Scope suggestion
- Thread starter fitycal
- Start date
waynewjw
CGN Regular
If you can get a look at the new Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-25x56 it’s a pretty awesome scope, 30 mil elevation will get you out there. Illuminated reticle when you need it, 34mm tube at $1000, leaves you money for ammo.
If you really won’t be out beyond 500 with a centerfire, I would go 3-18 mag range maximum. Most optics get darker and more finicky at max magnification, especially bargain ones flirting with a higher level in good conditions. For a hunting rifle I value clarity in low light the highest feature. I shoot a 22 out to 400 at 16X, which is far clearer and has a better eyebox that cranking it up to 30X. Budget is the challenge at the $12-$1500 level. High magnification optics at low-ish cost just don’t perform at optimum levels in tough conditions. Today I had sun in my eyes and the scope due to range direction. 30X was not usable. 16 was. Athlon Ares ETR, about $1800 or so.
Nothing wrong with a gen 2 PST, it's a good scope.
I've had a handfull of long range scopes in the $1000-1500 range, including the 5-25 gen 2 PST and 5-25 Midas Tac. The best glass with the best features in that price range that I've owned is the Delta Javelin.
It's a rebadged Athlon Area ETR with a 10yr warranty (instead of lifetime) for $500 less. 34mm, illuminated reticle, solid tracking, clearer/brighter/sharper glass than the Midas Tac and gen 2 PST. And it's $1325.
I just noticed that Dante is selling the 5-25 gen 2 PST for $1199, which is what I paid for mine 7 years ago. The Javelin is worth the $125 extra if budget allows, but that's a pretty wicked deal on the PST if lifetime warranty is important to you.
I've had a handfull of long range scopes in the $1000-1500 range, including the 5-25 gen 2 PST and 5-25 Midas Tac. The best glass with the best features in that price range that I've owned is the Delta Javelin.
It's a rebadged Athlon Area ETR with a 10yr warranty (instead of lifetime) for $500 less. 34mm, illuminated reticle, solid tracking, clearer/brighter/sharper glass than the Midas Tac and gen 2 PST. And it's $1325.
I just noticed that Dante is selling the 5-25 gen 2 PST for $1199, which is what I paid for mine 7 years ago. The Javelin is worth the $125 extra if budget allows, but that's a pretty wicked deal on the PST if lifetime warranty is important to you.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
I would suggest the Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 family. This was the most recent updated FFP in the Athlon lineup and it shows. Good news, the prices haven't adjusted and it is the best value in the HD options right now.
If you ok with a SFP scope, then the HERAS is worth a look too. Need super high mag, the 15-60X56 is a smoking target scope.
I think you will get way more scope and spend alot less money. I now run 5 helos btr g2's on my personal rifles.
PM or email if I can help.
Jerry
If you ok with a SFP scope, then the HERAS is worth a look too. Need super high mag, the 15-60X56 is a smoking target scope.
I think you will get way more scope and spend alot less money. I now run 5 helos btr g2's on my personal rifles.
PM or email if I can help.
Jerry
I just set up the TAC in .223 myself. My range goes to 200 and I shot out to that with a Vortex Viper HST 6 to 18. Plenty of scope for the job. I’m confident that I can double the range with this scope. Very clear sight picture and held its zero. I am by no means a longe range guy.
Thats a lot of magnification for a pretty short distance. You could save yourself a bunch of money and problems by choosing something closer to a 4-16x.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Many seem to think more magnification is better - I found is not true - I have a Celestron 100mm "spotting scope" / telescope that was set up on our deck to watch stuff in bush across the lake - perhaps a kilometre away - eye-piece goes from 22X to 66X - many times, I would catch glimpse of movement, found I often had to turn it way down to actually see if that was an elk or a deer (or coyote!) in the bush - probably combination of quality of the optics, but also atmosphere - mirage, haze, etc. - that seem to get amplified with more magnification.
There is also a relatively simple physics / math relationship within an optic - front end diameter in millimetres, divided by magnification gives you the exit pupil diameter - old fart like me likely can not get iris in my eye to open much past 4 mm - so is Max that does any good for me. A teenager likely opens their iris like to 7 mm - so they can use bigger diameter exit pupil - so goes to quality of "brightness" of the image - really matters the age of who is telling you how good or poor a particular optic is. So, after you are smaller exit size than your eye can take in, the image becomes dimmer and dimmer the more magnification that you turn to - in the same scope (same front lens).
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Mirage is a huge problem at high magnification. It can be so bad it's like looking through the bottom of a dirty soda bottle. Heat haze off a hot barrel also becomes a problem with high power optics.
Super high magnification wildly exacerbates the jiggle of any small movements. On a rifle it can be nearly impossible to hold the reticle steady. The thing just bounces around all over the place, which is super distracting. I've used some 30+ power optics at very long ranges and it was just impossible to put rounds on the target. IMO 24x is the absolute maximum for field shooting, with 16-20x being much better choices. As mentioned above, I have done some extreme long range shooting with a 16x scope and never felt that was a hindrance.
I'm amused by guys figuring they can "manage" 400 yds with a 24x scope. Couple of weeks ago we were hitting an IPSC target at 550 yds with a 70 yo Lee Enfield and its reproduction WWII 3.5x scope. People need to challenge themselves a little.
As to how low you can go, my double rifle wears a Leupold Deltapoint, no issues shooting targets at 200 with the 2.5MOA dot on it.
My TAC A1 has a Delta Stryker 4.5-30x56 on it, my CZ457 has a Tract 4-20x50, higher power is nice when the mirage is minimal, down to 12-16x range when it's up.
My 32-40 wore a 6.5-20 Leupold in the early 90's, standard x-hair, adj AO, I still have a Nikon I replaced it with to get 1/8 clicks. Shot it at 200 all the time, 12x for offhand, and bench shooting was dependent on mirage once again. Shot it with a Walther peep/Gehmann iris too, scores in the Coors matches were the same as with the scope.
Not sure if Prophet River still has the Zeiss deal going, but, I 'd take a V4 over a Vortex any day of the week.
All depends what features you want on the turrets, glass level
My TAC A1 has a Delta Stryker 4.5-30x56 on it, my CZ457 has a Tract 4-20x50, higher power is nice when the mirage is minimal, down to 12-16x range when it's up.
My 32-40 wore a 6.5-20 Leupold in the early 90's, standard x-hair, adj AO, I still have a Nikon I replaced it with to get 1/8 clicks. Shot it at 200 all the time, 12x for offhand, and bench shooting was dependent on mirage once again. Shot it with a Walther peep/Gehmann iris too, scores in the Coors matches were the same as with the scope.
Not sure if Prophet River still has the Zeiss deal going, but, I 'd take a V4 over a Vortex any day of the week.
All depends what features you want on the turrets, glass level
- Location
- Lloydminster, Alberta
still on sale
https://store.prophetriver.com/conquest-v4/
and you get a free tactacam with it:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...unter-Package-for-CGN?p=19907657#post19907657
Most of the Master class Fclass shooters I know rarely go below 40X on their scopes except in the odd condition, most times they are 40X and above, from 300 meters out to 1,000 meters.
Last weekend at our fall match , the top score was 392 with 36 Vbulls.Second and third place were at 387 with 26 and 17 Vbulls respectively .
These scores were shot in terrible conditions with big wind and snow, with a mirage heat wave coming out of the shooting windows.
the best 900 meter score was a possible 75 with 5 V's
The high 300 meter score was a possible 50 with 5 V's.
One has to know how to use high magnification and how to use the mirage.
The Vbull on an Fclass target is 1/2MOA, and the bull is 1 MOA
Cat
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Try it sometime and let us know how it works out for you.
I am a hard core sling'n'irons TR match shooter, although I have in the past shot 1,000 meters and beyond with scope rifles.
I have no issues with the higher magnification, but like the advantage of being able to turn down my scope for the lighting conditions.
However when I work up a load it is usually at 200 and 300meters , my test scope is a 9-36X IOR but I also use a 10-50X S111 Sightron at times.
The winner the of the short range Bench rest Nationals this year BTW (200 and 300 meters), shoots a fixed 40X Leupold .
Cat
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