This weekend I shot my first PRS style match (local club, nothing points related) and my Sig optic went down on me (I will get it repaired and put it on something else) but want to upgrade on this rifle. I was looking at the glass everyone else was using and wondering what magnification would be considered "Ideal" for these style matches. 3-18, 5-25, and 7-35 seem to be the most popular. Do you really need this much mag with FFP and why? Most matches are out to 1200 yd where I would be shooting and 2 MOA targets past 1000.
- Thread starter z77280
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Most guys that I know that are in the top 10% run around 12-15 power on everything. Some zoom in on the long stages like KYL rack. I made the mistake of zoom into 27 power on my vortex on a TYL at 900 yesterday and I think the mirage caused me some misses. You can hit a target easily at 1200 at 18 power having the extra power does help if there not mirage spot misses and make corrections. More important than power is clarity. I would rather run a 12 power scope that had good clarity and focus than a 25 that you could see shit through.
As mentioned above many stay in the 10-15 power range.
Also having highpower without clarity/resolution is useless.
Buy as much power/resolution/clarity as you can afford.
After looking through a few, with help, your eyes will tell you what you like.
R
Also having highpower without clarity/resolution is useless.
Buy as much power/resolution/clarity as you can afford.
After looking through a few, with help, your eyes will tell you what you like.
R
Check SWFA sample list some great deals on there and the scopes are like new
All along the lines of what I was thinking. I have some older 12x Nikon bonos (very clear even when compared to the new stuff) and I could easily spot hits on the 1000 yd target and had just a little difficulty at 1200. I personally think that I like the FOY with the lower power units but also like the ability to zoom in under certain conditions. Maybe 5-25 range is about spot on for all around. Usually the mechanicals in a lower power scope are simpler and the glass is more forgiving on lower powers also.
Can you really take advantage of 0.1 mil marked FFP reticle on lower powers?
Can you really take advantage of 0.1 mil marked FFP reticle on lower powers?
Are you referring to the reticle being .1 marked
I haven’t see many if any with .1 marks our 7c reticles have .5 for elevation and .2 for windage. My son and I both went from 400-1000 yesterday using all holdovers and didn’t have a problem with the .5. A lot of people here in Missouri are switching from the khales to the vortex razor with the new 7c. They were about 50/50 at the match I was at yesterday. Last year Khales dominated
Thanks. I like the Kahles and Mark5HD. I am not a fan of NF or Vortex (personal preference for features/operation) Mark 5 might win right now due to cost constraints.
While shooting, around 15x, 20x max out to 1000. Normally 8x-15x 200-800
Boiling summer... lots of mirage, 25x... hahahaha
I'd get at least 20x personally.
Boiling summer... lots of mirage, 25x... hahahaha
I'd get at least 20x personally.
I see a lot of people (and have made the mistake myself) dialing up and down and up and down on the clock.
Much above 15x is useless in the field matches I shoot, too much mirage from the heat. But dialing up and down wastes a lot of time.
Much above 15x is useless in the field matches I shoot, too much mirage from the heat. But dialing up and down wastes a lot of time.
I used 25x in a match for I think the first time this past weekend. it was a fun and new interesting stage at the JC Steel NRL competition. 90 seconds, 8 rounds. First 4 rounds at two different tiny popper steel targets from a barricade position. Then drop to prone and shoot the last 4 rounds at a paper target that was recording your group via an acoustic sensor E-Target at 300 yards. Group size for the 4 shots was the tie breaker for the overall match.
Shot the first targets at about 15x, then dropped prone and cranked it to 25x for the group. Got 1.29" so was pretty happy all things considered.
Shot the first targets at about 15x, then dropped prone and cranked it to 25x for the group. Got 1.29" so was pretty happy all things considered.
So I'm getting the feeling that 12-18 is typical for match conditions......
I think 5-25 and 7-35 is the ideal range for PRS. I spend most of my day around 15x, but the extra magnification is amazing when you get to a stage with a KYL rack or something, which might be a 2" target at 400 yards. Even at 35x, its still hard to distinguish between the target and the strap holding the target.
You can absolutely make do with a 3-18, but if you're buying a new optic with PRS in mind, I would say skip that mag range and go 5-25 or higher. Its better to have it and not need it.....
I'm seriously looking at the Bushnell XRS II 4.5-30 for my next optic. It's the mag range I want, and I don't have to spend over 3 thousand damn dollars for an ATACR or Kahles or something along those lines, and I've heard it has absolutely amazing glass. G3 isn't my favorite reticle, but its also not as busy as an H59 or something so maybe its a good thing. I dunno...definitely want to try it out but they've been out of stock forever on expertvoice.
You can absolutely make do with a 3-18, but if you're buying a new optic with PRS in mind, I would say skip that mag range and go 5-25 or higher. Its better to have it and not need it.....
I'm seriously looking at the Bushnell XRS II 4.5-30 for my next optic. It's the mag range I want, and I don't have to spend over 3 thousand damn dollars for an ATACR or Kahles or something along those lines, and I've heard it has absolutely amazing glass. G3 isn't my favorite reticle, but its also not as busy as an H59 or something so maybe its a good thing. I dunno...definitely want to try it out but they've been out of stock forever on expertvoice.
They came back in stock a few weeks ago and lasted less than a day. I've been poking people at Bushnell about it, but so far I haven't gotten a lot of traction.
Interesting. So I just checked. They're in stock right now. XRS II, DMR2, and DMR2 Pro. I definitely never got my in stock alert....
Good to hear.
Very much dependent on your natural ability to set a rifle on the ground or prop and have the target be in viewing area. Some guys have it and some don’t. I’ll shoot most of a match at 18-24 and up to 30 depending on the stage and length of par time (troop line with distinguishable targets or natural identifiers). But there are sometimes stages with lots of panning or no landmarks to use and I’ll dial back to 12 to make sure I don’t get lost.
The worst thing you can do it’s zoom down on the clock. That means you’re lost. You’re wasting time and more importantly, the clock in your head starts ticking louder and you start rushing shots.
The worst thing you can do it’s zoom down on the clock. That means you’re lost. You’re wasting time and more importantly, the clock in your head starts ticking louder and you start rushing shots.
Thanks for the info. I saw guys wasting a lot of time dialing wind/ele and zooming in out to find targets.
I see alot of guys that I would consider to be "good shooters" zooming in and out while on the clock. I don't really like it, but some of them are definitely efficient when doing it. I personally just stick to the lower zoom rather than zooming back in. Touching the mag ring is not very high on my list of things I want to do on the clock.
I take a majority of my shots between 9x-11x power
I agree with those who said that clarity is priority number one. I have both a NF 7-35 and a kahles 5-25 on competition guns and give a slight edge to the 7-35. I don’t find myself using less than 7x, and the extra power can come in handy.
Need is very subjective. 90% of your shots might be under 15x and you can always dial a 35x scope to 15x, but you can't dial a 25x scope to 30x if there's a stage you can use it.
I have the NF 7-35x and I thought I would never use the high end, but honestly it is quite useful for spotting, milling, getting a closer look and occasionally shooting. If I bought another scope for precision shooting I would make sure I had the extra range on the high end (at least 25x). I've even been eyeing the upcoming Nightforce NX8 4-32x50mm for a precision AR-10 application.
Im rocking a 5-25X56.... i like it alot and seems to be sufficient for PRS... but yeah the 7-35x is a nice option to have
I ended up with 5-25. Figured I could always sell and move up to the 30x class later if needed.
Alltho matches are shot at 15 X
Having 25 X makes a difference in identification and scouting prior to the stage starting
For a PRS, although you can get by with a max 15 X scope shooting,
I can’t see much at 800 yards with a 12 X myself- need the extra magnification to actually know what the Hells going on out there
Otherwise I’m just trusting with the people around me are telling me
Like someone said, it’s the difference between seeing the details of the strap and the target versus just a white blob
Having 25 X makes a difference in identification and scouting prior to the stage starting
For a PRS, although you can get by with a max 15 X scope shooting,
I can’t see much at 800 yards with a 12 X myself- need the extra magnification to actually know what the Hells going on out there
Otherwise I’m just trusting with the people around me are telling me
Like someone said, it’s the difference between seeing the details of the strap and the target versus just a white blob
I have very limited comp experience, but think this was well put. I have really enjoyed my 7-35 ATACR.
Since I. Ever really shot above 14x in matches, I decided to save some money on my next scope and bought one that topped out at 16x. I kept it less than a year, and then replaced it with more magnification. While I don’t shoot it in matches, more power comes in so handy other times, like doing zero work and stuff. Buy the best that you can afford. If you are on a budget, check out the Athlon Ares ETR.
I usually use 20-25x in matches unless they're very close targets
Used 27x yesterday to clean a KYL in a club match at 900 yards, where the smallest plate was 6". The only time I ever go below 20x is once or twice a match. Here is something else to consider, different scopes have different FOV's. I can run my Gen 2 Razors at 22x no problem, but to get the same FOV in my Tangent Theta, I have to go down to like 18x.
I have found I’ll be running my razor on a higher power than the amg I was using and not even realize it
you're saying TT has worse FOV than razor G2?
The TT has a longer scope tube than the Gen 2 Razor (reason I assume this is so), so I have to run it at a lower power to get the same FOV. So yes, although it does have superior resolution at distance and not having to adjust the parallax during a match is nice as well.
