Shopping for a decent scope is making my head spin. I didn't realize how many options there were. I think it really comes down to what reticle I want. Which, I have no idea. Obviously, some sort of christmas tree, and I think I'd like a floating center dot. But, most of the reticles appear way too cluttered. What are you all looking for in a reticle???
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PRS Scope shopping should really be called Reticle shopping...
- Thread starter Cuz
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That's a really good question. I started off by keeping budget out of the equation, to a point, and wanted to see what I could find for less than $3k. I don't plan to spend that much, but I wanted to see what was out there. Earlier this evening, I took budget off the table and focused on reticles. The more I looked at just reticles, the more I kept coming back to the Athlon APRS6 reticle. They put it in a few different scopes. So far, I haven't found a reticle that I like better at any price point.
The most important factor to keep in mind is that I don't have a damn clue how to use any of these reticles, nor do I understand a single thing about them. But, for some reason, when I look at the pics of the Athlon APRS6 reticle I think, yeah, that's what I want in a reticle. The biggest problem is that there is so much to learn that it gets very overwhelming. I just want to buy a scope that will make me a national champion just by mounting it on my B-14R rifle...
Oh, yeah, I should also mention that I actually need 2 scopes. One for the B-14R, and another one for the BXR that I hope will arrive this week. I was originally going to put something in the 5-25x56 ballpark on the B-14R, and something like a 3-20 scope on the BXR, but of course, I have no idea why I came up with that, but now I'm thinking they can be very similar scopes, but the cheaper one will go on the BXR since that one is "for the kids" and the B-14R is for me. Maybe I'll buy the cheaper one first, and see how I like it, and if I like it, great, I'll get another one for the other gun. If I don't care for it, then it goes on the BXR for the kids, and I'll get something else for me.
This crap is making me crazy...
Chilichonga
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I have and used a Cronus aprs6 last year on my RimX. I really like it. The reticle is a little light in color and hard to pick up at lower magnification. Great glass at sub $1300. Check out Doug at Camerland give him a call. It now sits on my 223 trainer.
I also owned the Midas Tac 5-25 aprs3. I wasn't a fan of the Midas Tac. Glass was really yellow around the edges. I sold it not long after getting it.
The Razor Gen 2 ebr-7c can be had used for around 1400-1500. Don't be afraid to shop used scopes. Most of the stuff I buy chassis, bipods and some scopes I have all bought used at one point. They have all performed.
Checkout the Snipershide forum. Specifically the used gear section. The forum is geared towards everything you're shopping for.
When it comes to glass you get what you pay for.
I'm now using a Gen 3 razor for Rimfire and I like it a lot. I don't see any difference between the Gen 3 Razor and my Atacr 7-35 in terms of glass quality.
If you're looking at Vortex hit up Scott at Liberty Optics. The razor can be had at an unbelievable price. Don't shop Midway or any other big retailers that sell at MSRP.
I would be looking for mil scopes and not moa if you're looking to shoot PRS.
Pm me if you need vendor suggestions.
Great info here. You're almost in Zero Compromise territory with a $3k budget, but for a less expensive but really good option, the Bushnell XRS3 6-36 and DMR3 3-21 are awesome scopes. I'm using an XRS3 with their new EQL reticle and really like it. They also offer a G4P 1/4mil reticle. The Bushnell Elite Tactical line of scopes are tanks.
For me, I like .2 hash marks and a defined center aiming point, and at least .5mil wind hold points further down the tree because I'm almost always holding wind when I hold elevation shooting a 308.
Chilichonga
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What scopes have you tried that you didn't like?
Thanks.
For some reason, I don’t seem to care for the Razor reticles. They have to much “stuff” on them.
I think I’m currently looking at the Burris XTR III because it’s a great value. I have an XTR II 1-8x that seems decent.
The Athlon line intrigues me. I almost bought one back in 2018, but went with a Minox at the last minute. I like the Minox, but have only used it like 5 times since I got it. Just don’t do much long range shooting with the 6.5CM. The 50 yard parallax makes it too difficult for me to use at 25 yards, which is where I plan to do a decent portion of my practice until I can figure this stuff out and learn to shoot a rifle.
Right now, I’m probably leaning toward the Athlon BTR Gen2 HD or the ETR UHD. Some things I’m stuck on are if I should go with a 50 or 56mm scope?
And I don’t see much difference between Athlons APRS1, APRS5, and APRS6 reticles, but they seem like relatively uncluttered reticles that I think I like.
Also a little stuck on magnification. Do I want 4.5-27x or 2.5-15x?
Or do I need both, one for the B14R and the other for the BXR???
If you're going Burris, hit up Scott at Liberty Optics and get an XTR Pro. The XTR3 line is made in Philippines now. For Athlon, the Cronus is made by LOW in Japan and the ETR is made in China. I'd recommend spending the extra dough for the Cronus, given your budget. If the price of the ETR is that attractive, buy a used Cronus.
Whatever you choose, get a variant that goes up to at least 20 power, but ideally 30+. Scopes perform best in the middle of their adjustment range, so this will be good for shooting in the 15-20 power range. Also, you may rarely go above 15-20 power, but you'll never be shooting PRS on the 2-3 power bottom end of a 2.5-15 or 3-18.
All of this said, I've been shooting the rimfire season this year with a 3-18 and it's been fine, keep it on 14x. You can certainly get by with a 3-18, but if you're starting from scratch, do it right the first time. I definitely wouldn't want a 3-15, as the eyebox would likely be a bitch at 15x and I tend to run most rimfire stages around 16x when I'm using a higher mag scope. Having a higher mag is also nice for KYL stages with minimal movement/target transitions.
SCR2 has hold points along the horizontal stadia at .2mil increments, so .2, .4, .6, .8, 1mil.
SCR2 1/4mil has hold points at .25, .5, .75, 1mil.
I say hold points instead of hashes/subtensions because the first mark (.2/.25) appears to be the proximal end of the horizontal stadia on each reticle, then the first subtension line is either .4 or .5mil, respectively.
Thanks, no matter how much I look at that SCR2 reticle, I just don't seem to like it. I was on the fence between the XTR Pro, and the Cronus BTR Gen2, but after studying the reticles I've concluded that the Burris is probably a better overall scope, but the reticle sucks. I think I'd rather have a lesser quality scope (but still decent) with a reticle I prefer.
The two that I returned were the
Monstrum G3 6-24x50 First Focal Plane FFP Rifle Scope with Illuminated MOA Reticle - To much magnification
and the
Burris Fullfield E1 Hunting Scope. - Couldn't get a clear view
While I would love a 2k plus scope it’s really not needed in my case. I still have really good vision and I have looked through the high end stuff and the reticles do seem cluttered to me as well. I run a vortex venom 5x25x56 FFP. The reticle does have the bdc crap but it’s not as intrusive as some of the higher end ones. For $500 it’s an outstanding scope and I can peg the X and 9 rings all day long at 600 yards.
10 bucks this thread derails into an MOA vs MILS shit show
10 bucks this thread derails into an MOA vs MILS shit show
I actually just received the Vortex Optics Crossfire II. I literally just went outside to see how it looked before installing it and it def looks much better. I never realized you could spend up to 10G on a really high-end scope. I just wanted something that worked well but not something that I'd need to explain to my wife why I just blew 1 grand. There's no place to shoot past 300 yds anywhere close so I def didn't need anything crazy. I did look at the Venom but that's still $500 and the Strike Eagle is at $750 a bit more than I was able to spendWhile I would love a 2k plus scope it’s really not needed in my case. I still have really good vision and I have looked through the high end stuff and the reticles do seem cluttered to me as well. I run a vortex venom 5x25x56 FFP. The reticle does have the bdc crap but it’s not as intrusive as some of the higher end ones. For $500 it’s an outstanding scope and I can peg the X and 9 rings all day long at 600 yards.
10 bucks this thread derails into an MOA vs MILS shit show
I agree but only had 300 to play with so I spent hours and days researching the different brand names, reading reviews, price checking and learning the difference between FFP and SSP I had no idea what I was in for looking for a simple scope.
lukewarm_fuzz
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If you want a really clean tree reticle look at the US Optics JVCR. If you can get one off expert voice a foundation will be in your budget.
SJan
NES Member
bolded part is something that a lot of people overlook. You will be using 10-15 power for actual shooting of a PRS stage. Even on top of the line scopes, the most forgiving eyebox/eye relief is in the middle of their power range.
that reticle doesn't suck. It has what you need without being overly complicated.
SCR 2 MIL | Burris Optics
On the Burris site it does not show what power that reticle image is, I'm guessing its at or near minimum magnification. the screenshots below show that reticle and my Leica both at about 15x in the Strelok app. Ignoring everything in red and purple you can see that the reticle marks are easier/ more convenient to use at a usable magnification level.
I guess I should have said that it sucks to me because I don't understand it. The Athlon APRS6 reticle seems like it's easy enough that even I might be able to use it. I guess I'll find out, because I ordered a Cronus BTR Gen2 with the APRS6 reticle. If it works out, it will live on my B-14R bolt gun while I learn to shoot a rifle, if it doesn't work, I'll move it to the BXR semi-auto "for the kids"...
Do you want to know the easiest way to find out if a shooter is using a MIL scope?
Don't worry; they'll tell you at the first opportunity.
But seriously, whenever the MIL vs MOA debate comes up, it's always the MIL guys who spend all their time trying convince you that MIL is so great.
Don't worry; they'll tell you at the first opportunity.
But seriously, whenever the MIL vs MOA debate comes up, it's always the MIL guys who spend all their time trying convince you that MIL is so great.
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lukewarm_fuzz
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Honestly I feel like the MOA holdouts are justified because they don’t need to be able to communicate their holds and shit. You know. Because they have no friends.
If you're shooting at one known distance target, there are benefits to MOA such as the finer adjustment and the fact most of the other shooters at those matches will be shooting MOA scopes. If you're shooting multiple targets at varying distances, MIL is the way to go. Shooters at those types of matches will generally be shooting MIL scopes so you'll be speaking the same language, and you'll save time dialing multiple targets. A 300yd rimfire shot is roughly 13 mils/130 clicks, compared to roughly 45 MOA/180 clicks. Lot more dialing needed with MOA = wasted time.
