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One really good scope...or several ‘decent’ ones

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Fenian

Fenian

Member
Sep 26, 2018
301
50
Mesa AZ United States
Hey guys

So I was wondering, as my air rifle collection grows, of pretty decent air rifles, just wondering do you guys buy just one really nice (expensive) scope like an Element Nexus at $1,500 price point and just transfer it from your daystate to fx etc or buy several ‘decent’ scopes in the $300-400 range and leave them permanently married to each rifle ?

Is it much hassle to swap them out if you do just keep one really nice scope?

reason I ask is I just got a ‘Quality German Made’ rifle and scope package only to find out the scope is actually Chinese, and it just feels cheap and a piece of poop quite honestly, the metal feels cheap and the scope covers don’t even feel good...you just really notice is what I’m saying and it takes away from the enjoyment of the rifle 
 
Boy here is one will be all over the map. My opinion from MY PERSONAL experience is as follows. You need to spend $ 500 for a decent scope and $1000 to $1500 for one you will be really proud to own. Remember my opinion from my experience don’t flame me.
NOW the rest of it is entirely up to you. I would assume most of us don’t swamp scopes around every time we shoot a different gun but you could . With the right base and rings it can be done fairly easily.
And again I get aggravated with stuff and I am more fortunate that most. I’m just not wasting my money on things that are not of quality. If I didn’t shoot a lot and stayed mostly with one gun I‘d go with one good scope . No right and wrong. BUT YOU ASK 
 
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Great question,if rifle is a springer I buy each rifle it's own springer rated scope,If PCP I can switch scopes,though I do not do that often,I do use the fast "take off "rings mounted to a Picatinny or Weaver rail

Prices all over the place,the shorter the distance you will be shooting usually the less you will have to spend.



It is better to have a quality scope than a lot of cheaper scopes.Depending on application of rifle,you may be alright using a mid-price scope.
 
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Having 1500 bucks for a scope is not reality for me. My high end scopes are Hawke in the 200-300 dollar range. My low end scopes in the UTG and Center Point that sell around 100. The last scope I bought was an Aeon 8-32 refrub for cheap on PA. I always wanted to try a high powered scope. It is a pretty good scope compared to the others.

That's just me and my financial reality. I've always said I would have made a great millionaire..... If that ever happens, my scopes will change accordingly. 😉
 
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Here's my take - first things first anyone who tells you that you "need" a $1,500+ scope must be from Mars. Maybe if you are shooting a $3,000+ gun already, in competitions or shooting at 200 yards or filming youtube videos [where you get it for free or maybe are just wealthy and like to buy poop]- but c'mon if you are shooting a $500 dollar air rifle on weekends here and there why would you want to invest so much instead of buying something that costs a lot less and performs YOUR NEEDS equally well.

I'm not going to crap on budget scopes in the sub $300 range because everyone's budget and needs are different. If you are plinking and pesting inside 50 yards you can get a capable 4-16 scope for that under $300. Mostly these are adjustable objective, SFP, capped turrets, 1 inch tubes. The more features you want to pay for [side focus, x24+ power, illuminated, FFP, 30mm] and the clearer glass and the costs go up accordingly. I do not do long range or competition shooting so take that into consideration when evaluating my opinion. My opinion is the "sweet spot" in terms of getting the most for your money and a fully capable scope is the $400-$550 range. I have four scopes in this category permanently mounted, I don't like switching around. I also recently purchased an Element Titan which cost $800 because I liked the features, warranty and company and wanted to see how noticeable the upgrade would be my fxwildcat with the .25 superior liner. Well it's a great scope so far in my experience, the glass is very clear the clicks are very precise, but its much bigger and heavier than my other scopes as well. I can't really imagine needing to upgrade beyond this, and since I've owned it I've purchased another $450 scope when I needed to scope a new rifle. So take that all as you may

HAPPY LABOR DAY!
 
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I've got a whole slew of scopes. Discovery vt-t 6-24 ffp, CP 3-12x44 side focus (sfp), primary arms 4-14x44 r-grid ffp, and a couple nikons, burris, even some questionable Chinese mfgs. I honestly can't go wrong with any of them. Primary arms and burris being the best quality among them. But all around $300 or less. I don't have any want or need for any better optics 🤷‍♂️ is what it is
 
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I have a ton of scopes but nothing over $500. This 34mm discovery ffp is the bees knees for $400
 
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Again, it depends on what you will use your rifle for. If for competion, then a high end scope is a must. I use Sightron S3 for BR shooting. For general shooting, anything in the $400-700 range is fine, but again, there are a lot of choices, and you will get a million opinions here. I happen to like Hawke Airmax or Sidewinders. I've been sucked into buying scopes that "experts" say are wonderful, but I didn't like them: ie: FFP, Athlons, Bushnell, and others. That's just me. IMO, get a scope for each rifle, otherwise you will have to scrrew around re-zeroing it in each time you swap. 
 
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Yep, Like Paul said, you don’t want to be changing scopes around all the time. Even with the best mounts that are quick release with a guaranteed zero, it’s never perfect. You can do it but it’s not ideal. Get what you can afford and upgrade in the future if you feel it necessary. You can never have too many scopes. I also agree that for $300-$500 you can get great scopes. I have many in this price range but I also have a few really good scopes on competition rigs, my favorite air gun and on my favorite hunting rifles that I use most often. I have a $1500 scope on my Impact because I use it 3-4 times a week and wanted a specialized scope.. Is it necessary? Nope, I’m sure many think it’s ridiculous, but it’s my money and I’m glad I spent it on this scope. I was willing to pay because I love the scope and use it often. You’ll get varying opinions here, lots of them! it’s just going to boil down to what you really want right now. Good luck with your decision.

Oh, you really want to stir it up? Ask which is the best scope for $500! LOL

Stoti
 
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I'll throw my two cents in here. Besides the rifle, the scope is the most important part of my rig. Now, that being said, it's very easy to find things you don't like even in higher-end scopes, but a lot of that comes down to personal preferences (reticles, turret feel, magnification, etc.). One example for me is that 10m parallax is a must because I end up having targets within 20m at times. To answer your question, it depends. Do you have an AR in 300 blackout and want a 1-8 optic on it? If so, is that the same type of scope you want on your air rifle? There's no right or wrong answer, but consider the application of each of your rifles if you want to have one scope.

Also, consider how the scope you'll use will limit your rig. I personally had put a Schmidt & Bender PMII 5-25 on my rifle but ultimately ended up selling it and putting on an Element Nexus to fund mods for other areas of my impact. The Nexus has some downsides (and upsides believe it or not) compared to the Schmidt, but I'm more than happy with how it's performed.

Make sure to do your research for your scopes and (if possible) test them out in person. There are plenty of good scopes for almost any budget, but as with most things, the more expensive scopes will be better quality. Just keep in mind, the quality of a scope doesn't matter if it can't fit the bill of what you're using your gun for.
 
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Knowing what I know now spend the money for good optics. I shoot daily for hours in my back yard and I know what eye strain and fatigue is, I’m over sixty. I also have friends that have a variety of scopes that are on airguns kahles German are the best then Japanese glass is second in my opinion. I have tested them side by side and I found that the athalon ares etr 4.5-30x56 as clear and bright as razor gen2 4.5-27x56 hd but for the price point I bought the Athalon and I have not had eye fatigue or eye strain since, and for 12000.00 bucks I couldn’t be happier. My other scope vortex viper pst gen2 FF a good scope but not close in both brightness and clarity but was 300.00bucks less . But again my opinion based on comparison and now I lot of time behind it.
 
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Depends what's decent to you? My "high end" scope cost me $545 being an Athlon Midas Tac 4-16x44. My lower end scope is going to be a Blackhound 4-14x44 which came in at $284. Gone are the days that you need super high end scopes in the $1500+ range to have good glass. Also for the distances we shoot with airguns even better. Also Arken Optics have a number of amazing optics for the price points they have. There scopes cost $350-$600. And they hit well above there price points. There also really hard to get as people love them. And Blackhound also has a few choices for $399 and lower. And the ones mentioned all lifetime warranties.
 
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Its easier to keep a scope on your gun than changing and re sighting every time you change guns. I dont think you need a 600+ yard scope on an air rifle but WTH if you can afford it why not. We all like the best we can afford. I own a couple Athlons I'm satisfied with and treated my self to a Element Nexus just to see what the hype is about on a Japan/Glass scope is all about. Its a beautiful scope but probably more scope than necessary on an air gun. I also owned a couple Hawke scopes that worked well out to 100 yards. I would say it would be nice to have one scope for each rifle. In my experience you get what you pay for. 
 
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Since I read the other thread on the gun you are talking about ;)

I don't know what other types of air rifles you have, but an HW30 doesn't need the same scope you require on a rifle you are planning on really reaching out and touching something at longer distances needs IMHO.

Once I get my strength back to where I can again work my HW30 I'm going to go with an SWFA fixed power scope for the plinking I'll be doing. I'd recommend doing some searches on the SWFA and see if it fits your needs.

Anyway, just a recommendation. Others will have other opinions on whether an HW30 needs a variable magnification scope, and if they do what a general purpose scope recommendation is that can be used on multiple powered rifles.

I am sorry you aren't pleased with the re-branded scope.
 
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