Meet Nathan – Optics Enthusiast
G'day guys. My name is Nathan and I've recently moved here for Optics Warehouse. I'm originally from Australia and I have been shooting since I was about 6 years old. Started on air rifles and 22LR when I was young and worked my way up to large calibre centrefire rifles and just about everything in between. I've been in the shooting industry for the last 6 years and have primarily done hunting and long-range target.
Over the years I've owned many different rifles, everything from Ruger M77 223, Winchester 99/22WMR, Marlin 336 and like 3 Remington 700 rifles all the way to M40A3, custom built 338Lapua and 300PRC rifles, Accuracy International AT, 3 Barrett Mrad rifles. That's just to name a few. Shooting has been a steady part of my life since I was young and it's not looking to change.
With all these rifles, I've had to choose the perfect optic to match the shooting style of that rifle.
Target Rifles
With all of my target rifles, I have chosen rifle scopes with an increased magnification range, crosshairs designed for long distance shooting, lockable turrets, and large amounts of adjustment so I can dial those longer shots.
I prefer approximately 3-18 and 5-25 magnification because it allows me to zoom in and see targets up to 1000m and beyond but also allows me to zoom out for close in targets which would be difficult to find quickly on higher magnification. Magnification similar to this such as the Delta Optics 4.5-30 is also a great choice as it allows for longer engagements but also close in shooting.
With the reticles, I either prefer a Christmas tree style as seen in the Vortex Strike eagle and the Arken EP5, or a simpler crosshair with MRAD subtensions such as the P5FL from Schmidt and Bender or PR-1 Mil from Leupold.
Lockable turrets have always been a mainstay in my target rifles because the rifles can get moved around and bumped a lot and I don't want turrets moving when I don't want them to and shifting my point of impact.
Having the most amount of adjustment I can within my price point has always been a selling point as longer distance shots require more elevation. With a circular tube and linear adjustments, you won't be able to dial your max windage and elevation at the same time.
For example:
With this little diagram, the circle represents the tube and the amount of adjustment possible which is limited by the tube design. The box represents the amount of adjustment possible by the erector system in the scope itself. Having a larger tube will allow you to have more field of adjustment in the scope itself rather than just in the turrets.
My set-ups with these features in the past have included my Accuracy International, M40A3, 338Lapua and my Barretts.
Vortex Strike eagle 5-25x56 MRAD (Accuracy International), Leupold Mark 5HD PR-1 MRAD 5-25x56 (Barrett), Vortex Strike eagle 3-18x44 MRAD (M40A3), Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 (338Lapua)
Hunting Rifles
The optics on my hunting rifles have been markedly different from my target scopes. Key features I look for in a hunting scope are light weight, lower power, good light transmission for dusk and dawn, reliability, and simple easy-to-use reticles.
When considering a hunting scope, weight is a very large deciding factor as you do not want to lug a scope which weighs a kilogram up and down a hill when you don't need to. Light weight scopes such as the Vortex Razor LHT and the Schmidt and Bender Klassik line offer great performance out of a light weight package.
Lower power scopes are great for hunting as they allow you to still see the target but also offer a larger field of view than a high magnification scope as well as mitigating the shooter from developing tunnel vision on the animal.
Light transmission is an important factor to consider when thinking about shooting in dusk and dawn conditions as you will have a hard time seeing through the scope and identifying the animal clearly if the scope has poor light transmission. Factors affecting this are the objective lens size (larger objective = more light), glass quality, and lens coating. Some of the best brands in rifle scopes for light transmission that I have used are Vortex (Razor line) and Schmidt and Bender.
Reliability is one of the greatest requirements in any scope, let alone a hunting scope, as without a durable and reliable scope, the chance of wounding or missing an animal is greater and this can ruin your hunt and potentially cause animal distress.
Simpler reticles are easier when hunting because they allow you to see the animal more clearly without a large target reticle obscuring your vision, and many hunting reticles are designed with simple holdovers built in.
The duplex reticle is one of the most popular reticles worldwide for hunting as it allows quick target acquisition. One of my favourite reticles is the Vortex Razor G4I reticle as the holdovers for that reticle are true at 15 power and will allow most intermediate calibres (308, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 Swede, 30-06) to shoot out to 500m without having to do any calculations—just know the distance, hold for that distance on the reticle and fire.
This scope allowed me to shoot a Wild Pig at 440m without any ballistic calculator.
Vortex Razor LHT 3-15x50 G4i MRAD on my Custom Remington 6.5x55.
Optics selection can be a difficult choice to make when all the options are laid out, but deciding on what features you need will make it a simpler choice for you. If you have any questions or even just want to hear a funny accent, please don't hesitate to reach out.