Advice, Best scope/mount for RWS 54

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Lewis

Lewis

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May 2, 2015
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Eureka, California, United States
I'm looking for a mount and scope setup for an RWS 54. These may well be the hardest of any airgun to set optics up for. Because the action is on a sled, the stock and shooter do not provide any dampening to the scope and mount, couple that with 20+ ft/lbs and you have created a wonderful shooting springer that will serve as the litmus test for any good optics.

I am looking at the RWS zr mount which has built in recoil absorption, but, because the distance between the ring and base height is so shallow, the only scope I could probably use is the Bushnell 6-24 elite 4200. It has the parallax adjustment at the objective instead of a side wheel which makes the boss around the turrets more shallow.

The problem with this setup is that even though there is droop compensation built in, it is not adjustable and would make it unlikely to be able to have an optically centered scope.

The other option is the Sportsmatch dampa-mount with a UTG True Strength 6-24 ( I have had great luck with these scopes on a tx200 and an HW97 so far).

No adjustability for optical center and I have found only mixed reviews on the dampa-mounts.

Does anyone have a better solution? I would love real world experience with what works or doesn't. Scope and mount must stay under 1000 and be usable for FT. The combinations above are +/- 700 and 400 respectively. 
 
I have an RWS54 but I am converting it to be a short stroked 12ftlbs rifle but I am still interested to hear what people say about the best options for the rifle. I currently have that ZR mount on loan from a friend and have yet to really get to use it. My rifle has been in storage since we moved from Tennessee to Florida and just saw the light of day yesterday actually. It is currently shooting too slow at 580 FPS with FTS pellets but I am working on that. it WAS shooting at 780-800 before i made some mods and then had to pack up for the move. I know that A-team Ray has a very custom 12ftlbs RWS54 that has a custom picatinny rail mounted up front (because it is a bullpup) and he has a March 5-40 or something like that on it. This of course is WAY out of the price range and is well beyond my meager means as well. I would think a Bushnell Elite 4200 would last about as long as anything they are excellent scopes. I had one for awhile on a TX200 but it was again 12ftlbs. I had a UTG SWAT 8-32 on my HW97 in 12 ftlbs and never had a problem with it. I will need to check into this new UTG scope you are talking about hopefully it will be suitable because I liked that UTG model I had. It worked quite well. Good luck and let us know what you find.

Pete
 
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Thanks for the feedback. Most of the current UTG SWAT models are now in their TS (True Strength) line. They have a very sturdy inner tube support system. I'm surprised they don't get a lot more attention on airgun forums, this is what they are made for. They are a lower mid price optic 200-300ish and aren't on par with 600 dollar scopes but they are VERY good and are designed for our needs, not many others are. Not a spokesman just a happy (so far) customer.

 
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Lewis,
Yes well like I said I competed with one on my HW97 MKIII for several years and it was a fine scope. I would buy one again and indeed may well do that for one or the other of my FT projects I am working on. The RWS54 is an interesting beast. I hope to tame it here soon and enjoy some amazing accuracy while feeling little to no recoil. I can tell you at 12ftlbs it is considerably nicer to shoot than at the already nice 20+ftlbs it comes set at. I think it will be very cool once I get it dialed in. Right now as I recall the last thing I did was to add a transfer port reducer that was meant to tame some of the sharpness of the recoil that of course is not really felt but mostly heard. Unfortunately I think I tamed it down too much because now it is shooting too slow. I have it all apart right now working on getting it back up to the 12ftlbs level hopefully with better consistency and a smoother shot cycle. There is a LOT of metal moving around in there to attain the 20 plus ftlb level that is easily able to do the 12ftlbs in a short stroke setup. It has been done before so I know it is possible but I need to find the right setup for my tastes. I have high hopes for this gun. Lord knows it is laser accurate as it comes out of the box.

I am not aware of any other scopes that would be suitable and last awhile on them. I have the Aeon 10-40 on my HW77 and I really like the scope especially for the price point but I am unsure of the life span on the big RWS. If I can tame it down I may try it on there but who knows. It may spend its life atop my HW77....Good luck man...

Pete
 
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How many shots are people getting before their scopes let go - for people who do have their sled gun break scopes?

I have a cheap Leapers 3-9x40 scope in a cheap Leapers 1-piece mount on my Diana 56TH. So far, so good. I did have to adjust up for a bit of droop, but has been shooting fine since then. I have a drooper rail to put on if/when I ever switch out the scope for something better. It shoots so good now that I don't plan to touch it until I have to.
 
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@ Lewis
I have tried everything(including the RWS zr mount), but what has held zero for over a year on my 54 has just been a set of regular single strap, medium, BKL mounts. The rear BKL mount is butted up against rear screw on top of the dovetail. I have a Leapers 3-12x44 with etched glass reticle with side wheel and it is not worse for wear with this beast of an airgun. With this setup sub inch groups at 50 yards are typical.
 
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All 54 guns I had the best luck out of the RWS DROOP 1 peice mount. Also the utg weaver to dovetail droop mount is another good set up on even the 48 platform both have stop pines.
Jus be sure if to order the utg buythe one for which trigger you have. THE 2 are different and fit only the T06 or T05. There os one that is open on both ends on the dovetail vs closed. Fixed barrel Diana guns can have droop. The arrow goes forward on the RWS mount.

Never lost a scope with either mount on a 54 or 48 platform.

I used the RWS DROOP mount on all the 350 guns also. Even on Hatsans. JMO
 
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