Great scope for the money? For my TT talon?
What’s a great scope for my talon tunes AAA talon? I have a bushnell scope on it now and it works good, but looking for a mil dot reticle, and not looking to spend a fortune. I know, you get what you pay for but can anybody recommend a great scope? Primary use is small/medium game hunting and plonking no competition stuff, just looking for an amazing scope for my hard earned money. Got enough into this gun, it should shoot itself by now, thanks.
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Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
Those SWFA’s are kick ass but they hardly come up for sale any more used. I had a chance—a year or so ago—to buy two for the price of one on the yellow and I hesitated. When I returned to my keyboard to commit, it was too late 😡 Do the SWFA focus down to 10 yards? I don’t recall.
I have a Millett LRT and it is great glass for around 250 to 300 depending on if it is on sale…
i was looking for a fixed power and RC told me about the SWFA. i don’t read the reviews on company sites, because they’re too easy to fake.
i specifically picked the SWFA because of the rear focus feature. in a hunting situation, it’s too hard to focus a front or side ao and still keep the gun on target. ( at least for me ). let me know how this shakes out.
I did. Funny you should ask I posted a picture of it today on another post. I have been using it for my backyard for 20-30 yard shots. I’m going to take it out tomorrow to see how far I can stretch the distance to see what it can do. I like it on this Talon SS because it only weighs 17 ozs which keeps the gun light and maneuverable. And 10x is a fair match for the Talon SS which I consider to be best for shooting shots of 50 yards and less (but others may know better than I).
I’ll let you know what I think about it for farther distances after I finish tomorrow.
I also have one of the Bushnell 5-15X $180 scopes and a Hawke Tactical 6.5-20x scope that I bought from Wayfair when they were $332.00 last November. I like the Hawke for the side focus but the Bushy isn’t bad either. They both get the job done on guns I use for longer shots. The Hawke is nice because it weighs so much you can use it as a club to beat your prey to death in you don’t place our first shot right.
hey, LTLurker, you ever get that swfa? i’ve been thinking of pulling the trigger on one myself. i’d really appreciate any opinions.
Didn’t state a budget, but if you’re looking for a fixed mag, mil reticle/mil turrets with hash lines and no dots, including the half mil marks, then the SWFA SS fixed mag scopes are worth looking at.
Available in 6×42, 10×42, 12×42, 16×42 20×42 rear parallax and 10×42 side parallax. ttp://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-MRAD-Scopes-C4225.aspx
These scopes are available with either mil or moa turrets, rear focus for 300 $. The moa turret models have mil dots only, no half mil marks!
BTW you can’t go wrong with a ‘Hawke’
Sam 😎
You might try the Hawke Nite-Eye IR. I bought the 4-16X50. It’s nice and bright and has the choice of all of Hawke’s nifty reticles just like the Sidewinders. You can get it in 6-24 but it only focuses down to 15 yards while the 4-16 focuses down to 10 yards. You can get them for less than $300. Watch for a 10 percent discount coupon on Optics Planet. I think this is the one of the best scopes for airgunners. BTW, it weighs 20.8 oz. which is another plus, and it’s side focus too.
I have a stock Talon SS with the exception that Tony has upgraded the tank valve for me. I also have the Hawke 6.5-20X Tac 30, the Bushnell 5-15 Legend (mounted on my TTT Talondor) that can be bought for $180.00, and Leapers 2-12 Swat side-focus. I’m waiting on a 10X power SWFA that I intend to try on my Talon SS just to see what a SWFA 10X can do.
IMOHO the Hawke 6.4-20 is overkill on the Talon or Talon SS and it’s heavy at 26oz and you probably won’t be using the Talon for 100 yards shots. I have the Bushnell 5-15 mounted on my TTT Talondor and it a nice match, weighs 15oz and optices are great and works really well, just not a side focus scope. The Leapers 3-12 SWAT side focus is good for $100 but it’s heavy at 28oz.
I think the Hawke Airmax 3-12 would be nice, it’s light at around 15oz, has side focus, and is cheaper than the Hawke TAC 30.
I got a hawke side winder 6×20, and it’s very nice. Just havent had much time to shoot it yet. Thank you all for your help it really helped me come to my decision after looking up your suggestions and Im very happy.
The Hawke Sidewinder 30 Tactical series scopes with their 1/2 Mildot reticles are great scopes for the money, especially when they go on sale and you combine the sale with an online coupon found on the internet, which brings the price down under $300. Check the price at Wayfair.com every day. If you do enough searches for the Hawke scope using Google, you’ll soon see Wayfair 10% off coupon ads magically appearing on different websites including YouTube, especially if you are signed into Google.
I just posted a thread about how when combined with Chairgun Pro on the PC and/or iPhone and you can enter accurate data (pellet, chrony info, etc), a Hawke scope “just works” like magic with amazing results especially when combined with a rangefinder. You can also use the mildots to estimate ranges.
Watching Ted’s videos convinced me to go with the Hawke, especially his three part series where he hunts pigeons in high winds then analyzes his shots in slow motion and compares the point of aim vs point of impact as Chairgun would predict after entering all of the variables.
Are you kidding? The Sidewinder Tactical is a hot item, and no one has them on sale or honors any coupons. You’re lucky to get free shipping. You might try a Mueller Tactical 4-14X40. It’s a decent scope for half the money.
There are some fine scopes out there for the money. You will find they come in two styles….inexpensive and very expensive.
Whichever way you go…the best feature I’ve ever found is the side-focus wheel. It is SO much easier to bring the target into focus using that side knob/wheel, than it is to reach all the way to the front of the scope.
Illuminated reticules are nice in low light situations. Mil-dots are functional. I’d like to say the bigger the tube/objective lens the brighter the light, but this has not proven to be correct in today’s product. Years ago perhaps, but today the 1″ scopes with smaller obj. lens can produce a very nice bright image. It’s all about lens quality and coating.
Buy the size that fits your rifle. You don’t want a 3 1/2 lb scope on a five lb rifle. That’s a mistake I’ve made more than once. Match the weight and length to the rifle you shoot. Trust me, you will be much happier that way.
The Talon is small and a light scope would be nice. However, if you want to reach out, use a bi-pod, then get a high magnification piece. Just remember…the higher the power the dimmer the image and the sharpness suffers. UNLESS…you spring for the $1000+ Zeis or such.
Ted from Madison, whose opinion I greatly respect, prefers the Hawke. It’s not the least expensive, but certainly within reach of most shooters, and in every power imaginable.
Just match it to the kind of shooting you will be doing. If it’s long range target/bench rest, a big powerful scope is in order. If it’s hunting and carrying…3 to 9X, 3 to 12X, or 4 to 16X are excellent setups.
Oddly, the brightest, clearest scope I ever owned was a 4X Bugbuster and a 3 to 12X CQB SWAT shortie. Both were on Talons.
The right scope is the real difference between perfection and mere excellence in a rifle/scope combo.
Kindest regards,
‘Ol Uncle H 😯 😯 T
Hawke MAP 6 is nice.
For the money………………Simmons Whitetail Classic 6.5-20×50 AO Mildot. It’s my understanding that this model is made in the Philippians at the same plant that Bushnell uses for one of their product lines. I have one and have bought another. On sale for $125.
Second on my list is the Vortex Diamondback. Another PI scope, it is superb.
I’ve owned a few Hawke scopes but was underwhelmed for the money.
What’s your budget if you don’t mind me asking?
The Hawke Sidewinder 30 Tactical series scopes with their 1/2 Mildot reticles are great scopes for the money, especially when they go on sale and you combine the sale with an online coupon found on the internet, which brings the price down under $300. Check the price at Wayfair.com every day. If you do enough searches for the Hawke scope using Google, you’ll soon see Wayfair 10% off coupon ads magically appearing on different websites including YouTube, especially if you are signed into Google.
I just posted a thread about how when combined with Chairgun Pro on the PC and/or iPhone and you can enter accurate data (pellet, chrony info, etc), a Hawke scope “just works” like magic with amazing results especially when combined with a rangefinder. You can also use the mildots to estimate ranges.
Watching Ted’s videos convinced me to go with the Hawke, especially his three part series where he hunts pigeons in high winds then analyzes his shots in slow motion and compares the point of aim vs point of impact as Chairgun would predict after entering all of the variables.
I’m going to be in the same boat as you soon. On a budget, how about the new Hawke Panorama or one of the older discontinued Bushnell 5-15X which can be had for $180. I’ve thought about a Bushnell 10x since I’ve never had one and they’re lighter than the Hawke scopes. Last, the Whitetail classic scopes that Midway run on sale occasionally get good reviews. Last, you can always go with a Hawke 6.5-20. Keep watching amazon, they go on sale occasionally in the $330 range.
Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)
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It does focus down to 10 yards. It’s a nice scope. I was using this morning to shoot a my 100 yard target and target was bright rand clear.
I bought it used for $225 shipped a couple of months ago when two or three came up for sale on the Yellow. That seems to be the going rate for used SWFA scopes. I missed a Bushy 10x last year at a very good price just like you did by not moving fast enough.