Scope for long range shooting

[Petras]

anyone here use a higher end vortex scope for shooting long distance? I've got my wife agreeing to not castrate me in my sleep if i don't spend more than about $750 on a scope for my 7mm mag. i have had my eye on this http://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-viper-pst-6-24x50-rifle-scopes.html for a while. anyone use one? pro's? cons? I love vortex products, i've got a spotter and bino's by them and absolutely love them.

Also, one other question i have is, whats the difference between First focal plane and Second focal plane? Which is better for hunting applications?

Disclaimer: I don't shoot at animals past 450 yards at this point, and won't be doing that until i have lots of practice under my belt and can shoot accurately further than that.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

Second focal plane is what most scopes are. First focal plane is a relatively new thing. The main crosshairs on your reticle will not change point of impact when you adjust the zoom on your scope regardless of focal plane. Everything outside of your main reticle will change on a second focal plane when you adjust zoom. First focal plane will not change. Example: nightforce 5.5-22 MOAR reticle at 22 power has 1 MOA lines. If you turn it down to 11 power, it's changes to 2 MOA. First focal plane would not change from 1 MOA regardless of power setting. You can look at it as an advantage or disadvantage depending on what you want/like. I hear the first focal plane reticle lines can be an issue of being too thick when shooting at smaller targets closer up. (Someone correct me if I am wrong. I only run Second focal plane scopes).

Kurtr has a vortex, so he can speak about it more, but I hear the quality is there minus the expensive price tag.

 

[Wrkn2hunt]

I've never owned a Vortex but my 22-250 will be needing an upgrade soon and that's what I am looking at for it. I don't want to spend Zeiss money but want a good scope and for the money I think they are tough to beat.

 

[Wild and Free]

How about Vernier open peep sites instead of optics?

If Quigley can do it anyone should be able to right?

 

[MT11]

I have the vortex lr hunter scope in first focal plane and I absolutely love the scope. Yea when you zoom in the crosshairs do get quite large and when you turn it to the lowest power the crosshairs sure get awful small.
However on some hunts I have went on it sure is nice to adjust the power and not effect your zero. Hell I even had a horse go down and roll with my gun in the scabbard and one shot after I made sure the gun was still dead on I harvested a nice Mtn goat. I am not a competitive shooter but I really like first focal plane scopes and would buy the same scope again.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

One nice thing about FFP is you don't have to worry about what power your scope is on if you need to take a quick snap shot. You probably won't be shooting a long distance if you don't have much time either.

 

[Norske]

When shopping for Vortex scopes, be sure to check Opticsplanet.com and CamerlandNY.com.
The most important piece of equipment when long-range shooting is a good spotter (a person not just a telescope).

 

[Kurtr]

When I get to the computer will go more in depth. Camera land.com is great check demo list for great discount call and talk to Doug. I run the hs lr ffp with xlr reticle I really like it. Another option to check is the hs-t if your are not dead set on illumination. Ffp vs sfp is a thing you have to decide for.Your self will dive into that when off the phone.

 

[SDMF]

I've never owned a Vortex but my 22-250 will be needing an upgrade soon and that's what I am looking at for it. I don't want to spend Zeiss money but want a good scope and for the money I think they are tough to beat.

I've got a 4.5-14x50 Conquest w/turrets and side paralax I'll sell you for $550.

 

[Kurtr]

Ok on the puter so heres my take on ffp vs sfp. I shoot in (attempt) some tactical comps where the shooting is dynamic and changing with time limits so that is where the ffp comes into play when i am having to hold off i dont need to worry about what power i am on for using the reticle. If you have more time the sfp would work just fine and alot of guys use it to shoot way better than i can. On low powers all i have is a cross hair for but your not holding off when you are that close at full power if you are shooting teeny tiny targets i could see that as a problem but with the xlr reticle there an open center so i have had no problem but i am not shooting bench rest and most guys doing that all run fine reticles with sfp. Next you get into where your reticle is really calibrated when going sfp and half power and box testing the adjustments to make sure every thing is tracking properly. I would say right now is the golden age of rifle scopes for consumers. It used to be a few choices if you really wanted to twist turrets and go long. bushnell is not to be over looked they have stepped there game up huge they have an lrs offering that might fit your bill. In the end it is your choice what YOU like best not me or any one else what makes you happy and comfortable shooting with will do more for YOU than what I or any one else thinks. It comes down to user preference when stepping up to mid and top tier glass as they all work its just which one works best for YOU.

i have a few different pieces of vortex gear from the big razor spotter to a cheaper nomad one pair of diamondback binos and the hs lr scope. i have not had a problem with any thing and the razor which to be expected is right there with all the top glass and any question i have had there customer service has been top notch.

a few questions to help with your decision

do you want/need illumination
mills or moa
capped windage or not
ffp or sfp
50 or 44mm objective
weight concerns?
expectations of the glass
what is the main function of this scope

 

[coyotetrapper]

Last fall I purchased vortex viper 4-15x44 hs-t for my 22-250. This was my first experience with turrets. I haven't shot it too much but really like the clarity and the scope seems really solid. I went with a EGW picatinny rail with Vortex 33mm precision match rings. It is really a solid setup.

I did some research on ffp and I didn't see a need to spend an extra $300 for what I want out of a scope.

 

[Kurtr]

Last fall I purchased vortex viper 4-15x44 hs-t for my 22-250. This was my first experience with turrets. I haven't shot it too much but really like the clarity and the scope seems really solid. I went with a EGW picatinny rail with Vortex 33mm precision match rings. It is really a solid setup.

I did some research on ffp and I didn't see a need to spend an extra $300 for what I want out of a scope.

do you mean 30 mm rings and the vortex ones are good as glen seekins makes them. I have heard nothing but good about the hs-t might have to get one for the wifes gun

 

[coyotetrapper]

do you mean 30 mm rings and the vortex ones are good as glen seekins makes them. I have heard nothing but good about the hs-t might have to get one for the wifes gun

yep typo 30mm

 

[5575]

How about Vernier open peep sites instead of optics?

If Quigley can do it anyone should be able to right?

My hunting partner can do that sort of thing. 944 yds with a Mosin Nagant in the badlands.

 

[aron]

I currently use a FFP scope. I am not sold on FFP more MY needs. My next scope may as well be a SFP. My cross hairs are too thin at low power and too thick at high power. Now just if could get a scope that had center cross hairs SFP with the hash marks FFP...

 

[SDMF]

I currently use a FFP scope. I am not sold on FFP more MY needs. My next scope may as well be a SFP. My cross hairs are too thin at low power and too thick at high power. Now just if could get a scope that had center cross hairs SFP with the hash marks FFP...

Shepherd.

 

[Kurtr]

Shepherd has a counter sniper scope.