Rifle Scopes NRL22 Scope options for the blind question!

[Myrradah]

Hi all,
So I started shooting in NRL22 and been to 2 shoots so far.

Im on target and shoot well - so long as I can see the tiny targets and some go out to 300. usually 50-150. But even at that range after the targets get shot a lot i have a really really hard time seeing the target (grey now) with the forest background where we shoot.

So I have a Tika t1x MTR in 20 inches. Love that thing - very accurate just wish I could find a new spring for the mag extensions you can get for it. or a extended mag that works (10 max currently but need at least 12 but prefer 15). Atlas Bipod - all base gun after that.

I currently have a Athlon Argos BTR 6-24 on it and I like the scope but as I mentioned I have a really hard time finding the targets after they get shot up a lot.

Being new, im in Base and prefer to stay there for a while until I get better and used to everything. I like trhe base class also. So looking at the 2024 Rules, $1300 is the max scope and rifle costs. Tika T1x is $650 MSRP.

So, after explaining all that, does anyone have any input on a scope that fits in the $650 MSRP range that may be better for seeing those targets. 3-15 works, 4-16x, 6-24 etc but really dont see a need to go above 18x.

I was going to get a bushnell match pro ED but it is $700 MSRP. Now, if I go to a local match they wont really care but if I ever go to a regional they likely will and I want to be proficient in locals to apply that experience in regionals.

I was thinking an Arken EPL 6-24 also but not sure how I feel about that. I have an EP5 and I know the glass gets dark at high mag and likely would on the EPL also. But is there something better within the MSRP?

I was also looking at the Vortex Diamondback but not sure where the cheaper glass in a diamondback sits compared to the other scopes listed here and that may be suggested.

Maven and Tract - not in MSRP obviously.

Anyone have gone through a similar experience and have any input on other scopes I should look at that fit in that MSRP?

Thanks all!

 

[ECK]

Once you find the target in your scope can you see it well enough to shoot at it, or are you using your scope to find the target?

My 2 cents is if you’re using the scope to scan around to find the target you’re already behind the curve. Find a reference point close to the target that you can see with your naked eye, look over the top of the scope to line up the rifle at the reference point, then get behind the gun and look thru your scope. You should at least be able to see the reference point if not your target. Using a lower mag helps with a wider FOV.

This is something you can work on in dry-fire.

 

[Rob01]

Why stay base? Does nothing but keep you from buying what you want. LOL Like production in PRS. If you want to stay there then just stay with the scope you have for now and start saving for something better.

 

[Myrradah]

Once you find the target in your scope can you see it well enough to shoot at it, or are you using your scope to find the target?

My 2 cents is if you’re using the scope to scan around to find the target you’re already behind the curve. Find a reference point close to the target that you can see with your naked eye, look over the top of the scope to line up the rifle at the reference point, then get behind the gun and look thru your scope. You should at least be able to see the reference point if not your target. Using a lower mag helps with a wider FOV.

This is something you can work on in dry-fire.

Hi there, no I find the target line up my scope and find the target quickly. Problem is sitting on the post its grey and blends in. So I usually guess where it is on the post. Sometimes im right, sometimes im wrong Spend way to much time looking at the target and post trying to find the very small target on that post. I dont go to20x or higher - im usually around 12-14x.

 

[Myrradah]

Why stay base? Does nothing but keep you from buying what you want. LOL Like production in PRS. If you want to stay there then just stay with the scope you have for now and start saving for something better.

I have some debt to clear and dont want to spend 3-4k on a 22 right now until its cleared out. In the meantime I can learn what i need to in base and have a good time.

 

[Rob01]

I have some debt to clear and dont want to spend 3-4k on a 22 right now until its cleared out. In the meantime I can learn what i need to in base and have a good time.

No one said you have to spend 3-4K. You can spend more than $650 and be happier but be in open. If you have debt then pay it and stay with what you have until you can afford a better scope.

 

[Myrradah]

No one said you have to spend 3-4K. You can spend more than $650 and be happier but be in open. If you have debt then pay it and stay with what you have until you can afford a better scope.

Well, that would be my dream gun

To get started in open, I would like chassis up my tikka and put a maven scope on it. thats likely about 2500-3000 right there alone.

 

[6.5SH]

Hi all,
So I started shooting in NRL22 and been to 2 shoots so far.

Im on target and shoot well - so long as I can see the tiny targets and some go out to 300. usually 50-150. But even at that range after the targets get shot a lot i have a really really hard time seeing the target (grey now) with the forest background where we shoot.

So I have a Tika t1x MTR in 20 inches. Love that thing - very accurate just wish I could find a new spring for the mag extensions you can get for it. or a extended mag that works (10 max currently but need at least 12 but prefer 15). Atlas Bipod - all base gun after that.

I currently have a Athlon Argos BTR 6-24 on it and I like the scope but as I mentioned I have a really hard time finding the targets after they get shot up a lot.

Being new, im in Base and prefer to stay there for a while until I get better and used to everything. I like trhe base class also. So looking at the 2024 Rules, $1300 is the max scope and rifle costs. Tika T1x is $650 MSRP.

So, after explaining all that, does anyone have any input on a scope that fits in the $650 MSRP range that may be better for seeing those targets. 3-15 works, 4-16x, 6-24 etc but really dont see a need to go above 18x.

I was going to get a bushnell match pro ED but it is $700 MSRP. Now, if I go to a local match they wont really care but if I ever go to a regional they likely will and I want to be proficient in locals to apply that experience in regionals.

I was thinking an Arken EPL 6-24 also but not sure how I feel about that. I have an EP5 and I know the glass gets dark at high mag and likely would on the EPL also. But is there something better within the MSRP?

I was also looking at the Vortex Diamondback but not sure where the cheaper glass in a diamondback sits compared to the other scopes listed here and that may be suggested.

Maven and Tract - not in MSRP obviously.

Anyone have gone through a similar experience and have any input on other scopes I should look at that fit in that MSRP?

Thanks all!

T1x MSRP is now $851-895 depending on the model.

I'd say don't get hung up staying in base if a few hundred dollars is going to give you a better experience with a scope.

Also don't waste time with the mag extenders, there is a real mag now without the hassles:

15 Round Magazine (Tikka T1x) - 22 LR.

ndrshootingsupplies.com

 

[Rob01]

Well, that would be my dream gun

To get started in open, I would like chassis up my tikka and put a maven scope on it. thats likely about 2500-3000 right there alone.

Great but we are talking scope only here. If you want a better scope and feel like your scope is holding you back then get a better scope. Does it make sense to spend money and get another cheap scope and stay in base and then spend more money later or go buy a scope that will help you see the targets and shoot better now?

 

[ECK]

Hi there, no I find the target line up my scope and find the target quickly. Problem is sitting on the post its grey and blends in. So I usually guess where it is on the post. Sometimes im right, sometimes im wrong Spend way to much time looking at the target and post trying to find the very small target on that post. I dont go to20x or higher - im usually around 12-14x.

OK, then maybe a different or better scope is needed. I don’t have the best eyesight so can sympathize with what you’re going thru.

I started with a US Optic 5-25x before I upgraded, it wasn’t the best glass or scope features, but it was still clear enough for me to make out the targets we commonly shoot at in NRL22 even the 1/4” KYL at 50-60 yds. Are you sure you have the parallax and diopter set right for your eyes?

A buddy of my has an Arken. Other than the reticle being in .5mil increments (I prefer .2) it seems like the glass is pretty clear.

 

[Rob01]

The Arken EP5 is probably the only thing I would get if you really wanted to stay in base and get another scope. It will allow you to not be out too much.

 

[6.5SH]

The Arken EP5 is probably the only thing I would get if you really wanted to stay in base and get another scope. It will allow you to not be out too much.

SH4 and the non ED Match Pro are about the top end price wise for base class now thanks to MSRP price increases.

 

[Rob01]

SH4 and the non ED Match Pro are about the top end price wise for base class now thanks to MSRP price increases.

MSRP on the Arken is $599 so still low enough to put on a base rifle. I wouldn't get an SH4 to replace what he has. Not a step up.

 

[6.5SH]

That's now $1450 total MSRP with a 16" right hand T1x (the cheapest model). Is what I was trying to tell him above, if a better scope takes him out of base so be it, if what he has is causing a struggle.

The rule MSRP limit is too low IMO given all the recent increases and real inflation.

 

[Rob01]

Yeah if they do not adjust or have a rule if they already owned it and bought under a lower MSRP then it's stupid as a guy can be compliant last year and over this year. Dumb. Another reason not to worry about base class.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

I have some debt to clear and dont want to spend 3-4k on a 22 right now until its cleared out. In the meantime I can learn what i need to in base and have a good time.

That's the right approach for sure (clear debt, then toys). But why buy another base-class scope if you can save up for better glass? If you stay in the discipline, there's a good chance you'll want to invest in a better rifle (or upgrade your Tikka out of base).

As Rob said, you don't have to spend $3-4k on a scope. If you double the price of your Athlon Argos, you'll see a huge improvement in capability. Triple it, you're still under $1500 in the fat part of the ROI curve and have still more image quality.

Once you get above $2000, the return on investment flattens a great deal. In my experience - having gone from 1st-gen Vortex Strike Eagles to 2nd-gen Viper PSTs and Razors to 3rd-gen Razors and a ZCO 527 - it's mainly poor-light performance that differentiates a $1500-2000 scope from a $3000-4000 scope.

Rob and I have compared multiple scopes ranging in price from $700 to $4000 on the bench side by side. In decent light, the more expensive scopes were obviously clearer, but maybe not so much as one would expect. But in more challenging conditions - dusk-dark, or a shot-up gray plate against a dirt berm under a shade tree 800 yards across a sunny field - my ZCO could discern the plate while lesser scopes - like the 2nd-gen Razor 4.5-27x56 - really couldn't.

So, rhetorically speaking, how often does a shooter encounter such "edge" poor-light conditions, and how much money will he/she spend in order to mitigate them? Individual choice.