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I have all ways hankered after a Leopold scope any one got any recommendations.
I have a rifle Varmint contour 24" barrel I want to shoot realistically from 100 yards to 600 yards and occasionally beyond that but un likely to be longer than 1000 yards.
Looking for a 30mm tube budget £1000.
I don't understand the first focal plane or the alternative what ever that is so you will need to explain the difference and why one is better that the other. I have no idea what a Mil rad is.
My idea of a optical sight is a Parker Hale aperture sight on a No4

As I understand it. A first focal plane scope means the reticle changes size based on magnification but a second focal plane stays the same size. A second focal plane scope is useful for long ranges as the reticle stays at a good size instead of being too large at high magnification. I am by no means an expert when it comes to shooting through a scope so someone please correct me if I am wrong.

This 4min video explains First Focal Plane (FFP) Vs Second Focal Plane (SFP) in basic terms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr5Ohosp-Vw

If you're shooting at fixed distances and normally at full magnification SFP probably makes the most sense for you. These scopes are normally cheaper than FFP.

If you're shooting at random distances and you need to be able to more easily estimate range, change distances rapidly or you're using a Bullet Drop Compensator (BDC) reticle then FFP is probably better.

I've had a Leupold Mk4 8.5-25x and European 4-12x in the past and they were both lovely to use.

I find MOA easier to understand than MRAD but if you're shooting at fixed distances most, if not all ballistic software will give you a 'click' adjustment on the scope as well as the MOA/MRAD adjustment. Strelok Pro is brilliant once you get your head around it.

Personally I like Sightrons, 8-32*56 with MOA2 reticle perfect for what you are talking about.

FFP the reticule can get very thin at low mags, almost to the point of disappearing. It is of real use if you need to adjust for error or range estimate at various magnifications otherwise it is not any great benefit over SFP.

I use a Leupold Mk4 LR and a VXIII both in 3.5-10x40 with the 30mm tube with simple mil-dot reticules - I don't like the cluttered fussy sight pictures some scopes have that some shooters seems to cream over, again I can see no real benefit on the range. I use these scopes successfully (to my standards at least) at ranges from 25 to 1000yds. The glass is clear and of good quality and the turrets track as you'd want over the full range. Can't fault them.

The same could be said for other makes too. I also use Vortex scopes over similar distances and there is not any appreciable difference between the two makes, they even cost around the same.

What calibre Alpha? I would keep it simple, stick with SFP and MOA.. If you are thinking of 100-1,000 with something like a .308 you will really need to think about how much elevation the scope adjustment is available of. To add extra elevation you can add a slanted sight mount rail to give you an extra 20moa or so, you can also use Burris rings with inserts to give extra elevation.
Side focus/parallax is a good feature - illuminated reticule not so much. High magnification often means less available elevation and not necessary for targets (remember you have bee hitting targets with no magnification)

NRA target score cards are marked in 1 moa squares making it easy to calculate how much adjustment of the scope is needed.

I would also recommend the Sightron range of scopes

As you are using (probably..... ) Optilock rings and bases, you can put a shim between the rear base and ring to give any required extra elevation.
I've done this on my M595 6.5x47 and with Optilocks on the Tikka dovetail, it'll get to 1200yds easily with a Sightron 8-32x56 scope.
I used a bit of 0.5mm thick brass......I can send you a bit if you like.....pm me?

Pete

1066 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 10:11 am What calibre Alpha? I would keep it simple, stick with SFP and MOA.. If you are thinking of 100-1,000 with something like a .308 you will really need to think about how much elevation the scope adjustment is available of. To add extra elevation you can add a slanted sight mount rail to give you an extra 20moa or so, you can also use Burris rings with inserts to give extra elevation.
Side focus/parallax is a good feature - illuminated reticule not so much. High magnification often means less available elevation and not necessary for targets (remember you have bee hitting targets with no magnification)

NRA target score cards are marked in 1 moa squares making it easy to calculate how much adjustment of the scope is needed.

I would also recommend the Sightron range of scopes

The caliber is 6.5x55. 24" Varmint barrel.

I am a bit limited as to to mounts and rings the rifle is a Tikka M55 and it has the Tikka dove tail its currently fitted with a set of 30mm Optilock rings and bases.

Just guessing at your load/velocity here. A 155 gn Sierra MK at 2,500 with a BC of .7 and zeroed at 100 yds will require about 34 moa elevation to get to 1000 yds and 45 moa for 1,200yds.

Something along these lines might fit the bill. This has 100 moa total elevation available - So, assuming you are about optically centered at 100yds you should have 50 moa available to use.
https://sightron.com/collections/siii-l ... ge-6-24x50