NRL22 build needs glass

[Memberberries]

I've decided to finally get a bolt action 22 and retire my 597hb to plinking. It's a great gun but I have been smitten by the T1X.

I got one with a 20" barrel ordered(sometime this week probably) and I'm on the list for the new WOOX Furiosa T3 chassis (June ship date) to drop it into. I got an anarchy 30 moa rail and a yodave trigger spring so it should shoot better than I will.

Now I need to get an optic but I'm not sure what to do. I've got an eotech vudu 5-25x50 on my 308 and it's great but I don't like the whole eyepiece spinning when I adjust magnification and it's got a tight eyebox(not bad but it's slower for positional shooting) I like mils so I fit in at the range but grew up on moa so they work too. FFP is a must, so is a good ruler for a reticle, hd or equivalent glass, and a lot of elevation travel as I plan on taking this rig to 400 yds. Parallax down to 25 or 35 yards too. I've been eyeing stuff like the razor HD gen 2 3-18x50 or 4.5-27x56 but I get hung up on if the extra power is necessary, I like the idea of no more than 5x for the minimum magnification.

Also in the running would be leupold vx5hd 4-20 or vx6hd 3-18. Crimson trace 5324, maybe a burris xtr2, NF NXS, or many others. I'm looking used or new but a used gen 2 razor is pushing the budget thin so nothing pricier if it's not absolutely amazing.

What would you get?

 

[littlepod]

I've never run below probably 8x in an NRL22 match, and I generally shoot between 10-16x, but I do dial up to 25x when I'm shooting the 1/4" at 50 yards, when it's a hazy overcast day and the steel has been shot out and it's gray blended in... clarity and magnification = your friend in those situations.

For the best bang for the buck I'd go with the Ares ETR 4.5-30x for $900 used on here.

If you want to go into the $1600-1800 range there's a lot of good offerings.
Razor HD Gen 2
Tract Toric
Delta Stryker

 

[beetroot]

The Leupolds .mentioned are SFP only.
I've had the Viper PST 5-25 and 3-15 on my T1x.
The 5-25 PST would be my choice.

 

[accurate obsession]

Vortex PST 5-25 gen II hard to beat at the price point or if you're feeling spendy Vortex AMG. I'm seeing more Athlon's also.

 

[Memberberries]

The Leupolds .mentioned are SFP only.
I've had the Viper PST 5-25 and 3-15 on my T1x.
The 5-25 PST would be my choice.

My bad on the leupolds. I hadn't looked into them much yet and thought that since the vx3i came in ffp surely those would too.

 

[AGrizz]

Vortex Viper PST2 5-25 due to weight, retical, clarity first focal plane for the dollar. Second would Ares ETR 4.5-30x. This is a reasonable optic for the price. The Vortex Razor will make your system very top heavy due to the optic. The other side of the coin is that this is a great glass for the money.

 

[22fun]

I have the Athlon ares etr 4.5-30 in moa on my vudoo the scope is badass.

 

[Messer]

Working on shooting in Base Class NRL with my T1X - I went with the Athlon Argos BTR Gen2 6-24x50 with the Mil reticle - has a easy to set Zero-Stop, and seems to be tracking well, but I'm still testing.

 

[fencewire]

with the same rifle, t1x, I topped it with a Argos BTR Gen2 6-24 with mil reticle also. Fits in the base class just fine and have won the last two base class matches with that set up.

 

[munsonbw]

For what it’s worth, I shot most of the stages at my last match at 24x. The only time I dropped down to 15x or so was where we had a large distance between the targets and it made acquisition faster. I would say if you generally like more magnification, then you will likely use it on the smaller targets. Plenty of guys were running 15x all the time too.

 

[db2000]

Some used options from a member

Optics - NF, Trijicon, Leupold & Nikon

3.5-15*50 NPR1 with bubble level, NON HS/ZS,one tiny mark, $1050 shipped. SPF Trijicon Accupoint 2.5-10*56 w/box and front BC cap mildot with green dot, excellent condition, $450 shipped. SPF Nikon Monarch 6*40 with BC caps, duplex, excellent condition, $125 shipped. SPF Leupold VXIII...

www.snipershide.com

 

[Memberberries]

Looking at elevation travel with a 30 moa base I don't think the Viper pst 2 would get me to 400yds. I guess I might need more base or a scope with more than 20 mils adjustment.

The athlon scopes really seem to be getting a lot of love. The midas tac 5-25x56 and ares etr 4.5-30x56 both have 32 mils elevation. Anyone have experience with the Bushnell forge or match pro for comparison?

 

[accurate obsession]

Looking at elevation travel with a 30 moa base I don't think the Viper pst 2 would get me to 400yds. I guess I might need more base or a scope with more than 20 mils adjustment.

The athlon scopes really seem to be getting a lot of love. The midas tac 5-25x56 and ares etr 4.5-30x56 both have 32 mils elevation. Anyone have experience with the Bushnell forge or match pro for comparison?

PST gen 2 with 25 moa rail definitely gets me past 300 yds but I can't say I remember trying for 400. And that's with subsonic match ammo, sorry I forget what mils were dialed for past 300.

 

[JKW70]

Athlon Midas Tac is what I went with and am really happy with it

 

[TahoeDust]

I know it is not as spendy, but the new Strike Eagle 5-25x56 may be worth a look.

 

[Memberberries]

I've looked at it and it's definitely on the short list.

I'm not too sure on the leupold options of the mk4 er/t 8.5-25x50 or mk5hd 5-25x56 and the vx3i 8.5-25x50 because they don't spec the minimum parallax distance but the weights are appealing with the mk4 at 22.5 oz instead of 30+ like most everything except for a few athlons.

 

[Memberberries]

Top contenders are in no particular order but the budgets seem to all be in the same ballpark.
Vortex strike eagle 5-25x56
Athlon midas tac 5-25x56
Crimson Trace 5 series 3-24x56
Leupold VX-3i 8.5-25x50
Meopta Optika 6 4.5-27x50
Used ffp leupold mk4 8.5-25x50

 

[beetroot]

I wouldn't get either Leupolds, for the same money you can get far better scopes.
The PST 5-25 will have better turrets, better reticle, better glass, better mag range, better FOV.

The reviews of the Strike Eagle thus far put it very close to the PST for 70% the price.
I'd go that route.

 

[Memberberries]

I wouldn't get either Leupolds, for the same money you can get far better scopes.
The PST 5-25 will have better turrets, better reticle, better glass, better mag range, better FOV.

The reviews of the Strike Eagle thus far put it very close to the PST for 70% the price.
I'd go that route.

Not sure if I think the others on this list ar far better but they all go for street prices of $700-$900. The pst only has 20 mils elevation, the vx3i has 23.3, not much more but I think they will both be at the end of the reticles when trying to get to 400yds on the 30 moa rail. The strike eagle, athlon, and crimson trace all have 30 mils or better so I could dial the whole way there. The strike eagle is the only illuminated reticle but I think the others will have better glass.....

 

[Eoddave27]

There are a couple of things I feel are a must on a rimfire scope for competition. The first is a reticle you are comfortable with using. Will you be dialing elevation and holding for wind or doing holdovers part of the time? The reticle you chose can make or break you on holdovers. The second thing you need is a wide FOV. Finding multiple targets at various ranges is much easier with a wide FOV. A forgiving eyebox is going to be really important too. If you are doing positional shooting I tight eyebox is going to be a problem. 10 mil per rev turrets is a must As well. When you start dialing 15-20 mils turrets that are 5 mil per revolution are a real pain. Pretty much any scope you have listed above will have glass that is fine for rimfire. Of the scopes you have listed above the Strike Eagle will check the most blocks. For the reticle that will be a personal choice. Some people find Christmas tree reticles too busy while others only like to shoot using that style reticle.

 

[Memberberries]

How big of a difference do you think that an illuminated reticle would make for shooting matches? My vudu's illumination is super minimal and great for low magnifications but the reticle on it all but disappears at low magnifications.

I definitely want to try a Christmas tree this time around

 

[Tiger_Shilone]

Minimum parallax focus is critical for NRL22 and hasnt even been mentioned yet. target yardage for nrl22 is 25-100 yards. The two leupolds the op is interested in wont focus under 75 yards and that is a deal breaker for this game.

there are some very good threads on glass for this game in the optics section for rimfires. I am quoting myself from one of those threads since i cant reference the thread on my phone but it is a good minimum needs shopping checklist :


SCOPE & RINGS -- Scopes are a very personal choice item. What I desire is:

1) variable mag from 3/6x-20/32x. I normally shoot silhouette with a fixed 24x and also need high magnification for KYL racks and benchrest. But I also need low power to quickly find targets in a TAC style match. I usually run 15-19x magnification for most of a tac style match.
2) MIL/MIL reticle and turrets. I can use MOA for bench or silo, but I am used to MILS for everything else including ranging target distance.
3) Adjustable side focus, front AO not as easy to use in TAC/Steel matches
4) Lots of elevation adjustment 25+ MIL or 75+ MOA minimum. Long ranges require a lot of drop. Mandates a 30mm+ tube to get that elevation range. I really like SWFA's 40 Mils of adjustment on their 3-15, but the reticle is getting dated
5) Zero stop for elevation knob, hate losing points when I'm on wrong dial turn and it happens more often than I care for
6) Would really prefer 10 mil/rotation, but 5 mil/rotation acceptable, less turns on a dial = potentially less screw ups per #5 above
7) Decent glass quality with a great eyebox and relief
8) Xmas tree reticle for holdovers with proper sized hashmarks
9) Weight under 34oz w/rings
10) First focal plane for ranging and for match stages that do not allow elevation knob changes (holdovers again)
11) short range parallax focus of 20 yards or less (6 meter focus of the SWFA 3-15 is great for basement dry fire practice)
12) numbers for each mil on xmas tree subtensions
13) floating dot reticle at center
14) larger side focus wheel than what the industry is providing at the moment, easier to fine adjust in a hurry
15) want to be innovative, give me a larger diameter elevation knob slip-on ( or under) skirt that I can add and replace a custom tape or snap in number holders for my specific frequently used ranges

Researching various scopes led me to these 3 options (I am driven by weight due to a restriction in one of my games with a 8.5lb total weight rifle including mag and scope)



SWFA 3-15x variableGreat choice that I all ready own, but reticle is bit thick with no xmas tree option, 5 MIL/rotation turrets & only 15x. no numbers on the reticle so not as intuitive as those that do. 40 mil travel, 24oz, 6 yd focus
https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-3-15x42....html?___SID=U

Athlon Optics Midas Tac 6-24x Met all criteria listed above 25 mil travel, 26.3 oz, 10 yard min focus
https://cameralandny.com/shop/brands...iation=1891359

Nightforce Optics NX8 4-32x Meets all criteria above when mounted with titanium rings. 26 mil travel, 29 oz, 11 yard min focus
https://www.milehighshooting.com/nig...igillum-mil-c/



note: I now have all three scopes referenced above . All three will work for this game.

 

[Mudmarine]

Running an old First gen SS 10X moa on a 20moa rail and it works great. I have dope out to the back forty, all the way in to the muzzle. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Suggest you don’t overthink your choice and just get something that will work at all nrl ranges and just run it. We can gear queer our decision to death and still end up with a shit result.

 

[jhr1986]

Have a couple Razors on centerfire guns and was thinking I’d go with a Vortex for my new B14R trainer.

I decided on an Athlon ETR as it is in the price range I’m shopping, has a good reticle, parallax to 25yds, reportedly very good glass, and quite importantly 32 mils of elevation.

This compared to the 20 mils of elevation on the PST II 5-25 I had been considering won me over to the Athlon.

 

[Redfisher60]

Strike Eagle is a nice scope for great money. My primary precision rimfire gun is a Vudoo with a NF NX8, I have a Rim- X on the way and it will wear a Burris XTR III, I HAVE A Razor gen 2 on a 6 Creed, and an Athlon Ares g2 BTR on a Kidd. I just mounted a Strike Eagle on a CZ 457, and I’m impressed with its quality, going to ring it out on Saturday.

 

[Memberberries]

Seems like I can't go wrong with several of these but I found a smoking deal on an Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56. Anyone with info on if this should fit on a t1x with some 1" seekins high (rail to centerline) rings? Anarchy 30 moa rail, 20" barrel.

1.83" eyepiece so that will clear but the 2.5" bell is what I'm worried about.

 

[Eoddave27]

You should be fine with the 1” rings. I have 1” rings on mine with a 30 Moa rail and a larger diameter after market barrel and still have a little room. Nit much but a little. my barrel is significantly larger in diameter though.

 

[zenbike]

Seems like I can't go wrong with several of these but I found a smoking deal on an Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56. Anyone with info on if this should fit on a t1x with some 1" seekins high (rail to centerline) rings? Anarchy 30 moa rail, 20" barrel.

1.83" eyepiece so that will clear but the 2.5" bell is what I'm worried about.

Mine's running 1.125" rings. and its within about 1/16" of the barrel. I do have a bull profile barrel, it's mounted on a 25 MOA rail, and its got the Vortex scope caps on it. I'm pretty sure I'll need taller rings if I go to a 30 MOA rail or add a sun shade.

 

[22fun]

Mines on vudoo mtu contour barrel.
Pictures are with 30 moa rail I currently have it on a 60 moa rail and it still fits with the 1” seekins. I know it’s not the same gun but it should give you a good reference. Athlon etr is awesome.

 

[littlepod]

It depends on how tall the rail is - my Vudoo only required 1" rings, my Terminus Zeus required 1.1" rings due to the integrated 20moa rail being lower to the action/barrel.

Tikka's DIP rail is pretty slim, Anarchy/Area419 rails are taller.

 

[TahoeDust]

I needed 1.1" rings with the DIP 25 moa and a Strike Eagle 5-25x56.

 

[Memberberries]

Well, the athlon seller decided to keep it....

On a side not, my dealer/buddy has a gen 1 razor hd 5-20x50. Anyone shot an nrl22 match with one? Or thoughts on it? It focuses well on close targets but I know the parallax doesn't go as low as the gen 2 or some of the other scopes that I was looking at.

 

[littlepod]

Get the Cronus that's on sale right now for $975 in the PX. Pretty sweet deal if you're okay with the floating cross over the floating dot.

 

[Memberberries]

Get the Cronus that's on sale right now for $975 in the PX. Pretty sweet deal if you're okay with the floating cross over the floating dot.

Crossed my mind, the razor would be cheaper and come with rings. Gonna try to look through the razor and he has a cronus on one of his rifles so I could set them side by side

 

[Redfisher60]

Strike Eagle on my CZ back-up gun

 

[Redfisher60]

Crossed my mind, the razor would be cheaper and come with rings. Gonna try to look through the razor and he has a cronus on one of his rifles so I could set them side by side

The old Razor HD only parallaxes down to 40 yards, Gen 2 32 yards

 

[22fun]

Just throwing this out there. You can buy the Athlon from amazon and pay for it monthly (not finance). Get it immediately and pay couple hundred dollars a month other scopes also. I know it’s getto but $1000 bucks sometimes isn’t so easy to come off with and it gets the same outcome.

 

[Memberberries]

Well I ended up buying the Cronus off the PX after realizing the gen 1 Razor didn't adjust parallax close enough. Picked up the rifle this morning and tossed my spare Nikon 4-12x40 mil dot scope on it until the Athlon shows up. Got the barrel bedding block pulled out and the yodave trigger spring in there, I'm quite impressed with the little Tikka.

Chassis should ship in a little over a week, this thing shoots bulk federal pretty good. I've gotta buy some better ammo.