Benchrest

Benchrest Shooting is a precision shooting sport where the shooters try to be as accurate as possible at a set distance.

The most common forms of Benchrest are 25m Airgun (indoor), 25m Rimfire (indoor), and 50m Rimfire (outdoor).

Competitors shoot from a bench with the aid of front supports, such as Bipods or Rest Bags, and they can also use Rear supports.

We here at Optics Warehouse have come up with some factors to take into account for your next Benchrest Scope.

Parallax Adjustment

A lot of Benchrest Scopes feature an adjustable objective (AO) as opposed to having a side focus. This is because there is no need to quickly adjust the focus of the image as competitions take place at a known set distance so the parallax rarely needs adjusting. Secondly, AO scopes are easier to manufacture so this also brings down the overall cost of the Scope. However, this does not mean that a side focus scope is detrimental, it just means that it is not as crucial to have as in other competitions such as Field Target.

Magnification

If you are only going to be using your set-up for Benchrest shooting then it is not unreasonable to pick a fixed magnification Scope. Fixed 40x is a popular option. A more common and versatile option is to go for a variable zoom, such as 10-40x or 5-50x. This allows the Scope to be used for other disciplines such as Field Target or F-class. High magnification Scopes are used so that the shooter can see precisely where their shots are landing down to the millimetre.

Reticle

For Benchrest shooting it is essential to see as much of the target as possible and because of this, Scopes are built with fine and not ‘busy’ reticles. The reticles for Benchrest tend to be a simple crosshair maybe with a single central dot for an aiming point. While reticles of this style are not ideal for range finding or gauging holdovers, they are perfect for shooting at a set distance and group shooting. 

Size/Weight

Because competitors shoot from a supported position the weight and size of the Scope are only factors to consider if you intend to use it for other disciplines. As so most Benchrest Scopes are large and weighty.