I’m taking the time to write this because I care about this sport.
I see newcomers confused & give up. I see highly experienced firearm folks laugh.
I’ve seen guys that understand math, physics, firearms more in depth than I do not understand this test. I learned from reading EVERY post YRRAH in OZ ever wrote. All of R. Sterne’s posts, though I admittedly don’t comprehend it all. Most of all I learned from typing one word into a search & reading for days on that subject. Also anyone else who’s proved they can shoot better than I can by holding off & over. I do NOT click. I zero for a given distance. 20-32 for 8-12 ftlb .177 springers. 32-38 yards for mid power spring or PCP, & as far as 60 to 100 for higher power air guns. The furthest I’ve ever shot a PCP is 316 yards. Ever notice changes in POI from a PCP in no wind at close to far? Yes, cant is to be taken into consideration but let me start with my main problem of “LNIB” used scopes.
When you 1st get a scope of decent quality this is what you should do before buying if possible. Get a 2-3” compact make up mirror depending on bell size or if scope isn’t mounted (better because torque, not a true bend could be at fault) you want to go to brightest lit mirror in home.
A scope bell end should be truly flat. If you have filters, honey comb, anything like such on bell, take off. Turn magnification as low as possible. Turn AO, adjustable objective if on scope to ♾ infinity. Now, place bell flat against mirror & tell me what you see. What you normally SHOULD see is a reflection of your reticle & a COMPLETE FULL CIRCULAR VIEW OF BELL! If you see 1/4, 1/2 of a bell ocular
️ circle, your scope tube is most likely bent. Over tightened, torqued beyond specs, & most likely not repairable by most. If you see anything along these lines, it’s bent.
Now, if you see a perfect circular view with reflection of reticle, GREAT! Chances are you’ll notice the reticle is not in-line with its reflection. Adjust turrets to do this so you see ONE reticle. Perfection is reached when reflection is hidden behind the actual crosshairs or etched glass image. That is called optically centering your scope & very few I’ve ever tested are perfectly aligned along with dividing your click range in half. In fact you should try that & compare the calibration. A good 100% tracking scope can be clicked until the
’s come 
but I, am NOT a clicker. I will rezero if need be for extended range but I usually have everything set so I can simply adjust to lower magnification with 2nd FP scope & use more hold over. I don’t like shooting on high magnification unless I’m in a gun vice F-Class rest, lead sled, bags. Even a bipod, breathing, your pulse makes your reticle jump around at higher powers. I honestly shoot better than most people I’ve shot with at ranges when I use fine buckhorn sights, or scopes that are at 1-10x, preferring 6x the most & with Diabolo pellets going beyond 150 yards I must use 3-4x to even have enough holdover & 
in sight.
Now do us all a favor. IF you’ve taken the time to read this, then test a, or all scopes & please report back as to what you’re findings are. I’ll cover adjustable rings, shimming properly & setting a scope up correctly at next step should their be inquiries of interest. I’ll give you some hints.
Most guys new to air gunning over tighten their rings & ruin their own new scopes. You don’t use the long part of Allen wrench for massive leverage. You shouldn’t have to tighten rings beyond inch pounds if proper procedures are taken. This is PCP’s we’re talking about. Not springers which require more preparation, scope stop pin, buffer, a quality one piece adjustable mount like B-Square, 90% rubbing alcohol on dovetail, possibly preparation of mating surface with 1200 grit wet/dry sand paper & for goodness’s sake quality scope friction tape. Shims, inch pound wrench, feeler gauges are your best friends as is a indoor bench with the right color, thickness string, and background contrast. You’ll also need quality torpedo level & several calibrated tiny bubble levels out of their holders. They should roll across glass silently. You may have to clean, prep them also. Perfection isn’t quick but let us hear how many bent scopes you’ve bought first.
Thank you if you’ve stuck with me over the past 12 years & if you’re a friend, let’s build this forum into the best it can be. I know there’s some here from older forums that I know but I may not know your handle here. That being said, The Enoch Brothers just were spoken of highly to me last night by a long time collector & I agreed I miss David’s contributions & his Brothers machining skills.
Be safe & be blessed. Let’s hear about your scopes true condition & see if we can’t get you newcomers fixed up so you don’t give up. The pay off in trigger time is priceless.
I see newcomers confused & give up. I see highly experienced firearm folks laugh.
I’ve seen guys that understand math, physics, firearms more in depth than I do not understand this test. I learned from reading EVERY post YRRAH in OZ ever wrote. All of R. Sterne’s posts, though I admittedly don’t comprehend it all. Most of all I learned from typing one word into a search & reading for days on that subject. Also anyone else who’s proved they can shoot better than I can by holding off & over. I do NOT click. I zero for a given distance. 20-32 for 8-12 ftlb .177 springers. 32-38 yards for mid power spring or PCP, & as far as 60 to 100 for higher power air guns. The furthest I’ve ever shot a PCP is 316 yards. Ever notice changes in POI from a PCP in no wind at close to far? Yes, cant is to be taken into consideration but let me start with my main problem of “LNIB” used scopes.
When you 1st get a scope of decent quality this is what you should do before buying if possible. Get a 2-3” compact make up mirror depending on bell size or if scope isn’t mounted (better because torque, not a true bend could be at fault) you want to go to brightest lit mirror in home.
A scope bell end should be truly flat. If you have filters, honey comb, anything like such on bell, take off. Turn magnification as low as possible. Turn AO, adjustable objective if on scope to ♾ infinity. Now, place bell flat against mirror & tell me what you see. What you normally SHOULD see is a reflection of your reticle & a COMPLETE FULL CIRCULAR VIEW OF BELL! If you see 1/4, 1/2 of a bell ocular
️ circle, your scope tube is most likely bent. Over tightened, torqued beyond specs, & most likely not repairable by most. If you see anything along these lines, it’s bent. Now, if you see a perfect circular view with reflection of reticle, GREAT! Chances are you’ll notice the reticle is not in-line with its reflection. Adjust turrets to do this so you see ONE reticle. Perfection is reached when reflection is hidden behind the actual crosshairs or etched glass image. That is called optically centering your scope & very few I’ve ever tested are perfectly aligned along with dividing your click range in half. In fact you should try that & compare the calibration. A good 100% tracking scope can be clicked until the
’s come but I, am NOT a clicker. I will rezero if need be for extended range but I usually have everything set so I can simply adjust to lower magnification with 2nd FP scope & use more hold over. I don’t like shooting on high magnification unless I’m in a gun vice F-Class rest, lead sled, bags. Even a bipod, breathing, your pulse makes your reticle jump around at higher powers. I honestly shoot better than most people I’ve shot with at ranges when I use fine buckhorn sights, or scopes that are at 1-10x, preferring 6x the most & with Diabolo pellets going beyond 150 yards I must use 3-4x to even have enough holdover & in sight.Now do us all a favor. IF you’ve taken the time to read this, then test a, or all scopes & please report back as to what you’re findings are. I’ll cover adjustable rings, shimming properly & setting a scope up correctly at next step should their be inquiries of interest. I’ll give you some hints.
Most guys new to air gunning over tighten their rings & ruin their own new scopes. You don’t use the long part of Allen wrench for massive leverage. You shouldn’t have to tighten rings beyond inch pounds if proper procedures are taken. This is PCP’s we’re talking about. Not springers which require more preparation, scope stop pin, buffer, a quality one piece adjustable mount like B-Square, 90% rubbing alcohol on dovetail, possibly preparation of mating surface with 1200 grit wet/dry sand paper & for goodness’s sake quality scope friction tape. Shims, inch pound wrench, feeler gauges are your best friends as is a indoor bench with the right color, thickness string, and background contrast. You’ll also need quality torpedo level & several calibrated tiny bubble levels out of their holders. They should roll across glass silently. You may have to clean, prep them also. Perfection isn’t quick but let us hear how many bent scopes you’ve bought first.
Thank you if you’ve stuck with me over the past 12 years & if you’re a friend, let’s build this forum into the best it can be. I know there’s some here from older forums that I know but I may not know your handle here. That being said, The Enoch Brothers just were spoken of highly to me last night by a long time collector & I agreed I miss David’s contributions & his Brothers machining skills.
Be safe & be blessed. Let’s hear about your scopes true condition & see if we can’t get you newcomers fixed up so you don’t give up. The pay off in trigger time is priceless.
