Optics, sell 3 bullpups & drop the cash on great optics
I currently have (6) Edguns or Crickets and after shooting them all some and some of them a ton I have arrived at the fact that I always grab for the 3 smallest format guns out of the group and all 3 are .22 calibers. If I decide to sell I will be keeping the Leyla .22, Cricket .22 compact (Shanu, Dr. Steele’s) gun and The Edgun R3M short that I converted to an R3. The sell guns are the Edgun .30 Short, Cricket Long .25 and this last one is difficult but maybe even the Cricket .177 compact,( My fat fingers just don’t like those tiny pellets, but I love the gun !!)
My question is If I give up these 3 guns I am dedicating the money to Great scopes for the other 3 and once again what scopes are worthy of the sacrifice. I want side focus and preferably big wheel available, Light weight, 10 to 15 yard max. (min focal distance) great glass and reticle and cost won’t be a big concern since in my mind the money is already spent. What would you do…….. What optics would you consider buying…
I really use all three guns for the same purpose, close range pesting so no real distinction between the three, for sure I would want the same scope for the cricket and R3 and real confused as to what to put on the Leyla :confusedn:
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I have two of the SWFA SS 3-15×42 that have replaced my Hawke Sidewinders . I really like them.
I tried the Pentex Gameseeker but paralax adjusment knob broke just as I finished sighting it in. It does have superb glass that’s for sure.
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Well I did it! Took the plunge and sold two scopes to fund one!
I’m a Hawke fan for airgun use but this Vortex Viper PST FFP scope is so much more refined. Considering its price, it better be. Spending this much cash on a scope was a big leap for me but I think I made the right choice. Compared to my Sidewinder 30, this scope feels pretty damn light at 18.7 oz. Optics are great and bright considering the objective size. I’m not an optics snob and haven’t looked at higher end scopes to truly assess performance comparison to higher end scopes but this Vortex suits my eyes well.
Turrets are super smooth compared to the SW and clicks can not only be felt but heard. Side focus is very smooth and can be easily operated using 2 fingers unlike the SW. Now I know why the SW comes with the larger add on wheel. You can’t turn the SW side focus knob as easily. Illumination is genius since every other click turns it off. At the highest illumination setting of 10, it’s very washed out during daylight but panning around indoors, it’s very bright.
The down side is this Vortex based on its specs can only focus down to 35 yds. What I’ve found is if you turn down the magnification to 2.5-5x, you can still see a target within 15 yds although the reticle may not be in complete focus. The great thing about FFP scopes is at the lower magnifications, the reticle is tiny anyways so you can just use it as an “+” and hit your target using a hold under if you zero your gun at say 35 yds. At 2.5x, you can barely make out any of the marking on the reticle or numbers anyways.
If the stars align and a Lelya falls on my lap, this Vortex no doubt will be my scope of choice out to 100 yds. Beyond that, it would be nice to have more than 10x magnification on an airgun.
After much thinking this through, I finally decided to was only worth selling other stuff for good glass in the case of Lelya which needed a size and quality fitting scope to go with her petit form factor. The march was the Ultimate for her and the others will keep their Hawkes for now. I might want to try something different in time but not big dollar as not nearly enough bang for the buck beyond my Hawkes. If someone comes out with a smaller or lighter 20x I like I will try one. In the mean time I have 5 of these Hawke 6-24×56’s and 5 air Rifles to go with them right now.
I have two new Hawke scopes and for airgun use, I agree the Hawke scopes are hard to beat for their price and features. Only issue is weight as they are a tad heavy but there’s very few options that appeals to me unless the budget goes up significantly. Still trying to decide if I should sell two scopes to buy one.
I’m going to ponder the two Vortex options for now. If the Viper PST was offered with XLR reticle it would be a no brainer. Maybe they’ll consider it in the near future.
I’ve heard good things regarding MTC but nothing really stands out. Falcon on the other hand seems on the heavy side considering half their options are over 30oz+.
I still maintain that I have never found a more airgun compatible scope than the Hawke SW 30 6-24×56 ( FOR THE MONEY ) My clarity is always great up to 20x at least. SeCoda has done a lot of scope testing and he tells me some are better than others and Hawke will tweak it for you is you need. I am sure he is correct. I have 5 of them and love them but they are a bit heavy at 27oz. I really like chair gun pro and using it with these scopes. I shoot mostly at 20x but intend to do a 25x comparison of all 5 and see if I have any foggy ones that I have just not noticed.
I know SeCoda likes the SR-Pro reticle and buys the 32x also
So many have been down this road. The good news is you can sell them if you don’t like them. 😀
Also there are some fine scopes that work on airguns at the $1000 price point. (like the Sightron)
I’m going to ponder the two Vortex options for now. If the Viper PST was offered with XLR reticle it would be a no brainer. Maybe they’ll consider it in the near future.
I’ve heard good things regarding MTC but nothing really stands out. Falcon on the other hand seems on the heavy side considering half their options are over 30oz+.
Hawke, Optisan (MTC), and Falcon. There are a few others.
The two that I reference caught my eye since they are fairly light weight and provide a decent amount of features for their price range plus focus down to ~35 yds. Some of the lower end Vortex can focus down to 20-25 yds but have terrible reticle for AG use. Hawke seems to be the choice optics for many AG users due to their ability to focus down to 10 yds plus many features for their price but they’re heavy as bricks especially on a bullpup. Fine for bench rest shooting but heavier than preferred in my opinion. Just fishing for opinions on the Vortex 2.5-10×32 scopes. 35 yds parallax seems manageable for AG use, besides who actually shoots closer than 25-30 yds anyways?
I think we have looked at them [Vortex] pretty extensively on this forum. My brother lives by them in Middleton, WI and goes there frequently for PB scopes and always inquirers about using them on his PCPs. They are middle-of-the-road optics quality but need to redo parallax for airguns which they currently do not. Most shots for a backyard airgunner are below 50-60 yards. It kind of knocks them out for the moment unless you are farm shooting at longer ranges. :confusedn:
Ride,
During your research, did you consider any of the Vortex Optics scopes? I know they are a huge step down from the March you ended up with. Most Vortex are not AG friendly with 50 yd parallax but these seem to focus down to 35 yds.
Viper HS LR 2.5-10×32 FFP (XLR MOA reticle) http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-viper-hs-25-10×32-lr-long-range-riflescope-with-xlr-moa-reticle
– Tedholdover was a big fan of the XLR reticle but I really like the exposed turrets on the PST model below.
Viper PST 2.5-10×32 FFP (EBR-1 MOA or MRAD reticle) http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-viper-pst-2-5-10×32-ffp-riflescope-with-ebr-1-moa-reticle
– Not sure if these EBR-1 reticles are AG friendly? Anyone familiar with them and can chime in?
In other words : extremely useful for Airguns … 🙂
Hemn,
I had the BORS for a while. You can put that on several scopes. Mine was on my Night Force NSX 8-32×56. It attaches to the elevation adjudtment. It uses environmental parameters, coreolous effect, etc to be more accurate at long range on the 50 BMG.
Rid,,
i don’t know if this scope is a PCP friendly or not,,, i know it is made for .50bmg barret ,,,but some scopes are also work on small calibers,, you can check … i just saw it and love it ,,,
http://barrett.net/optics/bors
and i like the barret rings ,,,and that might order them for my Edgun ,,
http://www.barrettrifles.com/c-481-optics.aspx
this is just my :2cents: ignore it if this is not a good one,,,
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Probably 70% of my bird shots are under 35 yards. Vortex keeps promising to get it fixed but there may not be enough demand. If I lived on a farm like Zonk or Ted many shots would well surpass that.