First "good" scope questions and help

[Lonestar260]

Hello everyone,
I have recently acquired a Remington 700 VLS in 260 Remington and have been working on making it my first long range gun in hopes of being able to shoot a thousand with it. This is really my first attempt at long range past 300 or 400 yards. It is something that really intrigues me and that I would like to get in to.

I have been saving and it is time that I invest in a good scope for it but I am quite green on what to look for. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I would like to keep the price $1200 or less. That is the max my budget will allow right now. I have read good things about the Nightforce SHV, Vortex Viper PST, and SFWA SS scopes but I am open to any suggestions. Like I said I am pretty green with high end scopes and their features. I know NF is great but didn't know if there was anything else out there that would be better in that price range or not.

I currently have a old millett 6-24x56 on my 260 now but I know I need something that will track better and have better optics.

I am somewhat familiar with moa but I don't see a reason why I couldn't pick up mrad or mill if need be if there is an advantage?

Also I read a lot online about first focal plane and second focal plane. Can someone please explain to me the difference?

Thank you all in advance for any help,
Glen

 

[Sully2]

Hello everyone,
I have recently acquired a Remington 700 VLS in 260 Remington and have been working on making it my first long range gun in hopes of being able to shoot a thousand with it. This is really my first attempt at long range past 300 or 400 yards. It is something that really intrigues me and that I would like to get in to.

I have been saving and it is time that I invest in a good scope for it but I am quite green on what to look for. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I would like to keep the price $1200 or less. That is the max my budget will allow right now. I have read good things about the Nightforce SHV, Vortex Viper PST, and SFWA SS scopes but I am open to any suggestions. Like I said I am pretty green with high end scopes and their features. I know NF is great but didn't know if there was anything else out there that would be better in that price range or not.

I currently have a old millett 6-24x56 on my 260 now but I know I need something that will track better and have better optics.

I am somewhat familiar with moa but I don't see a reason why I couldn't pick up mrad or mill if need be if there is an advantage?

Also I read a lot online about first focal plane and second focal plane. Can someone please explain to me the difference?

Thank you all in advance for any help,
Glen

Contact CameraLand..a sponser here...on a Zeiss scope from 6X-18X....you'll love it and the demo prices are way below 1000.

 

[jpd676]

You have a lot of options in that price range. I have a 10X ss on my .260 and it will go 1000 no problem. It is far from a "high end" scope but is repeatable and durable as could be. The SS scopes are great and their 5-20 would be awesome. I had a Vortex but it didn't have quite enough elevation to reach 1000 yards on my .260, so you might need a 20 moa base for that one. Nightforce is great but I didn't like the turrets. I think a Sightron SIII 6-24 would be ideal for that rifle. Sightron has excellent glass, is durable and repeatable and has 100 moa of travel.

First focal plane means the reticle will shrink and grow based on the magnification setting. For example, 3x it will be small at 15X it will be large. The mil dots or MOA lines run true at every power setting.

A second focal plane scope means the reticle stays the same size at all power levels. The MOA lines or mil dots are only true on one power, usually the highest setting.

FFP costs more to build. FFP is more for a tactical scope so you can use the reticle to estimate range at any power. SFP is less expensive and is more common in hunting scopes. There isn't really a best, just personal preference.

 

[BergerBoy]

FFP costs more to build. FFP is more for a tactical scope so you can use the reticle to estimate range at any power. SFP is less expensive and is more common in hunting scopes. There isn't really a best, just personal preference.[/QUOTE]


How is that? Milling a target at low power is next to impossible even though it IS theroreticlly possible at any power in a FFP scope. I have several FFP scopes and it is my opinion that they are next to worthless on low power when it comes to reading the reticles. It's not until you get ~ half the mag power that you will appreciate what a FFP scope can do. I didn't like them at first but now I have 3 including a BEAST. I am not fully convinced that they worth the extra money tho. I guess it would depend on the application. IMO there is no need to buy FFP for hunting.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Along with the models you're considering, check out the Burris XTR-II for around $1k.

 

[jpd676]

Bergerboy,

I agree with what you are saying about a FFP scope. I have one and can't range with it on the low end of the power but it can be used at any point you can make out the reticle. On my SIII 6-24 it is also hard to use the reticle to range at 24X (where the marks are true) as the magnification is very high. I agree a FFP scope isn't necessary for hunting and the extra cost isn't worth it for me. I use a range finder for all of my ranging and I find that using a mildot master for long range estimations isn't good enough for me to be confident (at least with my eye sight). I'm definitely a SFP fan as I prefer to see the same reticle every time I look through the scope, regardless of the power setting.

 

[FEENIX]

Hello everyone,
I have recently acquired a Remington 700 VLS in 260 Remington and have been working on making it my first long range gun in hopes of being able to shoot a thousand with it. This is really my first attempt at long range past 300 or 400 yards. It is something that really intrigues me and that I would like to get in to.

I have been saving and it is time that I invest in a good scope for it but I am quite green on what to look for. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I would like to keep the price $1200 or less. That is the max my budget will allow right now. I have read good things about the Nightforce SHV, Vortex Viper PST, and SFWA SS scopes but I am open to any suggestions. Like I said I am pretty green with high end scopes and their features. I know NF is great but didn't know if there was anything else out there that would be better in that price range or not.

I currently have a old millett 6-24x56 on my 260 now but I know I need something that will track better and have better optics.

I am somewhat familiar with moa but I don't see a reason why I couldn't pick up mrad or mill if need be if there is an advantage?

Also I read a lot online about first focal plane and second focal plane. Can someone please explain to me the difference?

Thank you all in advance for any help,
Glen

Glen,

Before I got my SWFA 5-20x50 HD FFP, I was looking hard at the NF SHV, I am very pleased with it and the clarity and repeatability is simply awesome.

Most of my scopes are SFPs except for my last 2 purchases (Burris Veracity 4-20x50 FFP and of course the SWFA) and I am very happy thus far with transitioning to FFP.

This boils down to personal preference and the intended application. Vortex does an excellent job in explaining the difference between SFP and FFP ...

[ame]https://youtu.be/4XgugJSqpoE?t=5[/ame]

Not all FFPs are created equal or designed well, Sightron is an excellent scope but their FFP reticle design in not (hard to see at low magnification). There's a thread about it and hopefully someone will chime in with it.

ADDED: Found the video link ...

[ame]https://youtu.be/-4Avq4t8jaE?t=29[/ame]


Good luck and happy safe shooting/hunting. Cheers!

Ed

 

[BergerBoy]

Bergerboy,

I agree with what you are saying about a FFP scope. I have one and can't range with it on the low end of the power but it can be used at any point you can make out the reticle. On my SIII 6-24 it is also hard to use the reticle to range at 24X (where the marks are true) as the magnification is very high. I agree a FFP scope isn't necessary for hunting and the extra cost isn't worth it for me. I use a range finder for all of my ranging and I find that using a mildot master for long range estimations isn't good enough for me to be confident (at least with my eye sight). I'm definitely a SFP fan as I prefer to see the same reticle every time I look through the scope, regardless of the power setting.

Cool. I'm glad we agree to agree. I think that with a SFP scope you really only need to know 2 settings- max. and what ever 1/2 your magnification is... Max power would make your reticle subs. true value and half would make it double the reticle value shown. At least that is what I do to keep it simple. I hope that makes sense...

IMO it is impossible to do any ACCURATE long distance shooting by milling a target. I am talking about 600 yards and out. I have done it by walking my rounds in on a static target but we all know that would not work in a hunting and/or tactical situation.
***The further out you go the more important/critical it is to know your exact distance. First round hits are next to impossible and if you ever get one it is just luck. With a laser range finder first round hits are MUCH more possible.

Scopes are a MUCH debated topic. I think it is because some have had luck with certain ones while others have not. If you have had issues with a particular scope model and/or brand it has most likely ****ed you off bc of the time and money you put in trying to get the weapon set up correctly only to be screwed by a scope that had mechanical/optical issues, etc...

What ever scope you buy SFP or FFP and from what ever manufacture I wish you all the best of luck with them.