Dream scope:
What scope features would you combine?
Oh, with throwing me a pitch like that — how can I resist and not waste time answering the OP?!?
The dream scope would be a
do-it-all scope:
➊ So, the
magnification range needs to be at least 8-fold.
Since I need a wide field of view (FoV) for hurried close-range shots, I chose a
magnification range of 3-24x (as in: Riton 7 Conquer 3-24x56 FFP | Delta Titanium 3-24x56 SFP | Vector Tauron 3-24x56 SFP -or- FFP)
➋ The latter has a
FoV of 41ft (at 3x @100y). Excellent!
➌ A 3-24x scope with all the glass for an 8-fold magnification needs a large objective lens to get
enough light to the eye and the scope cam. So, a 56mm is normal.
Also, a larger objective will keep the
size of the eye box larger — important to mount the gun rapidly for quick shots.
However, for a dream scope I would like to loose some weight and get away with an unusually small objective (say, 50mm), like Nightforce's NX8 and March have demonstrated.
Of course, the optical engineers would need to do a dream job of enlarging the eye box despite the smallish objective lens.
➍ Then of course, what I consider
the basic requirements for airgun scopes: ● 10y minimum parallax (for scope caming a min. of 15y is not acceptable)
● exposes turrets (i.e., turrets that have been designed to dial, best would be stainless steel internals)
● hold-off reticle (envenly spaced dots or hashlines, no BDC, nor simple crosshairs)
In my
ScopeSpec Tables I have found hundreds of scopes that offer that. Markedly absent are scopes from: Leupold, Burris, Bushnell, Kahles, Nikon, SIG, Steiner, Zeiss....
➎ I prefer MIL turrets and MIL reticles — MIL has less numbers to read and to memorize than MOA.
➏
FFP, yes. I like to use the reticle
regardless of the magnification in order to measure the offset of my shots on target (or on quarry). Then I can dial the difference on my turrets, and make a hit.
(However, I am not totally against SFP — I just bought a cool 3-12x with a
huge FoV for extra fast shots on close range quarry.)
➐
Reticle: ● Because I want FFP, I need the crosshairs to work also at low magnifications.
Therefore, the
reticle must have thick ouside posts — which will guide my eye to the center, the intersection of the crosshairs!
(Hawke is a frequent offender in this department.)
● To see my long range misses better, and for scopecaming it is nicer if the
reticle does not have
a grid, just crosshairs with 0.2mil hashlines.
(It is hard to find
non-gridded reticles in similar magnification ranges of FFPs: The few brands that offer a choice of reticles that includes one
without a christmas tree are few: Nightforce, Element, US Optics, TRACT, Delta, Maven.)
● Yes,
illumination please, daylight bright.
And no "pimple growing on the ocular" for the dial, put it with the parallax, pls, like most scopes nowadays.
➑
Turrets I know there are those who scorn and ridicule turrets. — Please, let them (and me) live!
● As mentioned above: Exposed turrets, made for consistent dialing.
● I used to think 10mil per revolution was better than 5 or 8mil — however, when writing ranges on the turret fewer mils per rev. allow more space for writing.
In any case, large diameter (for more writing space), and tall (for easy dialing).
(Exemplary are e.g., Vector [Continental] and Arken [EPL4, EP5, SH4].)
● Definitely, a
turret turn counter. I like the system in the Vector Continental series with a physical button popping up. However, that only counts 2 turns max., I would need more for a 5mil turret.
●
0-stop. A real one.
Not like one where your maximum elevation adjustment gets limited.
(Offenders: Riton, Vector [Continental], US Optics [non-Japan], Element [Titan], Vortex [Strike Eagle]).
If the 0-stop was tool-lessly adjustable, so much the better.
● Maximum elevation adjustment should be at least 100moa (30mil) with a 30mm scope tube.
However, if we're talking dream scope, give me 150moa (45mil). I would accept a 34mm tube, no problem, larger not really, the available rings are few, and are much more expensive.
(Exceptional for max. elevation adjustment with a 34mm tube are: 160moa: TRACT Toric 4-25x50 | 170moa: Delta Stryker 3.5-21x44)
● If the
turrets are tool-lessly adjustable, excellent.
At least, with only one screw: Because I rather not have to loosen 3 (in words, three!) screws just to reset zero.
(Offenders: Hawke [Frontier], some Sightron, Arken, Riton, Vector [Continental], and then some.)
● If I can have
locking turrets, I'll take them!
➒
Size and Weight: I like my equipment to be as small and light as possible. But that goes directly against many other features that I want also.
● On Sniper's Hide I learned that extra-short scopes ("compact") have to make optical compromises. So, I'm fine with a
14" (35cm) long scope.
● Weight depends a lot on the objective size and the tube size. Assuming 56mm and 34mm, respectively —
realistic would be
32oz (900grams). And
dream would be
28oz (800grams).
(Heros are: Nightforce NX8, Vector Continental, Hawke Frontier)
➓ We haven't talked about the
glass quality....
I'm no glass snob. So, March, ZC & Co are beyond the "regular dream" scope — they are at the "psychedelic dream" level.
It's hard to measure and compare quantitatively, it's rather subjective, "in the eye of the beholder".....
Soooo:
Japanese or European glass it would be.
Very little chromatic aberration.
Very little fuzziness or darkening at max. magnification.
Athlon Cronus level would be enough for me.
⓫ Yeah, we can add a few things....:
● Lockable ocular adjustment, so my scope cam doesn't mess with it.
● Tough plastic lens caps, with stops that open at 180⁰ and 270⁰.
➧ PRICE: Well, I'd pay $1000 on the used market for such a scope.
Holler at me when it comes out for the first time. Hit me up, when you see it in the classifieds.
Now, I have to return from dream land and get back to work!
Cheers,
Matthias
