The Weaver T36 and Sightron Series II 36X42 are both superb scopes (I own three of them in total) and have the advantage of only around a pound weight when putting an F/TR rifle together with its 8.25kg overall allowed weight i/c scope & bi-pod.
You are however limited with a 36X fixed power scope if the mirage is heavy, or the conditions are very dark - the latter more of an issue in the UK over the last few summers.
For my Savage PT action based .223 Rem long-range F/TR rifle, I decided to go for a lighter barrel profile and a heavier scope employing a Sightron 8-32X I already had, but was using on another rifle.
Finances had ruled out an NF NXS or similar at the time I bought this scope and I got hold of a very early production model Sightron Series III 8-32X56 LR target scope at a very advantageous (read bargain!) price after reading reviews on this site. The Sightron is a truly remarkable scope for the money and I've never regretted buying it. It has since been improved marginally with a smaller central reticle dot and more pronounced turret 'clicks'.
Since then, I've acquired a Nightforce 8-32X56 NF and S&B 12-50X56 PMII (a huge, heavy bruiser!), both superb scopes, but the Sightron gives nothing away to them at all in any performance area, and is a lot cheaper than them in the UK. I'm so pleased with my existing two Sightron fixed powers and the 8-32 that I have a second 8-32X56 set aside for me and ready for collection by our importer / distributor Aim Field Sports, but one in the new Tactical Mil-Dot range.
So far as the fixed powers go both the T24/T36 and Sightron equivalents are really good models. I'm not 100% sure about the Weaver turret knob markings now though after a couple of seasons of long-range F Class shooting with them. For those unfamiliar with the system, the markings go in MOA / eighth-MOA sub-divisions, as a plus or minus half way round the knob, so as you turn one it reads + 1 MOA (or Right 1-MOA), then half way round a full turn at 5 or 6 MOA (I can't remember the exact figure), you get the same value a second time and it now decreases back to 0 by one MOA with each additional eight clicks, so what starts being shown as right wind becomes a reducing amount of left wind as you read it on the knob! You can reset the knobs easily to 0 at the start of a match so you can quickly and easily read your changes from zero made as the match progresses - providing you don't get more than the five or six minutes of wind that sees you beyond half a full turn when adding wind becomes a reducing figure so far as the knob markings are concerned. It then becomes very easy to get 'lost'. I think it's an excellent system for short-range shooting, but has drawbacks for long-range F especially in F/TR where you may have 10 or more minutes wind on. I like having a scope where I get an accurate 100yd wind zero at 100yd and the markings are such I can always return to it at any time.
So, my recommendations for what they are worth is Sightron, and if you can afford both the money and an extra pound weight penalty, go for the variable Series III side-focus target model. Even though I use mine more or less permanently on 32 power, it is really useful to be able to turn the power down if the conditions demand it, and equally vitally when setting the rifle up at the start of a match and you want to be sure you're aiming at the right target! (You can also turn the power down during a match to see what the wind has done to other other targets / hits down the line - not an issue so much in the USA with string shooting, but an advantage here in the UK sometimes as we shoot alternately, sometimes even three to a target.)
Laurie,
York, England