Long Range 101 Part 14 - Scopes for Extreme Long Range Shooting - Rex Reviews 

Howdy! This series can be found in its entirety along with THE REAL D.O.P.E. when you subscribe to the TiborasaurusRex Patreon page! www.patreon.com/tiborasaurusrex

I would absolutely pay for this as a dvd set or something. This is phenomenal information you're putting out there. Please let us pay you for your work.

I will charge you zero dollars :-) but I will have to teach you through this series. Unfortunately, I am an extremely busy man. Perhaps if I ever set up LR shooting course, I could teach all of you in person. Until then, I'll do my best to put the rest of this series together. The other cool thing about the videos is you can take each class as many times as you need. Just hit the play button again as needed :-) Catch ya later, bro.

'Rex: Yesterday I figured out what is so interesting about your tutorials. After watching close to about 1200 minutes of your Sniper 101 series, it's now clear that your informative instruction leads to your viewers feeling empowered. This past spring I spent a very short time doing my first engagements past 500 meters (except for 3 targets on iron sights with an M16 at Stewart and of course gunning on an M1A1) and considering all the factors that I was able to, given limits in equipment, I hit a milk jug and several center mass shots with a cheap cheap 30-06 and a decent mil dot scope. I have a lot more to do and learn but I know that engaging targets anywhere below the supersonic limits of any caliber I shoot will yield the results I'm looking for. Who knew someone could put it so plainly? Thank you for your service.

These just get better and better! I'm filling up a small notebook with notes and charts and haven't even come close to getting my rifle yet. This will be by far my most educated and informed gun purchase and I'm very glad for it. Thanks for taking the time to so professionally share your knowledge with us. I know I for one will be a far better shooter for it!

Hey, guys - I secured a discount for you! Use code "Rex5" for 5% off your entire OpticsPlanet.com order. OpticsPlanet: bit.ly/2bcrssM

Rex, I can't thank you enough for the series of videos you did on scopes. I am amazed of how much goes into the decision making of scopes. Thank you. Absolutely amazing.

Great into Rex. There are some pretty uniformed comments below criticizing this video, but he stated a few times it would take several vids to cover this very deep topic. Some guys just don't get it I guess. Lots of variables to consider, so before you can cover scopes you need to know what those variables are and what they are about. I spent a day shooting on a 1000 yard range with a buddy, and we were pretty spot on out to about 66 yds. After that things got a lot harder, and we simply didn't have enough knowledge to create the firing solutions.

Rex, I'm new to precision rifle shooting, and just purchased a Ruger Precision Rifle. I just wanted to thank you for making this Sniper 101 series of videos that goes into such detail! I really appreciate the time and work that you put into this!

Thanks Rex! Now I have a headache and there's blood coming from my ears and nose......Now I'm gonna take the glass off all my rifles and go curl up in the corner and babble to myself until I fall asleep....My God, it's full of stars!

Once again, most impressive. You must be a member of MENSA, you seem to be one of those people who quickly grasp and master anything you try, no matter how technical or complex. Your extensive knowledge and ability to teach underscore the above and lead me to trust what you say as a truly qualified opinion. Therefore, I do seriously listen to what you are saying. No matter how good one might be, to continue learning, you must find someone who knows more than you and forever be the student.

A suppressor will usually slightly shift your POI. We will have to make note of the POI shift with the unit attached so you can dope it before you shoot. We will cover how to effectively employ suppressors for LR precision shooting in the transitional ballistics videos coming soon.

Thank you, sir. Great scope choice for the AR-10, the F1 should be great. Most of the high end QD mounts offer very good repeatability. To my understanding, LaRue is one of the best. Once you get it all set up and adjusted, if you keep it clean, it should work as advertised. Thats a QD mount that many professionals swear by.

The M21 sniper rifle was classically equipped with a Redfield 3-9 ART (Auto-Ranging & Trajectory) Optic which worked alright for quick ranging in combat out to 600m (now made by Hi-Lux / Leatherwood). An SS10X or even an SS6X would work just fine as well. If it was mine, I would go with an IOR Valdada M1 4X. More on Semi-Auto Battle Optics later :-)

The BDCs are great for medium range shots were you need to send one very quickly. However, extreme long range shooting (1000+) is a different animal and requires a different approach. Most deer or 'bad guys' won't even know you are there at 1200m, so you will have much more time to dial it all in. Thanks for the good commentary, sir.

If you are in a rural area and want LR capibilty, a straight 10X like the military issued Leupold M3A might be a wise choice. The best 10X optic you could pick up would be a US Optics ST-10. If you like variables, I would strongly recommend a US Optics SN-3 or a S&B MPII. Otherwise, if you want another brand name - make sure to get an optic with the reticle in the FFP, but the quality must be very high if you want a decent variable. Nightforce? USO is better if you are spending the coin.

Be sure to watch all the videos on Long Range Optical Sight Parameters, particularly the one on magnification values. High magnification values will not increase you maximum range capabilities. 15X is plenty of magnification for shooting out to even 1600m. That being said, the Nightforce F1 series is very good, so are the Vortex Razor HDs. If you have $3K, perhaps look into a USO SN-3 or a S&B PMII, those would be the most excellent :-)

I've been waiting anxiously for each of these vids. I love the wealth of knowledge that is your brain. These videos are obviously very well thought out and you should keep it up! Thanks for passing all of your knowledge on to us viewers. Much appreciated!

I never understood how a bdc turret could ever be accurate, thanks for this a great video

Battlefield surevying, very similar to what filed artillery units do. Triangulation using theodolites is the most accurate and reliable way to do it for extreme range.

Great question, sir. I strongly recommend gathering your own empirical data in the field by measuring the MVV yourself under the different ammo temperature conditions. These charts only offer a place to start if you are beginning with only a single data point to work with. These show the general trends. The .50 BMG curve shown in these charts is very similar to many other loadings as this cartridge is only generally representative of the many similarly proportioned cartridges out there.

I'm really enjoying the sniper 101 video series. Nice and to the point information minus the b.s. found on other RU-vid channels. well done! thanks.

Its so delightful to be given a list of questions and an order of operations to use to select gear. There are so many questions I didnt know to ask when selecting my first rifle (cartridge) and scope. I am going to be able to dance with the one I brought, but I would have selected a different date had I known before hand. Thanks for doing this TRex. Something tells me everyone watching is a student in the LIA.

One thing your forgot was mirage. In heavy mirage, I found it better to shoot at the highest crosswind and hold 1/4 target downwind. The highest crosswind blows the image to the side and takes out most of the vertical movement of the mirage; therefore, there is less of a chance for vertical error. By having your scope dialed in for the highest crosswind and aiming a little downwind allows for the wind to die off and your bullet will drift to center of target or 1/4 upwind in your target. Either way it is still a hit.

Thanks for partaking in the endeavor!

Features like anit-fog, nitrogen purging, and lens coatings are pretty much universal among modern optics, it is usually the lower quality optics that feel they need to advertise these things as they lack more significant features to advertise. Kind of like a Hummer advertisement doesn't need to say "comes with corrosion preventing paint" - as it would be obvious. The SS scopes have very good quality lens coatings and will not give you any fogging problems.

You did pay attention at sniper school Rex, i know it was about scopes but a small point if you want to do any of this you need a good quality mount to keep that scope where its meant to be after a bumpy time reaching your firing point

Thats great. I appreciate you guys letting me know you dig it. I hope to get my buddy out in the field soon to test his Vortex. Hopefully on his next days off I'll corner him. Peace.

Just seeing the terrain that you are accustom to, Makes me want to spend a while shooting, sighting & learning from you! It is obvious to me, just seeing your usual terrain that you are more accustomed to long range compared to my location which is mountainous & covered with woods, visibility is hampered in my area! Where as, in your area, You have a lot of open expanses, conducive to long range accuracy! You have a leg up in my book! Great video's!

Yup, watched all 14, "cover to cover", can't wait for more, & am really enjoying thinking about precision rifle systems & marksmanship. The trick will be figuring out how to escape from the metropolis & actually practice applying these concepts at some point. Thanks for being such a great teacher to us, & best regards, GM

For your applications, the 12X would be about perfect. I would say no to the 16X. Even when I shoot at a mile, I don't quite crank my optic up to 16X. Will discuss in detail in coming vid...

I will cover some good very choices in much more detail in the next couple vids.... but until then I can tell you that a variable magnification optic that will work well for you will be expensive - fixed magnification optics may be the ticket. I can endorse IOR Valdada optics as they are very very sturdy, also the swfa SS is a great choice if you want to keep the price reasonable. What is your price ceiling for optics?

I love the video. I live in the Ozarks and there are few opportunities to shoot even 200yds. In fact I don't know of any practice ranges that are over 100yds. I do enjoy learning about the magic that goes into making a long range shot.

you have already spun my brain, think I will stick to 500 yards or less and just be the cook. wow thank you for explaining all that needs to be done.

Yeah, we got to spend some quality time with some family...it was a good day. Thanks, man.

i have been reading ALOT recently and developing my ELR project thanks to you and you have a TON of people who are supper hurt by you being able to cold bore a beer can at that range lol keep it up! God bless and thankyou a million fold for these videos, think this is my 4th time around lol

Right on. I never owned one, so I can't comment in too much detail. As long as the features line up with what we discussed and they seem to work pretty reliably, thats what we need :-)

Very nice. That's a whole different ball game. At those ranges, you will need a huge amount of turret travel and higher magnification with the very best APO lenses is in order. If it was mine, I would go for a US Optic SN-9 10-42X80. Quite a bit different than the SN-3 - it has 235 MOA of external ELV travel so it keeps its lenses perfectly aligned throughout all of it with no vignetting. This is the best optic for extreme range shooting over 2000m, albeit a bit pricey.

you are the man! I am learning so much! I'm from the great white north up here in Alberta Canada. I get so jealous watching you guys shoot ARs we can only get them with restricted licenses and even then they are restricted to the range

i love this series! hope you do more breakdowns of the math part and describing it some more. Learning alot! thanks rex

You are a riot! We all thoroughly enjoy your videos and whit, so glad I've got many more of them to watch! Hope you had a good Sunday man, may God continue to bless you and your family.

any way you can do a more in depth video on the trigonometry side of calculating range when the range finder won't cut it? I can use the scope, and I have a basic understanding of math, but it would a great idea for a future video.

March scopes are just fine for match/target shooting. The glass is not quite as refined as some of the higher end German glass and the magnification is a bit too much, but many target shooters still really like them.

can't get over the fact that you sound like ted nugent! love the videos keep em up

This is awesome! Anyone considering the purchase of a high end optic needs to see this video...TWICE! Yes that BDC reticle/turret you thought was going to be the "bees knees" just might not be. This is an EXCELLENT video series that stresses individual education and the employment of that "Gray-Matter" in the brain housing group over the mindless "quick-Fix, instant-oatmeal" techno solution. Keep these videos coming!!!

I've been looking at the Vortex Viper scopes on Amazon. I'll wait for your review before I order. I love this series by the way; I'm really getting into long range shooting and your videos are the equivalent of a college course. Thanks a lot!

Right on. Hope they continue to be helpful.

Really appreciate your hard work here on your 101 series + thank you for reminding me where i need to be on Sunday's. God's been pointing that out to me in multiple ways lately. Best!

Okay :) I just wanted your opinion. When it comes to this stuff I ask you because you really know your stuff and you reply with good answers

Bro, amazing series of video thus far. A bit wordy at points but honestly it just helps drive home the points you're making... also love the guitar references (I'm a guitar player as well).

Just found this video; Thanks for making it... I have been trying to choose a scope for my Remington 700xcr in 338 for about 9 months and I needed this information... planning on a trip out west and will be shooting out to 1600m. Thanks Again

I'm realign looking forward to this series and am glad that you are going into it in depth. This sure is an ambitious project that you've undertaken. Thanks again for all your hard work!

This was a great video as it was... and you made it even better with the Leprechaun footage! WELL DONE! You are a mentor to us all sir.

Wow, I had no idea that there was this much involved in long range shooting. The more ya know.

There will be a video on how to calculate and dial in a firing solution very soon, but all the terms and input data must be understood first. Hang in there, its coming soon!

Wow you just talked me out of getting into extreme long range shooting. And i have a headache thx bro!!

Any of the Front Focal Plane models from the Tactical series will be very very good. Of course, we like the turrets to match the reticle, so look for MRAD turrets matched with MRAD based (Mil) reticles.

Howdy, thanks for watching. Sounds like a good rifle. A 2.5-10 PST would be totally adeqaute, unless you plan to do some long range gopher shooting, then the 4-16 would be nice. The 6-24 would be undesirable. FFP mil/mil :-) Yup. I would wait on the muzzle break, there are better ways to cure recoil. A 24" barrel would be very pleasant for the wife to shoot in those cartridges. Muzzle blast is every bit as nasty as recoil for most people, so the 24" barrel w/o the break would do it.

The .30-06 is actually a very good cross-over using these charts as its dimensions are quite proportional to the big .50. It won't be exact, but it should be pretty close, using most ball powders.

Yup. Step # 1 - Look at a cloud in the sky with your naked eye, quickly bring the scope up into your view. If the crosshairs are not in focus right away, adjust the eyepiece (at the very rear, behind the paralax). Adjust and repeat until it's nice and crisp. Once its adjusted, it should be good forever - as long as your eyes stay the same and you don't touch move it again. Then # 2 - adjust the parallax setting to the appropriate range (100m for example) and you should be good to go.

My head spun more than the screw i "pounded" in with a hammer. Thx for the awesome video.

english is not my native language. I've been only for a little longer than one year into shooting now. I've watched like 25 videos of you so far and I understood every single word and all context so far. that tells me at least 2 things. for one: omg I am a total nerd and second: the "comprehensive" part of your videos spans from the first to the last second of all videos watched so far.

Perfect set up, man. The 12X model is pretty nice.

I enjoy the series, it is very helpful. Mostly in that it reinforces my decision that I don't have the patience right now to become a good long range shooter. I'll stick to

This is an awesome vid brother! I subscribed to your channel a few months ago and absolutely LOVE it! The details that you give are simple for people to understand the concepts. Keep up the great work!

First off, i greatly appreciate you taking the time to produce this video series. I really enjoy the detail and depth of explanation you put into these videos. Also, had i not watched this video i would have put a Mk4 on my new Weatherby MkV TRR RC chambered in 300wby .. after watching this video i will be purchasing an ER25 by US optics. Hopefully the combo will allow me to connect at 1500 yds if i do my part. Thanks again.

For the best value under $500, my #1 suggestion would be the SWFA SS10X with MRAD turrets. I have a short review of it on my channel someplace. They do offer 16X and 20X magnifications, but I would strongly urge you to go for the 10X for many reasons. Be sure to watch all my Long Range Optical Parameters videos before you make a big purchase, that may save you from some headaches down the road. Check them out and you'll be set to make a wise choice. 10X is plenty for even beyond 1000m.

This video outstanding. Your system seems very user friendly once it is practiced for a while. Seems like a nice flow chart I'd what to figure our and then implement.

Great question. Its a nice optic for other purposes but is not really suitable for our applications for various reasons. For a more complete rundown watch my review titled: REVIEW - Nightforce F1 NSX, Millet TRS-1, Nikon Monarch X, - SNIPER 101 Peace

I have never known it was that complicated. It is a sort of wizardry and highly technical.

thanks for your feedback, cant wait for the new video:)

10X and 12X are pretty close, but the differences in optical clarity and exit pupil at 16X and up are very noticable. The magnification is higher, but you are not seeing it any more clearly at 16X than you were at 10X, from what I have observed using the different models.

Be sure to watch all of the Long Range Optical Parameters videos for the full answer, but in short - a 1st focal plane scope will allow you to use the reticle at any power.

wow knowledge bomb. I don't know who would dislike this vid.

Thanks for the time out of your schedule to teach us.

I don't know how I got here but now I have to start the whole series over. I just built an 18" 223, would be glad to get it out to 1200 yards.

The difference is one is calibrated for 5.56 and the other is for the 7.62. After the next couple vids, you should have a much better idea of what you will want in an optic. We will break it down in detail for ya.

Go ahead and try to zero the rifle for the most anticipated temp range you plan to operate in, the temp related MVV is not usually enough to throw off you zero too bad for most purposes. We will cover other more sophisticated ways to zero these weapon systems in future videos.

Yeah, sometimes something is slightly out of alignment and you may require much more tilt to overcome it.

7 years late to the party and omg thank God I am. Now my ballistic calculator magically knows all these things and all I have to do is hit calculate and aim where it says to on my reticle and poof! Dead on. Thank God for technological advances!

Its no problem man. Its well worth the wait

You don't need those fancy mounting brackets, just pick up a set of normal 30mm rings anyplace and there ya go. Burris Extreme tactical rings are very reasonably priced and offer good quality. :-)

SWFA SS10X is hands down the best value under $500 and totally adequate out to 800m and beyond. Will do a review on it shortly... stick around.

Hmmm. You only have 8.5 Mils of ELV left? That's weird. Its like it tilted in the opposite direction. Is your mount on backwards???

USO may be a good choice if you like the MOA adjustements.

If not a hammer then I must ask, what is THE BEST tool to "pound in a screw with"?!! Hahha love your videos man. Thank you for creating this whole 101 series. Much appreciated.

Dear TRex, I just found you last night and am hooked. Thank you so much for your personal time and contribution to humanity. I have a notebook page full already and am starting a new page next video. This is the best information on my hobby i have ever found and likely ever will find. Thanks again, ---------- --------- ---------

I am looking to test one of those very soon. My buddy just got one. From what I can see I like them, the features are great. We'll just have to check how well the features work in the field and confirm the quality. Honest review coming soon :-)

I watched his entire series a couple of times by now. You guys who also like this stuff, read the book Dear Mom, a Sniper's Vietnam. It is fantastic.

Yeah, check out the old US Optics straight 16s and 20s. I've seen them on gunbroker for pretty good deals.

Close call: The following is only my opinion: Those 3 choices are actually quite comparable. The new BEAST is pretty nice. As far as clarity, they are all pretty close. All 3 are pretty tough as well. Mechanically, I perfer the USO, but the NF and the Razor are both very good too. Maybe check out the new Steiner Military scopes. They are in the same price range but are a step up in my opinion - almost as nice as S&B and a little bit better than NF and the Vortex for much less the cost.

Have you heard of the BSA Tactical Mil-Mil scope? It has a lot of good features. 4-14x44mm It's in Mils instead of MOA, has an MRAD reticle, 30mm tube, 1st Focal Plane and it costs only $249.99 at MidwayUSA. Sounds good to me

"premium guitar strings aren't going to make your fiddle sound any better" - I actually physically LOL'd at that one!

For all you "regular guys" out there: I'm none of the following: Tier One Operator, Shooting Competitor (except for my buddies, lol) nor a Billionaire. Therefore, I must limit myself to obtainable resources and DO MORE WITH LESS. So, I determined to equip myself with entry level "precision optics" that are under $1,000. So, for my "benchrest" rifle which I shoot from a bench either at the range or on a ridgeline over a Prairie Dog town, I picked up a good deal on a vendor clearance of a Nikon Black FX 1000 4-16x50 (otherwise, I would probably have gone with a SWFA 3-15x50). But for my primary Coyote Rifle, which I must hump over the Prairie Sand Hills or in the mountains, I chose a Burris XTR II 3-15x50 (which not only cost almost twice as much as the Nikon but seems to me to likely be more durable in field situations). Would I love to have Schmidt and Bender or even a Steiner (made side by side to Burris XTR IIs in Denver, CO) or a U.S. Optic, IOR Valdada, etc. HELL YEAH, but I'm too old to look for another wife and establish another family. (Not to seem like a braggart but I frequently out shoot the guys at the range that have all the custom actions/rifles, top end optics, custom loads, etc. etc. with my "regular guy" setup and off the shelf ammo and sometimes even with their own systems.) I figure, IF we get in a SHTF situation (we're already OROL in the USA, imo), I can use what I've got to take what I need from my enemy. fwiw.

Around 1100 or 1200m depending on your particular load ' rifle combo and ATM conditions. I've taken mine out to 1375m.

The USO variables are very very rugged. If you need a tough variable scope, thats a great choice. Best cartridge for deer+plinking+no spotter??? Hmmmm, a heavy barreled 7mm Rem Mag with a good muzzle brake would work very well. A lower recoil 7mm-08 or a .260 might even work OK if you use the right bullets. 500 ft/lbs should push a rifle bullet to the vitals of a deer in most circumstances - it may not drop instantly, but it will die quickly if you place it right.

This man has read a parable or two! You can always tell the people who read the bible and understood what Solomon asked for, prayed for wisdom and then BOOM! It's overwhelming awesome!

Wow. I thought i was just gonna pick this up no problem. But i feel like i need to return to college first. lol. Might have to bring my range back in some.

They are both fine, but the Remington will have better compatibility with parts and upgrades down the road. The Nikon would be a nice hunting scope buit wouldn't cut it for ELR shooting.

I just love how he dances around that null coriolis effect. 😉