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150 Scopes! Comparison in 3 Compact Scope Specs Tables >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Do you like scope shopping? I do. 
Do you get sometimes confused by the myriad of options, spread over the internets? I do.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could compare the specs of a certain scope group side-by-side? 
Then we would be able to see just which scopes are appropriate for airgunning, which fulfill our minimum requirements, which scopes have deal-breakers, which have cool extras, and how much each scope costs approx...!
Many of the following questions about scope features are important when scope shopping –
and the attached
Scope Specs Tables answer each one of them –
comparing the specs of over 150 scopes side-by-side, in three very compact tables.
(1) Wouldn’t you want to know about
what kind of warranty comes with a certain scope?
(2) Isn’t it painful to see a scope, start liking something about it – only to find out after digging deep into the webpage that this scope has a 50 yard parallax...? Which scopes actually DO have
10 yard parallax? Good luck trying to find a
search result filter when you go scope shopping....
(3) I really like adjusting my parallax with a
side focus (SF),
not with an adjustable objective (AO) – I can hold the gun more stable if I don’t need to reach way out there.
(4) If I want to change the turret setting I don’t need a turret cap getting in the way. Capped turrets seem to be the manufacturers’ way of saying: “Zero the scope, put the cap on, and leave it alone. The turrets of this scope are not made to be dialed constantly. That’s why they have a cap!” – So, which scopes have
exposed turrets?
(5) You shoot (plink & hunt) at changing ranges and with changing magnifications. Having a
first focal plane (FFP) scope would be helpful for that, as the holdovers are always the same no matter what the magnification. Then you only need
one dope chart, just
one set of holdovers to remember. Which scopes under $500 are FFPs – and do they have the other features that I like in a scope?
If you exclusively shoot targets at predetermined ranges, you’d probably want a
second focal plane (SFP) scope. Which ones are SFP and
at what magnification is the reticle calibrated?
(6) Are you looking for
a really light scope? Or
a really short scope? But you also must have 10y adjustable parallax? Those are rare – good luck sifting through piles of scope webpages....
(7) If long range shooting and heavy projectiles interest you – wouldn’t you want to know if a scope has
enough elevation turret adjustment so you can reach those ranges?
(8) Often scope manufacturers don’t tell you – but they build scopes where the turrets can’t talk to the reticle and vice versa, because they speak different languages: one speaks MOA, the other MIL. Not cool. But no scope seller has a filter to throw those mismatched scopes out of the search results. And how to find scopes quickly that have either
MOA or MIL if you have a strong preference?
(9) For airguns
a holdoff reticle must have evenly spaced hash marks/ dots. Is it a deal breaker if a scope does not have a holdoff reticle (e.g., only crosshairs, or a bullet drop compensating reticle [BDC])?
(10) You hunt and want an all-round scope that can take close shots on a stalk, but you also want to reach out to 50 or 100y with the same scope. Then you’ll need a scope with a wide
field of view (FoV),
and also a high magnification. Which scopes would qualify?
(11) The
eyebox is the area in which your eye has to be in order to see a full scope image without dark corners. The larger the better, because the quicker you can aim and shot on a hunt. And therefore, the larger the
exit pupil at max. magnification should be.
What exit pupil sizes do the top five scopes on my wish list have?
(12) Maybe you’d like your
reticle to be a grid style (“Christmas tree”). But who sells one for under $500 – and with a 10y parallax?
(13) Are you shooting long range and dial your turrets? Then you’d probably like to know
how much one revolution of the turret moves the reticle: a dinky and uneven 6 mil, or a large and round 10 mil.
(14) Would you like your
reticle hash marks/ dots numbered to quicker find your correct holdoff?
(15) Is it important if a scope has an
illuminated reticle?
(16) Some want them thicker, some want them thinner:
How thick are the main lines of the reticle?
Below you’ll find three PDF files, each comparing the specs of a group of scopes with a certain magnification.
Which magnification you probably need for which type of shooting requires a separate discussion....
The three Scope Spec Lists are:
- Short Scopes (any magni*) -and- 3-12x, 3-9x *[any magnification if at least 3-9x]
- 4-14x Magnification, also 3-18x, 4-20x, and similar
- 6-20x Magnification, also 6-24x, 5-25x, 4-20x, and similar
I hope this post and the Spec Tables are helpful!
Matthias
PS: If you want other forum members to find this post…. May I suggest you write a very short reply….?
A “Useful!” or “Downloaded” is all that it takes to help that this post doesn't get totally buried under the pile of more recent posts….
3 Attached PDF files
Short Scopes -and- 3-12x, 3-9x [UPDATED 2020-05, 3 new scopes, corrections on locking turrets] View attachment 78289 Below you can also have the data as a spreadsheet – BUT
you're not getting any explanations of what the table is all about, or its requirements for inclusion. So, you could read the PDF first, and then do some sorting according to your own criteria using the spreadsheet.
View attachment 78290 4-16x (and 3-18x, 4-20x, and similar) View attachment 78291 6-20x (and 6-24x, 5-25x, 4-20x, and similar) View attachment 78292 .
️ Attachments
