perfect magnification for sub 12ft/lb

[jenksi87 3]

just wondering what would be the best scope to get for a sub 12ft/lb air rifle. i dont mean the make, i mean in magnification terms. i am wanting to upgrade my 3-9 x 42 sabre scope. there is nothing wrong with it, i would just like to be able to zoom in further for better pellet placement as i find that whilst my scope (when zeroed) is accurate enough, i am looking at too bigger target for my liking. bear in ind i do not want to be spending a fortune, just something that will suit my needs and wont break after 3/4 outings

any help / advise would be appreciated

JENKS

[Phantom 631]

I would have thought 3-9 would be more than adaquate. Remember the higher the mag the duller the image (unless you want to pay for top optics) also remember that any tremor or movement will be greatly magnified.

 

I rarely use anything more than 5-6 when shooting at live quarry.

 

May try it a little higher next time Im out, but I really dont think I would go as far a 9.

 

What range are you shooting at and what are you shooting at?

 

Phantom

[stealthy1 3,964]

I would have thought 3-9 would be more than adaquate. Remember the higher the mag the duller the image (unless you want to pay for top optics) also remember that any tremor or movement will be greatly magnified.

 

I rarely use anything more than 5-6 when shooting at live quarry.

 

May try it a little higher next time Im out, but I really dont think I would go as far a 9.

 

What range are you shooting at and what are you shooting at?

 

Phantom

 

 

As above, thats what I use, on mag 5 most of the time

[spike25blue 55]

I would have thought 3-9 would be more than adaquate. Remember the higher the mag the duller the image (unless you want to pay for top optics) also remember that any tremor or movement will be greatly magnified.

 

I rarely use anything more than 5-6 when shooting at live quarry.

 

May try it a little higher next time Im out, but I really dont think I would go as far a 9.

 

What range are you shooting at and what are you shooting at?

 

Phantom

 

 

As above, thats what I use, on mag 5 most of the time

 

just stick with the 3x9's mate i never go above 6 mag

 

atb rob

[foxon 0]

just wondering what would be the best scope to get for a sub 12ft/lb air rifle. i dont mean the make, i mean in magnification terms. i am wanting to upgrade my 3-9 x 42 sabre scope. there is nothing wrong with it, i would just like to be able to zoom in further for better pellet placement as i find that whilst my scope (when zeroed) is accurate enough, i am looking at too bigger target for my liking. bear in ind i do not want to be spending a fortune, just something that will suit my needs and wont break after 3/4 outings

any help / advise would be appreciated

JENKS

As all aboves.

Use your scope to zoom out to reduce target picture & zoom in for pellet placement adjusting focus, lots of hunters spot with there scopes, your 3x9 with a 42 opening should be ample.

foxon.

[jenksi87 3]

i'm shooting rabbits between 20 and 35 yards. the scopes are good enough. i would just like to be able zoom in further for the 35yard shots.

[ellir0305 9]

i'm shooting rabbits between 20 and 35 yards. the scopes are good enough. i would just like to be able zoom in further for the 35yard shots.

 

to put it simply you dont need to zoom in further there are guys on here getting big bags with perfect shot placement out to 45 yards and more with 3-9 zoom above that it pointless really at this power especially with the kind of ranges you are shooting

[masmiffy 82]

What you want to see the eyelashes

Only use a 4 x 40 for all shots out to 40yds what more do you need in daylight or with a lamp!

[andyfr1968 772]

Hi,mate.

 

I've got zoom scopes on all my guns and like some of the other guys have said, I can't remember the last time I changed any of them from 6x.

 

Cheers.

 

PS. Optical quality is what makes a good scope. Cheap scopes and high mag's not good as the image deteriorates as the mag goes up.

[Malt 379]

I've got a SMK 3-9 X 40, I don't think it's ever been used past 5 or 6, never needed to. (..apart from that one time when I was spying on the neighbour getting undressed! Used it to see the flashing blue lights coming from a mile away too! )

 

 

(Joke BTW!)

[bedrock 16]

If you want a bigger scope jenks get a 3-12 have a look here http://www.opticswarehouse.co.uk/ . atb bedrock

[ellir0305 9]

If you want a bigger scope jenks get a 3-12 have a look here http://www.opticswarehouse.co.uk/ . atb bedrock

 

to get the brightest image from your scope you want the final image to be the same size as your pupil, and the youngest people's pupils are about 7mm. so if you divide the big lense (sorry i dont know the name of it but in a 3-9x40 scope like mine its 40mm) by the 7mm pupil size.

 

with mine this is 40 / 7 = 5.7 ish

 

this means you get the clearest image through a 3-9x40 scope at 5.7 magand other than tricky shots through cover etc my mag stays on this

 

this number is useful to know especially if your out lamping or shooting in low light

 

hope this helps someone

 

atb rob

[Guest Scuba1]

I use different magnifications depending on the place and situation I am shooting at. Out lamping at night I use up to 5X because I am pretty close to the bunnys. If I am shooting magpies and company from a hide at a known distance I'll go up to 16X as it makes " threading " pellets though the branches easier. For all round stalking 6 to 9X is fine by me but if I have a warren in my sights and just sit / lay in wait of any wabbits coming out I'll change back to 14 to 16X

 

ATB

 

Michael

Edited July 31, 2009 by Scuba1

[ghillies 209]

the long and short of it.....

 

the standard 4x40 has woeked for years and still works plenty good enough for hunting and the likes...(come to that they still sell 4x20's at hi costs)

 

6x40...10x40's fixed mags...all ok and all in use.

 

next comes the zoom's, 1.5-6's, 2.5-10's, 3-9's,4-14's, 6-24, 8-24's and 8-36's, 10-30's,10-40,10-50 and so on...

 

then comes the paralex corections, side wheel focus and front bell adjustment.

 

 

the closer you want to shoot, e.g.ratting the lower the mag the better, because a higher mag wont always focus down below 10 yards.. even the paralex on a higher mag scope wont focus below 10, some 15 or 20 yards.

 

 

the further away you shoot some say the higher the mag you;ll need, it is handy.

 

the paralex (side wheel or bell) you'll have to set up acourding to what range your shooting at, a lot of the cheaper bell house adjusters take the zero out.... the highrer thye amg goes the less is in view.. e.g. a big side wheel focus on 50 mag you can read about 14 inch's off a tape measure at 35 yards... on 10 mag you can see clear enough to paralex for the 15-50 yard range, untill the light starts to fade, then the paralex+mag becomes more critical and you loose the clear range you can see at.. i see clear range becuase untill you get a better scope you'll probablynot notice the ends of the clear are actualy fuzzy, youll see it when you twidle the paralex into focus.

 

in general for hunting they say a bell end adjustment (by hand usualy lol) becuase once set you'll be shooting of the ret and not adjusting, and for target with 20 plus mag scopes side wheel 'focus' (paralex) is used for range finding on the higher mag because its more cryticle.

 

so... hunting for close up ratting at night and daytime rabbiting etc a 2.5-10 mag maybe? with an adjustable paralex... so you can set for the two and keep the same zero...(if the scope doesnt go out when you change things)

a fixed mag fixed paralex scope will do the same job usualy, but you wont have a choise for setting the ret up against a trajectory.. ut...they wont go out when you twidle the mag or paralex lol..

 

for a .22 the 3-9 gets favoured a lot and for .177 a lot pick the 4-16's or 4-14's..etc, i use a 2.5-10 mag on .177 pelets, suits me and my eyes.

 

oh yes eye's, YOU have to look through the thing (not your mate or the guy selling it) so the mag can suit or hinder your particular glasses etc...

 

now then, the objective size, a 40mm is good for twighlighting, but anything above a 32mm will let more light through. (3-5x40mm 0r 4x40mm, the mm on the end is the big end measurement).

a fixed mag no paralex adjustable will let a fraction more light through in twighlite than a zoom, the higher the mag the less light gets through, hense the big target scopes like the nikko 10-50x60 has a huge 60mm objective to try and get somelight through at the higher mags...

 

green tinge in the lens is the leass of the coatings, the deeper the green the better (if its don eright its plenty adequate) a purpley bluey tinge in the lens is usual a multicoating, and pikny red beign the best as 'heat treated'.. the better the coating (in any of the three) means better light going through, the ga sin a cope isnt vital, as long as you dont mind loosing image on dark days to a sicky grey, oh and having to pack up long befor ethe sun goes down lol, the atmosferes 70- persent nitrogen, your scopes probaly 100 persent nitrogen and maybe has a couple other proper gasses in it..they let you se later into the dark or earlier in the morning whilste keeping a good sharp definate image on thos eover cast cloudyt days.

 

sooo out of all that info you pic.. the one you can see through best basicaly, (the lower the scope the better for nearer, the higher the scopes mount the better for further away so a huge 60mm end will be mounted higher than a 4x20.)

Edited July 31, 2009 by ghillies

[theinvisiblescarecrow 0]

You'r doing ok with your scope so why change.

I only go to 10x on my rifles.

Sub 12 & FAC as well as the rimmy.

After spencing a fortune trying to find the perfect scope (x3) I've gone back to a fairly basic ones.