Posts by MickeyC
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
Joined
·
6,537 Posts
Well that's why there are so many manufacturers out there. Everyone's opinion is different.
Currently I have a Horus, Nightforce, IOR, Millet, EOTECH and S&B scopes in my collection. I like HORUS, as does the US ARMY shooting team, but as I shoot long range their max magnification isn't sufficient for me.
I think Nightforce and IOR make good scopes for the money and the IOR 2-12x32 sits on my FAL and gives me tha ability to shoot everything from CQB out to 800 yards with no issues. The Nightforce sits on my 338 Lapua and I have no issues with it. Price/performance it's very good and probably the reason they have DOD contracts.
The EOTECH has it's place for CQB only but beyond 300 yards the illiminated reticle screws up target identification. For me, beyond 200 yards, I turn the reticle off and use the BUIS through the EOTech window.
Millett is a reslly good deal for the money on my plinking 308. Their customer service is great and I shot a 0.25"@100yds group with the Tikka and this scope.
The S&B is sitting on a .308 AI which is due back from custom paint later this month, if i'm lucky, and does a fine job, but compared to the NightForce it's very expensive.
My ideal scope on a .223, is a 1-4x with a dot or crosshair and illumination. Illumination allows for fast 1x open eyes target acquisition. 4x gives longer range id and engagement. A renging reticle is also good but normally I zero at 50 yards and this gives me the same point of aim through 200 yards, give or take a couple of inches.
Currently I have a Horus, Nightforce, IOR, Millet, EOTECH and S&B scopes in my collection. I like HORUS, as does the US ARMY shooting team, but as I shoot long range their max magnification isn't sufficient for me.
I think Nightforce and IOR make good scopes for the money and the IOR 2-12x32 sits on my FAL and gives me tha ability to shoot everything from CQB out to 800 yards with no issues. The Nightforce sits on my 338 Lapua and I have no issues with it. Price/performance it's very good and probably the reason they have DOD contracts.
The EOTECH has it's place for CQB only but beyond 300 yards the illiminated reticle screws up target identification. For me, beyond 200 yards, I turn the reticle off and use the BUIS through the EOTech window.
Millett is a reslly good deal for the money on my plinking 308. Their customer service is great and I shot a 0.25"@100yds group with the Tikka and this scope.
The S&B is sitting on a .308 AI which is due back from custom paint later this month, if i'm lucky, and does a fine job, but compared to the NightForce it's very expensive.
My ideal scope on a .223, is a 1-4x with a dot or crosshair and illumination. Illumination allows for fast 1x open eyes target acquisition. 4x gives longer range id and engagement. A renging reticle is also good but normally I zero at 50 yards and this gives me the same point of aim through 200 yards, give or take a couple of inches.
Joined
·
6,537 Posts
I agree with 10x at 1000 yards, that is the same as our standard issue S&B in the British Army. I was talking about long range, 1800 yards or so. 1000 yards is technically medium range.
For Horus their reticle has been used by winners of the US Army sniper competition in 2003/2004/2005 and was initially banned from the 2006 US Army Sniper Competition until it's general availability was confirmed and it was re-instated. In each year the winners of Top Gun and Top team both used Horus Reticles in a number of different scopes.
When shooting with a spotter there is no better reticle to adjust fire.
My IOR has survived over twentyfive hundered rounds of .308 and works fine. Perhaps they have had quality issues in the past but so have other vendors.
I don't understand the comment about Nightforce being hard to range or not being good for movers. My NXS has the mildot reticle and is basically the same as the scope on my old AI S&B equipped issue rifle. Ranging is sometimes easier with FFP scopes as you can range at any magnifications, but normally you set up a range card independantly of making shots and then either adjust your turrets or use the reticle depoending on how much time you have to make a shot. The brand of scope has nothing to do with that process. Maybe US and British training is different......
BTW: Checked with some friends and they rate the SN4 quite highly.
For Horus their reticle has been used by winners of the US Army sniper competition in 2003/2004/2005 and was initially banned from the 2006 US Army Sniper Competition until it's general availability was confirmed and it was re-instated. In each year the winners of Top Gun and Top team both used Horus Reticles in a number of different scopes.
When shooting with a spotter there is no better reticle to adjust fire.
My IOR has survived over twentyfive hundered rounds of .308 and works fine. Perhaps they have had quality issues in the past but so have other vendors.
I don't understand the comment about Nightforce being hard to range or not being good for movers. My NXS has the mildot reticle and is basically the same as the scope on my old AI S&B equipped issue rifle. Ranging is sometimes easier with FFP scopes as you can range at any magnifications, but normally you set up a range card independantly of making shots and then either adjust your turrets or use the reticle depoending on how much time you have to make a shot. The brand of scope has nothing to do with that process. Maybe US and British training is different......
BTW: Checked with some friends and they rate the SN4 quite highly.
Joined
·
6,537 Posts
On the ranging topic, if it's police work why not range with a laser and be done with it. Or use an MP9 or Dragunpov reticle. I know a SWAT sniper in Texas who swears by Nightforce, plus he built my Lapua for me. Personally I don't have an issue ranging with my NXS at 22x from about 100 yards onwards. Inside 100 yards, who cares. I'll only be a couple of inches above POA and I can adjust for that manually using me drop table, or usually for the first 500 yards it's in my head. FFP reticles can also be a pain in the ass. On the Horus Talon sitting on the FS2000, when I zoon out the reticle is so small that it is unuseable for ranging. FFP has some benefit but also some disadvantages. Let's say you're on a 5.5x22 and you zoom out, the reticle is going to be four times smaller than at 22x, that makes it hard to use for accurate distinction of partial mill readings.
I'm not trying to be an ass, I just want to understand the thought process.
Personally, anything inside 800-1000 yards is done with fixed 10x scope so ranging doesn't matter. At long range you're not likely to make snap shots so a non-FFP reticle doesn't matter. Zoom in, make your range and then zoom out to a comfortable magnification for the shot.
Go with the 1-4x on the XCR it's such a sweet setup it's almost as if they were made for each other.
I'm not trying to be an ass, I just want to understand the thought process.
Personally, anything inside 800-1000 yards is done with fixed 10x scope so ranging doesn't matter. At long range you're not likely to make snap shots so a non-FFP reticle doesn't matter. Zoom in, make your range and then zoom out to a comfortable magnification for the shot.
Go with the 1-4x on the XCR it's such a sweet setup it's almost as if they were made for each other.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
