Most popular scope power?

M

Montana Pete

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I am having an F-class rifle built for me by a riflemaker. It will not be ready for a good long while yet.

What scope power is popular on these rifles? I have been looking at the Weaver T- series scopes which are available in fixed power 24X or 36X. They have 1/8 MOA adjustments.

Someone else recommended a Vortex Viper scope in 20X.

Leopold top-of-the-line would be nice, of course, but may be a little rich for my blood.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
 
I'd atart with a Weaver 36 and a 4x Bulz Eye Pro Booster if on a low budget, if you want more power than that you'll have to get a Leupold Premier 20-50X or a March 10-60 or 20-80...but you already stated you don't want to sell your blood to get it.
 
The most common scope I see at the F-Class matches is the Nightforce 12x42 BR. However, I do see Bushnell, Leupold, Sightron, and Weaver as well.
 
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I shoot 600yard-1,000 yard. I like 40X and up. Mirage can drive you nuts--which is why I use variable power.
 
Taildrag is Premier still in business?
Does anyone have any contact info for them?
I did a google and cant find anything for them.
 
Premier Reticles

Vern said:
Taildrag is Premier still in business?
Does anyone have any contact info for them?
I did a google and cant find anything for them.
Click to expand...

Premier Reticles is still in buisness but they no longer boost Leupold variable scopes since Dick Thomas passed several years ago.

www.premierreticles.com/
 
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Seems that since his passing and landing the Marine Corps contract they dont do anything and only offer 2 scope models.
 
Leupold hasn't been 'top of the line' for a while, at least not in my book.

If you can afford it, a NF 12-42x BR is as close to a de-facto standard as there is. Personally I don't feel the NXS models bring enough to the table to offset the extra $$$. Do I have one? Yes, only because we were supposed to all have the same clicks/adjustments for the FCWC team matches. Otherwise, when spending my own coin, I buy the BR models.

Schmidt & Bender and March are reputedly the 'top shelf' these days - with price tags to match.

If you can't afford to go 'all out', I'd say the Weaver T24 or T36 would be very good options. Possibly the 24x more so than the 36x, if you aren't used to high magnification scopes and/or live in an area where it gets really dark or has a lot of mirage. I turn my 12-42x down more often because it's a dark overcast day (Pacific Northwest) than I do for the mirage - but thats just me. A wavy target doesn't bug me much (mirage = wind you can see) but losing the center dot of my 2DD reticle in the black bullseye costs me time I should be aiming and firing. I use the T24 on a couple 'backup' guns and wouldn't feel bad about using it on a primary rifle at all if I didn't have the NF BR scopes available.

No idea if the Vortex will hold up in terms of repeatability over time, cranking from a 100yd zero to 600 to 800 to 900 to 1000 back to 100, but the Weaver T-series have hung around for a lot of years doing just that and still have a good rep, so whether you want to take that chance is up to you. Other people like the newer Sightron stuff, but again, if it were my $$$ I'd let someone else be the guinea pig for a couple years first...

YMMV,

Monte
 
Pete,

I would advise a variable rather than fixed power, the reason being its best to find out for yourself what magnification suits your own personal technique and optical capabilities. I've seen various discussions on this subject and its evident that individual preferences for magnification vary somewhat. Once you know what you like, then you can always make your second or third scopes fixed at a power you like. You should also take some time to think about reticule choice. If you aim at the middle and adjust knobs, then a dot works well. However if you intend to hold off for wind etc. then something closer to a plain cross-hair may be better. Hope you enjoy F-Class.

Alan
 
When you see guys using the NF 12-42 BR, are they using the R power setting , a different setting, or would this be condition specific ?
 
Quote –“A wavy target doesn't bug me much (mirage = wind you can see) but losing the center dot of my 2DD reticle in the black bullseye costs me time I should be aiming and firing.”

Monte,
If you had an NP-R2 reticle you wouldn’t have to turn it down to see it:) That is why I use one. Works in ALL conditions.

I second Zilla, mine stays on 42x and would be on 50 or 60 if I had one that went that high.
 
Larry,

I've considered the R2 (or the R1) a couple times... I have the R1 in two lower powered scopes. What I haven't had an opportunity to do is use a 12-42x with one of those reticles under poor lighting conditions. A couple years ago I switched to a CH3 and fought it most of the season - too fine for my eyes to see for some reason. I had about a 10 second window to look through the scope, line up the target, and make the shot - before the reticle just faded out and disappeared.

I know the R2 (and the R1) have a pretty fine subtension even @ 22x... which kind of worries me about 42x.

I'm seriously tempted to just get either the NP-1 (kind of a German #4-ish duplex) or a CH2 (.200 dot on fine crosshairs) for my next scope.

Monte
 
Reticles

Monte,

I have one scope with a CH-1 reticle it has a 0.019 moa wire @ 42x and I have had a few problems with it fuzzing out on me. Your old CH-3 was a 0.07 moa dot.

The crosswire on the NR-R2 is 0.03 moa at 42x or about a 1/3 inch on the target at 1k. I think you have to thing in terms of a vertical and horizontal line coming together to form a cross to vision the benefit of that size wire. Draw it out on paper and you will see the area it covers. It is appears much better than your NP-2DD dot of 0.09 moa @ 42x.

I think this is because of the continuous lines across the field of view. I have had no problems with mine and have used one for 9 years. And I will be a grand senior next year and have cataracts.

The NP-1 has 0.04 moa wire in the center @ 42x so would be marginally better than the NP-R2. However in the back of my mind is the thought; with the NP-R2 I could use the hash marks as windage hold offs if I ran out of scope windage. I tried using them ONE time and got lost quick. I just hold off the paper if I need to, like in the RMPM this year.

FYI, on Team Berger myself and Murphy use NP-R2’s, Bock uses an NP-1 (8-32x) and Brewer and Biggs use NP-2DD’s.
 
Hi
I have a Sightron SIIISS 6-24X50 fine cross hair ,, for the price i think is the best .... i love it , realy not problems , good realy good !!
is in my new 6,5 X47 Lapua .. and we have realy good resultat.
 
Here is the new March X series set at 60x and the target is at 1000yards. I was impressed with all you can see with the March, it is much clearer at 60x than the March 10x-60x. Thought you guys would like to see this since you are talking scopes to use in F Class.

Jim
 

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So am I to understand you statement correctly that the fixed 60x is clearer than the variable 10x-60x?
 
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