SWFA Airgun Scope !

Oh I’d also like to see a lighter less magnified scope. 10x is often too much 6-7x would make a great hunting scope.

I think it is difficult to satisfy both hunters and target shooters with one reticle. For a hunting reticle, I’d want at least lower end magnification of 4x or less for field of view. For an air gun scope, ranging features that are designed for smaller game might be nice. For example, a lot of firearm scopes have ranging features that are meant to be placed on a deer from back to belly, or a person from head to waist. But with airguns, it seems like a rectangular bounding box for a squirrel, a rabbit, a hog’s head, a coyote’s head, a deer’s head, etc. might be more useful. Any thoughts there?

Would not matter to me at short range and at longer range I’ll just use my range finder. I don’t use my reticle for range finding. A 2 or 3 on the low end to 12 on the high should satisfy most. Going from a 10 to a 12x is not going to save much weight and if you don’t need it you can turn it down.

Besides all the great features everyone has mentioned, I think small game airgunners would need higher magnification. Think of this scenario...squirrel hunting (headshot) at 100 yards. A lot of air rifles can get there but we can't see it at 15x. I just bought my first SWFA, and I love it but I can't get a clean view at 15X past 50 yards. I can definitely see it but it's a little fuzzy, which I did not expect from SWFA. Take it even further out using slugs and it's probable not happening with 15X max. Secondly, for small game, with even smaller kill zones, SFP is all I need. FFP just makes it harder to see the crosshairs at low power. Unfortunately, all the scopes that I had interest in feature wise, came with FFP. Now I own 3 really nice scopes that I don't want to use instead of possibly 1 scope that fits my needs perfectly (still haven't found it). The Delta Stryker 5-50 sounds ideal but I don't know for sure. I never seen one in hand and I can't afford to chance that kind of $$$. I realize that everyone requires something different, just my two cents, and my needs.

I've been reading and making lots of notes. Is this a good starting point? Is it too much and needs to be simplified like Joe's?

I really like it. Personally, I’d prefer fine crosses instead of diamonds and dots, and I would get rid of the hold under hashes because I always zero at a range to avoid holding under. But those are just my personal preferences. Engrave a 16x mark on the mag dial and it can be used for hunter class FT competition. Sightron did that for free for folks when the rule change from 12x to 16x occurred, and now their newer scopes have the 16x marking.

I just realized it’s starting to look a lot like the MOA-H reticle on my Sightron SIII 10-50x60, which I have mounted on my Thomas FT. I can definitely see getting one if these SWFA to put on aMarauder as a backup rifle, if it has side focus and a 16x mark.

What is the proposed minimum focus? Center dot area something like this...



 ! 

!

--!---!---! --- @ --- !---!---!---

!

Something like this to keep the center less busy. Illuminated dot and diamond centers only, not the entire reticle.

Please, please, please offer SFP also and greater range. 3-30, 5-50????

Parallax 10-infinity????

Sorry for crude reticle...best I could do

SWFA version of the MOAH reticle would be awesome! Love that reticle! Keep lines thin or tapered thin in center. Some how I missed Chris's version of reticle. It looks great! But just a little more clearance around dot and it would be perfect . IMHO

I think one reason a lot of folks might prefer SFP is because, with 20 FPE airguns, we have to use a lot of holdover at close range. Just look at this graph for my rifle. That’s a lot of holdover from 10-20 yards.

I think one reason a lot of folks might prefer SFP is because, with 20 FPE airguns, we have to use a lot of holdover at close range. Just look at this graph for my rifle. That’s a lot of holdover from 10-20 yards.

Click to expand...

I take it you're thinking of hunting or plinking in the 10 to 20y range — for targets you'd want to zero exactly on the target's range.



Sure, you have from —10moa to —1moa holdovers (9moa total). However, 1moa at 15y is only 0.16" — so we're not talking a huge offset from your POI. At such close ranges most rifles have a large range of holdovers anyhow.



If you frequently shoot at that range, 10 to 20y, it might help to zero the rifle at a different distance than 30y — a distance that gives you both holdovers and holdunders in that 10 to 20y range. That way you're only half the inches off your target.



And mounting the scope as close as possible to the barrel can make a big difference, too. Entering different scope heights into ChairGun and comparing the results can show this easily.



Happy shooting!

Matthias

I think one reason a lot of folks might prefer SFP is because, with 20 FPE airguns, we have to use a lot of holdover at close range. Just look at this graph for my rifle. That’s a lot of holdover from 10-20 yards.

Click to expand...

I take it you're thinking of hunting or plinking in the 10 to 20y range — for targets you'd want to zero exactly on the target's range.



Sure, you have from —10moa to —1moa holdovers (9moa total). However, 1moa at 15y is only 0.16" — so we're not talking a huge offset from your POI. At such close ranges most rifles have a large range of holdovers anyhow.



If you frequently shoot at that range, 10 to 20y, it might help to zero the rifle at a different distance than 30y — a distance that gives you both holdovers and holdunders in that 10 to 20y range. That way you're only half the inches off your target.



And mounting the scope as close as possible to the barrel can make a big difference, too. Entering different scope heights into ChairGun and comparing the results can show this easily.



Happy shooting!

Matthias

Click to expand...

For field target competition, the targets are arranged in lanes from 10-60 yards. I zero at 28 yards so I can avoid holding under at any range. Side focus with labeled focus wheels are used for ranging.

After looking at SWFA’s scopes that have side focus, I think the 3-15x is the only one that I would consider purchasing fir field target. The 5-20x scope is an HD that costs about as much as the Sightron that seems to be the standard to FT competition. I think it would be difficult to compete with Sightron in the same price range, especially if the focus range hasn’t been optimized for 10-60 yards.

Moa quad with its dot center in mil-quad (mrad/mrad) versions of a scope. Also such reticle would be nice in 3-9 superlite + rear parallax added

When is expected production of these scopes? I have no idea how long it takes to manufacture a scope from concept to retail.

I've been reading and making lots of notes. Is this a good starting point? Is it too much and needs to be simplified like Joe's?

Click to expand...

Extend the courser stadia and numbering:



Also, do an MOA version.

I Wish we could just find a scope with good optics. A lot of us think we need high magnification to see our target. I get caught up in that. As an example I had a smart pigeon in my hay barn. Every time I would walk out with my pistol he would fly off. Since I am looking west in the evening into a bright tin roof the reflective light causes my rifle scopes to wash out and I can't see if the pigeon is on the rafters. Using 6-20ish scopes from sightron and leupold. I get out the swarofski 10x binoculars and I can see the loose feathers in the nest. 

I would make a hash every 0.25 MRAD instead of 0.2 MRAD as it is more intuitive and you have 0.5 MRAD clearly visible then.