Test and Eval field target scopes

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cavedweller

cavedweller

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Dec 5, 2018
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In the grand scheme of all things field target:
I am quite suprised more effort isn't put into testing / reviewing how well a scope "ranges in parallax adjustment" at the more difficult 35-55 Yard distances where parallax adjustment and POA is more and more critical. @cyclops @Joe Rhea; Sorry Joe i don't know your airgun nation avatar.

This 35-55 yard distance is also where the numbers stack up way too closely on the ranging wheels - even on some of the custom ranging / nautilus wheels; depending of course on the scope and size of the ranging wheel.

I have March, Hawkes, Elements, Sightrons, Arkens, Athalons, Aztecs and SWFA's to name a few at my disposal.
To date i haven't had a scope that really spread the numbers out on the ranging wheel very well past 40 yards. I think even @DeadEyeNC is trying to get at this mystery question by a survey concerning how much wheel travel (parallax adjustment) you get between different distancing ranges on your scope.

If i was a scope manufacturer i would be bragging up a storm if i had the scope with the greatest amount of wheel travel at these all important distances; esp 35-55 yards. Remember that a field target scope has to range and focus down to 10 yards!

Yeah older eyes need things like, full illumination reticles, esp in dark lanes or shadowy woodlands. A scope that only illuminates the center dot is useless when holdover is greater/more critical.

Some folks "like me" need those christmas tree FFP reticles that number every line so our brains don't have to work so hard while we are trying to hold point.

The pictures below are of some fairly popular scopes and a couple are even new to the market - which of these do you think will win MY ranging / parallax wheel adjustment contest between 35-55 yards?

Go!

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Pfddi said:
No I am not! I asked Element if the new Helix had the same level of parallax ranging as the Titans and they responded that they did not. I do not have either a Nexus or Theos so I can't speak to either but the Titans have a very good range from 10 - 55! I was happy with the 3x18 except for the weight!
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A field target scope has to be able to adjust parallax / focus down to 10 yards. The Element Titan only focuses down to 15 meters; this puts it out of the running before i even start.
 
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steve123 said:
Cave, are you ranging/testing at 16x, or at max magnification, or the amount of wheel rotation, or all three?
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I’m going to test at x16 pwr because that’s the max for HFT but I will be using the same diameter wheel to compare number spread from 40-55. Isn’t it odd that this key feature isn’t addressed more specifically?
 
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5/6/23 Mounted the Arken EPL4 4-16x44 ffp moa - first observation is that it doesn’t focus well at 10 yards but I’m waiting for some better light tomorrow to check focus and clarity more completely. It mounted easily in my eagle vision 30 mm offset mounts and eye relief was good. I mounted on a crown continuum with center of scope at 2.5 inches above center of barrel. It zeroed easily. turrets were different from many other scopes but still intuitive to use and adjust. More later. Unit was well boxed and lens cover is nice. At this price point I really want this scope to work! But wanting and having are two different creatures
 
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Following your thread cavedweller - here is hoping you will find the gem hunter scope in your comparisons and I look forward to your results. There is always this discussion that the more angular separation between yards on the focus wheel is better, and of course as we get to the longer distances that separation shrinks, and if it is too close at those distances, it can make it difficult to discern. But the other attributes that I think may be more important than the angular separation are 1) how quickly the scope pops in and out focus and 2) how consistently it does that. My Helos seems to pop in and out of focus pretty quick but sometimes seems to be rather inconsistent in coming to the same yardages on the wheel when doing so. I think this inconsistency may be more me than the scope - such as limits caused by my senior eyes and perhaps how I use my progressive eyeglasses. Some of it could be my ranging technique too but I try to do it the same way each time. Could also be environmental conditions too such as changing scope temperatures and also lighting on the target.

BTW- I met you from afar sometime back when you attended one of our geezer FT matches at Ben Avery in Phoenix.
 
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I am interested in your results too. I also have a suggestion. I do not remember the forum but somebody suggested putting a stick on tape measure on the parallax wheel instead of marking distances. I did that and really like it. I put a round label inside the flip up cover for the objective lens and can easily print out simplified "mm, distance, and what I called "ticks". That way you could measure the mm distance on the parallax wheel for different distances. With the diameter known of the wheel, you could calculate degrees of rotation for different scopes. If the parallax wheels are the same diameter for different scopes you could skip calculating degrees of rotation.
 
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Element scopes have the longest parallax wheel travel between 10 yards to 55 yards of any scope I have ever seen. Even the lowly Helix has 3/4 Revolution between 10 yards and 55 yards! It can keep up ranging with far more expensive scopes even with not so great glass. My S8 blows it out of water in glass and shallow depth field but the parallax wheel is ultra sensitive even with a big 6 inch wheel. The element Theos looks extremely promising but a little rich for me for now.

Sightron S8 is phenomenal but super heavy, supposedly sightron will come out with a few FT specific scope with really long parallax wheel travel using the same ED glass as S8. If they do that might be the new cats meow in FT
 
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