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Other Scope Power/Less = OK

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harrympope

harrympope

Member
Jun 28, 2015
330
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richland Washington
With my spring powered guns I generally shoot and hunt 50 yards an under.
My preference has always been for something 6-10 power(and often a 4x is just fine) . As long as the scope is clear and parallax adjustable I have never found myself to shoot smaller groups with higher powered scopes if the aiming point is clear. On one of my antique Schuetzen powder burners I shoot at 200 yd. recently I went from an 8 power to a 14 power and my groups were the same...( Granted it is not a .25 MOA gun but about .50- .75 moa when shooting well.

Maybe I'm the only one, but some people seem to think that You need a 36x power scope to shoot a decent group at close range.....
 
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Sqwirl57 said:
I like more zoom to spot shots without needing a second spotting scope. 16x with crap glass or 10x with semi decent clarity glass out to 50yds is usually good enough
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That is the one advantage of higher power ,I will say that. Those holes are little tiny things to see with a six power
 
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SpiralGroove said:
My tired eyes prefer 16x power up to 80 yards with Springers.
IDK if my 4x16x44 UTG (glass etched reticles) qualify as crap glass, but their perfect on the high powered Springers.

I seem to need 24x and even 36x when venturing out to 100 yards with the RAW's.
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I have 3x of those 4-16x UTGs and definitely need every bit of that 16x at 50yds to see .177 holes in normal target paper. With my Airmax I can get away with 10-12x. The few 3-9x UTGs I have have no chance of me seeing them at 50yds
 
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SpiralGroove said:
My tired eyes prefer 16x power up to 80 yards with Springers.
IDK if my 4x16x44 UTG (glass etched reticles) qualify as crap glass, but their perfect on the high powered Springers.

I seem to need 24x and even 36x when venturing out to 100 yards with the RAW's.
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I absolutely adore the 4-16 UTG compacts w/ the etched reticle. Call em cheapo crap if you want, but those scopes work really well for me as well!
 
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Chuck-in-Ohio said:
I absolutely adore the 4-16 UTG compacts w/ the etched reticle. Call em cheapo crap if you want, but those scopes work really well for me as well!
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They're good scopes. I have one on a full power D56 that refuses to die. Theres a lot of good things to say about them. The glass isn't really one if it's impressive points but glass isn't the the only thing that matters either
 
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Sqwirl57 said:
They're good scopes. I have one on a full power D56 that refuses to die. Theres a lot of good things to say about them. The glass isn't really one if it's impressive points but glass isn't the the only thing that matters either
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I have a couple as well that had endured my 54 for two years and is still alive on an HW80.I've found the adjustments very repeatable and stay put.
 
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harrympope said:
With my spring powered guns I generally shoot and hunt 50 yards an under.
My preference has always been for something 6-10 power(and often a 4x is just fine) . As long as the scope is clear and parallax adjustable I have never found myself to shoot smaller groups with higher powered scopes if the aiming point is clear. On one of my antique Schuetzen powder burners I shoot at 200 yd. recently I went from an 8 power to a 14 power and my groups were the same...( Granted it is not a .25 MOA gun but about .50- .75 moa when shooting well.

Maybe I'm the only one, but some people seem to think that You need a 36x power scope to shoot a decent group at close range.....
Click to expand...
I don't shoot springers, but that isn't the point here. I like to be extremely precise and that simply isn't possible for me with less than at least 20x.

To each their own and I sometimes wonder if other peoples eyes aren't already seeing things closer than my own vision allows.

As I said, to each their own, but don't denigrate those of us who need and are very successful using high magnification at short ranges.

I do it all the time with great success and precision. Thank you very much! (chuckle)

All my best!

Kerry
 
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I'm a less is more guy. Especially when it comes to hunting. Lower power gives you a greater field of view. When hunting critters that can pop up at unknown distances a greater field of view helps me find my target quickly. My hunting airgun, a hw50 has a straight 4x non AO scope so the there's no chance of being zoomed in too much or being out of focus.
My target and fun guns have variable AO scopes. Most of them have 3-9x40AO. I have a 2-7x32AO on two Hw30s and a 4-12x40AO on my 97K. I mostly target shoot them all out to 50 yards and plink out to hundred. I've never found I needed more than 9x with the Airmax reticle. That's just me.
I do have a 6x24 Viper on a 223 gun I shoot to 435 yards but I don't use more than 18x
 
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It’s another case of one size doesn’t fit all. If one is a bench shooter then the highest power generally helps. For a hunter, not so much. In shooting in an “off hand” 10 meter league for many years the variety of scopes and irons were everywhere. Some with highest power scopes and others with Diopters. It really boils down to experimentation to find what you are most confident with. Confidence is key.
 
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I shoot springers mostly at 55 yards or less. I am a big fan of Hawke Airmax 2-7x32 and Optisan CP 3-12x32 optics. I use both of the scopes at four or six power. The scopes sit low on the rifles and are close to the bore. Plenty of magnification for cans, spinners and pests.

PCP's and powder burners are usually shot 50 yards and beyond. I use 10 power and a spotting scope to check my groups. One of my favorite PB's has a 1-6x32 scope that works fine out to 200 yards.

Athlon makes a really nice spotting scope that works fine out to 300 yards that will not break the bank. I was really surprised how well it works for the cost. Can see holes easily at 200, past that Splatterburst targets really help. For the average range shooter it is a great scope. Has everything needed in a small package.

Probably not a first choice for spotting Muleys or Pronghorns out west but more than enough for Michigan range work.

Talos 20-60x80 Spotting Scope from Athlon Optics

The Talos 20-60x80 spotting scope features multi-coated lenses, is light-weight, and also fog proof and waterproof for all weather conditions.
athlonoptics.com athlonoptics.com
 
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BackStop said:
I don't shoot springers, but that isn't the point here. I like to be extremely precise and that simply isn't possible for me with less than at least 20x.

To each their own and I sometimes wonder if other peoples eyes aren't already seeing things closer than my own.
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No disrespect BackStop. The best thing we two have in common is that we BOTH love the airgun hobby. Put er there brother. But I and others use scopes in 2 ways. ( to accurately plink at paper targets and whatever else makes good targets in the yard to taking out a starling at 40 yds. I think your hobby is precision shooting? I'd would really like to be able to do that but I can't. I just don't see why you need all that power. And since I don't compete, I don't KNOW,,,, your right, your right. My point is,, if I were competing in precision range air rifle and the range is always set 50m ,30m, 20m, 10m ,, it just feels like that's over-scoping the range and the target. Put that money into less -power and better glass. To all you UTG fans out there,there's alot of you I see,mmm,. I've never had 1,sry. I'm a Hawke fan tho. All I need on my hws 30 50 95 oh and The Flashpup are 2-7x 32 AMXs. I got a 3-9x40 AMX on UL Browning Leverage. It's ok, it works on that rifle. The 97K gets the 10x44 hawke. I actually shot one of the best 1 hole 5 shot groups I have ever seen. Honest to god I did! lol lo. I saved it. I need to get that posted, I just don't know how, eh, I'll make my kid help me.I'm pretty sure I know where it is. God please bring Spring early ,pls!
 
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HeyU said:
You're not the only 1 and I have similar sentiments BUT I don't know what I don't know. No dis anyone.
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I think a little of what my post meant was I will see people(yuk tube) shooting groups with a 12x power scope at 25 or 50 yards. Then they will make a statement like "if I had a 24 or 36x power scope , my groups would be a third of the size"

I have shot in my fair share of powder burner BR matches and yes , I use a 36 power on that gun . I also use it to read mirage. But the gun (not me all the time) is capable of shooting sub .2 MOA,and sometimes an 1/8" inch bigger group puts you out of the money...

And these PCP rifles shooting slugs at a hundred yards and beyond are getting damn accurate ,and I could understand higher power scopes there.
 
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I'm with the high magni nuts.... — I scopecam quite a bit (and for that bigger is better) — and even without camera seeing the prey in all its details is cool, too.
(Of course, for scopecaming, I fieldrest the gun wherever I can, a sock full of plastic chips allows me to do that just about anywhere. Shooting offhanded and high magni just don't go together. ✅)

Then, I like to extend my range much further out, so lately I'm getting scopes that help my eyes at those ranges — even more so since my eyes carry a manufacturing date from the past century.


However, I'm also realizing there are close, quick shots where a high magnification isn't helpful at all, especially when stalking. Or barn pesting.
➠ So, yeah, I see the need for low magni. 👍🏼 —— OP, I agree: Less magni. = 🆗

Matthias
 
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Since we are already on the subject

3-9 or 4-12 Would be plenty of mag for an all around or hunting rig for me. IF I can utilize a hasty support of some sort, I MIGHT come up off of low mag for the shot. I also can dial up a bit for the shots where I do have a solid rest.

5-25 or about is pretty useful as well I find. Lower mag so that I am not too terribly put off by my offhand wobble, and higher mag for seeing better at longer distances. Seeing better allows me to aim finer, and with a known good rifle, that allows me more precise placement. From a rested position of course.

Bench rifle only, depending on lighting conditions, 24 to 45 max mag depending on the target format.

Funny thing is, I would not even consider putting a 5-25 on a 30-06 unless I was shooting F class, but on a .22 air rifle I am all about it.....:unsure:
 
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