What scope is everyone running for elr

I love mine out to max elevation, but then it's not a great holdover reticle. However, I just mounted it on an Era Tac, and now I can take it past my previous ~2100 yard max with my 300 PRC - so I'm set on that rifle for as far as it makes sense to take it.
Good to know. I have access to 1000yd range regularly, periodically have access to a one mile lane but have yet to shoot the one mile with this scope; hopefully soon i'll be able to give it a shot.
 
you receive your March yet? I'm curious on your first impression.

Well...

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Since this worked out so well after you asked about it, can you ask about my action next? :)
 
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I've taken my Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50 out to 1100 yards without issue.

I'm also waiting to pick up my new RPR in 6.5 PRC that I'm going to top with an Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2 4.5-27x50. The plan is to take that out to a mile.
 
I would set the front handguard up to be perfectly level in a stand or something then put a level on the pic rail. If the scope is mounted you could also take measurements from the front and rear edge of the pic rail and do the math to find the slope.
 
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Had a great discussion on adjustable bases vs CharlieTerac and internal scope turret adjustment. I do tend to agree that the CT and internal scope adjustments would be prone to being more precise when making elevation changes - good points that possibly might have swayed my purchase decision. But it's already paid for and tested GTG from 100 to 1250 on the 6.5 so I have faith in it. I have just moved the IveyTron over to my new to me Bergara LRP in 300PRC and got it sighted in on that rifle today. However I'm just at ladder loads right now, so I only shot at the 100yd sighing plate for chrono data, so no elevation changes/testing. Goal is now mile.
 
Nope. Got pushed out to a Sept 15 ship date. I'm not sweating it too much because my barrel's not getting shipped until the end of the month, and still no word on my action.
Just received two demo March FX "Wide Angle" 4.5-28x52 scopes.
I have them for a couple of weeks and will be comparing to my ATACR7-35 and XRS2
Could write up a bit of a "my thoughts" review if anyone is interested?

Very first impression is they are very good.
Just need to get out so I can assess them at distance(I live in town).
 
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you look through it yet?

Aside from holding it up to my eye, no. I've been so slammed at work, I didn't want to swap out before I went out on Friday.

However, I did for the first time test out out my Eratac with my Steiner M7xi at longer than 100 yards. I was only shooting out to 850 yards, so I could only test the 5 mil setting, but it was dead on at 5 mils. Absolutely no change.
 
Last public update I saw was November for shipping. There's going to be a few at the GAP Grind this weekend on team and demo guns if you're going to be there.
No I will not be. But I will wait patiently to look at one. I like bushnell turrets and locking wind. The xrs2 was a good scope but the glass was lacking for me I'm hoping the xrs3 is way better in the glass department.
 
No I will not be. But I will wait patiently to look at one. I like bushnell turrets and locking wind. The xrs2 was a good scope but the glass was lacking for me I'm hoping the xrs3 is way better in the glass department.
I have similar feelings about the bushy’s.
like everything but the glass.
The glass isn’t terrible but better can be had for a similar price.
I’m also excited about the XRS3.
 
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Tell me more. How was the unboxing? Did you mount it on the rifle?
Mounted on my 37xc build. Unboxing of course is amazing if you have ever seen a March. Comes in a linen lined wooden box :)
Super easy to set up. Scope is amazingly clear and surprisingly lots of light at full mag. I was worried it would be dark. Looks clearer than our spotting scope

For me, superior to my ATACR with external mil adjuster (charlie tarac). Mark and Sam Afterwork gave it great reviews which made me make the jump. Glad I did now that the pain of the price is over
 
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Yes, the Genesis scopes are boxed differently compared to the other March scopes, and the Genesis 6-60X56 gets extra special treatment as befits this phenomenal device. The design of the Genesis makes it extremely easy to mount on an ELR rifle. It comes with everything you need to get a full 86MIL of up elevation without adding any doodads.

The glass is superb; it's the same as on my March-X 10-60X56 HM, with the added benefit of always looking through the exact middle of the lens, the sweet spot, regardless of elevation setting. With my March-X, I had to mount it in a 30MOA canted rail & rings to get close to the middle of the lens for the 1000 yard F-class comps.

The glass in these riflescopes is Super ED glass. These are the first riflescopes to use Super ED glass. It's a step up from ED glass, which I have in my other (older) March scope. To my eye, the colors pop more with Super ED glass and I found that the image quality degraded less quickly in mirage conditions with Super ED compared to ED glass. I always shot F-class at 40X magnification with my ED-glassed scope and I found that I could go to 50X with Super ED. That's a 25% improvement for me. I realize a lot of people will poo-poo that observation; I don't care, it works for me.

The Genesis is the current pinnacle of riflescopes for ELR; it has the glass, the magnification range and the built-in elevation range with constant optical path right down the middle.

The downside is the price, as you stated.
 
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I noticed a similar improvement going from the Leupold MK5 to the ZCO. Cuts mirage better.
That's good. I'm not familiar with ZCO so I was not aware they made riflescopes with 40X and higher magnification.

I realize that 1000 yard F-class in not the same as ELR; we depend on high magnification due to the size of the targets and their rings. A lot of F-Class shooters will back off the magnification to something in the low 30Xs or high 20Xs when the mirage gets bad; I have always stayed at 40X, and now I'm always at 50X.

Now, I do not believe that my riflescope "cuts mirage"; I don't think that's even a thing. My observation is that the image quality (IQ) in my riflescope does not degrade as quickly as it did in my prior scopes (NF NXS, Weavers, etc.)
 
I just got back from shooting the Bergara 300PRC with IveyTron setup. I ran ladder loads and put a few lower velocity nodes on paper.

I have to laugh now, looking back... I was shooting Waaaay high at first on the 200 yd berm. My spotter was like uh dang you are way high, Then I spotted my shot and just held the hash marks for the ladder loads, no adjustments to scope or base. We were focusing on velocity, other shooters on the benches, ect...

So after things cleared out some, I got the base zeroed - I had left it on 25MOA showing my cousin how it jacks up like a El Camino or whatever. Once zeroed and shot for groups. First group was only 3 shots, 1 was to zero Ivey base and 1 was to zero the scope. next 2 shots were same hole dead nuts bulls eye and the last was about 1" low. With lower field mirage I was able to spot the holes before my spotter with a cheapish spotting scope (yeah 50x). I zoomed to 24xzoom (where the hashes are 1MOA) and then counted the marks to adjust scope and it worked perfectly.

I also like the idea of looking through the best part of the glass (center), and it was another consideration bonus when going with a fully adjustable base vs a nice scope that has a lot of elevation in it.
 
What do you think about the Kahles 5-25x56?

Someone saw the sale at Europtic? :)

I've only ever looked through one, but it is a high-grade scope. My only issue with the particular one for sale is that for ELR (and this is a personal preference thing) I'm not a fan of x-mas tree reticles for really long ranges. I find the added clutter to be distracting when self-spotting. I love x-mas tree reticles for distances where you can easily self-spot, just not for the longer ranges.
 
I like NF atacr 7x35 mil-xt over the Leopoldo mk5hd and I got fuzzy eyesight these days. I think the NF is better but whatever they are both excellent. I have only recently even shot them both out to 1000yrd
 
That’s good information, I’m trying to find the best
Scopes I've had in the past.... (all MRAD reticles)
Vortex PST 6-24 Gen I
Steiner Military 5-25x56 w/ MSR reticle
S&B PMII 4-16x50 P4F reticle

Scopes I currently run (all MRAD reticles)
SB PMII 5-25x56 w/ MSR
SB PMII 5-25x56 w/ P4F
Vortex Razor gen II HD 4.5-27x56 w/ EBR-7C
Vortex Razor Gen I HD 5-20x50 w/ EBR-2C
Vortex Razor HD 1-6x

There are specific reasons I don't have the previous scopes anymore. The PST was good, but optical clarity out to 1K was average at best. The newer Gen II's are supposed to be much better. I'm thinking about getting another one for a .22NRL Bergara build. The Glass on the Steiner was good, but the reticle was really thick - and the glass wasn't as good as the S&B. Close but not as good. The 4-16X S&B just didn't have the magnification I wanted, so I sold it and got another 5-25 PMII.

Of the current Scopes I have, as expected, the Schmidts are hands down better than anything I've looked through. And the problem is that spoils me a bit when I look through anything else like the Vortex Razors. Even the new 4.5-27 is still nowhere near the S&B in terms of clarity and just POP for optical quality and brightness. But it's also $2500 less than the S&B, so it's not a fair comparison. For matches though, I do like the reticle of the EBR-7C reticle on the Razor. Seems more precise and faster.
scope to use for a mile to 2400 yards, my PST G2 after 1400 yds has very limited optical clarity-target is very fuzzy and dull. So you think a Razor would be much more crisp, clear and bright at 1760-2400yd?
 
That’s good information, I’m trying to find the best

scope to use for a mile to 2400 yards, my PST G2 after 1400 yds has very limited optical clarity-target is very fuzzy and dull. So you think a Razor would be much more crisp, clear and bright at 1760-2400yd?
I would get the scope with the most mil and best glass you can afford. Atarc has 34 or 35 mils I think.
 
That’s good information, I’m trying to find the best

scope to use for a mile to 2400 yards, my PST G2 after 1400 yds has very limited optical clarity-target is very fuzzy and dull. So you think a Razor would be much more crisp, clear and bright at 1760-2400yd?

I have a PST (not used any more) and a Razor (not used for ELR).

I stopped using my PST because at anything past roughly 1k, I started getting eye strain. Since I want to be able to shoot past 1k with everything I've got, the scope now is sitting atop a friend's hunting rifle.

The Razor is a marked improvement over the PST. You will immediately notice the difference. However...

- It still is below other scopes that are maybe 1/2 a price class above it in terms of optical quality. If you can spend up here, spend up.
- While I love the EBR reticles on the Vortex scopes for closer-in work, I do not like a xmas tree reticle for mile+ stuff as the lines can partially obscure splash on low misses, making it harder to self-spot for correction.
- Internal elevation max = 28.5 mil


So... let's talk all things in:

- If you're talking about really stretching things, you want to have as much internal travel on the scope as possible - definitely north of 30 mil. That rules out things like the Razor (and my much beloved Steiner) without having to get some form of external adjustment.

- If you get something like a 300 PRC, you'd need somewhere in the neighborhood of 34+ mils at 2400 yards, and while someone with a 338 LM can give you specifics, you're not too far below that - this is why I shake my head somewhat at people who want to get a 338 LM for ELR. The slower muzzle velocity means it slightly underperforms against big 300s at medium ranges, and performs only marginally better farther out - and it's much more expensive to load/shoot. And I don't get too many ugly looks when I take my 300 to a local range for zeroing, trigger work, etc. but my friend sure does with his 338. You pick up some ability to spot splash, and some wind benefits, but I don't consider those worth the negatives. This is why 338 has never been a consideration for me - go one of the magnum .30 cals, or go bigger - 338 AI (at the minimum), 33XC, any number of 375s - talk about expense! Now I'll duck out of the way as all the 338 LM owners come to their caliber's defense :)

- At 34ish mils, even the higher end scopes with more travel (Atacr, ZCO), you're right on the edge without having to hold over, which means you're looking well off center of the glass. This impacts clarity. AND you need to match rail/mount elevation to get the max. A 20 moa rail is roughly 6 mil. If you pair it with a 9 mil Spuhr, you're still only at 15 mil total, so you're leaving 2.5 mils on the table. With a 13 mil Spuhr, you'd be unable to zero at 100 (barely).

- This is why people get adjustable mounts (like the Eratac or Ivey) or an optical adjuster like a Charlie Tarac (there's that expense thing again).


So, what scope:

If I had to pick one scope for my 300, it would the NF Atacr 5-25 with the Mil C reticle. 35 mils internal elevation, 5-25 is perfect for a 30 (and more), clean, floating dot reticle, good hold over, very good optical quality, expensive, but it won't break the bank. Note that the 7-35 Atacr has only 29 mils. No need pair it with an Ivey or Eratac adjustable mount if I wanted to go past ~2200 yards because it's a good hold over reticle - easy choice.

For my new 37XC build, I decided on a March Genesis. I haven't mounted it yet, though tempted to put it on my 300 as I wait for all my 37XC parts. We'll see how that plays out.
 
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That’s good information, I’m trying to find the best

scope to use for a mile to 2400 yards, my PST G2 after 1400 yds has very limited optical clarity-target is very fuzzy and dull. So you think a Razor would be much more crisp, clear and bright at 1760-2400yd?
Yes
Along with a lot more elevation.

The vortex hs-t, pst and PST 2 really start to suffer at distance especially when cranked up to limits of travel.
 
I have a PST (not used any more) and a Razor (not used for ELR).

I stopped using my PST because at anything past roughly 1k, I started getting eye strain. Since I want to be able to shoot past 1k with everything I've got, the scope now is sitting atop a friend's hunting rifle.

The Razor is a marked improvement over the PST. You will immediately notice the difference. However...

- It still is below other scopes that are maybe 1/2 a price class above it in terms of optical quality. If you can spend up here, spend up.
- While I love the EBR reticles on the Vortex scopes for closer-in work, I do not like a xmas tree reticle for mile+ stuff as the lines can partially obscure splash on low misses, making it harder to self-spot for correction.
- Internal elevation max = 28.5 mil


So... let's talk all things in:

- If you're talking about really stretching things, you want to have as much internal travel on the scope as possible - definitely north of 30 mil. That rules out things like the Razor (and my much beloved Steiner) without having to get some form of external adjustment.

- If you get something like a 300 PRC, you'd need somewhere in the neighborhood of 34+ mils at 2400 yards, and while someone with a 338 LM can give you specifics, you're not too far below that - this is why I shake my head somewhat at people who want to get a 338 LM for ELR. The slower muzzle velocity means it slightly underperforms against big 300s at medium ranges, and performs only marginally better farther out - and it's much more expensive to load/shoot. And I don't get too many ugly looks when I take my 300 to a local range for zeroing, trigger work, etc. but my friend sure does with his 338. You pick up some ability to spot splash, and some wind benefits, but I don't consider those worth the negatives. This is why 338 has never been a consideration for me - go one of the magnum .30 cals, or go bigger - 338 AI (at the minimum), 33XC, any number of 375s - talk about expense! Now I'll duck out of the way as all the 338 LM owners come to their caliber's defense :)

- At 34ish mils, even the higher end scopes with more travel (Atacr, ZCO), you're right on the edge without having to hold over, which means you're looking well off center of the glass. This impacts clarity. AND you need to match rail/mount elevation to get the max. A 20 moa rail is roughly 6 mil. If you pair it with a 9 mil Spuhr, you're still only at 15 mil total, so you're leaving 2.5 mils on the table. With a 13 mil Spuhr, you'd be unable to zero at 100 (barely).

- This is why people get adjustable mounts (like the Eratac or Ivey) or an optical adjuster like a Charlie Tarac (there's that expense thing again).


So, what scope:

If I had to pick one scope for my 300, it would the NF Atacr 5-25 with the Mil C reticle. 35 mils internal elevation, 5-25 is perfect for a 30 (and more), clean, floating dot reticle, good hold over, very good optical quality, expensive, but it won't break the bank. Note that the 7-35 Atacr has only 29 mils. No need pair it with an Ivey or Eratac adjustable mount if I wanted to go past ~2200 yards because it's a good hold over reticle - easy choice.

For my new 37XC build, I decided on a March Genesis. I haven't mounted it yet, though tempted to put it on my 300 as I wait for all my 37XC parts. We'll see how that plays out.
Thank you that is good advice.
My challenge is only doing 1760-2400 once maybe twice a year so hard to justify what I would like to have a Alpha Tier: ZCO or perhaps the new Zeiss.
So I’m trying to find the best Tier II to replace the PST on my Bergara 6.5CM for now to get better optics at 1760, as the PST fizzles out past 1400 to my eyes.
 
Thank you that is good advice.
My challenge is only doing 1760-2400 once maybe twice a year so hard to justify what I would like to have a Alpha Tier: ZCO or perhaps the new Zeiss.
So I’m trying to find the best Tier II to replace the PST on my Bergara 6.5CM for now to get better optics at 1760, as the PST fizzles out past 1400 to my eyes.
Any of the LOW built scopes will surpass the PST and not hold you back even past your stated distances.
Cronus
Razor 2
Bushy elite
And a few more I can’t think of.

Pick the reticle and features you want and be happy.
 
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Thank you that is good advice.
My challenge is only doing 1760-2400 once maybe twice a year so hard to justify what I would like to have a Alpha Tier: ZCO or perhaps the new Zeiss.
So I’m trying to find the best Tier II to replace the PST on my Bergara 6.5CM for now to get better optics at 1760, as the PST fizzles out past 1400 to my eyes.

Then get what I would consider one of the best scopes for ELR: The Night Force Atacr 5-25. You can mount it straight up on a 20 MOA base and 20 MOA mount and just hold over for the few times you take it past where you can dial. And, while not cheap, it doesn't break the bank either.