quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I have a 3-10 Weaver

I don't know anything about that scope. Optics considerations for shooting steel plates:
Consider your magnifications needs. Steel targets don't require the higher magnification generally used for shooting tiny groups on paper. The level of precision is different. Steel provides audible & visual feedback that paper doesn't. Steel's bullet splash is quite visible, especially from a white-painted plate.

FFP vs SFP. SFP works well for banging away at one target at a time, at a known distance, especially if crosswinds aren't a factor. FFP works well for multiple targets, multiple target distances, moving quickly between multiple targets, using the reticle for wind holds, using the reticle for elevation holds -- especially if all this is done at less than full magnification. I began shooting steel with a SFP scope -- which I quickly ditched and bought a FFP scope. A simple crosshair reticle might work with a SFP scope. A more complex reticle with subtentions (hash marks in the horizontal and vertical planes) is really important for a FFP scope. Reticle type preferences are very individual. Should you acquire another scope, it's really important that you look at the reticle before buying.

Whether FFP or SFP, make certain that the turret scales are the same as the reticle. Meaning MOA/MOA or MIL/MIL, but definitely not a mix of MIL and MOA.

Choose clarity of glass over magnification. As target distances increase, the higher magnification of a cloudy scope just makes things worse.

Many PRS-type competitors will shoot most of a match with magnification in the 12-18x ballpark, especially if targets are within 700-800 yards. Higher magnification makes it difficult to rapidly move between targets. Lower magnification makes it challenging to pick a good aim point on the targets, and the MOA or MIL subtentions for wind/elevation holds often become too small for precision work on a FFP scope. When the stage times are more generous and target distances are greater, such PRS shooters will increase magnification here and there.

I recommend starting with your current scope, then seeing how things go. You should shoot other folks' rifles with various scopes, or at least get a chance to look through their optics at targets on the range. Down the road, if you shoot regularly at steel, you will almost certainly want a different scope. It doesn't have to be a $6k Tangent Theta. It should not be a $300 Commie Chinese special, regardless of how one justifies cost to support Communism. You will likely want 15x on the top end, maybe even 20x or so.

Nevertheless, lots of quality shooting can be done with a 10x or so scope. Here's from a 16" AR15 at 440 yards on a 16" high by 24" wide plate, using a Vortex PST-II 2-10x scope at 10x. Winds were healthy from the right. IIRC I was aiming at the lower right hole in the plate, then allowing for wind drift to send the rounds to the center. 1.75" of vertical variation for the 5 rounds, which is around .4 MOA of vertical dispersion. The light was good and the air was clear that day, so seeing the hole and the impacts was pretty easy. In less favorable conditions, higher magnification would be better.





I recommend your browsing through the "Long Range Rifle Discusssion" thread, which is currently on page one of Mason's Rifle Room. There's a boatload of experience that shows in the pictures and discussions.

I use a Remington 700 in an XLR Element Chassis in 243 for long range. I also have a copy in 223

My range only goes to 500 but I can ring a steel USPSA target at 500 with my 16” ARs. With irons. Don’t believe everything you read or hear about the AR.

My suggestion is to go to the range/match and ask a bunch of questions. I’ve seen a lot of 6.5CM here in the last few years-apparently they shoot really flat and don’t recoil like heavy 308s. (Which is why I like my 243)

I’m not saying much, because I’m just sort of steeping in the input, which I really appreciate. My thoughts on my first steps into this world are very different from what they were before I posted the thread and that’s a good thing. I have a LOT of reading to do, and hrcjon is right, I love that. I’ll check out the sources recommended.

In the meanwhile, that Weaver with the Japanese glass is mounted on an upper with a 16” barrel, and I have a 16” URGI-ish build with an FN mid weight and a Sig Tango MSR 1-6x I can take out to the ranges that have steel targets set out at further distances. I’m pretty close to that one that has them at 300. I only tried engaging the gong with the Eotech, but they had what looked like silhouettes and some smaller plates. Should probably get all I can of that.

Hitting targets at longer distances is great fun. I still recall my first hits at 300, 500, 750, and 1000 yards. If your goal is mainly to just hear the ring of steel, then it’s a worthy cause in its own. But if you decide to go down the path of smaller targets…..

Magnified optics provide immediate feedback on impact location, both hits and misses. It’s good you’re considering the 6x or maybe the 10x scope. Instead of using a spotting scope – and maybe a buddy doing the spotting as you shoot – you’re doing it all on your own. You will see what better shots feel like, as well as the not-so-good ones.

Don’t cheap out on FMJ ammo if you want good impact feedback. FMJ can easily produce 6 to 9 inch swings in impact locations at 300 yards, even if your shooting fundamentals are perfect.

Flight ballistics for 223 ammo are good enough that exacting muzzle velocity and atmospheric conditions aren’t necessary for hits on generously-sized steel at 300 yards. But as distances increase, ballistics calculators need accurate data to produce accurate results. If you know someone with a chronograph to get muzzle velocity, see if you can use it for data. Muzzle velocity on the factory boxes are often quoted for a 24” barrel, so your actual MV will be lower with shorter barrels. Again, this isn’t necessary for gongs at 300 yards – but will help if/when you want to go longer.

Along these lines….what ammo are you using and what distance(s) are you at zero with your optics?