Good Doctor, I think it would be important to analyze the kind of shooting you're planning on doing -- and then buy a scope that will serve those particular needs.
Many insist on a minimum parallax of 10y, but some are fine with 20y because they only take farther shots....
The fascination of a small light gun is tremendous, but can easily be nullified with a 14-inch long scope, weighing almost a couple of pounds....
Are you going to adjust your point of aim (POA) with the turrets (dialing for every shot)? Or with the reticle (holdoffs)?
The difference between FFP and SFP is huge (
if you use holdoffs), and you need to find what suits
your style of shooting.
Some hate illumination, some won't buy a scope without it.
Most shooter would agree that it makes sense to have turrets and reticle talking the same language (MOA/MOA or MIL/MIL), but a lot of scope manufacturers seem to disagree.... Go figure.
Without knowing any more about your shooting than you shared, I'd say that you might enjoy: Short scopes (you got a short gun, for backpacking)
Light scopes (you got a light gun)
10 yard minimum parallax (you got an airgun, not a powder burner, so your quarry will be much closer -- why limit yourself to 20 yards min...)
Variable magnification (instead of a fixed magnification). I know that this adds weight and bulk, but the flexibility of shooting a vast variety of ranges that a variable magnification gives would be
more important to me -- but that's me, you have your own priorities.
FFP (for rushed shooting as in hunting situations, using the reticle to hold off the POA is easier than dialing the turrets, and FFP allows you to memorize only
one set off holdoffs for different ranges, no matter what magnification you use)
Turrets ––
exposed turrets, or capped turrets, or locking turrets: If you plan on dialing your turrets to adjust your POA you probably won't want capped turrets. However, turret settings will get changed when you carry the gun in a backpack, so for that locking turrets would be an important feature. Capped turrets offer you a similar protection against inadvertedly changed turret settings, but if you want to dial your turrets... -- taking off your turret caps every time you shoot gets really old really fast.
Side parallax (many prefer the side turret to adjust for parallax to the AO (adjustable objective), the latter requiring to reach further forward)
Illuminated reticle (because the woods can be dark, and some animals come out just when the lights go out; also the FFP reticle gets really thin at small magnifications, and by turning the illumination on you can still see the reticle rather well)
Sturdy scopes, or scopes with a sturdy warranty (for backpacking). Lifetime warranty from a reputable seller or brand can make up for quality that is below the my-life-depends-on-it quality level.
The bottom magnification is important for quick target acquisition in rushed shooting (= hunting while stalking). A field of view (FoV) of 30ft at 100y distance I personally consider fairly good. 20ft is rather narrow and has me searching for my quarry longer than it might stay around for me to get a shot off. A FoV of 30ft at 100y usually translates to a 3x (or 4x) bottom end magnification (note that every scope is different, so do check the scope specs, there are some good and some bad surprises).
The top end magnification is important for several things:
(a) To see the target or quarry large enough
to hit it. For that you don't need that much, say at most 9x or 12x for 50y. 16x or 20x for 100y. But more if your eyes have seen a lot in life already (read, when they are not that young anymore). |
(b) To see the hits in the paper target. For that you'd need
more magnification than mentioned in (a).... And expensive (= clearer) glass helps a lot. |
(c) For ranging the distance to your target, say for field target. That's another story, ask the FT guys.
Price.... I'm glad you can afford a four-digit priced scope. Cool. The saying you quote ("Spend as much on the glass as on the gun") -- sure, scope purist believe it and live by it. And everyone decides on their personal priorities. However, I believe the saying originated in a time when quality in a scope cost much, much more than today. Even scopes made in China and sold at a price point are surprisingly clear, and often have features that more expensive scopes by more traditional scope makers do not offer.
There is a recent post that includes three Scope Spec Lists that cover and compare those features, and some others:
- Short Scopes (any magni*) -and- 3-12x, 3-9x *[any magnification if at least 3-9x]
- 4-14x Magnification, also 3-18x, 4-20x, and similar
- 6-20x Magnification, also 6-24x, 5-25x, 4-20x, and similar
LINK:
https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/%f0%9f%94%b4150-scopes-comparison-in-3-scope-specs-tables/ Happy scope shopping!
Matthias
), and although their parallax is 35 yards to infinity it should fit your hunting set-up.
Their difference seems to be that the VT-3 has thick outside posts on the reticle, which guide the eyes toward the crosshair intersection — this IS important when on low magnifications. (The Veyron does not have that and the USOptics TS-12X has only marginally thick posts.)