Just thinking about building a new F-Open rig and wondering what would be the top 2 or 3 scopes you would throw on your rifle this year?
Current top 2 or 3 f-open scopes
- Thread starter spitfire_er
- Start date
butchlambert
Site $$ Sponsor
March, at any price.
Here is something to look at, expense is NOT a guarantee of a good scope. Certainly MOST, but not ALL, expensive scopes are excellent. Here is a rundown of my experience:
A.) Most "bang-for-the-buck" scopes: 1.) Nightforce BR Model; 2.) Sightron 10-50...
B.) Best Scopes no matter the price: 1.) Kahles 1050; 2.) March High Master Scopes
C.) Good-- But NOT great scopes: 1.) Leupold; 2.) Vortex..
ALL of these scopes are being used and ALL work well. However, to me, Tracking, Reliability and Repeat-ability are the hallmarks of a really good scope. Then comes the ever-present Customer Service satisfaction.. Vortex, Leupold, Sightron and Kahles sit at the top of this heap. The others leave a bit to be desired!
A.) Most "bang-for-the-buck" scopes: 1.) Nightforce BR Model; 2.) Sightron 10-50...
B.) Best Scopes no matter the price: 1.) Kahles 1050; 2.) March High Master Scopes
C.) Good-- But NOT great scopes: 1.) Leupold; 2.) Vortex..
ALL of these scopes are being used and ALL work well. However, to me, Tracking, Reliability and Repeat-ability are the hallmarks of a really good scope. Then comes the ever-present Customer Service satisfaction.. Vortex, Leupold, Sightron and Kahles sit at the top of this heap. The others leave a bit to be desired!
Alex Wheeler
Site $$ Sponsor
These are the scopes I recommend based on mechanical tests. No particular order, and I would still test them all if your serious. My personal favorite is a tough choice between the March and Kahles.
March 10-60
Kahles 10-50
Votrex GE
NF BR 12-42
March 10-60
Kahles 10-50
Votrex GE
NF BR 12-42
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Definitely test them all, preferably on the firing line in shooting position. You also have to choose a reticle, which may be the overriding factor in your selection. It has been for me.
I also can't believe I left March scopes off my original post. They are first class.
R.Morehouse
Gold $$ Contributor
I use a few different March scopes on my gun's and am very satisfied. If you can find a Nightforce NSX 12-42x56 with 1/8moa adjustment, this IMO is a real sound option. I had one Kahles but not the 10-50 and it was an amazing optic. I would love to have one.......Best of luck with your build.
Regards
Rick
Regards
Rick
If you look at the equipment lists for F Open at BSW Nats for previous couple of years at least it seems that Nightforce Scopes dominate, have a look at some of the pics and YouTube vids of these events and you see a lot of NF Comps on the line.March, Sightron and Vortex commonly share 2nd,3rd and 4th.. At my local clubs the NF Comp is the most common.
Edit: Bare in mind that some of the replies above come from some extensive testing or atleast research of others that have tested scopes for various flaws eg. POA change from shot to shot being one..
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Of course price is a factor, but I'll have to make a list of what I want, talley it up and see what's in my budget. Figure I'll have at least $2,500 into rifle parts. I'll be doing the smithing, so that's no worry. I can always upgrade the scope, but would rather move to something that is much better than my old Nikon 6-24x50 which was on my old rifle for 3-600 yards.
I was thinking in the $1,500 range for a scope for myself today, but other people reading may consider these other $3k and up scopes. I might change my mind to as I go. Possibly up to $2k.
Kinda like when I was just going to re-grind my old south bend 10L, well then it should probably have a nice paint job, then it doesn't look right without polishing everything, then replace all the worn parts. My little lathe project turned into a full blown restoration. Was a show piece before I sold it though.
After dabbling in F-open for a few years, I'm going to Jump in and try to become a competitor. Going to get the best I can afford.
I was thinking in the $1,500 range for a scope for myself today, but other people reading may consider these other $3k and up scopes. I might change my mind to as I go. Possibly up to $2k.
Kinda like when I was just going to re-grind my old south bend 10L, well then it should probably have a nice paint job, then it doesn't look right without polishing everything, then replace all the worn parts. My little lathe project turned into a full blown restoration. Was a show piece before I sold it though.
After dabbling in F-open for a few years, I'm going to Jump in and try to become a competitor. Going to get the best I can afford.
All the brands an models listed so far are top notch. Your last post stated price was a consideration and you were thinking $1500 range. With that last statement you made regarding price......take a hard look at the Vortex Golden Eagle, it's close to that range. They also offer a really big service discount if you've served the US in any branch or law enforcement. This past year in Raton at the F class nationals LR. First and second place in FTR had Vortex GEs on their rigs. I know both the shooters personally and they both are very satisfied with their scopes and obviously the results.
Have or have had all but the S&B and I second "testing them every season". They are all good scopes. Tom M said it best when he wanted a NF comp (best glass) to mate with the Kahles (very solid at this weight) 
March 10-60 original
March 10-60 HM
March 10-80
Kahles 10-50
Votrex GE
NF BR 12-42
2 NF 15x55
Steve
March 10-60 original
March 10-60 HM
March 10-80
Kahles 10-50
Votrex GE
NF BR 12-42
2 NF 15x55
Steve
boltman13
Gold $$ Contributor
There is excellent advice offered here by some really experienced F-class shooters. I also was somewhat limited by what I could afford and elected to go with the Sightron 10X50 GenIII. Since then I have had the opportunity to look thru several different Nightforce and March scopes and they are slightly clearer at top magnification. I also have been able to get behind a friends Vortex GE during a match and it compared very favorably with the NF and March. That being said if I were starting over I would try to get the best deal I could on a Golden Eagle if I could afford one otherwise the Sightron GIII. If you can afford a March or NF you will not be dissapointed, however. Best of luck.
Alexander-M
Gold $$ Contributor
Here you go:
Sourec > http://www.bergerbullets.com/SW_Nationals/2018-swn-equipment-list-open.pdf
Alex
Ill take another Vortex GE any time
Turbulent Turtle
F-TR competitor
I bought my March-X 5-50X56 about 5 years ago. It has been on my F-TR rifle ever since. It has seen 3 barrels and over 10,000 rounds, most of them with 210gr bullets. It has shot at 300 to 1000 yards, been adjusted every which way. I shot it at various venues; Bayou Rifles, Phoenix, Raton, Ottawa, Lodi, etc.
Even though I try to baby my rifle at all times, it has been dropped, bumped, etc over the years during travel and setup and so on. The scope has never given my a lick of trouble, as expected, but I am also in awe of the ruggedness, repeatability and dependability of the adjustments. Let me give you a few examples that come to mind.
One of the things I do in preparation for a major match away from home is play with density altitude and try to figure out the exact adjustments that I need to apply to the riflescope before the first shot at the upcoming venue. This relies of 2 things; me doing the proper calculations for the upcoming location and the dependability of the adjustments.
My most recent example was at the Nationals in Raton last August. My last match at Bayou (elevation 45ft ASL at 95 F and 100% humidity) was at 1000 yards. A few weeks later, I rolled into Raton (elevation 6,700ft ASL @ 70F and 0.5% humidity) and took my first shot at 300 yards. My calculations were correct and the 20-some MOA dial back was precise and my very first shot of the entire week was an X.
The time before that was at Connaught in Ottawa, where I also had to convert the distance from yards to meters, along with the computing the DA. First shot was a 4, just outside the 5 but at the proper elevation.
That dependability of the adjustments and the repeatability, such as returning to 1000 yards at Bayou settings and being right on elevation every time, is critical. Here's a fun story. My first Bayou LR match after Ottawa found me struggling to figure out why my first shot was a miss. My first thought was that I was 2 revs off as sometimes happened when I went from 600 to 1000 yards. Then I remembered that I had not shot a 600 since returning and that the last match I had shot at Connaught was at 900 meters, which would be at least on paper if not in the black at 1000 yards. My turret was near the regular 0 position that indicated to me that it was set for Bayou 1000 yards.
Closer investigation of the elevation turret showed that I was exactly one rev off, which was a mystery in itself. Then the light came on.
Yes, I had shot my last individual match at Connaught at 900 meters, but as it turned out, I had set my rifle back to the 700 meter position the night before the Team Matches started. I was wind coach for the team in Ottawa and had my rifle along as backup in case one of the team members' rifle developed a problem. As the competition intensified, I forgot all about it and in the event, my rifle was not needed. After the second day of Team Matches, I packed it up and returned home in a bit of euphoria and in my Outback and forgot all about the setting.
It bit me a couple weeks later due to a weird coincidence that my come ups from 700 to 800 meters was 4.5MOA and from 800 to 900, it was 5.5MOA. The dial on my March-X is 10MOA per rev.
Now, if we could have power-driven, battery-operated, Bluetooth controlled adjustments, that would not have happened.
Even though I try to baby my rifle at all times, it has been dropped, bumped, etc over the years during travel and setup and so on. The scope has never given my a lick of trouble, as expected, but I am also in awe of the ruggedness, repeatability and dependability of the adjustments. Let me give you a few examples that come to mind.
One of the things I do in preparation for a major match away from home is play with density altitude and try to figure out the exact adjustments that I need to apply to the riflescope before the first shot at the upcoming venue. This relies of 2 things; me doing the proper calculations for the upcoming location and the dependability of the adjustments.
My most recent example was at the Nationals in Raton last August. My last match at Bayou (elevation 45ft ASL at 95 F and 100% humidity) was at 1000 yards. A few weeks later, I rolled into Raton (elevation 6,700ft ASL @ 70F and 0.5% humidity) and took my first shot at 300 yards. My calculations were correct and the 20-some MOA dial back was precise and my very first shot of the entire week was an X.
The time before that was at Connaught in Ottawa, where I also had to convert the distance from yards to meters, along with the computing the DA. First shot was a 4, just outside the 5 but at the proper elevation.
That dependability of the adjustments and the repeatability, such as returning to 1000 yards at Bayou settings and being right on elevation every time, is critical. Here's a fun story. My first Bayou LR match after Ottawa found me struggling to figure out why my first shot was a miss. My first thought was that I was 2 revs off as sometimes happened when I went from 600 to 1000 yards. Then I remembered that I had not shot a 600 since returning and that the last match I had shot at Connaught was at 900 meters, which would be at least on paper if not in the black at 1000 yards. My turret was near the regular 0 position that indicated to me that it was set for Bayou 1000 yards.
Closer investigation of the elevation turret showed that I was exactly one rev off, which was a mystery in itself. Then the light came on.
Yes, I had shot my last individual match at Connaught at 900 meters, but as it turned out, I had set my rifle back to the 700 meter position the night before the Team Matches started. I was wind coach for the team in Ottawa and had my rifle along as backup in case one of the team members' rifle developed a problem. As the competition intensified, I forgot all about it and in the event, my rifle was not needed. After the second day of Team Matches, I packed it up and returned home in a bit of euphoria and in my Outback and forgot all about the setting.
It bit me a couple weeks later due to a weird coincidence that my come ups from 700 to 800 meters was 4.5MOA and from 800 to 900, it was 5.5MOA. The dial on my March-X is 10MOA per rev.
Now, if we could have power-driven, battery-operated, Bluetooth controlled adjustments, that would not have happened.
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