DarkLordOfOptics
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Starter Precision Scope, Continued

Having covered some of the general considerations on choosing a starter precision scope, let's spend a couple of minutes on what configuration it should be.
Let's assume that you decided to spend a little money and that we have moved beyond the $300 range of SWFA fixed power scopes.
What should you be looking for?
Let's start with the magnification range: for PRS/NRL-type shooting, you will seldom, if ever, be below 8x or thereabouts. However, you are unlikely to use very high magnification with any regularity when actually shooting. It does come in useful when developing load and spotting for other people though. Some people shoot on max magnification most of the time, but they seem to be in the minority. The "classic" for lack of a better word configurations for this are 5-25x, 7-35x, 5-30x or thereabouts. Where do I fall on this? in a slightly different spot from what many seasoned competitors seem to do, so take it with a grain of salt. I really prefer to keep low end magnification at 5x or less because I spend a good amount of time shooting from wobbly-ass (technical term) positions. There are two reasons for that: I want to be ready for hunting when the animal invariable presents itself in the worst possible way and because I found that my prone/bench/barricade/tripod shooting got noticeably better when I started practicing sitting and standing with no or minimal support. I suspect that it has really forced me to focus on natural point of aim and perfect breathing/trigger synchronization. For these odd shooting positions, low magnification is the way to go (for me). High magnification seems to matter less for me than I expected, so anything 20x or above is sufficient. Often times 15x top end is sufficient. In practical terms, the goldilocks configuration for me is something like the Razor HD-LHT 4.5-22x50 https://bit.ly/3mbUNGs, although a big part of that is its light weight (think of it as a near ideal NRL Hunter scope). Somewhat heavier Element Nexus 5-20x50 is another good example of such a design https://bit.ly/3lz66qN. However, my precision rimfire rifle has the larger March 5-42x56 https://bit.ly/3wNfknM on it. Somewhat paradoxically, I often shoot at targets of very small angular size with the rimfire rifle and since I do so at closer distances, I can actually take advantage of high magnification without atmospherics getting in the way. However, I still have that 5x low end that is sufficiently low to give me a fairly steady image when shooting unsupported or with poor support. If you are building a larger/heavier rifle anyway, in the grand scheme of things, there is really little downside to a larger 56 mm scope that goes to 25x or higher. I have talked about these in the past and there is really a lot to choose from there. These are mostly Japanese-made designs and, ordinarily, I would just recommend to look at reticle options and go with the one that appeals most to you out of a variety of offerings from Vortex, Delta, Athlon, Trijicon, etc. Unfortunately, that is not always the best way to go with people new at this. They do not yet know which reticle works best for them. I used to lean toward suggesting they start with a simple-ish mil-scale reticle like March's FML-3 (I sorta designed it for that), Leupold PR-1, Leica's L-Ballistic, etc, but I changed my mind after going through this exercise with a few people. If you are trying to figure out how you prefer to shoot, the reticle and the turrets have to be able to support a variety of shooting preferences: dial everything, dial elevation/hold wind or hold everything. That means the reticle has to be a relatively uncomplicated tree-type design that gives you the right holds without being intimidating. That rules out Horus reticles right off hand, but leaves us with a variety of options: Vortex' XLR-2 and EBR-7C, Athlon's APRS6, Leupold's PR-2, etc. Any of these designs is sophisticated enough to to serve you for a long time and unobtrusive enough to not get in the way. Most importantly, after spending some time with one of these, you are likely to develop a good understanding of what works and what does not for the way you shoot. Given that, it is no wonder that I end up recommending Vortex Razor Gen2 4.5-27x56 to a lot of shooters. I am sure Razor Gen3 is not too far away, but the Gen2 has had such a lengthy and consistent track record and there are so many of these out there (I can't disclose the actual number, but I was SHOCKED when I figured out how many of these are out there) that it is hard to vote against that track record when making a recommendation for someone new to the sport. Add to that Vortex' stellar reputation for customer support and Gen2 4.5-27x56 with EBR-7C looks like a pretty safe recommendation https://bit.ly/3il7M7p With all that, EBR-7C is not my favourite reticle (I like XLR-2 in the HD-LHT a good bit more), while Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x56 comes with a cleaner looking APRS6 https://bit.ly/3FiYpxS Cronus does not quite have the length of the track record of the Razor Gen2, but this basic design has been around for quite some time in many different iterations and has proven robust. Athlon's factory support is also very good.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Leupold's Mark5HD 5-25x56. I have really liked the Mark5HD series since it was introduced, but there were two things preventing me from recommending them more than I have been: reticle selection and upcharge for reticle illumination. Reticle selection, in some models, has been rectified with the introduction of the rather nice PR-1 and PR-2 designs, but the cost of illumination is still a problem. However, if you can get LE or military discount, the 5-25x56 with illuminated PR-1 reticle is very compelling https://bit.ly/3eevSNR It is a pretty nice scope as is, but Mil/LE discount really moves it to the forefront of the bang for the buck discussion.
Is reticle illumination important? opinions vary, but I like to have it largely because I spent quite a lot of time shooting on low magnification. For a scope of this type, I strongly recommend going with an FFP reticle and it will look fairly thin on low power. That is where I use reticle illumination the most. If that is not something important to you, the same Mark5 is nearly $600 less: https://bit.ly/33Fq51O
What other futures should you be looking at? If you are spending some money, elevation turret must have a zero stop. Locking elevation turret is nice to have, but not required. Zero stop, however, will make your life a lot easier. Windage turret should be either locking or covered. I seldom ever use it personally and I am always concerned that it will get inadvertently adjusted from zero.
Lastly, use a sunshade. Yes, it makes the scope longer, but in most situations, that is not an issue. Optically, there is never a good reason to leave the sunshade off the scope.
To summarize all this: when advising new shooters, I am looking for track record and versatility above all else. A good way to think about it is that I am not looking for a solution that will make your existing skills shine brightest. I am looking for a solution that will let you develop those skills.

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AR-15 Handguards with integrated Arca rail

I had a couple of ARs I wanted to set up for long range training. There is more to do with them, but I started out by swapping out the handguards for models with an integrated full length Arca rail. Larger flat on the bottom of the handguard helps it settle on the sandbag and makes it easier to shoot off of a tripod. I also found the ability to slide the bipod to different positions occasionally helpful.

The two handguards I have been testing are:

Fast Track my Catalyst Arms: https://www.anarchyoutdoors.com/fast-track-arca-precision-rifle-handguard-ar-15-rpr-only/?ref=fl0iza41

IWI/CMT HDM https://alnk.to/8iWcTQE

Both work well once installed, but IWI/CMT was ultimately less of a hassle to get properly lined up.

Fasttrack barrel nut arrangement is a little goofy and getting properly lined up took some trial and error. Here is the video they made that shows how it is set up. I was going to do my own, but once I got it all aligned, I did not want to mess with taking it up and ...

00:19:29
Burris XTR PS Wrap-Up

The first Burris XTR PS scope I got my hands on landed here in the beginning of March.
That means I have been messing with this design for a bit under four months. That does not quite qualify as a long term test by my standards, but it is a fair amount of time and quite a few rounds shot, mostly 5.56 and 308.
I have both of the models of XTR PS and both work well.
https://alnk.to/3U3cZEC

For matches and such, I would lean toward the 5.5-30x56 version, but for general purpose use, the smaller 3.3-18x50 model does have an edge. You can shoot a match with it, take it hunting in the mountains or slap a thermal clip-on in front to go shoot some pigs. While not light weight, it is a very flexible design owing to moderate size and mid-pack magnification range.

As I said in the video, I think XTR PS is a meaningful step forward in simplifying how we shoot at distance.

I will provide occasional updates as I continue using the scope.

00:26:02
5x Prismatic Wrap-up

This is not the end of my commentary on 5x prismatics, but it is a wrap for an unintentionally very long term project I had. I spent an unhealthy amount of time evaluating these four prismatic riflescopes:
Element Immersive 5x30 https://alnk.to/gzXEPUr
Swampfox Sabre 5x36 https://alnk.to/aAPTubq
Vortex Spitfire Gen2 5x https://alnk.to/3co4hVD
Primary Arms SLx 5x https://alnk.to/2jOhnT7

Two are large prism designs. Two are small prism designs.

The order in which I list them above corresponds to the image quality, from best to worst, although there isn't a ton of difference between SLx and Spitfire Gen2. Purely on the merits of resolution, Sabre is comparable to them as well, but much wider FOV and forgiving eyebox does put it a step above in terms of performance (at the expense of about a pound of weight). Element Immersive 5x30 is a different beast optically and it should be at a higher price at which it sells. It resolves better, has higher contrast and widest FOV of the bunch. Side-focus adds ...

00:16:40

Leupold Scope dump at CDNN.

I just got an email, multiple models and reticles for 3HD, 4HD and 5HD scopes. You need call to get prices.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/optics.html?manufacturer=LEUPOLD

Independence Day, 2025

Publishing a "Happy Independence Day!" a day after independence day is probably bad form. It is also bad for posting affiliate links. Everybody and their grandmother is having discounts and I am not posting any links. To be honest, I do not particularly like posting general links and I simply did not have time to dig through everything and come with specific product links.
Still, if you plan to be buying something from one of the retailers I have an affiliate account with, I would appreciate it if you were to start with one of my links listed in the FAQ: https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/faq

I started writing the more substantive part of this post yesterday, but got sidetracked with thinking about the origin of the ideas that make America and ran out of time. I was only able to get back to it now. I suppose, better late than never.

We live in the world that, as far as the details go, is dramatically different from the world of the founders of the United States.

For the majority of this ...

July 04, 2025

This is a good deal:

https://alnk.to/c0a5bf9

Scoping Gas Guns
an interesting question that acme in via PM

I received this question via a private message and thought it was interesting enough to answer it in some detail.  I have been thinking a lot about appropriate optics for gas guns recently, so this came it at the right time.

 

Here is what I ahve been messing with last few days:

 

Above: 18" WOA barrel 5.56 AR-15 with Burris XTR PS 5.5-30x56 on it.

Below: 22" Satern barrel 224Valkyrie AR-15 with Delta Stryker 3.5-21x44 on it.


For obvious reasons, I am not posting who asked the question, but what I'll do is send him a link to this article, so that he gets an answer and we might have a good discussion.
Here is what I received:

Had a question for you
I have a Knights Armament SR25 6.5CM with a 14.5" barrel - I plan on shooting 100 - 600 yards at targets at 100 yd intervals
I am favoring the TT 315P with an Aimpont Acro mounted on top -( see you liked the TT315M) - would that be enough magnification?
I saw the SB SB 5-20 which offer more top end - I like the turrets on the Tanget and tooless Zero - what are your thoughts between the 2?
If I stayed 400 and under - how do you see the TT315P with the Acro Red dot against the SB 1-8 Short Dot (saw your review on that)

There isn't really enough information in the question for a simple answer, so let's consider a couple of options.

What is the gun for? 

For shooting medium range (out to 600) with occasional close range use?  If yes, go with a conventional scope and offset or piggybacked RDS.

For shooting at close distance with occasional med/long range use? If yes, so with a nice LPVO like the above mentioned S&B Short Dot 1-8x24 https://alnk.to/3J8vlFv.  It is quite capable at long range, but where it will really knock your socks off is up close and personal.

The question of what is enough magnification is pretty personal.  For me, 3-15x is plenty, but I shoot a lot off of the tripod and off of barricades which likely influences my decision.  For that, my 3-15x50 TT315M Tangent works great and 6mrad of elevation is plenty.  https://alnk.to/gVNkUXB  175gr #08 out of a shoter tube will drop in the 5 to 5.5mrad range at 600 yards.

For a dedicated long range semi-auto, other than the looks, there isn't much downside to a larger scope, which is why I set up Burris' XTR PS on the 5.56 AR pictured above.  It is for my son to learn to shoot at distance and to us in next year's BOTC match.  https://alnk.to/gp33YuR

If I were setting up an accurate semi-auto and wanted a high mag scope for it, I would likely lean toward March 4.5-28x52. https://alnk.to/dLjHgjh  It is compact, relatively light and very good optically for any use other than the dead of the night (for which we should be using clip-ons anyway).

S&B Short Dot is a very nice scope, but March is a newer design and, other than the lowest light, has an edge in terms of image fidelity and stray light control.

TT315P Tangent is a veyr ncie scope and toolles turrets are appealing.  However, there is a weight penalty to that.  For me, that was not worth it.  I ahve 5-25x56 and 7-35x Tangents and those toolless turrets are spectacular.  However, in a 3-15x50, I am quit ecomfortable with simpler 6mrad per turn knobs on the TT315M.

 

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A morning with a chronograph

When I tell people that I am using Hornady's factory ammo for matches, I get occasionally surprised looks.  Occasionally.  Most of the time, I get fairly condescending looks from handloaders who would not let a factory round pollute the chambers of their precision rifles if their lives depended on it.

To be fair, if I had the time, I might be reloading as well.  I might be able to do better than modern factory ammo, but the truth is that I am not a quarter MOA shooter, so a lot of that would be lost on me.  The UKD matches I fidn most interesting can be done by a competent shooter with a 1MOA gun.  I am working on that first part.  I reload when I have to, but if I can get factory ammo that's not outrageously expensive and that shoots well, I will go with that every time.

I looked around and realized that I have about 600 rounds of Hornady 147gr 6.5CM factory ammo from two lots.  400 rounds from one that I will use during the match later this month.  The remainder I will likely use up practicing prior to that.

I woke up early and snuck out to the range while my family was still asleep earlier today.

I set up in the 100 yard tunnel we have.  I took my four shots to zero with the lot I plan to use for the match.  Then I fired a six shot ~0.7MOA group.  That's accurate enough for my purposes.

Here are the chronograph results:

It is slow, but accurate and consistent.

Then I shot a five round group of Hornady 147gr ammo from the other lot.

Both of those lots are not too shabby for factory ammo.  POI was within 0.2mrad between the two lots, all laterally.  

 

I had some other ammo on hand, so I fired two five shot groups with Berger 144gr hybrid target ammo and Sako TRG 136gr.

Here is what I got for five rounds of Berger:

That's not a ton of statistics, but it is a data point.  The group was ~1.1MOA

 

Here the data for the Sako TRG 136gr ammo:

This ammo showed some mild pressure signs, but not too significant.  

Again, this is not a ton of data, but Hornady is looking pretty decent here.

I'll repeat the zero retention and consistency tests a couple more times between now and June 18th when we head to Wyoming.

I might pick up a couple more boxes of Hornady 147gr from a different lot to get some more data.

More to come.

 

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First PRS Match is behind me
High Noon at Del Norte

My first PRS match is officially behind me.  It was, I think an officially sanctioned regional PRS match at the shooting range called Del Norte about an hour from me (just east of Rio Rancho).
As I discussed previously, rather than using the rifle I originally prepared for it, I ended up having to change gears at the last moment and slapping a 5-25x56 Tangent on my daughter's 6ARC MiniFIx.  A lightweight 16" Proof barreled 6ARC is not an ideal set up for PRS competition, but, in the grand scheme of things, the rifle did hot hold me back at all.  I had a couple of weights that fit the Q-cert handguard, so I slapped them on there as well, which got the rifle to right around 12lbs.  The balance point was almost where I want it, but not quite.  In all other ways, this was a very handy rifle to shoot.  I am actually thinking of getting a couple more weights that I can stack on it (Sawtooth weights are stackable), so that I can shoot some future local matches with it.  It shoots Hornady's Black 105gr ammo very well (it also shoots 108gr ELD-M and 103gr ELD-X well, but I had a larger supply of Hornady Black ammo on hand).

It chrono'ed pretty consistently for factory ammo.  Here are the measurements for a 20 shot group.

If I were to take out the fastest shot, SD drops down to 8fps.  

In terms of wind performance, it is a 5mph rifle, so slightly better than the 308 ammo I was going to use originally, but not as good as the 6.5CM that was my intended match rifle for this year (we make plans, but then life happens).

I do have to admit that I really enjoyed shooting the match with the MiniFix.  So much so, that I am seriously thinking of building another one for myself, since this rifle is technically my daughter's.

The closest shot we had was a bit over a couple of hundred yards.  The furthest was around 1150.  That was a bit challenging for the 16" barreled 6ARC, especially since the terrain there is tricky and wind is doing strange things.  Morning was relatively quiet wind-wise, but then the wind becamse gusty with changing directions.

It was a one day match with about 30 shooters (six squads) and ten stages.  The 17 year old kid who won the match was in my squad with his dad.  Apparently he is on the US team, so it should not be surrpising that he won.  He was very good.

Overall level of the shooters in the match was quite good.  I really was not sure what to expect.  Somewhat paradoxically, the only matches that I have shot in so far are the much larger two day NRL Hunter matches.  In those, I am just out of the bottom third in terms of skill level.  In this match, it was pretty much in the same spot, I think.  

The terrain was a little bit like Cameo, I think (I have been there, but not shot there), with some angle changes and sufficient vegetation to make getting on target occasionally troublesome. 

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