[tpilot]

I have a .308 rifle and I have been considering getting into F Class TR Competition shooting. I currently have a Bushnell Elite 3200 10x40 scope, but I am told that is not enough to get out to 1000 yards and I need at least an 8.5-32x50 scope to be competitive. My problem is that I am on a budget and I cannot afford one of the Nightforce scopes which are popular in the sport right now. I have been looking at BSA and Konus scopes, but I am not sure they have enough MOA to get out to 1000 yards. Does anyone have any input or suggestions on my options?

[LotzORemmies]

I was using the BSA platinum 24x scope with sunshade. I was very accurate with it with my 22-250. But if your going to be shooting 308, your going to have a bit more kick, and the BSA has almost no eye relief to speak of, so your risk of walking away with a scope cut are kind of high. I'm using a millet now with 24x as well. Much better eye relief. My only beef with this scope is that the cross hairs on it are very thick and can block the area of whatever it is you're trying to shoot. But is does have a built in illuminator and bullet drop compensator.

[Switchbarrel]

While 10x certainly isn't ideal, you can use your scope to try F Class shooting to see if you even like it. Ideally, you'd have a spotting scope set up next to you so you can see the spotters easier. More power will allow you to hold finer on the target and as they say, "aim small, miss small". If you like F-Class, advertise your scope for sale and add that to your budget. I looked at some reviews for the Konus M30 8.5-32x because looking at the features, it sounds like it should be a nice scope. The reviews weren't good at all. Cheap optics will end up costing you twice as much because you'll eventually replace them with something better (spending your money twice). Everyone says, "don't skimp on the optics". Which really is good advice, if you get a good scope, there's really no reason to ever sell it, you can always transfer it to another rifle if you sell the one it's on. I don't hunt, I only shoot targets...so all of my scopes are 8-32x or higher. I can turn the power down if the mirage is bad, but I can't turn a 6.5-20x up to 30x.

The .308 will require a lot of elevation to get to 1000 yds. from a 100 yard zero. You can overcome this with a tapered base and if needed, the Burris Signature Zee rings with offset inserts. So, even a scope with limited adjustments (ie, Bushnell Elite 4200 8-32x) can be set up to shoot at 1000 yards. Although, you won't be able to go back to a 100 yard zero using the scopes adjustments. If your scope's reticle has more than one aiming point (mil-dots, etc.) you can use this for multiple distances too.

You have lots of options in scopes, not knowing your budget though, you'll have to figure out what you can afford.

-Rick