what power scope

[Danoh]

Mine are cosmetically and functional fine. ZERO issues BUT given they are lovingly hand crafted in China, as are most, I'd assume it's normal. They would have replaced it, I've found their customer service to be very good, they should have replaced it.

They probably would have. I bought through Amazon vs directly from Arken, so I took the easy way out and opted for refund. If the scope would have adjusted to 10M for me, I probably could have lived with the less than perfect anodizing. I loved everything else about scope, will probably try it again in future, but will buy direct from Arken next time.

 

[JimD]

I have several scopes that will not focus down to 10 yards as promised. My Arken EPL-4 might be a little worse, I think it's minimum is about 13 yards. But my Vector will not focus at 10 yards. I think the diopter setting may make some difference on where it will focus. My Athlon Talos 6-24 will focus at a little under 10 yards.

 

[cuda66]

Wow , is this a common problem with most optic's or at lease the cheaper model's
lets hear more comments on this or the luck you've had with your scope's guys, Thanks for
all the great info.

 

[Sawney Bean]

I like 3-12x or 4-16x. It's nice to have something 6 or lower so that you can easily find your target and get a quick shot off. You definitely don't want your scope set to 24x when a rabbit suddenly turns up at 10 yards. That 3 or 4 power setting gives you an edge when it comes to quick shooting, but I've never felt like I wanted less magnification than that. When you're shooting at long range whether target practice or hunting, more magnification is generally desirable, but if it's very high magnification like 24x or more then it can be very difficult to locate the target and your eyebox, (the area where your eye lines up properly with the scope), can be quite small. I find that 12 or 16 power is generally adequate for precise shooting.

I haven't tried some of the newer scopes with big variable range yet, but a 4-24x sounds really appealing.

 

[Berserkeley Mike]

My rule of thumb for airgun-level precision is 1x per 10 meters. So I'd need a 10x scope to see a 1" target at 100 meters. Not that I'd hit the target, but just to see it well.

 

[JungleShooter]

My rule of thumb for airgun-level precision is 1x per 10 meters. So I'd need a 10x scope to see a 1" target at 100 meters. Not that I'd hit the target, but just to see it well.

Formula A:
1x magnification for every 10 yards of distance
to see a 1" target

➔ Yupp, Mike, that formula worked for me.
30 years ago, that is...!


➔ I'd suggest we tweak it a little to account for the inevitable — the wear and tear our eyes suffer through our lifespan....


➠ Formula B:
1x mag. for every 10 yards + 6x for every 10 years age beyond 40

In numbers:
Until age 40: 100y = 10x
Age 40—50: 100y = 16x
Age 50—60: 100y = 22x
Age 60—70: 100y = 28x


Cheers!

Matthias

 

[peaceful_ruler]

3X-12X are my minimums for general use. 3X will provide a large enough FOV for up close/nighttime scenarios and 12X is enough to provide good precision for target shooting, etc. out to 50 meters. My personal opinion...

The problem with scopes is that trying to get one to do it all is going to mean it won't likely excel at any one specific task. LVPO's are awesome for their wide FOV and rapid acquisition up close...for the absolute best precision out to 50 meters it is advantageous to have a mag of 24X+...etc...you get the picture

 

[cuda66]

3X-12X are my minimums for general use. 3X will provide a large enough FOV for up close/nighttime scenarios and 12X is enough to provide good precision for target shooting, etc. out to 50 meters. My personal opinion...

The problem with scopes is that trying to get one to do it all is going to mean it won't likely excel at any one specific task. LVPO's are awesome for their wide FOV and rapid acquisition up close...for the absolute best precision out to 50 meters it is advantageous to have a mag of 24X+...etc...you get the picture

Hi thanks alot for the info

 

[JimD]

I've never needed to turn a scope down lower than 6X hunting and with custom stocks on my bullpups I can find my target pretty quick at 8 or even 10X. I have wanted to turn it up when a shot requires really good placement. Like the squirrel laying tight to a branch about 60 feet up a large oak Tuesday. Unfortunately I had my Prod which wears a 2-7. I touched it, fur came floating down, but didn't get it. With my bullpups I would have turned the scope up but I've never wanted more than 10X for shot placement on a squirrel. Even a 3-9 should work well for hunting. Certainly a 3-12 is enough.

But target shooting is different for me. I shoot quite a few 30 yard challenge targets which have a 10 ring that is about an eighth of an inch across and an X that is just a dot. I cannot see the targets with the Hawke on my Prod - 7 power is not enough (and it is a $100 scope so the glass isn't great). I can see the target well with my Primary Arms 4-14 but I cannot see the 10 ring or the X dot. But I can still center the reticle on the target and do OK. I shot a 177 with the PA at 14 power. Then I switched the same gun to my Vector 8-32 set at 32 and shot a 185. I think I would have been a few points higher if I'd waited a bit longer for lower wind. The glass in the Vector isn't great and I think I see the target about as well with my Athlon Talos 6-24 and Arken EPL-4 6-24. But I do not see the target as well with any of my other scopes that top out at 16X or less. I shot my one 200 with the Vector set at 32X but I've shot a bunch of 190+ with a different gun using my Athlon Talos 6-24. I am pretty sure the difference is scores is the guns, not the scope. But less than 24X or lesser glass would definitely lower my scores.

I think glass quality is at least as important as magnification to see what we are looking at. To some degree more magnification can make up for lesser glass but it's nice to have both. I like 6-24 for all around scopes on my PCPs but I want SFP so the reticle is visible at 6X.

 

[cuda66]

I've never needed to turn a scope down lower than 6X hunting and with custom stocks on my bullpups I can find my target pretty quick at 8 or even 10X. I have wanted to turn it up when a shot requires really good placement. Like the squirrel laying tight to a branch about 60 feet up a large oak Tuesday. Unfortunately I had my Prod which wears a 2-7. I touched it, fur came floating down, but didn't get it. With my bullpups I would have turned the scope up but I've never wanted more than 10X for shot placement on a squirrel. Even a 3-9 should work well for hunting. Certainly a 3-12 is enough.

But target shooting is different for me. I shoot quite a few 30 yard challenge targets which have a 10 ring that is about an eighth of an inch across and an X that is just a dot. I cannot see the targets with the Hawke on my Prod - 7 power is not enough (and it is a $100 scope so the glass isn't great). I can see the target well with my Primary Arms 4-14 but I cannot see the 10 ring or the X dot. But I can still center the reticle on the target and do OK. I shot a 177 with the PA at 14 power. Then I switched the same gun to my Vector 8-32 set at 32 and shot a 185. I think I would have been a few points higher if I'd waited a bit longer for lower wind. The glass in the Vector isn't great and I think I see the target about as well with my Athlon Talos 6-24 and Arken EPL-4 6-24. But I do not see the target as well with any of my other scopes that top out at 16X or less. I shot my one 200 with the Vector set at 32X but I've shot a bunch of 190+ with a different gun using my Athlon Talos 6-24. I am pretty sure the difference is scores is the guns, not the scope. But less than 24X or lesser glass would definitely lower my scores.

I think glass quality is at least as important as magnification to see what we are looking at. To some degree more magnification can make up for lesser glass but it's nice to have both. I like 6-24 for all around scopes on my PCPs but I want SFP so the reticle is visible at 6X.

Hi thanks for all the information, it makes me think alot, thanks again

 

[Sawney Bean]

I've never needed to turn a scope down lower than 6X hunting and with custom stocks on my bullpups I can find my target pretty quick at 8 or even 10X. I have wanted to turn it up when a shot requires really good placement. Like the squirrel laying tight to a branch about 60 feet up a large oak Tuesday. Unfortunately I had my Prod which wears a 2-7. I touched it, fur came floating down, but didn't get it. With my bullpups I would have turned the scope up but I've never wanted more than 10X for shot placement on a squirrel. Even a 3-9 should work well for hunting. Certainly a 3-12 is enough.

But target shooting is different for me. I shoot quite a few 30 yard challenge targets which have a 10 ring that is about an eighth of an inch across and an X that is just a dot. I cannot see the targets with the Hawke on my Prod - 7 power is not enough (and it is a $100 scope so the glass isn't great). I can see the target well with my Primary Arms 4-14 but I cannot see the 10 ring or the X dot. But I can still center the reticle on the target and do OK. I shot a 177 with the PA at 14 power. Then I switched the same gun to my Vector 8-32 set at 32 and shot a 185. I think I would have been a few points higher if I'd waited a bit longer for lower wind. The glass in the Vector isn't great and I think I see the target about as well with my Athlon Talos 6-24 and Arken EPL-4 6-24. But I do not see the target as well with any of my other scopes that top out at 16X or less. I shot my one 200 with the Vector set at 32X but I've shot a bunch of 190+ with a different gun using my Athlon Talos 6-24. I am pretty sure the difference is scores is the guns, not the scope. But less than 24X or lesser glass would definitely lower my scores.

I think glass quality is at least as important as magnification to see what we are looking at. To some degree more magnification can make up for lesser glass but it's nice to have both. I like 6-24 for all around scopes on my PCPs but I want SFP so the reticle is visible at 6X.

I went from a 6-24x to a 4-16x on my S410. The 24x was really nice when shooting from a bench, but my primary interest was hunting and I felt that having 4x was a bigger advantage for that than having 24x. I killed a lot of rabbits up close at 6x, but I still feel that for quick and close shooting between 2 and 4 power is optimal. 6x is alright, but more than that and I feel like it's too difficult to quickly acquire the target.

I'd still consider buying a 6-24x for a hunting rifle though...a hunting rifle that I intend on doing a lot of target shooting with.

A 2-7 or a 3-9 is the kind of scope I put on a gun that isn't that accurate, or has a loopy trajectory. My Hatsan 135 in .30 has a 2-7 on it.

 

[Jbrownfi]

Hi, new to the scope market, looking for a scope that would work well
for shooting air guns at a range from 30 to 100 yards, what power?
looking for $150 to $300 range. thanks for your input.

3-12, 4-12,4-16 are all great for hunting and target shooting. Getting one of these allows you to have a decent sized reticle at the lower powers that are commonly used at closer distances in the woods. And get quick hold overs if needed. I run a 4-16 arken at the moment ( switching it to the Apex hunter 3-15 once it comes in) on my squirrel hunting rifle and practice 200yards often. I stick to 8x when I’m in the woods and can crank it up in the field. Lots of good options out there. I would recommend spending as much as you can afford. Big difference in glass as you get higher in price, as well as light gathering and low yardage parallaxing.

 

[HogKiller]

Personally I use a Hubble, I want to see the dots of ink at 30 yards on the paper. Ok kidding, sort of, but I use 24x every at 25/30 yards for training, helps get between the heart beats and make for great 100-125 yard training.

 

[jps2486]

I have a number of Athlons and Arkens. While the Athlons may have the best glass, marginally, I'm leaning toward the Arkens. Their glass is terrific, illuminated reticles, just the right thickness reticles and good build quality. They track extremely well and for the price, you can't beat them. Now, they have a couple of new models which have all the same features except the high target turrets for less than $300. I recommend a 4-16 or preferably the 6-24X either the LH or EPL series which have 30 mm tubes. If you are looking for a scope to shoot off the bench and are not concerned about weight, then the SH-4J is a winner. BTW, they are 25 percent off for the next 8 days.

 

[Rawroots]

Unless i missed it said already, the AO can be adjusted by loosening front cover and turning lense to focus in or out at distances you need, no need to return scope, have many less expensive scopes that focus very well with this method.