Rifle Scopes Nightforce Competition 15-55x52

[Kevin_]

Newbie here to shooting in general, so I am clueless on precision shooting. Found that I like shooting distances so I just picked up a Tikka T3X TAC A1 in 6.5 creedmore, now looking for a scope.

Local range here is maxed at 600 yards however there is a place not too far away with a 1000 yard range that I might try. I plan on only shooting paper, so no need for hunting type scopes.

I saw that the NF Competition scope is in my price range. The question I have is this scope has a 55 MOA maximum adjustment for elevation, (I assume +/- 27.5) but when i put 1000 yards into the Hornady APP it tells me I need 76.83 MOA adjustment. The Tikka has a zero MOA rail.

What am I missing ?

Also if anyone has experience with this scope or other inputs please let me know.

Thanks for the help

 

[Trigger Monkey]

First, there's no way you need 76.83 MOA to get a 6.5 Creedmoor to 1000 yards, a slow .308 still only takes about half that much to get to 1000 yards.

Based on the limited information provided I don't know that I would recommend the 15-55X for your Tikka. while I'm sure it's a great optic it's geared towards F-class and benchrest competition, which is a different kind of long range shooting compared to what many of us here on the forum do. High magnification, a relatively small objective diameter for the magnification, and thin reticles probably would not make this scope your friend on hot days with heavy mirage. I might recommend something like the Nightforce 5-25 X 56 ATACR SFP. It's a little more expensive than the Competition but more user friendly IMO with better reticle selections, great turrets, great optical performance, and a very versatile magnification range. The 5-25 also has much more adjustment than the competition and you'll likely be able to get by with the factory 0 MOA base.

 

[Mordamer]

Do more reading on scopes before you make a purchase that big. There are at least 50 scopes I would purchase for shooting out to 1,000 yards before I purchased the one you are talking about. Your 76.8 MOA number is so far off I am not going to even try to guess what you got wrong in the calculator. You'll need about 30 MOA of elevation to get to 1,000 yards with most 6.5 Creedmoor ammo. Most scopes talked about on this forum have much more than 30 MOA of adjustment even with a 0 MOA base. At your price point I would highly suggest looking into a Vortex Razor AMG 6-24x50. They can be had for about $2,200 at sport optics if I remember correctly

 

[Kevin_]

Thanks for the replies. I Selected Hornady 6.5mm 147 GR ELD-MATCH in the app (nothing listed as creedmore), Zero shooting angle and Azimuth. Since obviously I am new I did not know if this was normal. I plan to start out 50, 100 to dial in then spend a lot of time at 200 and 300 before trying anything out longer, just wanted to make sure I would be OK with whatever I choose.

I have read up on some of the articles here and watched a few vids online. Most of them assume you are not completely new to this. The Vortex seem pretty popular, what is the difference between the AMG and the GEN II, they are both close to the same price ? Sport Optics is $300 cheaper than Big Box store so I will definitely check them out.

I will also have a look at the Nightforce 5-25 X 56 ATACR SFP, it $3k online, is there a good place to purchase that one ?

 

[Stoweit]

That scope has a really tight eyebox. It’s not an easy scope to shoot with. I bought one and sold it a month later. As said above there are a lot of scopes that would serve you better. I think it would be a great F class scope, but it is not a tactical scope.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

Kevin,

The 5-25 ATACR F1 is about $3,000, the SFP ATACR is about $2,600. There's lots of good places that will probably help you out, EuroOptic, CS Tactical, Sport Optics, Mile High Shooting, etc..

Don't waste your time shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor at 50 yards, boresight the optic at 100, use piece of cardboard like a clean IPSC target with your zero target on it, and have at it. Chances are you're going to be close, at least hitting cardboard and you can make your adjustment from there.

 

[Kevin_]

Thanks Stoweit, that's they type of information that I need. If the NF Competition is difficult to shoot with then it is not a great scope for a beginner.

 

[Kevin_]

Trigger Monkey, I assume SPF is second focal plane and F1 is first ?

With Second I know that I will always have a good reticle sight. For 600/1000 yards can you see bullet holes to make adjustments with a First focal plane scope ?

Any other differences between the SPF and the F1 ?

 

[Kevin_]

Also thanks for the info on just sighting at 100, will save a few bullets

 

[Mordamer]

Trigger Monkey, I assume SPF is second focal plane and F1 is first ?

With Second I know that I will always have a good reticle sight. For 600/1000 yards can you see bullet holes to make adjustments with a First focal plane scope ?

Any other differences between the SPF and the F1 ?

Glass clarity is not affected by SFP vs. FFP. The FFP will allow you to use your reticle for accurate holdovers without dialing while on a magnification below max power. It will also let you accurately spot your misses and measure their distance from your aiming point when you are not on max power. It is very advantageous to be able to use a milling reticle when you are not on max power. Max power makes mirrage look the worse, has a tighter eyebox, and a smaller field of view. For these reasons you will often see experienced shooters using an FFP scope with the magnification turned down. You also can make very accurate hits at 1,000 yards with as little as 10x.

As to your earlier question of Vortex AMG vs HD Gen II. Weight of the AMG is wayyyyyyyy less. If weight is not a concern then you might want the Gen II. They are both excellent scopes. There are several other differences. For more info on the differences go to Google. Their are several form threads comparing the 2. Nightforce scopes are great and I have 2 of their very high end models, but if you are looking at the low $2k price range the AMG would be my first choice.

 

[308pirate]

With Second I know that I will always have a good reticle sight. For 600/1000 yards can you see bullet holes to make adjustments with a First focal plane scope

I'm pretty sure there isn't a single rifle scope in the world that will show you a bullet hole at 1000 yards no matter what kind of target you use. Even at 600 it will be exceedingly difficult.

There are other solutions to seeing bullet impacts on paper at those distances. Target cameras being the most DIY friendly, or if you can find a range with acoustic triangulation (SMT, Sius Ascor, Hexa, Kongsberg, etc) targets.

Read up more on how the focal plane of a scope impacts how you use it, because your understanding of it is full of gross conceptual errors.

 

[Kevin_]

Thanks Mordamer for the inputs, I will stay away from the very high mag scopes. Since I will only be at the range weight is not a huge concern, the Tikka TAC is not a light rifle to start out with at 11.25lbs. By the time I add a scope and bipod it will be a good workout. I will google away.

 

[Kevin_]

308pirate. I can see out 100-200 yards OK with what I have now, just never tried farther with a high end scope. If you can't see where you hit, then you can't adjust using first anyway ? At 600 I will have a spotter so will know where I land.

Any good recommendations to read, obviously the info I am getting is varied and has errors

 

[308pirate]

308pirate. I can see out 100-200 yards OK with what I have now, just never tried farther with a high end scope. If you can't see where you hit, then you can't adjust using first anyway ?

This is why I always end up being sorry I wade in to help noobs. I'm out.

 

[Diver160651]

308pirate. I can see out 100-200 yards OK with what I have now, just never tried farther with a high end scope. If you can't see where you hit, then you can't adjust using first anyway ? At 600 I will have a spotter so will know where I land.

Any good recommendations to read, obviously the info I am getting is varied and has errors

If you are only a paper (not reactive, positional or field shooter) you might be better served in the Benchrest and F-class (belly Benchrest) forums 6mmbr.com

FWIW, most of us on this site are looking for moment of impact, frag signatures, misses, trace, initial plate swing direction and sometimes post shot, plate signatures. Paper guys don't even care about any of that and are looking only post shot when they re-acquire their target. Usually at 1K and 600 it is shot over pits. The targets drop and large spotting discs are inserted so the shooter can "see" where they hit. NOT their actual bullet holes. Square range logic is more about the shooter as an isolated ecosystem, range is NOT in play and adjustments are managed via target rings (rings printed on the paper targets). These guys want SPF and unfortunately, their logic and legacy ideas often migrates into areas were people seem to misunderstand the importance of FFP, fast accurate shooter comunication in various ranges and targets, FOV, etc that are key to a field or positional shooter.

Beware, if you are into or think you'll be into positional/field shooting, you need to do a lot more homework. It seems all new to long range select their scopes priority list backwards for positional shooting, chasing magnification first.

 

[Kevin_]

This is why I always end up being sorry I wade in to help noobs. I'm out.

I did say I was new to this. With all other sports the only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask, never assume. Sorry if my question did not make sense. As I learn more I am sure I will look back on this thread in a couple of years and laugh.

 

[Kevin_]

Driver thanks for your feedback. I found this site by googling info in scopes. Not obvious which each forum/site is being used for. From the forum name and icons I at first thought this was mainly for military.

I will check out the other forums, thanks.

At present I only plan on range shooting. I obviously need to understand the basics first before even thinking of doing something like field shooting. For equipment I don't want the "Prius" of optics but I don't need a "Ferrari" either, I could take a Ferrari on track but would not enjoy it as much as a less powerful and light car with tiny tires.

SFP and smaller mags is what I am now chasing