Sightron: how much is too much?

Goose25

Goose25

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I've decided to give these a try and will be buying a Sightron SIII scope to put on my bench gun.

I have mediocre/poor eyesight and I'll admit it, I'm a magnification slut, but where do you draw the line on having too much mag? I do most of my shooting @ 200yrds, and I'm looking at either buying the 8-32x56mmFCH or 10-50x60FCH model:eek:. Am I being silly to consider buying a 50x scope for shooting @ 200yrds? Are the super cool guys at the range gonna laugh at me?

But seriously any inconvenience of going with the 10-50x60 scope rather than the 8-32x56 for my application?
 
I can't comment on the optics of the 10-50, however, the size of the bell was a limiting factor for me. It is simply too big for my rig.

The other drawback on the 10-50 (versus the 8-32) is the limited elevation adjustment. So while you may be able to mount the big 60mm bell, bear in mind you may need to add a 20MOA base to that setup to get the reach if you want to go well beyond 200 yards.

I've got the 8-32 in hand to try out. I'll be posting my thoughts on it after I've had a chance to thoroughly review.
 
The SIII 16X is included with the 10X and 20X and are new models with unique rear parralax adjustment with 150 MOA elevation.

Regarding power, you can't have too much and the winner of the F(F) Class Western Championship just held, used a Sightron SIII SS 10-50X60 with power generally turned up up to 45X. He advises he could see golf tees used for holding fall of shot markers out to 1000 yards. Another serious group shooter is useing 10-50X60 at 100 yards and loves it, reporting groups in the .1's with custom 6mmBR

Having said that, many find the SIII SS 8-32X56 more than satisfactory.

Regards,

Peter
 
I use all the above and am getting addicted to my 10-50 even at 200yds.

Was out this morning and at 200yds, I can aim on either side of the grid that makes up your target. That is a line a bit fatter then a pencil line. If precise aiming is what you are after, quality optics at high mag is what you want.

Now it gets much harder to see this when the mirage comes up but that is with all high mag scopes. Sightrons do work better then some high mag scopes when the conditions get dirty.

The 8-32 is really nice and most will find it more then enough mag. Optics are superb too as is the tracking.

However for a pure paper punching scope, the 1/8min clicks of the 10-50 is much nicer to use. The 8-32 has 1/4 mins

The 50X scope has 50mins so more then enough elevation to get most common cals out to 1000yds. I shot my F class rig at 1000m with travel to spare - was able to read the ring numbers ( 1.5" tall) that far out.

Simply put, the more mag you use, the more mag you want to use if the scope and conditions allow for quality viewing.

Best part, a 10-50 can be dialed back. A 8-32 cannot be dialed up.

If you are LR shooting at gongs, rocks, varmints, then I would strongly recommend the 8-32 as this is a wonderful field scope with plenty of mag for this task. 6-24 is plenty mag for this too.

Boils down to application. Both are superb scopes but cater to different end uses.

A superb paper punching compromise is the SII Big Sky 36X42. A bit more perceived mag then the rating suggests. Great wide field of view. Same FCH and excellent resolution. Less money and 1/8min clicks.

I can see why this class of scope has become so popular with SR BR shooters especially if size and weight are an issue. Works great at 500m too :)

Jerry
 
Jerry - thoughts on reticle size? I see they have a dot and a target dot - 1/4 and 1/8 MOA, respectively. A lot of folks have commented on the 1/4 dot being too big?
 
Again, it depends on your application. ALL the reticles have a use.

I use the FCH because I hold off target for doping. I rarely dial the knobs unless there is a sig constant change. Around here, things change so much so fast, I would likely forget which way I moved the knobs.

Others will dial so want a dot that fits in the center of their target. And be small enough to give precise aim on that central aiming point. I can see score SR BR liking this.

The 1/8min dot is nice and small and will easily fit INSIDE the V bull and have room to wiggle around for fine aiming. Not familiar with SR BR targets so can't say but expect it would be a nice fit too.

what happens is that the V bull starts to get obliterated with patches (you are hitting the V bull right :)? ). Now that aiming area gets hard to see.

the larger dot actually subtends the outside of the V bull nicely so it is like using a dipoter sight. Instead of lining up with the center of the circle, you are lining up with the scoring ring which should always be visible. voila, perfect aim.

Then for those that are field shooting - LR rock plinking, varminting, hunting - these small reticles aren't always the best. here the mildot reticle and the heavier lines make it easier to pick up on small targets. The dots help with quick doping. The center is still thin enough that you can aim at a coffee mug at 1000yds so not really going to cover any viable target.

So all the above work. Just depends on your target size, mirage conditions and aiming style.

Hope this helps...

Jerry
 
Thanks Jerry, Peter and Donnie for the info. Do anyone one of you guys have pics of the 8-32 and 10-50 scope mounted on a rifle? I'm trying to get an idea how big the 10-50 is, seen lots of pics of the scope but none of them mounted on a rifle.

what ring height would I need for either scope? I've got a EGW (standard thickness, not from ALLEN GUN WORKS) and will be going with TPS TSR rings?

Jerry, Peter do either of you guys have these scopes in stock? If so, send me a PM, Thanks.
 
Just put the 8-32 with EGW base on a Savage VLP. I used Burris Sig ZEE med rings and they have just enough clearance.

For most factory rifles, HIGH rings will work unless you have a BULL/no taper barrel. However, if using a Farrell base, the HIGHs work well.

PM on the scopes coming.

Jerry
 
Goose25 said:
Thanks Jerry, Peter and Donnie for the info. Do anyone one of you guys have pics of the 8-32 and 10-50 scope mounted on a rifle? I'm trying to get an idea how big the 10-50 is, seen lots of pics of the scope but none of them mounted on a rifle.

what ring height would I need for either scope? I've got a EGW (standard thickness, not from ALLEN GUN WORKS) and will be going with TPS TSR rings?
.
Click to expand...

Mine is mounted to a Savage 10 BAS, which has a scope relief built into the base, as such my ring selection wouldn't be relevant to you unless you've got the same rifle.
 
Mystic:

Thanks for the info. I'm about to rescope my .308 (granted a poor boy's Stevens 200) which has a Farrell base and Burris Z rings (medium I think) and I've pretty much decided on buying Sightron. The price is in my range (about a grand), power should be plenty (my range goes to 300 yards but I'm planning on giving F Class a try in time) and they have a lifetime warrantee. After reading your info above, I've decided on the 10-50 and I'll change my rings if I have to. I'll likely change out the barrel and then the stock on the Stevens in time but I want to buy some good glass first and then work up from there.

Now the tricky part: what reticle? I like the look of Mil Dots (my current Super Sniper has them) but to tell the truth, I'll be shooting at known distances the vast majority of the time and LRF could always do a better job than these old eyes of mine for range estimation. I'll be shooting paper the vast majority of the time with plates/gongs thrown in there for some variety. It won't be a varmint gun.

From Sightron's products page it looks like the lines on the Mil Dot reticle are the same as on the Target Dot reticle. I think I'd prefer the Mil Dot over the Target Dot if that's the case (the Mil Dots should help finding the centre cross hairs and there is no dot on top of the actual centre). How hard is it to pick up the FCH lines if you're shooting at something not as pristine as a paper target? A nice duplex reticle would be a good compromise but Sightron doesn't make them.

Thanks again for the above discussion because it covered most of what I was considering about a Sightron.

I know something like a reticle is truly personal preference but I'm just looking for some hints.
 
I was thinking 10-50 was too much also, untill I looked through one. Reticle choice is a personal one, I found the mill dot a bit cluttered, opting for the target dot.
 
I only have one Sightron( which I recently purchased) and frankly is the only one I have ever looked through.It's the SIII 8-32x56. My S&B 12-50x56 beats it in certain areas but it is also 3 times the price. One thing I noticed in favor of the Sightron is it is very quick to focus and adjust the parallax out of it.The other nice thing is it has a very long eye relief so it would work well on long range magnum hunting rifles.It is also very very clear( surprisingly so). I would say optically it competes with optics in a significantly higher price range. As I said once before, it definitely ranks as a best buy in my books.I can't think of a scope near it's price range that can compete with it.
 
Fusilier said:
Mystic:

Thanks for the info. I'm about to rescope my .308 (granted a poor boy's Stevens 200) which has a Farrell base and Burris Z rings (medium I think) and I've pretty much decided on buying Sightron. The price is in my range (about a grand), power should be plenty (my range goes to 300 yards but I'm planning on giving F Class a try in time) and they have a lifetime warrantee. After reading your info above, I've decided on the 10-50 and I'll change my rings if I have to. I'll likely change out the barrel and then the stock on the Stevens in time but I want to buy some good glass first and then work up from there.

Now the tricky part: what reticle? I like the look of Mil Dots (my current Super Sniper has them) but to tell the truth, I'll be shooting at known distances the vast majority of the time and LRF could always do a better job than these old eyes of mine for range estimation. I'll be shooting paper the vast majority of the time with plates/gongs thrown in there for some variety. It won't be a varmint gun.

From Sightron's products page it looks like the lines on the Mil Dot reticle are the same as on the Target Dot reticle. I think I'd prefer the Mil Dot over the Target Dot if that's the case (the Mil Dots should help finding the centre cross hairs and there is no dot on top of the actual centre). How hard is it to pick up the FCH lines if you're shooting at something not as pristine as a paper target? A nice duplex reticle would be a good compromise but Sightron doesn't make them.

Thanks again for the above discussion because it covered most of what I was considering about a Sightron.

I know something like a reticle is truly personal preference but I'm just looking for some hints.
Click to expand...

What you will find is that the mildot reticle will be quite heavy for f class shooting BUT very nice for field shooting.

The reticle choice, dot or FCH, is a personal thing. some shooters like to dial so the dot works great for them. Others, like me, want to hold off so the FCH offers plenty of resolution to make very small changes on the target.

I can still see it when shooting in the field but I much prefer a heavier reticle when the target is rocks, clay pigeons and cans.

the lines on the mildot reticle in the 10-50 is listed as 0.1moa. So that is still pretty fine. I think for those looking at extreme range shooting, this will be a very desireable product. should have no issue quartering a milk jug at a mile.

however, the FCH is rated at 0.017 MOA which is ubber fine. I can aim on a grout line on a chimney at just under 1100yds so you have plenty of resolution for paper punching.

Canuch525, so glad that you are enjoying your Sightron. There are precious few scopes that are clearer at any price point. I can only think of two but we are talking several times the cost and maybe no real benefit on target - especially for something like F class.

Enjoy the scopes....

Jerry
 
10 x 50

I purchased a Sightron 10 X 50 from Mysticplayer a few months ago.
The only thing I can tell you is that everyone that has tried it thinks it is amazing, yes, even the guys with the big NF's.
I regularly shoot 300 yards, a 50 power seems perfect.

The best part, is the ability to turn it way back when the mirage gets bad.
When turned back, that 60MM front optic really sucks in the light, and the field of view is enormous!
 
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