I’m relatively new to air rifles and want to purchase a scope to compete in HFT. The scope I’m looking at offers a 4-16x 50 and 6-24x 50. The 6-24x is $10 more. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the 6-24x versus the 4-16x? I’d appreciate your comments. Tom
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First Air Rifle Scope for HFT
- Thread starter TomJ
- Start date
Some say that you'll get a clearer image if you're not at the scopes max magnification. With that line of thought, the 6-24 @ the Hunter legal 16x would be the better choice.
Make sure whatever you buy focuses down to 10yards. Which is another reason why the 6-24x is probably a better choice. Most scopes will focus to a shorter distance if they're not set at maximum magnification. So the 4-16 might only do us down to 11 or 12 yards @ 16x while the 6-24x might be more likely to focus down to a true 10yards (or less) when set to 16x.
And also be aware that some manufacturers advertise that their scopes focus down to 10meters (11 yards). Being able to determine 10 from 11 yards is usually the most critical distance differential that you'll need to be able to determine. Pellet trajectory is climbing from the bore line to the line of sight (scope) the most from 10 to 11 yards than any other 1 yard increment. In summary, you want minimum focus distance of 10 yards, not 10 meters.
Make sure whatever you buy focuses down to 10yards. Which is another reason why the 6-24x is probably a better choice. Most scopes will focus to a shorter distance if they're not set at maximum magnification. So the 4-16 might only do us down to 11 or 12 yards @ 16x while the 6-24x might be more likely to focus down to a true 10yards (or less) when set to 16x.
And also be aware that some manufacturers advertise that their scopes focus down to 10meters (11 yards). Being able to determine 10 from 11 yards is usually the most critical distance differential that you'll need to be able to determine. Pellet trajectory is climbing from the bore line to the line of sight (scope) the most from 10 to 11 yards than any other 1 yard increment. In summary, you want minimum focus distance of 10 yards, not 10 meters.
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Thanks for the explanation. Hopefully the Hawke Airmax 6-24x SFP scope will be a good “first“ scope to find out what’s HFT is all about. Tom
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The prime feature of an H.FT scope is how accurate it ranges and how usefull the reticle is for holdover. I used a Hawke Sidewinder 6-24 with the 20X 1/2 mildot reticle only because the 4-16 version had a 10X reticle and was smaller. I think the Airmax will work for you. Calibrate the focus wheel carefully. I think you should get a 6 inch wheel and calibrate it every yard from 10 to 18, then every 5 yards from 20 to 55. Find a 100 foot tape measure to accurately do this. I also used an opticians eye chart for focusing. Jdscustomdesign.com makes some nifty scope wheels. Here's the file for the eye chart if it's of any help.
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Athlons are great scopes and my choice over most others and I've owned a ton of scopes over the years. Most of them are FFP, but I prefer SFP for HFT because the reticle stays the same size throughout the magnification range. And, many Athlon models do not focus down to 10 yards which is necessary for HFT. So choose wisely. The new Heras line is designed for airgunners and rimfire shooters and has models available in both FFP and SFP.
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Athlon Midas Tac here…But remember 16 needs to be marked on the scope. Otherwise you have to go down to the next marking…
‘Tony P
‘Tony P
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