Re: Scope for F-class and Tactical?
Well, I find that around 18X is roughly as high a magnification as I can go at 1000yd when the mirage is running heavy. But my scope provides 6-24X magnification, because as distances decrease from 1000yd, I can manage more magnification. I would never build a rifle to shoot at 1000yd and then restrict it to only that distances. I can't afford that kind of specialization.
Forget about seeing bullet holes at 1000yd. You'll be lucky if you can see them at 300yd.
Most competitive rifles can reach 1000yd with somewhere between 25MOA and 35MOA of elevation beyond their shortest practical zero distance, typically 100yd. Therefore, I'd be looking for a scope with at least that much elevation adjustment range, and would consider one with at least twice that to be ideal.
Base slant is as important as the scope's particular attributes. I prefer to get one that places the shortest practical distance zero's elevation adjustment fairly close to the bottom of the available elavation adjustment range, without bottoming it out (to prevent binding the windage adjustments). I call this elevation synchronization, start with maybe a 20MOA built-in base slope value, and then shim to find that properly synchronized elevation adjustment relationship. Once found, I make it permanent by bedding the base to the receiver with that shim value.
I think you can spend as much as you want to for optics, but personally, if I can see the target clearly enough to find a clearly defined POA, and can get the scope to hold that adjustment across a course of fire; I'm good. I find that things like ranging capability and repeatable adjustments are very nice, but as long as sighter shots are permitted, they are not all that crucial to shooting F Class. Those features become a lot more crucial to shooting at Unknown Distances.
I use a relatvely simple mirage tube, made from black card stock, to reduce barrel mirage to a manageable level.
I actually shoot F Class with a relatively inexpensive Tasco 6-24X42 Varmint/Target
scope on my F Class rifle, and find that in 4 years, it's not caused me any identifiable problems. Some of that is luck, some isn't, and I fully expect it to bite me on the neck someday; but I have yet to experience that day. If I do, I have 3 more available, mounted on other rifles, serving
as 'hot spares'; and the entire cost for the four was under $350.
Greg
