Thread: What scope to choose (.22 benchrest)?

Guys, I use a CZ457 varmint for rimfire benchrest shooting.
It's a great wee rifle.
But...what scope to choose now. I tried a Leupold 45x45 Competition but it wasn't happy at only 25 yards range (and to be fair...that scope was never designed for that use anyway).
I can get an older new/unused Weaver T36 with the fine cross hair reticle. But at 74 I do worry that maybe I might have trouble seeing those fine cross hairs.
I can't see the scope...it's in Oz. So can't test it out.
It has a 25mm (1") tube, and will focus down to about 15yards.
Price wise...about $NZ900 by the time it gets here.
Or, do I just get a modern vari scope such as an Athlon Argos BTR 10-40? (has a 30mm tube).
Then I can wind the magnification up or down to suit the target conditions (or mirage if I ever shoot outdoors).
Price about $1000-1100, and it too will focus down to 10-15 yards.
I know the Weaver is good, and the China made glass not so good.
But I'm not intending to shoot in the Olympics. I just shoot for my own entertainment and enjoyment...but I also like to shoot well.
I just want a decent sight picture, and a reticle I can see easily.
Any thoughts?
Thanks.

I got a 12-42(I think, been a while since i checked it) Nightforce NXS with a fine crosshair, meant for benchrest and F class if that would work? I'm not using it so I should probably move it on.

I'll flick you a PM.
Thanks.

I got a Konus Pro 6-24x50 ffp mrad scope for my EM332 prs rifle

Originally Posted by cambo

I got a Konus Pro 6-24x50 ffp mrad scope for my EM332 prs rifle

I see that Konus make an M30 12.5-50x56...and that would be great for me, but I worried about the quality of the glass.
Will it go all soft looking, and blurry if I set it on 50x?
How sharp is your image?
Thanks.

@Tentman

For what it's worth, my wife and I are in our 70's. We had a T36 FCH DOT on an Anschutz 1710 and it went down the road pretty quickly - Neither of us could see the reticle well and by the end of a session, we both experienced eye strain. That scope was replaced with a Clearidge 6-20 with fine duplex DOT which works very well in a BR situation up to 100 yards.

https://shop.theopticzone.com/rifle-...ot-matte-3640/

I've recently been running two Meopta Optika 6 in 4.5-27 with the BDC3 reticle. The glass in these scopes is very clear and the DOT covers roughly .2" @ 100 yards. Clarity and reticle choice are more important to me than top end power.

https://www.meoptasportsoptics.com/e...x50-sfp-13174/

None of these are purpose built BR scopes but are adequate and reasonably priced for a person who shoots for pleasure.

Originally Posted by Grey Kiwi

I see that Konus make an M30 12.5-50x56...and that would be great for me, but I worried about the quality of the glass.
Will it go all soft looking, and blurry if I set it on 50x?
How sharp is your image?
Thanks.

Its mint.
Very happy with it.
Its not a huge dollar project and I wasn't interested in spending moonbeams on it.

If you want a quality high magnification scope with good Japanese glass and great tracking, then I would always recommend a second-hand Sightron.

The money you spend for them s/h makes them great value, and if they were originally purchased in NZ, they will come with the NZ Sightron lifetime warranty.

What I can say about the Sightron is the Exactrac mechanism is absolutely spot on and dials perfectly. Sightron is highly rated for this feature. The only scope that probably dials better would be the Nightforce but that is quite a bit more expensive.

I have the Sightron SIII SS 10-50x60 with MOA-2 reticle and find the glass and tracking exceptional. My scope focuses down to 10 yds and if you are interested I could be convinced to sell it. PM me if you are...

Haha @viper - like I know much. My thoughts vary considerably from most peoples- I can shoot my best groups with a very clear 10x scope. Not because i have any sort of exceptional eyesight, actually the contary, I have tired 60 year old short sighted eyes! And they tire quickly, they can only hold focus for 10 seconds or so. My preference is to allow the eyes "natural" qualities work for me. I like
A big aiming point that allows the eye to quarter
or centre white space - eyes are good at this but most poeple try to outsmart themselves with high power and fine reticles, which works ok for younger eyes but gets increasingly more difficult as you get older.

Originally Posted by Hermitage

If you want a quality high magnification scope with good Japanese glass and great tracking, then I would always recommend a second-hand Sightron.

The money you spend for them s/h makes them great value, and if they were originally purchased in NZ, they will come with the NZ Sightron lifetime warranty.

What I can say about the Sightron is the Exactrac mechanism is absolutely spot on and dials perfectly. Sightron is highly rated for this feature. The only scope that probably dials better would be the Nightforce but that is quite a bit more expensive.

I have the Sightron SIII SS 10-50x60 with MOA-2 reticle and find the glass and tracking exceptional. My scope focuses down to 10 yds and if you are interested I could be convinced to sell it. PM me if you are...

Sightron is one of those booths at shot show that is huge with massive range of products but always empty. I see them as a manufacturer who knows how to build a fantastic product but doesn’t have a market for. Except maybe bench test.

What are the features of a bench rest scope?

I had a look at leupold 45 and weaver T 36. Apart from being fixed power, which I don't think is a feature, I don't see anything special.

They are neither cheap nor particularly sharp compared with variable power scopes.

Originally Posted by Ultimitsu

What are the features of a bench rest scope?

I had a look at leupold 45 and weaver T 36. Apart from being fixed power, which I don't think is a feature, I don't see anything special.

They are neither cheap nor particularly sharp compared with variable power scopes.

An accurate benchrest rifle, deserves a rifle scope that can go the distance and give you accurate results. Therefore a benchrest scope is all about precision - mechanical precision and optical precision are of utmost importance. It's also about high-end, high-magnification scopes. For me this basically means choosing a quality brand name, as I feel it's essential for quality assurance, durability, optical clarity at higher power, and lifetime warranty.

Taking the above factors into consideration, my choices would be limited to five scopes: Weaver T-36, Leupold 45x Competition, Nightforce Precision Benchrest 12-42x, Sightron SIII 10-50x, and March 8-80x 56 scopes.
These scopes have very accurate detailed target-style turrets with very fine adjustments of 1/8 MOA. Reticles are either fine crosshairs to allow for adjustments and target focus without any 'clutter' like PRS scopes. Or they can come with an open central dot of 1/16”, 3/32” or 1/8” Minute-of-Angle (MOA).

I have this for sale japan made weaver 6-20x40 with fine benchrest style retacle
Ive got a couple of them
I used to use for 25m competition
$450 posted