Choosing first scope

Rifle scopes, iron sights and optics. Spotting scopes and target acquisition devices.

Choosing first scope

Post by JesseW97 » 07 Oct 2020, 9:11 pm

Hay there I just wanted some advice on choosing my very first rail, mounts and scope for my rifle, as im new to the shooting world I just purchased my first rifle (Tikka T3x Lite stainless steel barrel) and im a little confused due to the wide range of options on what I will need for my rifle. I would like to keep the price of my scope around the $500 and under mark. I apologise on asking such a newby question but I feel getting advice from you guys is the right way to go so I dont have to go into the store and ask 100 questions. I will be using my rifle for hunting and for target shooting at the range.

Cheers, hope to hear back from you soon.
Regards, Jesse.
Gamo Black Night - .177
Tikka T3x Lite Stainless - .22-250
Tikka T3x Roughtech Ember - .308
CZ Shadow 2 SA - 9mm
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Re: Choosing first scope

Post by TassieTiger » 07 Oct 2020, 10:50 pm

What calibre? What type of shooting - close in or long range ? What type of quarry - big difference in deer vs bunny ? Are you walking (want light weight) or driving ? What are your expectations for the optics ?
$500 is not a lot of you have to buy bases and rings as well as scope - it’s going to get you a second hand mid range scope or a pretty decent Chinese special, so you shouldn’t expect wonderous clarity at that price point.
Tikka .260 (Z5 5x25/52)
Steyr Pro Varmint .223 - VX 3
CZ455 .22 & Norinco .22 (vtex 4-12, bush 3-9)
ATA 686 U/O 12g & Baikal S/S 12g.
Adler a110 reddot
Sauer 30-06 - VX 3
Howa 300 win mag. SHV 5-20/56
Marlin SBL 45/70
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Re: Choosing first scope

Post by Bugman » 08 Oct 2020, 7:51 am

Tassie is right. It depends on the caliber, what you are hunting etc. Magnum Sports had some Leupold VX Freedom scopes on sale a while back and I managed to get one for my Weatherby Vanguard 243 at a reasonable price.
Anyhow sit down and work out what you want to get, do some on line research and go from there. :)
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Re: Choosing first scope

Post by juano86 » 08 Oct 2020, 8:09 am

The Tikka's go great with the Talley Lightweight ('Low' for 40mm objective scopes) rings. These go for about $100 and are the simplest, lightest and consistent one piece design iv used. As mentioned above, depending on the caliber, quarry and distances you are shooting will determine the scope you require. Also mentioned above is the Leupold VX freedom range. a good all-rounder would be the 3-9x40 VX Freedom. It may be slightly over your $500 budget, but very worth it when you factor the quality of the glass and the warranty etc. They come up second hand for sale for $300-400 quite often too.
@juan_hunts
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Re: Choosing first scope

Post by Skinna » 08 Oct 2020, 11:13 am

Good all-round scope for beginner...
https://www.steelosgunsandoutdoors.com. ... doa-lr600/

Good set of rings you'll keep forever...
https://australiantacticalprecision.com ... ope-rings/

OR...Good enough cheaper set of rings...better to lap them if you can, very easy to lap.
https://australiantacticalprecision.com ... ope-rings/

Rails...
https://australiantacticalprecision.com ... ikka-sako/
Or...
https://australiantacticalprecision.com ... ikka-sako/

BTW that scope looks like its at old price...buy it if they have it before someone else does...current pprice is normally over $100 more

:drinks:
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Re: Choosing first scope

Post by TassieTiger » 08 Oct 2020, 12:03 pm

Wow! Nice find Skinna. I saw one of those scopes on web recently $500!
Tikka .260 (Z5 5x25/52)
Steyr Pro Varmint .223 - VX 3
CZ455 .22 & Norinco .22 (vtex 4-12, bush 3-9)
ATA 686 U/O 12g & Baikal S/S 12g.
Adler a110 reddot
Sauer 30-06 - VX 3
Howa 300 win mag. SHV 5-20/56
Marlin SBL 45/70
TassieTiger
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Posts: 3704
Tasmania

Re: Choosing first scope

Post by rc42 » 08 Oct 2020, 12:05 pm

How you intend to use it is everything, but as a general guidelines for scopes:


First Focal Plane (FFP) - Reticule size changes with zoom level, great when changing zoom at a any distance as the holdover remains the same on the reticule markings, well suited to hunting but not good for target work as the cross hair can obscure the target at high zoom.

Second Focal Plane (SFP) - Most common type, if it doesn't say FFP then it's this. Reticule always looks the same at any zoom level, good for target work at high zoom, harder to calculate holdover if you change zoom and shooting distance.

Zoom/Magnification levels - low zoom good for close range work and tracking faster moving targets when hunting, high zoom best for fixed target shooting at long distance. A fixed zoom scope will usually have better image quality as there are fewer lenses but these are increasingly rare and generally just for fixed distance target work.

Parallax adjustment - Works like a focus but when set correctly moving your eye does not change where the crosshairs are located on the target. Cheaper scopes have fixed parallax at around 100m and the view can get blurred below about 20m. Cheek weld and head position is more important if you don't have parallax adjustment.

Lens size and tube size - Larger front objective and larger diameter tube let more light in so are better for dawn/dusk shooting.

Reticule - MIL or MOA? for almost everyone it doesn't matter, Google if you want the details. Illumination is nice for low light shooting and etched reticules are sharper with more detail than wire crosshairs. Lots of markings are good for holdover estimation but you can ignore them most of the time.

Cheapness/Value - Some cheap scopes are prone to self adjustment under recoil so the zero point keeps changing also the tracking can be poor on them so up/down and left/right adjustments don't move in straight lines, some also don't return to the same point for example if you move 20 clicks one way then 20 clicks back. Such scopes are junk but they look the same on the outside, beware of bargains although some can be great value.
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