Jump to content

Scope magnification needed for 'informal' long range


Recommended Posts

It's likely that I'll soon have a 6.5 CM and will want to stretch its legs a bit. Trouble is I'm never shot beyond 600 yds so I have no personal experience of what scope I will need. A 6-24 is the most powerful scope I've used and most of my shooting at 600 is actually with a 4 mag (- CSR Service Optics class).

 

To shoot up to 1,000 yds and maybe beyond, what mag should I be considering? Targets will be mainly metal plates on my own hillside and at Bisley, the 'normal' targets on Stickledown during a club day.

 

I guess my key question is whether 24 mag is enough or do I need to go higher? Seen a very tempting Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60x52 and a couple of nice Nightforces .....

 

Thanks in advance and apologies if some of you consider this to be a dumb question but I really would prefer to ask for some advice before spending £2k or so on a scope which could be more mag that is needed or not enough. :)

 

I've got a 6-24 spare and a Zeiss 6.5-20 in a box somewhere...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dunc, It's easy to say the Vortex would be excellent-and indeed it might well be-depends partly on reticule,and turrets etc....but as you have not much experience,and have a Zeiss which will be good optically,why not go with what you have,and see how you get on informally-most NIghtforces are very good too for targe work-but again,reticule etc....they are especially attactive as used scopes.

Some just can't hack very high mag-I'd not want less than 40x,and have several such NFs,but conditions are not always suitable for the max mag - mist,or mirage-but 30+ is always welcome/helpful and enables precise aiming-centre bull,not just somewhere on it!

 

You have to see the target clearly-not just blotto it out -as low mag tends to do-so size of your plates comes in too-but you'll probably want around 1-2 moa size.Sighting error punish you more as range increases....20x is more minimum than max...Really good elevation dialing is very important-you will be relying on the scopes accuracy of clicks.

 

New pricey scopes won't vanish meanwhile-more will come along - and you'll both get a better idea of your preferences,and chance to try out some of the options....you will never actually need a £2.5 k super scope,and (used) NF half that-in the right specs-have won many competitions and set world records....and still will for for the foreseeable future,so a good option...but don't rush it.

gbal

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm going to my shoot at the weekend so could take some of the scopes with me to a have a look through in the terrain where I hope to shoot so that may give me an impression of what the sight picture will look like with my current ones before splashing out. And indeed, I'd have no problem at all with a used scope when one comes up ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Dunc

A very high mag scope is not needed at Bisley unless your shooting f class, we shoot a fig 11 at 1000 yards and it can be done easily on 18 mag, with my 50 I can shoot a fig 11 reactive at over 1800 yards with no problem with a 14 mag scope the most important thing is to get a scope with a good internal elevation ajustment at around 100 Moa as I'm sure after you shoot 1000 yards you will want to hit 1200 and 1400 yards and push your 6.5 CM out a long way. I think the Golden eagle may have a very limited ajustment range so do your homework check the specifications and ask if you can have a look through a few scopes on the fireing point most people are only to happy to help someone out.

Rgds Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I shoot at ranges up to and including 1000 yards and use a 3.5-21 mag scope. When it's cooler, it would sometimes be nice to have slightly more mag than 21x BUT as soon as the weather warms up, I find that anything from 16 to 18x is plenty as mirage just spoils the image at higher mags. Magnification isn't quite as important as glass quality and resolution/contrast. Using quality glass, you can easily spot shot patches at 1000 yards at 14x. 20x allows greater precision. The armed forces used 10x for donkeys years for their LR stuff, although some have gone over to higher mag S&B or Nightforce scopes.

 

A decent ret and a maximum of 30x mag is more than plenty. 20x is more than adequate. The problem with going much higher is you suffer reduced FOV, so bear that in mind too.

 

To specifically answer your question, no you do not need more than 24x mag. A used Nightforce as Gbal suggests, is usually where a lot of people start off (NSX 5.5 - 22) and whilst not the brightest glass, they do exhibit excellent resolution on some models such as the 5.5-22 x 56. Bushnell's superb DMR series can be had at discount prices now the newer models have appeared and to my eyes, better the Sightron S3 (I've shot with both). Your Zeiss will do the job though.

 

Bear in mind at extended ranges, you need a scope capable of the required elevation, which for something like a .308 is 40moa. If the scope can't manage this, you'll need to consider using an MOA rail or MOA adjustable mounts. It won't be that much different for the 6.5....you can get away with slightly less elevation due to the higher BC of the bullets but 35 to 40moa is where you ideally need to be with elevation allowance unless you plan on using a graduated ret and making up the elevation loss with that. Choose wisely!

 

The DMR has the legs for 1100 yards in .308 with a 20 inch barrel before you have to consider this. It's one of the reasons I bought one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What are you shooting at? I've run my rifle out to just shy of 1600 on 25x glass.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Once you have enough magnification, say 20+ then something you should also consider is reticle choice in terms of dot size or line thickness as this will have a big impact on how precisely you can aim. Of course this will also depend a little on the size of your aiming mark on the target but it can certainly make a difference to repeatable/consistent aiming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy