Sufficient magnification and scope for 100 Yards and silhouette

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Blizzaine

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Jun 27, 2019
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I’ve been wracking my brain trying to decide between a NF SHV 5-20 for shooting bench and silhouette out to 100 yards and scopes close in comparison. The nightforce is within my budget, but it is also SFP, so while I may be able to rock good groups at 100 yards at 20x, i’m not sure of my target acquisition and field of view for silhouette shooting at that magnification. I wish NF had a 5-20 FFP around 1500 bucks, that would solve this issue. Do you guys feel that 20X is still enough for 100 yard bench rest and if not, what is comfortable? 



I guess what I’m trying to ask is what is the best FFP scope at or above 20x that is comparable somewhat to the SHV 5-20 for around 1500 or less? I’ve heard good things about the Athlon line. Vortex 6-24 gen 2? Or just stick with the Nightforce and silhouette shoot at 20x?
 
Nightforce SHV is a great scope, it is SFP but that's no big deal unless you're using the spacing to range game. If you dial, it won't matter. 

I prefer FFP scopes but have many of both, there's not really that much difference, people just love to argue about FFP vs. SFP. I have a Athlon Ares BTR FFP and it's a great scope too. I paid $800 and unfortunately, good for you, they went on sale around Memorial Day, so you can find them on E-Bay new for around $600.

I also really love the Leupold VXIII LRP FFP, you can get the 8.5-25x50 for about $999. It's a phenomenal scope for that price! 

For a bit more, another SFP worth looking at is the Vortex Golden Eagle, I've been looking at one hard lately. 15-60x52mm. They're awesome too, with a lot more magnification. New on E-Bay for $1499 or used if you can find one for about $900. Best warranty in the business too.

Just a couple of options, good luck.

Stoti
 
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I was wondering about the same questions (but lack experience). I watched some EBR and RMAC silhouette video and noted that nobody is dialing anything on the scope during shooting. Knowing holdovers for the distance changes makes sense, but how do they deal with parallax at the various distances? It seems like the targets might be pretty blurry at either the short or far ends depending on where you set it (I assume at the average distance). If using a lower magnification level is part of the answer, how low does it need to go? 
 
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I have the Athlon Ares ETR. It's right around $1200. I think Matt Dubber used one this year at RMAC.

The reviews I've seen rate it comparable to mid tier 1 scopes costing over 2x the cost.

It's a 34mm tube so adjustable rings for a pic rail are hard to find. AoA has them for dovetail.

The parallax only goes down to 25 yards, but I've had no problem with it at 15
 
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Smallbore 22LR silhouette is shot at 100 meters or about 109 yards. The most popular scope used id the 6.5-20 Leupold EFR. They poll such things at nationals etc. Anyway 20X is a good magnification, but higher than 15X or so can really show heat mirage, so adjustable mag is desirable depending on conditions. At 20X with a Leupold the field of view is a bit limited, so it may be hard to see the bank of target #. I personally like 20X and I use that power the most. EFR allows for close practice such as indoor dry fire. 
 
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I was wondering about the same questions (but lack experience). I watched some EBR and RMAC silhouette video and noted that nobody is dialing anything on the scope during shooting. Knowing holdovers for the distance changes makes sense, but how do they deal with parallax at the various distances? It seems like the targets might be pretty blurry at either the short or far ends depending on where you set it (I assume at the average distance). If using a lower magnification level is part of the answer, how low does it need to go?
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You can deal with parallax by setting it at about 1/2-2/3 to the farthest target depending on magnification, it will be fine. If you know the drop at different points on your reticle there is no need to dial your turret, especially in speed events, that would be counter productive. Most dial at longer distances when time isn't an issue. The minimum focus distance is like 15yds. which is a plus too. I've been looking at the Golden Eagle for a while and noticed that Edosan has one on his Impact. I asked him about it and he said it is spectacular. I've been watching E-Bay for a good deal. Right now there is a Golden Eagle with the regular thin crosshair reticle for $750 and a Golden Eagle with the ECR-1 reticle for $1250. I did a search on successful auctions since Jan. 2019 and the average selling price is about $900 for the scope with the better ECR-1 reticle. If you watch and wait, you can get a smoking deal. Or, if you're ex military or a first responder you can get 40% off directly from Vortex.

Stoti
 
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