What do you preffer? 30mm or 1 inch scopes, and why?

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As the tittle says, I'm in the market a new scope. The ones that I have are 1 inch. But its been 15 year since I purchased those. The gun will be a low power and primary for bench rest shooting at 15 yards in the back yard. Oh and just for kicks what are the specs? 2-7, 3-9? etc.



Thanks!
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Like you I've used the 1 inch diameter scopes for many years and don't buy scopes that often. Not long ago I decided to try one with a 30mm tube. It's a very good scope but for me anyway I could not see any advantage to it. It seemed bulky compared to the 1 inch scopes I am used to. I've always preferred compact scopes so the extra thickness of the scope body did not appeal to me. I will stick with the 1 inch diameter scopes.

As far as the specs go if I understand you correctly the 30 mm scopes are available in a wide range of different magnification just like the 1 inch scopes.
 
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Typically the larger tubes also allow for more adjustability which can be helpful for airguns that run out of elevation. 30mm has become the new normal and 34mm is getting more common as well. Another benefit rarely discussed is that most lenses are shaped most accurately near the center as a consequence of the manufacturing process. All things equal, larger lenses have larger sweet spots. This is more exaggerated in lower cost optics. I believe this is one of the reasons it seems like every scopr reviewed in the past 5 years has a comment about how it is as clear or as good as scopes costing 2 or 3x the price. They can't ALL be better than anything costing more. We just need to modify our expectations to match new materials and manufacture techniques. Eye glasses used to take weeks to get and cost as much as a car. I literally spent the same on a pair of glasses at 16 as my first car cost. Today for under 100 bucks they will make them while you stand there!

Now if they would just concentrate on turrets, repeatability and strength, we would all be happy campers.
 
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The 30mm should provide;

More turret adjustment.

Better light transmission with the same size lenses.

More strength in the scope tube itself.

You don't always need the pluses of the 30mm so there is absolutely nothing wrong with a, usually lighter weight, one inch tube. Also decent quality one inch scope may outperform a mediocre 30 mm.
 
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I'd recommend ignoring tube size. At the end of the day, you never buy a scope because you wanted it to be bigger (though you might pick one because you wanted it to be smaller). You get a bigger tube because it lets in more light, or has a greater adjustment range. N.B.!!! I said that's *why* you suffer with a bigger tube. I did not say that a bigger tube guarantees either of those things! And that's the rub. Don't lose sight of what you *really* want (clarity, adjustment range, robustness, adjustment accuracy, etc) Tube size is a side effect, not an attribute.

I like a 34mm tube right now, but not because it's 34mm, but because it's everything else...

GsT
 
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I prefer 1” tubes mostly, because they weigh less. Only real advantage of a 30mm tube is more adjustability, which I personally have never needed- especially on an air rifle. However, if you’ve got a break-barrel with severe barrel droop, it’s possible to run out of adjustment. Although it would be preferable to adjust via the mount if possible.



The only two 30mm scopes I own are on an AR, which is nice for a straight-body scope because a 30 mm tube gets you a 24mm objective lens instead of the 20mm that an equivalent straight-body scope with a 1” tube would have, and an SWFA 10x42 that I had intended for shooting out to a mile when I lived in Colorado but never got around to before moving back home to Indiana. That SWFA is currently homeless because I don’t need such a bulky scope if I’m not going to be shooting at ranges that require its adjustment range.
 
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