That’s exactly what I have..: it’s pretty cool but until I create some dope I don’t understand it completely
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Selecting a Scope for HFT - lessons learned
- Thread starter cavedweller
- Start date
The Heras 2-12 has a thin reticle for this mag range but I don't know how well it ranges for HPFT. I put mine on a 22 magnum to have a more versatile scope than the old SFP 3-9 that was on it before and because I had to have a 1" scope for this rifle's mounting system. It's a good fit to this gun as a lightweight walk around varmint rifle. But if one wants .2 mil hashes in a SFP scope in this mag range this is the one to have.
When I was testing it on a FX Royale I was able to hit steel at 2x as long as I could see everything well, meaning plenty of contrast between reticle and target.
Do I like the Helos G2 2-12 more? Yes and by a fair margin.
When I was testing it on a FX Royale I was able to hit steel at 2x as long as I could see everything well, meaning plenty of contrast between reticle and target.
Do I like the Helos G2 2-12 more? Yes and by a fair margin.
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Cavedweller, I appreciate this thread. Please buy one of those Maven scopes and update this thread with your results. I am interested in your opinion. 
. I am interested how you think they compare to Sightrons for HFT and my Google search came up short!
. I am interested how you think they compare to Sightrons for HFT and my Google search came up short!Upvote 0
I found and bought bi-focal ballistic safety glasses that work great for me. I've got them in clear, yellow, smoke and dark. The reader part is on the lower part of the lens.
I've also seen reversed safety readers for shooters which are probably good for open sights. The traditional setup works with scopes for me.
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While I’m not a field target guy, a lesson I have learned in my 20 years of using optics on something that will save my life and others, is to know your equipment, and let it be natural to you. Finding the perfect thing is a fruitless endeavor. It’s finding what works best for you, then learning it so it becomes better. Chasing something else can really take valuable time away from learning.
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Normally I would be in the same boat as you, at some point you need to just train with what you have. But with FT in particular it seems there are only a few scopes that actually work. Kind of a specific set of needs not found in most regular scopes. The class rules for Hunter FT require a paralax that reliably can be used to precisely estimate distance, while having a good reticle with the appropriate subtensions, and a marked 16x zoom etc. There are scopes that kind of do some things well, but few that really check all the boxes. And most of us dont want to spend thousands of dollars figuring out which equipment is useable, so this thread will be great help for many.
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Dollar for dollar, you can’t beat the Athlon Heras and Helos lineup, Athlon in general is a superb company who is very quick to take care of their customers if warranty issues arise. Athlon really does understand the Airgun market.
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I’m sitting here with my finger hovering over the buy now button, only the 15x and reticle choices are holding me backCavedweller, I appreciate this thread. Please buy one of those Maven scopes and update this thread with your results. I am interested in your opinion.
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Normally I would be in the same boat as you, at some point you need to just train with what you have. But with FT in particular it seems there are only a few scopes that actually work. Kind of a specific set of needs not found in most regular scopes. The class rules for Hunter FT require a paralax that reliably can be used to precisely estimate distance, while having a good reticle with the appropriate subtensions, and a marked 16x zoom etc. There are scopes that kind of do some things well, but few that really check all the boxes. And most of us dont want to spend thousands of dollars figuring out which equipment is useable, so this thread will be great help for many.
Isn't it crazy people have to put up with this nonsense of ranging at 16x and finding the scopes that work best for it. Good grief I wish the powers that be would just allow the distances to be given, among other things.
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I have to agree that this is one of those "dumb it's tradition and that's how the game is" things. it also leads to more of that perception of an arms race @Franklink as players keep searching for the holy grail of glass rather than focusing (pun intended) on just marksmanship skills. A clever match director could easily make bracketing very difficult but hey... as long as we are painting the targets dark green or even black.... might as well frustrate old eyes along the way.
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@Croxton63 - i do have one on the way for testing purposes RS5 in 4-24x50 SFP... mil sh reticle so it will be very interesting to see how it ranges AND spreads the numbers out on a wheel. Stay tuned for more on this over the next couple of weeks. I still get the impression that 34mm scope tube bodies have the ability to spread the numbers out much better on a parallax wheel. the RS5 i will be testing out is 30 mm.Cavedweller, I appreciate this thread. Please buy one of those Maven scopes and update this thread with your results. I am interested in your opinion.
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I believe i failed to cover a very important issue FT players (and scope users in general) have to deal with,
The direction of the sunlight and how that can affect your vision during aiming / shot placement.
So when the sunlight, rising or setting or whatever in coming into your eyes from the sides or front, your pupils will be constricting. This constriction is done to protect your eyes and it also means a picture may suddenly get much darker inside a scope. It will also MOST definitely cause ranges errors.
Some shooters wear very bizarre hats with wide bills which basically blanket the sunlight coming at them. They work! Some shooters just throw a towel over their head and scope to block out the frontal assault of light - it works. Some shooters have a nice rubber eyecup that their shooting eye parks within and they work too, provided you don't wear glasses. So far, for me, a nice dark towel thrown over my head and scope just shy of the forward bell blocks out the annoying sunlight quite well... it can also hide onlookers from your secret range finder thingy (only kidding). My load out now includes a towel that i can throw over my scope to keep the sun off it during between lanes (minimize temp poops) and then use this same towel over my head if necessary when actually trying to range, focus and take a shot.
The direction of the sunlight and how that can affect your vision during aiming / shot placement.
So when the sunlight, rising or setting or whatever in coming into your eyes from the sides or front, your pupils will be constricting. This constriction is done to protect your eyes and it also means a picture may suddenly get much darker inside a scope. It will also MOST definitely cause ranges errors.
Some shooters wear very bizarre hats with wide bills which basically blanket the sunlight coming at them. They work! Some shooters just throw a towel over their head and scope to block out the frontal assault of light - it works. Some shooters have a nice rubber eyecup that their shooting eye parks within and they work too, provided you don't wear glasses. So far, for me, a nice dark towel thrown over my head and scope just shy of the forward bell blocks out the annoying sunlight quite well... it can also hide onlookers from your secret range finder thingy (only kidding). My load out now includes a towel that i can throw over my scope to keep the sun off it during between lanes (minimize temp poops) and then use this same towel over my head if necessary when actually trying to range, focus and take a shot.
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@cavedweller ive been more about trying to find budget optics that are good enough for FT. Im not a scope or gun snob so having the best is not my thing. I also find it fun to test stuff and see how well it works.
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Athlons optics are quite budget friendly, but again, price points can be very subjective. I always look at used prices first as they are sometimes <50%.
typically with Athlons you don't get a lot of spread on the parallax wheel. The Element Titan 3-18 is great although a 34 mm tube you get 270 degrees of rotation on a 6" wheel, but, ya have to range exactly from the same point and way every time.
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At least for sub20fpe, if you've got a scope than can range to the yard from 10yards to the beginning of zero (usually 25 or so), and then can get you within a couple yards from far zero on out to 55, you'll miss more from poor trigger control or bad wind reads than you will from being a couple yards off on the far ones.
Problem is that guys hyper-fixate on having an absolute, to the yard, accurate range. And that's just not necessary on the far targets, as the kill zones get bigger.
Wanna test it during practice? Shoot at a 55 yard target with your 52-53 yard dope, or at a 46 yard target with 43 yard dope, etc. Within a couple yards for the far ones is all it takes.
Problem is that guys hyper-fixate on having an absolute, to the yard, accurate range. And that's just not necessary on the far targets, as the kill zones get bigger.
Wanna test it during practice? Shoot at a 55 yard target with your 52-53 yard dope, or at a 46 yard target with 43 yard dope, etc. Within a couple yards for the far ones is all it takes.
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I always set out smallest possible KZ sizes on my range to create a more demanding aim point… but yes I understand the concept and play around with it frequently
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A rifle scope is no different than any other complex tool, in that .... one needs to understand the nuances & learn said tool to enable getting the most from it.
If ONLY FT was so simple as point and shoot & targets fall for everyone who feels they have done enough and doing more is not in the cards or willing to be done .... Come on !!! It should not be that hard !!!
Well sorry to be the bearer of bad news .... it is hard ! and just doing simple and basic set up and reading/ ranging for the shot is not going to have consistent good results. Some time ago a thread was about luck being enough ... only dumb luck in reality.
If ONLY FT was so simple as point and shoot & targets fall for everyone who feels they have done enough and doing more is not in the cards or willing to be done .... Come on !!! It should not be that hard !!!
Well sorry to be the bearer of bad news .... it is hard ! and just doing simple and basic set up and reading/ ranging for the shot is not going to have consistent good results. Some time ago a thread was about luck being enough ... only dumb luck in reality.
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