Scope for bobcat 30 cal
So I got lucky and put my deposit down early enough to get me a bobcat in 30 cal. Now I gotta scope it… Thinking either bushnell 6500 2.5x14x50 mil dot. Or possibly a hawke tactical.. Looking for something that will adjust down to 10 yards and clear Looking for suggestions…. I have. A royal 500 with a 6.5x20x42 tactical and like it so that’s y I’m thinking the hawke just want something with a bigger objective. What would u put on the bobcat if you had one..
All Replies
SECoda, used is a great way to go to get a high dollar scope for under retail!
My $1000 plus scope was gained that way.
Since I wear prescription glasses I found that if the upper edge of the lens (on my glasses) is ‘funky’ it will effect the image quality when I look through the scope. This occurs mostly during seated FT shooting. If I look through the scope with the center of the lens (on my glasses) the image quality is far better than through the upper section.
So my nice scope is only really as nice as my glasses. And the upper edge of prescription glasses is typically considered less important than the middle. 👿
I have found that my cheaper 8-32x scope ranges and clicks in step with my 10-50x higher end scope, it’s really about how clear you want the image in the end, because of this I try to limit my FT competition scope purchases to under $1500 and closer to $1000 if I can (high power, minimum of 35x). If you are into lower magnifications $700 will get some nice glass. From my limited experience with ultra expensive high mag (mostly March scope experience @ 80x magnification) once you go past 30x it’s all about the glass and if you want clarity at high mag expect to spend upwards of $3k easy.
The kicker is that some of the really high end scope are known to have more poi changes with temperature. I know a couple guys with scopes 3x the price of mine that give them fits during matches.
When I started my airgun adventure I never imagined i’d spend $500 let alone $1000 on a scope. The deeper I got the more the prices made sense. Shit, I don’t even kill anything that isn’t metal or paper… As much as i’d like to think i’m a scope snob I can shoot just as well with cheap scopes, my best all time with my cheap 32x is a 47/48, with my expensive 50x it’s 48/48 and the 32x doesn’t change based on the weather like the 50x does… It’s hard to be snobby when the proof is in your face like that… 
What do you guys think of the scopes that have the rangefinder built into them? After you calibrate it, it’ll tell you where the holdovers are on the recticle.
Or should it be kept as two different devices? I just want a scope where I don’t have to do much thinking just point/shoot and hit the target 60% of the time all the time. 🙂
Well that isn’t happening with my wife 😯 but I am trying an old approach. I actually traded for my Nightforce NSX 8-32×56 scope a few years back and the same guy (retired NFL football player) has a Zeiss Victory 6-24×56 that I have my eye on. As it is now my daughters cats taste tests my food so buying a $3000 scope is out of the question. He still shoots his Barrett 50 BMG but is bored with his other guns. I want it for my Weatherby 22-250 and then I will move the Leupold 8-32 on it to the Savage 17 WSM. The Zeiss doesn’t focus close enough for air guns but it is the finest scope my eye has ever peered through. 😉 The same order as Zoco’s March.
Still searching for the perfect air gun scope….. :3: I am leaning though towards one of the FT scopes that have been recommended for a .30 something bullpup. Something in the 10-50 or so range. I like to see their whiskers.
That´s all so true… You get what you pay for. So – the only thing left to do is as follows:
– Take a deep dive into your vallet and check the budget. Don´t mention anything to the wifey
– Once that´s done decide how much you´re willing (able) to spend without her noticing it. If the best you can afford is a Hawke Varmint you´re better off with a good aperture sight
– Decide what exactly you need in a scope. You may not need that illuminated reticle eventhough it´s cool
– Get the best one you can find in your price range – do the research – and hope for the best
That´s about it.
BTW – I just realized i broke the 500 post barrier. Have i really contributed only this little, among so many people with that many posts ?? 😯
All of the best lab formal tests on scopes I have ever read were done in Sweden or Finland. We are counting on you to set us straight. 😛 The best scopes in their tests do tend to be the most expensive lines. 🙂 Zeiss, S&B, Swarovski, etc.. Can you get us any bargains on those?
I am afraid optics are the best case of you get what you pay for that I have ever seen. I have been searching for a low cost, high quality, variable high mag scope for 30 years and have yet to find one. My high quality scopes are all well over $1000 and they are hardly the top. Even my $700-800 VarX-III Leupold scopes on my PB varmint rifles don’t begin to compete with the best scopes. Sure each manufacturer makes less expensive lines but they typically drop off in the optics department pretty quickly and often are of Chinese origin anyways. If I want to stay happy with my Hawke Sidewinders I just don’t look through my Leupold Tactical unless I plan on using it. 😥 Basically, I am looking for the best junk scopes on my air guns (around $500 US). A clone that is acceptable with all of the bells and whistles we want that doesn’t break the bank. Even the cheaper Japanese scopes rate poorly but you often pay a premium for them. The first Hawke scopes used to be made in Japan for that matter.
If one comes into a small pot of gold here are some of the best…. 😀
They are only in order by alphabet…
A short summary of the results below. A short summary of the results below.
Scope name Scope name
B resolution (max 10) B resolution (max 10)
C colour & contrast (max 10) C & color contrast (max 10)
D anti-reflex (max 5+5) D anti-reflex (5 max 5)
E light transmission (max 10) E light transmission (max 10)
F twilight performance (max 10) F twilight performance (max 10)
G overall test result (including all test results, not just the ones I’ve printed. Max possible 7Cool G overall test result (including all test results, not just the ones I’ve printed. 7Cool Max possible
Remember, this is a lab test, not some testers subjective opinion.
BSA Big cat 3,5-10x: B3 C3 D5 E6 F3 G44 BSA Big Cat 3.5-10X: B3 C3 D5 E6 F3 G44
BURRIS FULLFIELD II 3,5-10X: B10 C7 D6 E9 F7 G58 Burris 3.5-10X FULL FIELD II: B10 C7 D6 E9 F7 G58
DOCTER 3-12X: B7 C8 D8 E8 F7 G60 DOCTER 3-12X: B7 C8 D8 E8 F7 G60
KAHLES CB 3-12: B6 C8 D8 E9 F8 G62 Kahless CB 3-12: B6 C8 D8 E9 F8 G62
Leupold VXIII 3,5-10X:B7 C7 D8 E8 F6 G60 VXIII Leupold 3.5-10X: B7 C7 D8 E8 F6 G60
MEOPTA ARTEMIS 3000 3-12X: B7 C7 D7 E7 F7 G57 Meopta ARTEMIS 3000 3-12X: B7 C7 D7 E7 F7 G57
MEOPTA ARTEMIS 2000 3-12X: B6 C7 D7 E7 F6 G55 Meopta ARTEMIS 2000 3-12X: B6 C7 D7 E7 F6 G55
MICRO DOT 2,3-10X: B7 C6 D7 E8 F7 G58 MICRO DOT 2.3-10X: B7 C6 D7 E8 F7 G58
NICKEL GERHARDT 3-12X: B9 C8 D8 E9 F9 G66 NICKEL GERHARDT 3-12X: B9 C8 D8 E9 F9 G66
NIGHTFORCE NP1 3,5-15X: B9 C6 D9 E8 F7 G60 NP1 NIGHT FORCE 3.5-15X: B9 C6 D9 E8 F7 G60
OXO ONTARIO 3-9X: B3 C3 D4 E6 F2 G39 ONTARIO OXO 3-9X: B3 C3 D4 E6 F2 G39
PECAR 4-10X: B5 C6 D6 E8 F5 G46 Pecar 4-10X: B5 C6 D6 E8 F5 G46
SCHMIDT UND BENDER ZENITH 2,5-10X: B7 C8 D9 E9 F9 G65 SCHMIDT UND BENDER ZENITH 2.5-10X: B7 C8 D9 E9 F9 G65
SCHMIDT UND BENDER 2,5-10X: B9 C8 D8 E9 F9 G66 SCHMIDT UND BENDER 2.5-10X: B9 C8 D8 E9 F9 G66
SHIRSTONE GOLD 4-12X: B5 C5 D5 E7 F5 G47 SHIRSTONE GOLD 4-12X: B5 C5 D5 E7 F5 G47
SWAROVSKI HABICT 3-12X: B9 C9 D8 E9 F10 G68 SWAROVSKI HABICT 3-12X: B9 C9 D8 E9 F10 G68
TASCO TITAN 3-12X: B5 C6 D6 E7 F4 G49 Tasco Titan 3-12X: B5 C6 D6 E7 F4 G49
TRIJICON ACCUPOINT 2,5-10X: B8 C6 D8 E9 F8 G64 TRIJICON BATTERY POINT 2.5-10X: B8 C6 D8 E9 F8 G64
ZEISS DIAVARI ZT 3-12X: B10 C10 D10 E9 F10 G72 ZEISS DIAVARI ZT 3-12X: B10 C10 D10 E9 F10 G72
ZEISS VARIPOINT V 3-12X: B9 C10 D10 E9 F9 G70 ZEISS VARI POINT V 3-12X: B9 C10 D10 E9 F9 G70
For me personally the price doesn´t much matter as long as i A- Get value for my money, B- It fills the need without being ridiculously expensive. By that i mean that i don´t need a Swarovski nor a March for my airgun/rimfire shooting out to 200 meters if there´s a scope that gets the job done equally good at half the price. I won´t shoot any tighter grouping with a 3000$ scope that i do with a 700$ one so the four times more expensive scope doesn´t do me anything that the cheaper one can´t accomplish. I know, of course, that a 200$ Chinese made scope isn´t even near the quality of a Japanese/European made optics – neither optically nor otherwise.
That said – if the SW isn´t 300% better than the Varmint it won´t fill my criteria “B” since it doesn´t quite fill my needs. I haven´t tested a SW but the Varmint sure is a POS scope – worse than many other Chinese junk in its price range.
I got to look at thru some Chinese made Konus scopes today and actually their top-of-the line Konuspro M30 8-40x had a great glass etched reticle,nice and tight turrets and the PX stayed the same regardless the zoom level (that´s the first time i´ve seen a Chinese scope to be able to do that) , a good warranty (you´ll get a new scope. No sending the faulty one to reparation) and a really good price tag but i´m still not convinced since it has the treaded “PRC” stamped on it…
I´d rather put my money on a Clearidge, Delta Optics or such with less bells and whistles but those are made in Japan. I own one marvellous Chinese scope though which i use on my EdGun – the MTC Viper – but it´s a 10x non variable zoom- modell.
I have both the Hawke Sidewinder 30 SF 4-16×50 (SR Pro) and Hawke Eclipse 30 SF 4-16×50 (Mil Dot). To me both glasses are very much comparable. If you can’t spring for a Sidewinder, the Eclipse is a great value. The SR Pro reticle like others have said is really nice though. I too am tempted to unload the Eclipse for another Sidewinder due to the SR Pro. Nothing wrong with Mil Dots, just personal preference. Both scopes do have some weight to them so if you’re trekking through the woods, make sure you’re comfortable with the weight on a bullpup. I know some people prefer a lighter setup while hunting. If it’s for FT on a bench, weight shouldn’t matter.
$431 EACH last spring. One was from http://www.hercamoshop.com/ and the other from http://www.bowhunterssupplystore.com/ but both shops have raised their prices to the Hawke requirement of $499 EACH. 😡
Hercamoshop is very near the US Hawke distributor in Indiana. In both cases the scopes were drop shipped directly from Hawke. Keep searching and you will find occasional deals out there but they don’t stay low for long.
$431 for TWO 8-32×56 SR PRO Hawke?
Where is that?
Both places I got the Hawkes at last spring now show $499. HAWKE realky cracks down on
the retailers.
Well I won’t be getting my bobcat till Monday so. I got sometime to find me the scope I want …. I’ve decided on the hawke 6x24x56 sidewinder with srpro reticle just gotta hunt me down a good deal. After seeing them pics from secoda’s post it kinda sold me. Anybody know where to find the best price on one?
That is awesome!!!
Take a look at Firecracker’s dragon fly hit with Edgun/Hawke Sidewinder 30 SR Pro 8-32 at 86 yards.
Vortex makes some of the best scopes in the world but they sold a cheap line called Crossfire a few years back that had an 80% return rate and damaged their reputation a bit. I would still own a Vortex Razor in a heart beat for my PBs.
http://swfa.com/Vortex-5-20×50-Razor-HD-35mm-Rifle-Scope-P48281.aspx
If you look at the International Extreme Benchrest held by AOA in Arizona every year, the majority of the competitors used Hawke Sidewinders (for a reason). Many of the Vendors guns including FX Fred and Daystate sported Sidewinders.
Spot those Hawkes
http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/ExtremeBenchrest.html
If they are good enough for Fred they’re good enough for me. 😀
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Donny,
To get the magnification I wanted they used to be too expensive. The Burris 4-16×50 I would consider has come down to about $1500. Right now I am looking for a night vision scope of one kind or another. The ones I want are in that 1500 price range. The Burris is not the same optics as a regular scope like my Leupold Mark 4 or a high end Burris.