Semi-Long Range Rifle Options

[Captcurt]

!8X is alright at 500 yards for me, but I would want more magnification and better quality glass at the longer ranges. We have only shot to 500 yards and the 18 X worked fine. Mirage is your biggest problem the higher the magnification goes.

I have a well heeled buddy (Yuppy really) who has to have the best of everything. We were over a mile from some ducks and geese on the river. I was using a small pair of Swift binoculars and could barely tell the difference between the ducks and the geese. Though Dave's Swarovski's I could see the cheek patch on the Canadas. Quality counts.

 

[1066]

Well I'm a bit of a Savage fan and have a couple of F-12's, one in 6.5-284 and another in 6BR. Very good out of the box accuracy, easy switch barrels with no smithing charges. If you don't want to stretch to an aftermarket trigger the factory accutrigger goes down to quite light (around 10oz for the F12 PTA action)
My 6.5 fairly regularly puts in 10 shot groups in 1moa at 1,000 yards.

 

[Walkalong]

Mirage is present at any power, but the higher you go the more everything is magnified, including mirage, so the higher the power the worse the mirage. I shot a fixed 36X in Benchrest and sometimes the mirage was so bad all you could "see" was the thick black square on the target, and it was a blur. You could still shoot small groups (Assuming you don't screw up), but you had no idea how big/small until they brought the targets in.

 

[taliv]

Mirage can be annoying but it’s usually not much of a problem. The real problem with high magnification is that it varies inversely with field of view and pretty soon it’s like you’re looking through a soda straw

 

[TikkaShooter]

This isn’t a thing. At all.



Nor is this.

Mirage has absolutely nothing to do with any scope. The light is bent (refracted) by passing through regions of changing air temperatures (and resulting densities). No scope can fix that.

An ARD, effectively a polarizer, can reduce glare in the scope, but it cannot reduce mirage. You can reduce the glare from a mirage layer to see through the layer slightly better, but the light passing through thermal variances is still being bent. The target might have been glazed by glare without the ARD, and you might see it a bit better with it, but that target might still not be located where it appears, as the light is bent on its way to the shooter.

It is true, at lower magnifications, the shooter might not be able to perceive the mirage as well as they can at higher magnification, and it is true, that twitchy mirage can be distracting to the shooter, but the statements above are pure bunk.

Not the scope; however, the power of the scope. Where did you get the brand name of the scope?

Pure bunk? Have you ever read the nuances of the wind using mirage?

Here are some decent reads on the subject:

http://www.opticstalk.com/high-magnification-and-mirage_topic33513.html
As usual, some of it is internet hokey and some spot on.

http://southtexasshooting.org/multimedia/text/mirage.html
This article is an excellent read on the subject.

"A mirage condition is not a handicap, since it offers a very accurate method of perceiving small wind changes which, if
time permits, may be waited out. Not all wind changes can be waited out; therefore the shooter needs some
understanding of the ways in which various mirage conditions can affect the target image.

The term ”mirage” as used by the shooter does not refer to a true mirage, but to heat waves and the refraction of light
as it is bent passing through air layers of different density. Light which passes obliquely from one wind medium to
another it undergoes an abrupt change in direction, whenever its velocity in the second medium is different from the
velocity in the first wind medium; the shooter will see a “mirage”.

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2016/8/17/how-to-read-mirage-to-estimate-wind-speed/
With experience or knowledge mirage can be and aid estimating wind speed by the vertical rise of mirage. And, there is a difference in the affect or near wind and far wind.

Then there is barrel mirage created by a hot barrel.

If you wish I can furnish more links.

Other than this; I'm finished with the debate.

 

[taliv]

I think you’ve misunderstood varmints post. None of what he said was wrong.

 

[Varminterror]

The term ”mirage” as used by the shooter does not refer to a true mirage, but to heat waves and the refraction of light
as it is bent passing through air layers of different density.

Yup...

The light is bent (refracted) by passing through regions of changing air temperatures (and resulting densities). No scope can fix that.

 

[Varminterror]

Mirage can be somewhat eliminated with a sun shade or ARD (anti reflection device).
There are 2 cures for mirage.
A. less magnification

Defend how reducing magnification can stop light from refracting hundreds of yards away from the scope? Recognizing here, the “light” in question is the image of the target on its way from the physical target to the shooters eye.

Equally, defend that an ARD, effectively a macro-scale polarizer, can stop the refraction of this light, the target image, hundreds of yards away from the scope.

Got a link for that?

 

[MistWolf]

...Looking for opinions, ideas or recommendations...

Buy a Glock in 6.5 Creedmore.

 

[viking499]

Buy a Glock in 6.5 Creedmore.

Is that the Gen 15 model?

 

[Stevel]

If your rifle is already accurate, spend the $ on glass. A higher quality lower power scope will serve you better than a higher magnification scope with lesser quality glass.

I believe the Meopta R1 series just came out with a compensating reticle of some sort. The glass on those tend to be pretty good and right around your price range.

For a budget scope the SWFA SS series tends to offer a pretty good value. I think their fixed 10x or 10xhd would do what you are looking for. Also the 3-15 if you really want a variable.

This guy has some experience and goes over scope magnification in this video.

 

[MistWolf]

Is that the Gen 15 model?

Gen 6.5

 

[Walkalong]

Bushnell has a new FFP scope (The Match Pro) with an MRSP of $499 they say is supposed to be the most bang for the buck in that price range.

Vortex has one in the $400 range.

That said, many scopes will "work". Hard to beat a good FFP scope for target work beyond 400/500 yards though.

 

[TikkaShooter]

Varminterror, I already said "Other than this; I'm finished with the debate."

 

[Varminterror]

Varminterror, I already said "Other than this; I'm finished with the debate."

I did ask for more links. You offered, I accepted.

 

[Varminterror]

Bushnell has a new FFP scope (The Match Pro) with an MRSP of $499 they say is supposed to be the most bang for the buck in that price range.

Vortex has one in the $400 range.

That said, many scopes will "work". Hard to beat a good FFP scope for target work beyond 400/500 yards though.

I’m looking hard at a Match Pro or the Diamondback Tactical for my son. I played briefly with the Diamondback last season, and it seemed very good for the money and considering the rest of the Diamondback line. I’m generally more of a Bushnell fan, however, so I’m glad to see them bring out the Match Pro in that class, and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one soon.

Stepping up a little in price, the Bushnell Forge and Vortex Viper HSLR are good options for a moderate budget, FFP, longer range optic.

 

[viking499]

I actually held and played with a Diamondback 4-16 last night that I liked.

 

[TikkaShooter]

I did ask for more links. You offered, I accepted.

Might I say do your own research as I have better things to do with my time..