Long Range Scopes
 

Hey guys, looking for opinions on the Vortex Strike Eagle, Vortex PST, Night Force SHV FFP scopes. Will they work well for long range shooting/hunting/PRS? Or should I save up and spend quite a bit more on a NX8, NXS or Razor? Also open to other suggestions.

I have several friends who use them and love them all the way out to 1K.
I prefer a SFP for several reasons , most if the concerning my eyes , but many do not have the sane problems I do.
Cat

Depends on how far you wanna chase that rainbow.

Heres my two cents from experience:

FFP scopes are good for PRS matches or long range shooting. I say that because I've found FFP scopes (Nightforce ATACR line) very addicting in engaging multiple targets at various distance. You can use the method called 'Milling' the target. Where as knowing the height and width of the target you can use your reticle to determine how far the target is down to 5% margin of error.

For hunting close range, I would probably stick with SFP scopes. Simply because with the power moved all the way down, the reticle is too tiny to focus on the animal with FFP scopes.

I've had a friend use his Vortex Razor and is having problems already. I haven't had a problem with any of my ATACR's yet.

I also run an SHV on my coyote gun, and while it lacks the comforts of the NXS lines, it does the job wonderfully.

How do you find the eye relief on the SHV? That's my biggest concern with them.

As a gopher/ target shooter I use only second plain scopes I like to see my target and find FFP cover up to much area on the targets. For hunting I use Duplex and have never had a problem and they can be used as a "rough" range finder as well.

Eye relief on my SHV (5-20x56) I find very forgiving. I've had it on several rifles of mine before it ended up on my Remington 700 varmint. Never had a problem with it.

I have a Nightforce 12-42 x 56 (NPR2 Illuminated reticle) on my .257Wby. I love it, but realistically, I don't think I need that much scope on that caliber. The NPR2 reticle is awesome as it provides numerous "crosshair points" to shoot at a wide range of distances without touching the scope settings (kinda like having multiple sight-pins on a bow).

I have a NF SHV 4-14x56 on my 257 wby but it’s a sfp. I really like it with a 300 yard zero 2moa puts me on at 400, 4 moa at 500 and a hair over 6 at 600. I really don’t notice any difference in the glass compared to all my NXS scopes.

What's a nice used Nightforce 12-42 x 56 worth these days?

You mentioned hunting AND long range ....

The big consideration is low magnification here, if you are using it for hunting. I can't image a scope that "starts" at the low magnification of 12 power to be of any practical use for typical hunting field situations.

Maybe it's a me problem - but I like to be able to dial it down to 3,4,5 power and keep it there and then crank it up if I need to 9,12,15 or whatever if the target is out there a ways and I need the magnification and have a steady rest and some time

trying to find and keep a moving target in your view at shorter ranges would be problematic I think

Ezm, some of the nightforce scopes are 2.5-20 or 4-32 makes them pretty appealing for hunting and long range shooting. I really wonder how tiny that ffp will look on that low end, it may be unusable.

And that brings up another point - a heavier cross hair can be a benefit in some situations, bush hunting short range would be one of them.

I can see something like what you mentioned above being a pain in this situation.

I guess the point I was making is - if you are using it for hunting and target and long range - you probably have to think about the trade offs and usability of the scope in each situation.

I guess another question is about "milling." Once I get good at it, will it be quicker then taking out a range finder and ranging? Basically if something walks out between 250 and 350 yards.Will I be able to get an approximate distance quickly without having to move or make a lot of noise?

Absolutely it will be quicker. I’ve been able to successfully mill targets in seconds myself. And I’m by no means a pro. It takes some practice obviously but it’s not overly complicated to do.

SHV from Nightforce is a great scope. Reliable dialling and tracking. Great glass for the price point and smooth operation. I have one and it surprises me whenever I use it. For Japanese made optics, they’re very nice.

I wouldn’t hesitate getting a Nightforce, and for what you want I wouldn’t consider a vortex. Just spend the money on a Nightforce

Absolutely not. Trying to do it on the fly in a hunting situation or any other situation is not as fast or near as accurate as a rangefinder considering you need to know the dimensions of the object you are ranging and can you hold the reticle steady enough to obtain an accurate measurement? How long is that going to take? If you are only talking 250 to 350 yards is it even worth it? If you are in a static location and have the time you can make a range card but if you have the time for that you can use a rangefinder and this is obviously not applicable in a lot of hunting situations.

x2

Well said, and if you use a rangefinder/binoculars combo you range the animal as you identify it and decide if you are going to shoot it, so it takes no extra time in most
cases.

Also, if you set up in a spot, I usually range a few objects - the "big stump" , than fence post, that whatever and take a quick mental note. It really helps you determine what distances the edge of those trees are, and actually trains you as well I find. I make it a game to mentally call out the thing before I range it.

If you have time, of course, ranging is the right thing to do, just taking a few more seconds to calm down and be doing something can be helpful to. Reminds you not to rush stuff - buck fever never goes completely away !!!!

This is my thinking on the FFP thing. I hunt a lot of prairie farm land where shots could easily be 250-400 yards with little to no cover. So moving for the range finder or anything else could give away my position and end up with a spooked deer.

With a FFP scope I could memorize the MOA distances using 18" as the average deer width from brisket to back. If I know those distances I should be able to have a rough range estimate quickly. I could then use the reticle for an approximate holdover at any magnification. It wouldn't matter if it was 6x or 12x or higher. As for platform I would be shooting off my bag, which is stable. So you could see why Im intrigued by the option.

Now in saying that I've never done it, but that was the theory behind it. With my 308 zeroed at 100 yards the bullet drop is 10" at 250 yards and 24" at 350. So ranging will be important.

Raab at 400 yards I doubt if using your rangefinder will spook an animal any more than adjusting your parallax on a scope, nothing has spooked when I ranged it at that distance or further , or at 300 for that matter .
Cat

Yea but your up in the great north woods Cat. You dont have the paranoid skittish does we have down here. :)

You guys are also assuming that the deer will just stop and hang out a while. In my experience during the rut they dont stay in the open long. The biggest thing I'd like to know is if any of the long distance guys have used it before, and if it will be quicker then ranging if everything is memorized. Because right now I find that I dont always have enough time to range. Which leaves me guessing and I could shoot over or under the deer if they're in that 250-350 yard range.

If not I may look at setting up a 270 with a fixed 6 for MPBR.

I have hunted down south on the flats as well ad well as places up here where there is clear line of sight for a thousand or more meters.
Not all my kills have been inside 375 yards :)
As far as using Mildots or hash marks for ranging goes, I haven't I have always relied on a high quality range finder
Cat

My goto scope for accuracy verification on a rifle and for extended hunting and shooting BTW is an IOR Valdada
9-36X-56, and it is a FFP scope.
Cat

Whats your goal?
To Be able to hunt more effectively and acquire targets faster up to 400 yards?
And shoot efficiently at those distances?
To me, it sounds like you need to invest in rf binoculars first

If your looking at shooting further away read these
There is a ton of knowledge on here from the best of the best

https://precisionrifleblog.com/categ...oes-it-matter/

If your looking at shooting at extended distances
To me, you need to rethink everything and start from the beginning

There is no quicker way to accurately range, than using a binocular/rangefinder combination, you range the animal, as you identify it.

This is a typical ranging /trajectory chart supplied by IOR for their scopes.
The only time I use it is at the range on set distance steel from 200 too 1,000.
When hunting I disregard it simply a set of rangefinder binoculars is faster and better, as was stated, you will be looking through them first anyway, then I turret to the distance I need and hold center if using a scope be it FFP or SFP.
I keep a dope chart taped to the stock, I find this way the easiest for me when using a long range rig, be it hunting or at the range.
https://i.imgur.com/iHJHXEw.jpg?1

Biggest problem with using a scope reticule as a range finder is that not all deer are built to the same standards. When we were down in the lower states we kept wondering where all the mature deer were? They all looked like yearlings to myself and the wife.
I know the deer to the North of Edmonton are larger then the deer down here in the south. So a range finder is a much better choice and if your rifles PBR is say 250 yards then if you feel the deer is still to far away try getting closer.
No shame in losing an animal if you try to get with in a more comfortable shooting range, wounding one however carries a life time of regret.

For all my rifles intended to shoot past moderate range ( 3-400 in my world) I don't bother with ffp or range finding reticles ect. I keep it simple.
Use highest BC bullet I can. Zero for MPBR for caliber and figure out on my reticle how to ensure deer is inside my MPBR and shoot. I prefer a bdc reticle for hunting and know if it's far enough to need drop calculation it's going to be on max magnification. Even a .308 can get you a mpbr distance far enough out to allow time to range and dial for further shots.. keep things as simple as possible. Reticle ranging is great for sudo sniping and range work and is a great skill to develop, but in field there's often too many variables and time limitations to make it happen.
Rifle setup is key. My .308 is set to a mpbr of 300yds with a +- of 3.5" my 400yd drop is 20" so anything within 300yds is just point and shoot I use my bdc to verify distance but when in doubt I always use the range finder. If your prone behind a gun bringing up a RF with your shooting hand doesnt make enough movement to matter.
If your hunting spooky deer that run the moment you see them even at really long range get a flatter shooting rifle and take more precautions to your stalk. JMO

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk