$700 to spend on a riflescope

[rimfire22lr]

I have $700 to spend on a scope to use on a RPRR and /or CZ 452 Varmint. I plan to try PRS and NRL22 matches but I also like to shoot silhouettes and steel plates out to 300 meters as a pastime.
Here is my list of desired features in order of priority.
1. Accurate turret tracking.
2. Good glass
3. First focal plane reticle
4. MIL/MIL or MOA/ MOA, not mixed
5. Parallax Adjustable down to at least 25 yards
6. Zero stop
7. At least 5 MILS per revolution
I do not need illumination.
I would appreciate everyone's input.

 

[winniethepooh]

Swfa 3-15

 

[Redeye3]

Gen2 pst, save up another 175.00 it's worth the extra money. With 30moa base i can get out to 400yrd with standard velocity.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

Burris XTR2, they can occasionally be found in that price range for the lower powered ones.

 

[EddieE]

It's crazy that you have $700 to spend on a scope and here we are telling you to spend a little more...If you keep an eye out, you will see the pst G2 for sale around $900. They are worth it. Great customer service. I'm sure there are scope that are great at $700, I would look at the Athlon line if you are stuck at $700.

 

[MarkCZ]

I have $700 to spend on a scope to use on a RPRR and /or CZ 452 Varmint. I plan to try PRS and NRL22 matches but I also like to shoot silhouettes and steel plates out to 300 meters as a pastime.
Here is my list of desired features in order of priority.
1. Accurate turret tracking.
2. Good glass
3. First focal plane reticle
4. MIL/MIL or MOA/ MOA, not mixed
5. Parallax Adjustable down to at least 25 yards
6. Zero stop
7. At least 5 MILS per revolution
I do not need illumination.
I would appreciate everyone's input.

The SWFA 3X15 was listed above would be a great scope. https://swfa.com/optics/riflescopes.html?brand=SWFA+SS I have a SWFA SS fixed 20X, it adjust down to 10 yds. with 110 MOA total adjustment. The 20X may be too much power for PRS and NRL22, you may want a 12X or 16X. They make 10X, 12X, 16X and 20X. the SS is rated for a 50 BMG. Best thing about the SS is they are $299.95 Look them up on youtube.

Mark

 

[PLX65]

The new vortex Diamondback Tactical is a great .22 option as it is FFP, Mil- Mil, 30mm tube, and focus down to less than 15yrds all for around $400. I own one

 

[One1Bravo]

I have an Ares BTR 4.5-27 MIL available that would be perfect for you.

 

[steve123]

I've had three SWFA 3-15's. Well I still have one left, on my 10-22. Last year I sold one to a friend of mine. Rounding the corner to shoot together this friend said to me, hey come check this out, the parallax knob had come off. I was a bit embarrassed but not my fault, SWFA did replace the scope. Another problem we've had is that when the diopter is set out for old eyes the scopes will not focus clearly past 700Y.

Nah, sorry, both the Midas TAC and the Ares BTR are superior in more than a few ways. Mainly glass, reticle, 10 mil knobs, zero stop and of course more magnification on certain models. And they have all tracked great.

 

[straightshooter1]

The new vortex Diamondback Tactical is a great .22 option as it is FFP, Mil- Mil, 30mm tube, and focus down to less than 15yrds all for around $400. I own one

Yes, this would be an excellent choice. For the quality one is getting at this price point, I don't feel it can be beat. It rivals those at 3X the MFSP.

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product...-24x50 FFP-riflescope_with_ebr-2c_moa-reticle

 

[Eoddave27]

I have $700 to spend on a scope to use on a RPRR and /or CZ 452 Varmint. I plan to try PRS and NRL22 matches but I also like to shoot silhouettes and steel plates out to 300 meters as a pastime.
Here is my list of desired features in order of priority.
1. Accurate turret tracking.
2. Good glass
3. First focal plane reticle
4. MIL/MIL or MOA/ MOA, not mixed
5. Parallax Adjustable down to at least 25 yards
6. Zero stop
7. At least 5 MILS per revolution
I do not need illumination.
I would appreciate everyone's input.

I would take a look at the Athlon Midas Tac. It is an excellent scope in the price range. It performs well above its price. If you give Doug at Camera Land a call he will take good care of you too. I have bought several optics from them and have always got an outstanding deal and fantastic survive. If you do buy from Camera Land CALL Doug and let him know you are a member here. He will take care of you.

 

[Eoddave27]

Yes, this would be an excellent choice. For the quality one is getting at this price point, I don't feel it can be beat. It rivals those at 3X the MFSP.

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-diamondback-tactical-6-24x50 FFP-riflescope_with_ebr-2c_moa-reticle

I have a Vortex Diamondback Tactical FFP 4-16 on one of my 22’s in a Mil/Mil configuration. I got a military discount so the scope was a great deal but if I had to pay full price I would have bought an Athlon Argos or a Midas Tac. I like the reticle on the Vortex and the glass is decent for the price but the turrets are really mushy and don’t have a zero stop or any way to add one. The scope will be getting replaced by a Midas Tac eventually.

 

[Kickin45]

Athlon Midas Tac

 

[MDrimfirerookie]

Athlon Midas Tac

seconded, i LOVE mine

the only drawback would be it is not a tree reticle if that is something you are looking for but you didn't mention that up above.

 

[scocoabeach]

I would take a look at the Athlon Midas Tac. It is an excellent scope in the price range. It performs well above its price. If you give Doug at Camera Land a call he will take good care of you too. I have bought several optics from them and have always got an outstanding deal and fantastic survive. If you do buy from Camera Land CALL Doug and let him know you are a member here. He will take care of you.

This is exactly what I did, really nice scope for the money. I will probably buy a 2nd one down the road.

 

[padom]

Athlon Midas Tac

 

[quickdraw]

Athalon Helos BTR. Burris XTR Signature rings. Setup the rings to maximize your elevation and you'll get to 500 yards on the scope.

 

[rimfire22lr]

I ordered the Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50. I already have an SWFA SS 12x42 and love it, but I need a zero stop and more power.
Thanks, everyone.

 

[quickdraw]

That is a nice scope for the money. You'll like it.

 

[palmettoman]

You'll love the Midas Tac. Great scope.

 

[rimfire22lr]

You'll love the Midas Tac. Great scope.

I hope so. It was delivered today. Cannot wait to get home and check it out.

 

[patriot07]

I hope so. It was delivered today. Cannot wait to get home and check it out.

Interested to hear what you have to say - I've heard lots of good stuff about it.

 

[rimfire22lr]

I got home and unboxed the scope. The finish is nice. The turrets feel very positive, lines line up, and the clicks are audible and tactile. No mushiness.
The power ring, parallax knob and focus ring are smooth with good resistance but not too much. I will not put a throw lever on this scope.
The zero stop looks like it will be effective and easy to set. I personally like the windage turret cover. I tend to set windage in zero wind conditions and leave it alone.
It was getting to dusk when I got home so I will have to check out the glass tmw morning.
The focus does go down to 10 yards and the reticle and image are CLEAR.
That is all I know now.

 

[rimfire22lr]

I tested the Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 today. I like it. The tracking was reliable. I zeroed at 50yrds, and dialed for 100, 110, 200 meters, and 75. The scope put bullets on target every time.
I like the reticle better than the SWFA reticle, which is high praise. The .2MIL marks and lack of diamonds makes holding fine easier.
I like the floating dot; reminds me of my old silhouette scope.
I like the thinness of the reticle. It gets very thin below 10x so you have to have the ocular focused properly or you will get reticle fade at lower powers.
The turrets feel is very good. I would not call it better than the SWFA, but the clicks are more abrupt because the turret has 10 MILS/revolution compared to 5MILS on the SWFA. I think the abruptness seems like more crispness. The detents are more audible in the Midas TAC.
The clarity is good. We are having a horrific wildfire 3 hours north of us and the air is so full of ash it looks like a heavy fog and you can smell the burning wood. Even so, holding very fine on a 3-inch plate at 200-meter was easy. I used 12, 18, 20x mostly. Used 12 and 24 briefly. All were very usable on this poor-visibility day. The adjustable comb on the RPRR made proper eye position a non-issue.
I used the reticle to range several targets and make adjustments. The values were correct. I used the reticle to holdover, and the holdover and dial values were identical.
I spent 6 hours behind the scope. No scope eye at the end of the day.
I like it.

 

[300ATT]

I had the exact same issue/question. Doug at Camera Land is a great source of knowledge. After our conversation I ended up purchasing a midas tac to replace the Leupold Mk6 that I have on my match gun. The Mk 6 works well but does not focus to 25 and it is better served on a gun that reaches out past 1,000. Can't wait to test it out.

 

[rimfire22lr]

I had the exact same issue/question. Doug at Camera Land is a great source of knowledge. After our conversation I ended up purchasing a midas tac to replace the Leupold Mk6 that I have on my match gun. The Mk 6 works well but does not focus to 25 and it is better served on a gun that reaches out past 1,000. Can't wait to test it out.

I think you will like the Midad TAC. One thing I like a lot is the 10MILS per revolution. Speeds up adjustments.

 

[300ATT]

I tried several scopes on the rifle. One was MOA/MOA (drove me crazy as all my centerfires are in mils). One scope was 5mils/revolution and did not have a zero stop (bad). Another was a mil/mil IOR SFP 4-14x which sort of worked and stayed on 14 x most of the time but could not focus down to 25yds (rifle zero). The current scope (Leupold MK 6 6-18x TMR) addresses most of the issues but the parallax is 50 yards and is more useful on my 6x47 match/hunting rifle.

10 Mils / revolution is really useful as it is 7.1 Mils to 211 yards and I see shooters get in trouble at our matches moving between distances. The more you turn the knobs the more chances there are to get lost.

I have high hopes that this new scope will be just about perfect for the intended purpose...

 

[Kisssofdeath]

My Midas Tac should be here Thursday. Glad to here the positive review.

 

[flatland1]

I'm looking forward to delivery of a VGW V-22 Ranch bbl'd action in a couple of weeks, the Manners EH2 stock to put it into, and a Midas TAC 6-24x50 mil to sit on the 30 MOA rail, which should be here by Friday. I've got Athlon Cronus scopes on the 40X & XB repeaters, as well as on the 1st V-22 I built for myself last year. Didn't want a big 34mm scope on this smaller, lighter rifle, so we'll see how I get along with the Midas.

 

[Rolltide]

I'm curious to hear how the Midas Tac compares to the Gen 2 PST's. Has anyone got both for a comparison?

 

[300ATT]

I would also like to hear a compare/contrast if someone has used or owned both the Midas Tac and the pst. I looked at the gen II pst and liked it but it outside the budget with a $1,200-ish out the door price.

 

[Rolltide]

I would also like to hear a compare/contrast if someone has used or owned both the Midas Tac and the pst. I looked at the gen II pst and liked it but it outside the budget with a $1,200-ish out the door price.

I've seen the Gen 2 PST's sell for around $1k or a little under. With Black Friday sales coming up, they may be lower. I've never had a chance to compare the Vortex to the Athlon though...

 

[Islander]

Do they make a Midas-Tac in MOA or just Mils?

 

[flatland1]

Mil only currently. I have no idea whether Athlon will get enough requests for a MOA version of the Midas TAC to consider cataloging them.

My mil 6-24x50 TAC should be here this afternoon - don't expect to have time to do anything with it today, but am looking forward to doing a side-by-side comparison with one of the Ares BTRs I have mounted before long.

 

[300ATT]

Folks, I received my Athlon Midas Tac yesterday from @gr8fuldoug (camera land) so I mounted it up on my Finnfire Range and took it out for a spin today. As a public service I will share the results:

Here is a pic of the gun on the bench with the scope mounted getting a 25-ish yd zero:




After getting a 25-ish yard zero, I zeored the knobs, set the zero stop and then performed a box test. The test consisted of: up 5.0 mils, up another 5.0 mils (10 mils total), 5.0 mils right, , down 5.0, down 5.0 again then left 5.0 and up 5.0 (back to the first shot). From what I can tell the scope tracks perfectly.




The reticle exactly matches where the knobs displaced the point of impact and if you look closely you can see that the last shot went through the first shot (up 5.0 mils).

I banged some steel targets at 110 and 211 yards and everything lined up exactly with my GeoBallistics app on the iPhone and the gun/scope appeared to function perfectly and repeatably- no surprises.

The glass is decent and good enough (I own 3 S&B's, TT and other high-end glass (Mk 6, swarovski) and this scope has exceeded my expectations. I love the parallax focus down to 25 yards (first scope I have had on the gun that can do this and it makes big difference).

Appears like it will get the job done for tactical .22 shooting ...

 

[300ATT]

The only other question: Should I have purchased the 4-16x ???

 

[300ATT]

In case folks are wondering, the test was shot with SK Plus ammo ... Eley shoots better but is more expensive and the SK Plus seems to be good enough.

 

[Islander]

That's a great report. Thanks for the info. The SK ammo is actually pretty good for the money. I use the Wolf target match (same stuff different box) and have had great success. Bought some Eley Edge to try in my Ruger PR because had read some reports of it being accurate in those rifles. Turns out the Wolf grouped much better.

 

[scocoabeach]

The only other question: Should I have purchased the 4-16x ???

That’s funny because I sometimes wonder if I should have purchased the 6-24, but so far I’m very happy with the 4-16x. I think the right answer is get both

Thanks for the report. I think these scopes are an exceptional value and I expect to get more of them down the road.

 

[flatland1]

Was pressed for time to play with it, but when our UPS driver handed me two boxes - one from Manners, the other from Athlon - it was a toss-up which one to open first. Actually, I opened the Manners box first, just to make sure the stock it contained matched what I'd ordered - an EH2 in Elite GAP camo for a V-22 Ranch bbl'd action, the same bbl'd action I intend to mount the Midas TAC on. Satisfied with that, I had to get the Midas TAC 6-24x50 out to take a quick peek through the glass. It looked just fine, very sharp & clear, with very good color rendition. Think I'm going to enjoy getting used to the reticle, and am anxious to get my hands on the Ranch bbl'd action, put it into the carbon fiber shell stock, mount the scope, and see what she weighs & more importantly - how it shoots.

 

[Travelor]

Here is a source for the Vortex Viper PST Gen II scope fore under $1000. https://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex...pe-black.html?_iv_code=VX-RS-VVG250R-PST-5251

Here it is for $949. https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Optic...51920&sr=8-3&keywords=Vortex+Viper+PST+GEN+II

 

[300ATT]

Whoever has tested both a Midas tac and vortex pst II - please give the crew here a report.

 

[300ATT]

I did some more testing today. Shot s 2-moa steel diamond at 112 yards and a 3-ish moa (6"x8") ipsc at 189 yards. Using SK+ ammo, the ballistic app suggested 2.5 mils (from a 25-ish zero) to 112 yards and 6.5 mils to 189 yds. I shot both targets alternating back and forth standing behind the gun mounted on an RRS tripod. I dialed as well as used the reticle for hold-overs and hold-unders. The scope tracked perfectly, the numbers from the ballistic app were spot on and I only missed 3 times (wind) out of 50 shots out at 189 yards.

The only comment / concern that I would mention is that the reticle is on the fine side for an FFP scope. If you need or like a wider fov the reticle starts to get hard to see at 10x and below esp. if targets are placed in shadows. I am thinking that the 4-16x Midas TAC may be slightly better fit for .22 matches which tend to be shot at targets that are 1/2-3 moa between 25 and 300 yards or a slightly coarser reticle would make the scope more perfect.

That being said, I will repeat: this scope has exceeded my expectations.

 

[rimfire22lr]

300ATT. I agree about the reticle. It could be slightly thicker.