Rifle Scopes Optics for 1,000 yd shooting

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Kevin70

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Minuteman
Mar 9, 2013
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#1
I'm interested is shooting out to 1,000 yd.
What magnification is necessary and what magnification is in the nice to have but not necessary?

Would there be a recommended scope make and model for this range?

1,000 yd would not be the norm for my shooting. I can get out to 500 or 600 at home but want to be able to go to 1,000 when the opportunity arises.

The rifle is a 22-in JP LRP 07.

Thank you!
 
#2
Kevin70 said:
I'm interested is shooting out to 1,000 yd.
What magnification is necessary and what magnification is in the nice to have but not necessary?

Would there be a recommended scope make and model for this range?

1,000 yd would not be the norm for my shooting. I can get out to 500 or 600 at home but want to be able to go to 1,000 when the opportunity arises


The rifle is a 22-in JP LRP 07.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
No more than 20-25x magnification is necessary. Something like a 3-15x is really plenty and probably more appropriate if you shoot on the move. I have buddies that shoot past 800 on fixed 10x glass.
 
#3
I run a US Optics LR-17 and ER-25, the 17x is plenty for shooting 1k yards. The 25x is nice, here in the desert when its hot out I don't usually dial it up 25x because of the mirage. On days the mirage isn't bad 25x isn't bad to have.

( . Y . )
 
#4
Keven70,

TriggerMonkey has a nice stickey post on optics selection. You can pay a little or a lot. Fixed or variable. How tight do you want your groups? Benchrest style or tactical - anything within the killzone? Fixed 10 power works pretty good and won't cost you a bundle for decent optics.
 
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#5
To what has already been stated, I would add that if you're specifically thinking about shooting 1000 yd F-Class competitions (it's not exactly clear from your post the type shooting you're intending to do), 40X-50X top end mag should be your goal in a 2nd focal plane scope with a suitable reticle. Below 32X really won't cut it for that type of shooting.
 
#6
Kevin70 said:
I'm interested is shooting out to 1,000 yd.
What magnification is necessary and what magnification is in the nice to have but not necessary?

Would there be a recommended scope make and model for this range?

1,000 yd would not be the norm for my shooting. I can get out to 500 or 600 at home but want to be able to go to 1,000 when the opportunity arises.

The rifle is a 22-in JP LRP 07.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

You want as much magnification as possible. That said 20 to 25x optics are great for that distance.
 
#8
Sako man said:
You want as much magnification as possible. That said 20 to 25x optics are great for that distance.
Click to expand...

What's your reasoning for this? He does not want as much magnification as possible. You have to qualify that.

If he's shooting man sized targets or in tactical matches and wants to have situational awareness of wind and mirage amongst other things, he does not want the most magnification possible.

If he's shooting purely benchrest, sure that might make sense.

OP, go with the scope that best suits your needs, magnification is not king.
 
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#10
hk dave said:
What's your reasoning for this? He does not want as much magnification as possible. You have to qualify that.

If he's shooting man sized targets or in tactical matches and wants to have situational awareness of wind and mirage amongst other things, he does not want the most magnification possible.

If he's shooting purely benchrest, sure that might make sense.

OP, go with the scope that best suits your needs, magnification is not king.
Click to expand...


Ok, well sorry for the over simplified answer to a complex question. Let me elaborate. First off if you have a 20 or 25x power optic with in FFP then you have all kinds of options. You can dial back to 5-7x to shoot at 500 or dial all the way in for 1500 or farther. That said I normally shoot at 1000 to 1200 from 18 to 20x on my 25x optic. I like to dial back to look at mirage and then dial in for an accurate head shot at 1000. So more optical zoom the more options you have. I know many people who like to shoot 1000 at 14 to 15 power, it works just fine. For me, I can't aim at specific body points or clay pigeons at that power at 1000 at 15x as I can at say 20x. Sometimes if going for pigeons at 1000 then I'm all the way in at 25x so it's all over the map and personal. I like to spot my own hits on metal and see that powder mark, thats hard at 1000 when under 15x. As some say here it's "a crutch", just as some used to think power steering or GPS was a crutch. You can see where that mentality got those individuals. Can you imagine a real world situation where you have to ID a specific target at that range, and you only have a 10 or 12 x optic?, hummm, you might just end up shooting the wrong poor bastard? As well there are times where you really want to dial in to see mirage, and what that mirage is doing, or if mirage is extreem then dial back.

Magnification is a tool to be used for the proper circumstance and occasion. The only down side I see to this opinion is that if you get the 20 or 25x FFP glass, it has to be really good so you can actually see shit at full power. And as most know on this forum good glass is very pricy.

So bottom line for me is the more mag with an FFP the better. So why not have that option always available?
 
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#12
5x25 is a good option, IMO. As stated, you don't need the 25 power all the time. You can dial back as needed depending on conditions and use. It's always nice to have the extra magnification if you need it.
 
#13
As a number of users have referred to, really depends on what TYPE of shooting you want to do to 1000. I've used a Leupy 3.5-10 on steel a little past 1200yds successfully, the issue I had at that distance was not being sure if I'd hit the target or the "movement" I was seeing was mirage, so had to ask someone else to check it for me with a higher mag scope.
General guideline I would think is if you're going to be doing more "tactical" type shooting with variable ranges, movers, steel targets, etc then the 3-15, or a variable up to 20 of 25 will be more than enough. If you're wanting to shoot more F class type format, or trying to hone in on a small "X" ring at a grand most of those guys are using mag range well above 25.
 
#14
Budget for many always plays a factor. Many good points have been made already regarding having the option to dial up magnification as needed so I won't belabor that point. One other consideration is the quality of the glass/optics. Bigger objective lens will let let more light in and high quality glass with coated lenses will aid light transmission so you have better contrast and color. This will help when light is low or in dark/overcast conditions when you want to be able to clearly make out your target. The quality of the glass/optics is one of the things that plays a big part in the price point higher end scopes.
 
#18
I think you'll find that most shooters top out at 20-25x for these distances, short of benchrest/f-class types. I have a 3-20x, and it seems to work well. Sometimes I wonder if I might like 25x, but it rarely matters where I shoot (the mirage is so bad some days that I need to dial below 10x to really see what I want to see). My hardest everyday targets are the prairie dogs on heavy mirage days. I got one at 765 yards a few weeks ago, and he was tough little bugger to see (a tan 10"x3" animal in tan grass, with heavy mirage... but, honestly, more magnification wouldn't have helped in that situation. Removing the mirage and painting the bastard orange might have!).
 
#19
When I ordered my LRP-07, the guys at JP highly recommended I evaluate the Bushnell HDMR 3.5-21; it's FFP. I'm currently runnig it on my bolt-action .308 and it provides ample magnification for 25-1000M. I'm surprisingly pleased with the quality and functionality at its $1500 price point.
 
#20
EchoDeltaSierra said:
When I ordered my LRP-07, the guys at JP highly recommended I evaluate the Bushnell HDMR 3.5-21; it's FFP. I'm currently runnig it on my bolt-action .308 and it provides ample magnification for 25-1000M. I'm surprisingly pleased with the quality and functionality at its $1500 price point.
Click to expand...

I have the Bushnell HDMR 3.5-21 with the Horus H59 reticle sitting on my 6.5 Grendel. It's a great scope and definitely a top pick among others at its price point given the value of what it brings in terms of features and quality versus the cost.

LonewolfUSMC posted a good review of the scope on his 8541 Tactical channel on Youtube. Link is below:

Bushnell Elite Tactical HDMR 3.5-21x50mm Rifle Scope Review - YouTube
 
#21
EchoDeltaSierra said:
When I ordered my LRP-07, the guys at JP highly recommended I evaluate the Bushnell HDMR 3.5-21; it's FFP. I'm currently runnig it on my bolt-action .308 and it provides ample magnification for 25-1000M. I'm surprisingly pleased with the quality and functionality at its $1500 price point.
Click to expand...

My buddy has that one, too. Side by side with the S&B the glass isn't quite as nice, but it's still darn nice glass for a heck of a lot less money (half or less). He's been quite satisfied with the scope, at least as far as I know. The "get what you paid for" adage still applies even near the top of the heap, but it is often overshadowed by the "law of diminishing returns".
 
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