What kind of scope for shooting outdoor small bore prone?

[BAtarget]

My friend shoots with a 16x i shoot with a 24x. I beat him, he beats me. Though, i wouldn't recommend going over 24x. The more you maginify the target, the more you magnify your heartbeat, and the more mirage you see. I have shot with David Cramer and he shoots with a 30x or 35x scope. But hes a master with years under his belt.

[WesternGrizzly]

Weaver T-36. 1/8th dot.

I love it. I don't think I would ever want to go BELOW 36 power for a smallbore scope.
Matt

[Eric U]

I've got a hold as good or better than anyone and don't like the higher power scopes. I've got a 36x Weaver that I use for testing, but it never gets shot out of position. My 25x Leupold is pretty nice and I wouldn't want to go any higher. Heck, I won one 6400 match with an old Leupold 10x target scope that had about a 3/8 minute dot. It wasn't much bigger than a hunting scope so the lighter weight paid off over the four-day match.

Eric U

[Levergun59]

The one thing that is so nice about externally adjusted scopes is that you are always looking through the optical center of the scope. You can come close with an internally adjusted one, that is until you change distances. You get spherical abberations and other distortion as the crosshairs get closer to the edges of the tube. It is not so much a big deal in 22 unless you shoot 200yds, but it is a huge deal in highpower Palma.
Anything over 20x and mirage is terrible.
Chris

[PaulB]

I have used a Redfield 3200 in 20x with about 3/4 minute dot for over 30 years. Shot many 40x's, 1600's and a couple 3200's with it.

[Albert T]

Eric, you mentioned you use a 36x scope for ammo testing. I wonder, does a scope effect barrel/system vibrations when compared to having mounted iron rearsight? or is the difference in stiffness of the system so small it is not detectable?

Thanks,
Albert B (The Netherlands)

[Eric U]

With a properly bedded barreled action, there should be little to no difference between having a scope mounted on the receiver and having a rear sight there. Of course, my rifles are glass pillar bedded in wood stocks. There may be some difference in an aluminum stock with the rubber pads in them. I don't know. It's when you affect the vibrations of that free-floated barrel that things can change. In the old days of American Prone, people used barrel mounted scopes all the time.

Eric U

[robf]

The one thing that is so nice about externally adjusted scopes is that you are always looking through the optical center of the scope. You can come close with an internally adjusted one, that is until you change distances. You get spherical abberations and other distortion as the crosshairs get closer to the edges of the tube. It is not so much a big deal in 22 unless you shoot 200yds, but it is a huge deal in highpower Palma.
Anything over 20x and mirage is terrible.
Chris

What sort of MOA drop are you getting then? Because use up to 18 MOA off optical centre and with a variety of scopes never see CA or spherical aberration. The only time spherical comes into play is when i drop down to say 8 or 10x on some scopes, but up on 40 or 60x there isn't any because the FOV is tiny anyway. Heat distortion can be a problem if it's a low frequency undulation, but faster stuff is fine and even better with high mag because you can see it move behind the target.

[metermatch]

I have a Leupold 6.5-20x AO Vari-x 3 scope that was modified by Dick Thomas of Premier Reticle to a 18-40x scope in 1986. !/8 minute dot with fine crosshair. Scope works perfect to this day. He was a popular modifier of scopes (deceased) for the rifle silhouette boys. My gun/scope combo doesn't need to make too many clicks, as I just hold off on the rings instead of clicking and wearing out the scope.

Jeff

[Levergun59]

Highpower Palma, 800,900 and 1000yds I think require the most minutes of any competition, but I am not sure 100%. Fullbore might require more and since they also shoot short distances to start, you might not be able to shim the rifle scope up 20 min. Easily 60 min of elevation. It also depends on the scope. Some have more elevation and windage than others.