Re: Help me understand scopes please
Opiy,
One of the things you may want to consider is that when your talking about optics in that quality (and price) range is that those scopes are a couple of things:
1. Extremely precise instruments that are not just for targeting, but calculating range and allowing corrections/adjustments that are very precise...and like most users of precision equipment in all professions, they can be very picky and individualized. Example: I really like shooting with a Horus reticle, and so I'm willing to pay the extra $$$$ to have it in a USO (and I just dropped $2900 for a used S&B PMII that has a Horus H-25 in it). Yes, there's a lot of people who think that the Horus reticle is "too busy" and that I'm screwed in the head for liking it, which is FINE, since I know it works for me.
2. Those optics are WAY overbuilt for a "dedicated paper destroyer". They are built to take a huge amount of punishment while holding zero and having their adjustments stay accurate through YEARS of knob clicking. Are they worth every penny, yes...but they will not be much more superior for your listed use than many other lower priced scopes.
We all have been new at things throughout our lives, which is, and should be exciting. When your new at something is usually when you get to make the fastest progress in skill in a short time.
I would never encourage someone to not drop the $$ to buy quality, and if you have the funds to pick up a GAP or Surgeon as a newer shooter, I'm jealous. There's no way you'd ever actually be sorry that you got either one. And at the very least, there's NO excuse at that point...it's DEFINITELY NOT THE RIFLE! (and I should point out that if I actually heard someone at the range blame inaccuracy on a GAP or Surgeon rifle, I would feel that it was my duty to shoot them)
My personal opinion (and everyone has one...) on your scope question is to read as much as you can from the resources here and some of the links the guys have given you, and I would HIGHLY suggest that you will probably be happier going ahead and buying a good quality base-level tactical scope with tactical knobs (falcon, super sniper, or Burris XTR, Leupold Mk2) and an ASSLOAD (I believe that's the medical term) of ammunition and then actually go out with more experienced shooters and SHOOT (in contrast with most other internet forums...people here actually shoot...not "read about shooting"...but shoot). At your early stage of getting into shooting (and hey, WE WELCOME YOU), those scopes will be able to perform all the basics for you just as well as the high-end stuff. THEN, when you're ready to say, "I want an EREK, 1/2 MOA windage knobs, and an MOA scale type I reticle" because I know I need this, this, and this capability from my scope, it will be time for you to pick out your scope.
Ultimately, it's your choice. But it would suck to drop all that money, then go spend a bunch of time actually shooting and then realizing "damn, I really wish I'd gotten_______, instead" But if all of us hadn't done that at least a time or two, it would be a pretty empty "for sale" section
