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Help with a Budget F-class scope.

I'm looking for a scope with light weight, tall turrets and a 30mm tube. Money is a bit tight so I'm looking at spending around $500 at most until I can afford a nice Nightforce. I'd prefer a variable power up to 24x. I've looked at a few Millets, Vortexes, Valdada, Bushnell, and others. I've used a Hawke Eclipse before and while it was a great scope, it's a bit too heavy. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
 
Have you looked at the SWFA SS scopes?
They're nice scopes if you can live without variable power and live with 22 oz..
 
Might try a weaver T36. Should work pretty well for you if you are not in a high mirrage condition. Might need a little extra elevation in the mount setup to get you the distance too, depending on what caliber you are shooting. I hear the glass is good and the turrets are great.
 
Completely agree on the T36. I have one on a Rem700 243. The picture is very fine under
even low light and I use Burris Signature rings to give it a bit of elevation boost, but again
no variable power. Only shoot to 300yds. so don't know how it looks at long range. I have
the 10X SWFA SS on my M1A. I'm pretty much sold on fixed power, less to screw up and I'd
rather not pay for an option I don't need. I use a Nikon 4.5>14 on a Savage 10 that's been
sitting at 14X since the day I mounted it.

When convinced I'm outshouting those scopes I'll move up to Nightforce quality glass.
 
+1 on weaver T36, they are a good buy that you will probably want to keep for another rifle if you upgrade.

-Mac
 
SS 20x
Weaver T36
Weaver T24 if you think mirage would be too much
Sightron makes a fixed 20 or 24 also.
older Leupold 36x benchrest
Burris 8-32
 
Look for a used 6-24 viper PST. I bought a new SFP model for $675 a few months ago. Also see used sightron s111 6-24s going for around $650 on the forum from time to time.
 
I guess I'll finally mention it. I shoot MR F-class (600y) with a Barska 6-24 42AO Varmint. It was $80 with a spotting scope :)

Having it, I've found all I ever needed to know about:
Dialing out Parallax by moving my cheek weld (or the importance of a consistent cheek weld)
Clear optics and how to spot them. I can't shoot well at 24x as the image is too hazy, but 20x is fine.
The importance of a FINE cross-hair, I actually shoot with bulls-eye located 1-mil up and 1-mil right.

How great having Mil-dots are for wind reading. Not that these are accurate to measure distance, but they work great at visual Kentucky windage.

That said, my $300 Millet is now like a Ferrari and I love it, but I still use my Barska until I can afford a proper upgrade.

-Mac
 
mao0720 said:
Might try a weaver T36. Should work pretty well for you if you are not in a high mirrage condition. Might need a little extra elevation in the mount setup to get you the distance too, depending on what caliber you are shooting. I hear the glass is good and the turrets are great.
I'm currently asking the same question as the OP. I started shooting F-class with the philosophy of "I'll shoot what I own." but I think my old 12x Buris just isn't cutting it. I simply don't have ~$1600 for a NF scope. The Weaver T36 looks like a good choice under $500. The specs say it has ~41.9 MOA of adjustment. If that means ± 41.9 MOA it should be OK for even .223 or .308 at 1000 but if it's ± 20.95 MOA, that would be cutting it kinda close and the base elevation (ramp) would need to be carefully adjusted.
 
I used a T36 for two years at 300, 600, and 1K. It is a very good scope. I replaced it this year with a Sightron 10-50 and I like it better, but the T36 is a very capable scope. Barlow
 
I got a response back form Weaver saying that the T36 had a total adjustment "edge to edge" of 40 MOA. This means that the mounts on a .308 or .223 would have to be carefully ramped to have the elevation range to be usable from 100 to 1000 yards.
 
Could get a 20 MOA base and burris signature zee rings. This set up should have plenty of adjustment and could shoot 100 yards all the way out to 1k
 
Weaver T-24. It has been rock solid for several years. I've moved up to better glass with NF & March, but the Weaver never let me down.
 
the t36 is a great scope as long as you don't news a reticle for range estimation. get a moa rail mount if you need more elevation. I wouldn't get a millet. the turrets are terrible. if you need to constantly change from niners range to another you will hate it. I have 2 vortex and love them. you can also find leupold Scopes on here for that price range.
 
I started shooting 600 and 1000 yd BR with a Sightron SII 6-24. I now use a N-F 12-42 BR scope, but I WILL NOT sell the old Sightron as it is a GOOD scope and will put it on the new practice gun I am building.

It is a 1" scope, but I don't know why you are opposed to that, especially in your price range. You could probably find a good SII on ebay and if there is a problem, there is a lifetime guaranty.
If you find one for your price, the SII Big Sky is a bit better.
I also used Burris Signature ZEE mounts with 0.020 offset rings. I also use them on my N-F as they work super!
 
+1 on the weaver t 36 for bench/fclass gun. I have a Vortex PST 6-24x on my "Do all" gun. Practical/Fclass gun. Its a great scope. Tracks perfect and has good clarity to 600. Nikon makes a 18x with Milldot for around $300 or so. Decent glass and adjustment. Just a thought.
 

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