Base Class Optics

Optics are a necessary part of the base class setup and is a worthy topic on its own. It would easily take another blog post or two to really get into the what and why of scope choices. For the sake of my carpal tunnel I am just breaking the surface of this topic to give you a starting point with the best “bang for the buck” choices. There are a plethora of scopes in the base class cost arena, but there are only a few that really give you the features that will give you the edge in competition shooting. Those features include but are not limited to resettable zero, parallax adjustment, zero stop, front focal plane (FFP), tactical turrets, quick adjust magnification, “Christmas tree” reticles, (the type of crosshair in your scope) and clarity of the glass. Optic prices really comes down to the glass clarity and glass coatings, as well as the ability to “track” or return to exact zero after dialing. The better the glass and tracking the higher the price. Weight is not really and issue with competition optics as it generally helps with the recoil and balance of the rifle. Light weight optics are nice and can be another reason for a higher cost of the scope, but in the base class NRL22 its not a benefit worth paying for. Thankfully there are a few optic companies that have found a way to bring high end features to a low cost market. I would generally classify base class optics as those that have the features listed above at around $800 dollars US or less, but it could be more if you choose to spend less on your choice of rifle. For a match scope, I would recommend these must have features:

OPTIC MUST HAVES:

FFP or front/first focal plane
Zero Stop
Parallax adjustment
Christmas Tree or Precision Reticle
12X or higher magnification
Tactical Turrets (uncapped/toolless)

These features can be the difference between finishing the stage or timing out. They will also eliminate dropped shots due to a fuzzy reticle or lack of a wind and elevation hold. When the stage requires a lot of position changes, moving on barricades or multiple targets at multiple distances, a simple crosshair reticle on a scope will cost you.

You don’t have to dial your scope for every distance if your scope has a precision reticle, as it will allow you use “hold overs” . This saves serious time in a timed stage. Hold overs are the multiple dashes or dots that are either on the cross hairs and/or scattered below the horizontal line in a Christmas tree shape. They show elevation adjustments and wind adjustments, mapped out in MOA or MRAD/MILS measurements. A simple explanation of MOA and MRAD/MILS is that one is metric (MRAD) and one is in standard units. (MOA). This is another rabbit hole for you to head down in the description and differences of these two styles, but both have their benefits and shortcomings… Generally, I like to keep all my scopes in the same measurement type, so I would suggest whatever type you choose, keep it the same as your other scopes. With all the ballistic apps available out there, it isn’t as intimidating to do the math when “doping” or figuring out your distance to shot. A large amount of serious competition shooters prefer MRAD to MOA for various reasons. The biggest benefit to MILS comes with less dialing on the elevation turret. It also is easier to communicate with top shooters when discussing the stage and its “holds”. I prefer MOA as it makes more sense to me in my standard measurement American brain and gives you a finer adjustment. Choose what you will, then stick with it. When shooting a stage that has multiple distances and multiple targets, I will use these holdovers to quickly take aim with wind allowance, then move to another holdover for the next. At times though, dialing is necessary and so tactical turrets will allow you to adjust your elevation and wind to make those shots quickly while using the pinpoint accuracy of the center dot. This works well for long distance shots. Capped turrets that require tools to adjust are scopes that cannot be dialed in a competition.

FFP, or front/first focal plane, is a scope with a reticle that grows or shrinks as you adjust your magnification. This is incredibly helpful in allowing you to view tiny targets and fine tune your aiming point on those targets. SFP or second focal plane optics have reticles that stay the same regardless of magnification setting. These can have thick lines that can hide your target as well as your shot, and may cause you to not see your hits and misses and adjust for a following shot. Along those same lines, precision reticles usually have a small dot or open center on the cross hair, instead of the common cross that aids in visualizing your shot on target.

Parallax is an adjustment knob on the left of the scope, that when turned, will focus the optic on the target at a specific distance. The turret dial has markings that list the focus distances and allows you to quickly focus on your target… With NRL 22 preferred scopes, the smaller the starting focus distance the better. Many courses of fire will have targets closer than 50 yards, sometimes as close as 25 yards. This is why a parallax knob with at least a minimum distance of 25 yards is common. Some can go down as low as 10 yards, which is an added benefit, because these distances engraved on the turret are not absolute, meaning you may have to keep adjusting the knob until the image focuses before or beyond the desired distance. The high range can vary as well, with most optics ranging to 500-1000 yards/meters, with nearly all having an infinity symbol at the very end of the range. The parallax distances etched on the turret knob are not as accurate as the reticle elevation and windage turrets, as focus can differ between the users eyes, temperature, daylight, magnification setting, etc. But they are close, so using them is helpful to start finding the focus you will need to see your target. Many a target has been missed due to the parallax not be adjusted to clearly see the target and your shot.

Zero stop is the last feature that I will include in this list of necessary functions for a match level optic. The decision to include zero stop eliminated a lot of fantastic and well priced base class optics that can be used. Many may argue that it shouldn’t be a deal breaker when choosing a optic with or without a zero stop. They may have valid points, but I have through personal experience lost my zero by forgetting how many times I had dialed my elevation turret. When I dialed it back to “zero”, I quickly found out that I was still off my true zero by a full revolution! Having the scope turret stop at my set zero ( for NRL 22, that will be 50 yards) allows me to know instantly without looking or thinking where my zero is. I just feel it stop and know I am there. When time allows it, I like to dial on some stages. Being able to return to true zero in a flash is a great asset where every second and shot needs to count.

Optics should have elevation and windage turrets. The turrets should be easy to use and adjustments should be simple to make. For example, capped turrets that require a small tool to adjust will be nearly useless as there isn’t enough time in the stage to make a proper adjustment.

Although not necessary, magnification is incredibly useful. How much magnification? That’s totally up to the shooter. A good starting point is in the 3x9 magnification range, but it’s not uncommon to see some shooters go as high as 30x or greater. I very rarely use magnification beyond 12x in a match, and for most situations my optic doesn’t move much from 10x. 3x18, 4x24, and 5x25 magnification ranges are the most common at NRL22 matches. When it comes to filtering out the choices on rifles and optics, it helps to have some examples to start with.

Here is a list of the most popular Base class optics:

Arken SH-4 4-16x50 GEN2 FFP ($389.99)
Arken EPL-4 6-24x50 FFP ($489.99)
Arken EP-5 5-25x56 FFP ($599.99)
Arken SH-4J 6-24x50 FFP ($449.99)
Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 ($749.99)
Vortex Venom 5-25x56 FFP ($699.99)
Element Helix 6-24x50 FFP ($479.99)
Element Titan APR-2D 5-25x56 FFP ($799.99)

As you can guess from this list, Arken Optics has more options than anyone else. For this reason, you will see more base class rifles with Arken scopes than any other brand. There are a lot of open class rifles sporting them as well. There really is no equal to Arken when it comes to feature rich, affordable optics in multiple lines. The glass is really good in the EP5 as well, although the EPL and SH4 series are more than carrying their weight for the price point. The Vortex Venom is very popular as well and is a more familiar name to those in the world of quality optics. Their warranty is famous and their reticles and turrets familiar to a lot of shooters both within and without the NRL 22 and precision 22 LR world. Bushnell too, is well known, but more as an inexpensive scope than as a precise one. They are trying to change that, with this new offering being recognized by many as an improved and superior effort by Bushnell in the precision shooting game. Element Optics may be a new name to some, but in the Air gun world, they are well known and respected. They are great optics and will more than provide you with all the glass necessary to win at any level.

I can’t finish this article without at least mentioning what combination of rifle and scope I would purchase and run as a base class set up. Big surprise, its consists of a rifle from the previous blog post “Base Class Rifles” and optic from the lists above. For my rifle I’ll take the CZ 457 MTR varmint. CZ 457’s are quite possibly the most popular precision 22LR rifle in every format and come in a variety of styles, barrel types and lengths. With it’s match chamber, you get sub MOA accuracy out of the box and it has one of the best production triggers out there. The 60 degree throw on the bolt will give you less interference with scope magnification levers. The aftermarket options are plentiful and varied, offering upgrades for triggers, barrels, and chassis of metal, wood and polymer. This particular model is outfitted with a precision style walnut stock and a 90 degree grip with palm swells. It features a 20.5” long bull barrel that comes in a 1-16 twist. The most unfortunate thing about this rifle is the included magazine. It functions incredibly well, but has a pitiful capacity of 5 rounds. That would be the first thing I would replace. There are 10, 15, and 25 round magazines, but 10 round mags are the most suitable for precision matches. There are aftermarket mag extensions that will give you 3 more rounds, and I would highly recommend picking some up. As for the scope, I would choose the Arken EP-5 5-25x56 FFP.

Rifle cost ($849)+Optic cost($599.99)= $1448.99 There it is, my perfect base class setup with $51.01 left for 2 or 3 boxes of match ammo.

BASE CLASS OPTICS

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OPEN CLASS RIFLES