Optical performance is determined on glass quality,coatings and construction method, Period! Larger tubes are designed for more travel and bigger tubes will always be heavier because of extra material and glass elements which are heavy. In a competition gun the weight is a bonus as its usually centered very close to the balance point of the gun. Most serious competitors guns weight slightly south or north of 20 pounds. Its what gives a steady hold on positions and lets the shooter spot trace. some are even using scopes with 36mm main tubes and gaining large increases in both field of view and adjustments values both in elevation and windage. Hope this helps.
