Which Scope?

[jondavball]

Hi, I am very new to the forum and F Class but am looking to get involved and throwing myself in the deep end. I was looking for advice on which scope to get. By the looks of it, it appears Nightforce and March appear to be front runners but I can't decide between the two. I am happy to be guided to other brands as well. Advice on where I should spend my $1000s would be appreciated.

I would also appreciate advice on whether getting a First Focal Plane scope would be advantage?

Thanks

Jonathan

[shooter mcreid]

My choice would be a night force competition, it's hard to seperate my night force and my March other than the 1k or more cost difference. That grand is a new Bart from 7mm.com.au, fitted and chambered by Pseco!

[plumbs7]

Nightforce ! FFp is Great if u use a moa rectile . Or if u are bit of a rebel using Milliradians , a Tmr rectile it's an advantage ! Otherwise you may throw a shot into the 4 ring when on a different power setting ! Regards Graham.

Ps Vortex are good too if u r on a budget like most us !

[jcinsa]

Just my opinion, but, If you are just starting out in F Class, I'm not sure you get much benefit from a $2-3000 scope.

The Nightforce BR series of scopes can be found from $1000 secondhand in very good nick, and in my opinion are terrific scopes. Not long ago they were the ducks guts.

Spend up to $1500 ( maybe even new ) on Nightforce BR and you won't be sorry.

regards John

PS I wouldn't dream of having a scope with anything but MOA, especially if you're starting out, and it's likely that others will want to give you some wind reading advice

[BATattack]

Just my opinion, but, If you are just starting out in F Class, I'm not sure you get much benefit from a $2-3000 scope.

The Nightforce BR series of scopes can be found from $1000 secondhand in very good nick, and in my opinion are terrific scopes. Not long ago they were the ducks guts.

Spend up to $1500 ( maybe even new ) on Nightforce BR and you won't be sorry.

regards John

PS I wouldn't dream of having a scope with anything but MOA, especially if you're starting out, and it's likely that others will want to give you some wind reading advice

Agree 100% with those words of wisdom!

The night force BR are great bang for bucks. The competition series looks good but are another 1000

[Matt P]

I would suggest buying the best scope you can afford, if you can afford the NF competition or a March that's what I'd buy (buy once cry once !!!!).
Not saying the BR NF aren't any good just the others are better IMO.
I would recommend the NF BR series as a minimum.
Matt P

[AlanF]

I would also appreciate advice on whether getting a First Focal Plane scope would be advantage?

I've never used a first focal plane scope, and they are very uncommon in F-Class fields. For those who like to hold off using the MOA tick marks on the horizontal cross-hair, I'd imagine they'd be very good, because you could alter the magnification without upsetting the relationship between tick spacing and subtended MOA. However, there are probably disadvantages that I don't know about, having never owned one e.g. maybe you lose out in other areas such as optical clarity, magnification range, vert/hor adjustment range etc. Would be interesting to hear from our optical expert Peter Smith.

[pjifl]

Do not forget that weight is a consideration. For example, a NF BR scope may be appropriate for FO but place far more restraints on an FTR rig.

The NF Competition scope is a lot lighter and has a greater elevation range which may be an advantage if you intend some extreme distance shooting.
The Competition is a lovely scope but more delicate while the NF BR is built like a tank.

The Comp scope may have a slight edge in clarity but this is often overvalued and usually compromised by the atmosphere.
BR scopes have won a LOT of shoots.

I have not used FFP scopes in competition and some I have seem I find disturbing because at very high magnification the Graticule lines become very thick and less clear.
At one time, FFP were deemed far more reliable because the Zoom mechanism is eliminated as a source of error but I feel that the better scope makers now have this under control.
While the Zoom mechanism becomes less critical, the Quality of the Graticule is far more critical and the knob adjustments are similar in both.
I prefer second focal plane Graticules myself. It is only a matter of setting to the designed magnification

Can I suggest that you try some scopes on a target in both pristine AND soupy atmospherics before purchase. Look at various Graticules and talk to people about how they aim and resist the myth that you need ridiculously thin lines for precision shooting. Don't judge thin lines on a nice white background. Try them on our shitty target with patches falling off and covering target lines.

Peter Smith.

[Julian D]

I am new to F class shooting and built an FTR rifle , so weight was going to be an issue .
I ended up with a NF competition with the FCR reticle which is in MOA , my first sighter is put into the centre of the target , where ever it lands I am able to count the windage in minutes & then hold off . If nothing else changes then I can sometimes shoot a reasonable score , but that does not happen very often , my wind & mirage reading skills are non existent at the moment , when I do get a weather change then I can count how far off I am again ......

It will be a slow learning process , but an excellent learning tool , mine is kept at 40x which is true MOA and as yet have not had to back it off due to adverse conditions .

Just my opinion from an absolute beginner in this fantastic sport .

[AlanF]

...my first sighter is put into the centre of the target , where ever it lands I am able to count the windage in minutes & then hold off ...

Just be aware that occasionally, aiming at the centre will not ensure your shot lands on the target. I keep the windage knob on zero, and at the longer ranges with a strong cross-wind, sometimes have to aim off the target. It might be better in your case to go with an estimated hold off with your first sighter, then adjust your aim from there?

[mike H]

You may find that you can hit things with Leupold scopes.If you have plenty of money go for the ones mentioned but don't think that they are the only ones.

[pjifl]

Plenty of other scope brands. But I do like Nightforce.

In general, you will need to spend $1000 upwards to have a high probability of a reliable riflescope. Many of the cheaper ones are quite variable in quality as they come off the production line. Some OK, others not and you don't know which.

The accuracy we expect in F shooting approaches some theodolites - and they are intended to resist recoil.

In my opinion it is not worth spending a lot of money on traveling and ammo which a cheaper scope could waste.

Peter Smith.

[KHGS]

Do not forget that weight is a consideration. For example, a NF BR scope may be appropriate for FO but place far more restraints on an FTR rig.

The NF Competition scope is a lot lighter and has a greater elevation range which may be an advantage if you intend some extreme distance shooting.
The Competition is a lovely scope but more delicate while the NF BR is built like a tank.

The Comp scope may have a slight edge in clarity but this is often overvalued and usually compromised by the atmosphere.
BR scopes have won a LOT of shoots.

I have not used FFP scopes in competition and some I have seem I find disturbing because at very high magnification the Graticule lines become very thick and less clear.
At one time, FFP were deemed far more reliable because the Zoom mechanism is eliminated as a source of error but I feel that the better scope makers now have this under control.
While the Zoom mechanism becomes less critical, the Quality of the Graticule is far more critical and the knob adjustments are similar in both.
I prefer second focal plane Graticules myself. It is only a matter of setting to the designed magnification

Can I suggest that you try some scopes on a target in both pristine AND soupy atmospherics before purchase. Look at various Graticules and talk to people about how they aim and resist the myth that you need ridiculously thin lines for precision shooting. Don't judge thin lines on a nice white background. Try them on our shitty target with patches falling off and covering target lines.

Peter Smith.

This is great advice from an expert & mirrors my findings.
Keith H.

[KHGS]

Plenty of other scope brands. But I do like Nightforce.

In general, you will need to spend $1000 upwards to have a high probability of a reliable riflescope. Many of the cheaper ones are quite variable in quality as they come off the production line. Some OK, others not and you don't know which.

The accuracy we expect in F shooting approaches some theodolites - and they are intended to resist recoil.

In my opinion it is not worth spending a lot of money on traveling and ammo which a cheaper scope could waste.

Peter Smith.

More expert advice! I liken the Nightforce BR scope to Holden/Falcon comparison. They are all Peter says, essentially the workhorse scope for F Std or F Open.
Keith H.

[AlanF]

I now have NF Competition and am very pleased with it. Two reasons I've never had a BR are (1) No side focus (2) The extremely narrow gap between rotation lines on the H and V turrets. I reckon that latter weakness is one of the main reasons for misses, on our range at least. Bugger, I was 1 turn out! Not using a NF BR by any chance?

I look after our club rifle which has a NF BR, and use a set of calipers on the knobs as a check! Some people wind the knobs back to the bottom as a reference then count the turns back up - it works but not a very elegant solution either for a $1500 scope.