Sunday, 21 June 2015
CRGC has expanded the number of distributors and manufacturers with whom we have purchasing agreements. CRGC is now a dealer for U.S. Optics scopes (see their web site at http://www.usoptics.com/). An increasing number of CRGC members have gotten interested in competitive shooting, and long or extreme range shooting, and the products previously available to us have not given members the breadth of choices they have asked for. ("Long range" shooting generally refers to ranges out to 800 to 1,000 yards, or the distance at which a bullet enters the transonic range of velocity for that shooting environment - the temperature and barometic pressure. "Extreme range" shooting refers to ranges after the bullet enters the transonic range of velocity. The difference is that when a bullet enters the transonic range the supersonic shock wave trailing the bullet begins to move across the bullet from the base to the tip until the bullet is below the speed of sound. During that transition, which can last from 75 to 150 yards, the bullet is subject to enough buffeting and varying pressure along the bullet that without extra work in selecting the cartridge and bullet, and loading the ammunition, the accuracy of the shot can be substantially decreased. Depending upon the cartridge used, the selection of the bullet, and shooting conditions, extreme range shooting starts between 1,100 and 2,000 yards.)
In selecting a scope there are a variety of factors involved, including the distances at which shooting will be done, the quality of the optics (light transmission, true color, lack of distortion, etc.), quality of manufacture (ruggedness, durability, precision, repeatability of settings), types of reticles, and other factors. The U.S. Optics products are among the best made scopes in the United States, and carry a lifetime warranty to the original owner against material or workmanship defects.
U.S. Optics offers several models which include 2 red dot scopes, and 6 standard optics intended for use over 4 different ranges: short (1.5 - 6x), medium (1.8 - 10x), long (3.2 - 17x), and extreme range (5 - 25x). All standard optics models have the reticles in the first focal plane, rather than the second focal plane used in most scopes in the U.S. In the first focal plane the reticle changes size with the magnification, meaning that the distance between hash marks in the reticle always spans the same distance on the target. That is a very handy feature for estimating ranges, and figuring holdovers and windage. Most reticles are available in both milli-radian (aka "mil") and minute of angle (MOA, also known as "inch per hundred yards" or "IPHY") distances between hash marks. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_mil and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadiametric_rangefinding and http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/MilDot_MOA.asp for more information about the technology and use of hash mark or mil-dot reticles.
The U.S. Optics scopes are not cheap - in fact they are fairly expensive if you are buying them at retail, but the CRGC dealer agreement can help with the price. The MSRP for the scopes ranges from $1,250.00 to $3,301.00 before any options are added. There are catalogs available at the clubhouse, or you can go on-line to configure your scope. Make sure you carefully consider your reticle options. Once you have decided upon a configuration, send an e-mail to crgc@canby.com to get a price quotation, or come to the clubhouse any Tuesday or Thursday evening and talk with Richard Phaneuf or Doug Phaneuf.
CRGC does not stock these scopes, but the factory has some stock on hand for the most frequently ordered configurations. Most purchasers configure the scope they want when the order is placed. Configuration options include the model, color, elevation knob, windage knob, reticle lighting and color, reticle type, and eyepiece housing. Configuration choices may change the price of the scope. The delivery time after an order depends upon the configuration and the manufacturing stock on hand, but typically runs from 4 to 6 weeks after receipt of order.