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Question for those that have shot with a lot of scopes

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Solo1

Solo1

Member
Nov 22, 2020
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Pa, United States
As asked I would like to know from those in the know which scope is the very best at ranging with the ao. I’m currently using a athlon gen 2 6-24x50 ffp moa which I like very much except for the ao seems to be slightly sloppy or it’s my old eyes don’t know which. I’m thinking of trying something else but don’t know which way to go
 
I’m guessing you have a 6-24x50 gen 2 Argos. I like the gen 2 Argos MOA reticle, at least for my techniques. And it has a lot of side wheel rotation for the 10-55yd ranging, so that’s good. Focus ranging ability is about the same as most other 6-24x50 FFP scopes. If it’s “sloppy” mechanically, than it’s not an old eye problem. I have a gen 1 Helios which is similar to the gen 2 Argos. Look at the focus knob and see if there is any way to tighten it up (set screws?).

Decent scope if shooting in Hunter Division at 16x. Probably not enough scope if you are competing seriously in WFTF or Open Divisions.
 
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Athlon scopes are an excellent value. I used one for years, even managed to win a couple of club matches with them.
Today, I’m using the Hawke Sidewinder 6-24x56 FFP. The beauty of the Hawke scopes new generation is, the generous eyebox and eye relief they give.
Funny, no one talks about the usefulness and benefits of the eyebox/eye relief really is.
When I look through the scopes’ ocular lenses, I have a full sight picture. No funky dark partial or full halo you may see if your head placement isn’t just perfect in some brands of scopes. I don’t have to head bob around on my cheek weld. I firmly believe this helps with parallax error.
Another plus is, the H5 glass is super clear and sharp and you’ll know when you have it ranged correctly as the target “snaps” into image.
Seldom ever do I need to use the illumination when others complain about not being able to see the KZ on a shadowed target.
Something else that gets overlooked in scope discussion is the importance of adjusting the fast focus ring on the ocular. If your reticle isn’t razor sharp regardless of distance to the target when you look into the scope, it’s not adjusted correctly. A correctly adjusted FF ring is very important. And, don’t try to figure out the adjustment during a match. Doing so can affect your perceived parallax ranges.
Whichever scope you decide on, spend time mounting, leveling and accurately (no pun intended) ranging your scope. It will pay off in KZ’s at the end of the day.
 
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Solo1 said:
@Scotchmo I didn’t mean so much physically sloppy but 1 time I’ll get 13 yds the next 14. And the same on the long end. This is why I said old eyes cause my eyesight isn’t what it used to be.
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What magnification are you running at? If running at 16x, a 1/2yd tolerance is not bad, though you can probably do better for 10yd to 12yd targets, with some practice. +/- 5yds in the long end is not unusual.
 
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Solo1,
If you are competing in Hunter class then at 16 power ranging past 40 is iffy with any scope I've used in 15 years of competing... so the best solution in my opinion is to learn bracketing for targets past 35 yards and get a good scope for that purpose that also ranges well from 10 to 25 yards by focus, where bracketing is not as practical. It's good to "Carpenter Range" Eyeball guess first, then focus range find, then check again with bracketing.... compare results.

I like the Hawke 8-32x56 Second focal plane Pro reticle Sidewinder for both purposes. It's as good as a Sightron, Falcon x50, Nikko Diamond for close range finding and great for bracketing in my opinion... for about half the price.

Wayne
AirGun Oregon
 
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Solo1 said:
As asked I would like to know from those in the know which scope is the very best at ranging with the ao. I’m currently using a athlon gen 2 6-24x50 ffp moa which I like very much except for the ao seems to be slightly sloppy or it’s my old eyes don’t know which. I’m thinking of trying something else but don’t know which way to go
Click to expand...
A bigger objective helps by reducing depth of field so a 56mm or 60mm will help. Second, a good focus wheel like a well designed comma wheel will help separate the 40-55 yard markers. I found these 2 variables helped the most with budget optics (less than $1000).
 
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Years ago I embarked on a year-long quest for the holy grail of Hunter Class FT scopes, trying some 10 different candidates. Wrote a chapter about the ordeal in my fourth book, Airgun Chronicles- Thirty Years Of Airgun Testing And Competition. Normal folks will laugh about my final choice; even consider me off my rocker.🤪 And while I don't dispute that assessment, my choice has not only captured Hunter Class State and National Champion titles, it is the reigning Texas State Champion.

BTW, I am the only serious FT competitor on Earth that uses this scope.

The chapter is attached.

View attachment Optical Delusions pdf copy.pdf
 
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AirNGasman said:
Years ago I embarked on a year-long quest for the holy grail of Hunter Class FT scopes, trying some 10 different candidates. Wrote a chapter about the ordeal in my fourth book, Airgun Chronicles- Thirty Years Of Airgun Testing And Competition. Normal folks will laugh about my final choice; even consider me off my rocker.🤪 And while I don't dispute that assessment, my choice has not only captured Hunter Class State and National Champion titles, it is the reigning Texas State Champion.

BTW, I am the only serious FT competitor on Earth that uses this scope.

The chapter is attached.

View attachment 288280
Click to expand...
Thanks that was interesting. It would be nice if someone made such a scope as you suggest
 
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I have actually shot multiple times with AirnGasman several times and he is indeed a legend and knows “stuff”. He is so good that he hardly needs a scope to determine the range because of his decades of shooting with trained eyeballs.
However, His attachment is many years old, when Hunter field target was limited to 12X, now it is 16X and easier to range with. However that 40 to 55 range is still tough. I have used various Hawkes, including the Hawke 10-50 ED scope, Millette, MTC, and Sightron scopes. For me the Millette 4-16 ranged the best, but I now use a Sightron 10-50 S111 set on the 16x position. The Sightron is very popular, look at recent equipment lists of good shooters from matches. Why the Sightron instead of the Millette, the Sightron is so clear that fringes of pellet holes can be see on paper targets, flights of the pellets being bent by the wind(light has to be just right though), pellets bouncing off the faceplate and finding killzones on targets that have so many faceplate hits that the kz is obscured . I just really like the clear image.
I have no delusions of adequacy while shooting HFT as age and health problems have rendered me used up but I still enjoy hearing that clank when the target goes down and I smile when I pull the string to reset the faceplate….
 
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Excellent post, O! And thanks for pointing out that chapter was written a decade ago, when the Hunter limit was 12X. I should have mentioned that in my post.🥴

FWIW, I'm still using a V-16, and it still works well for me. However, that most of my misses at my latest FT match were beyond 45 yards got me pondering how much difference there might be in 16X ranging capabilities with whatever scope evolutions have occurred in the last decade. That you feel the 10-50X Sightron is at the top of that heap agrees with a buddy who just ordered his first Hunter Class rifle and the same Sightron after doing his research and noticing the Sightron over-represented in the top places of Hunter Class results.

I'm tutoring him in FT and EFT, with heavy emphasis on a disclaimer I've put in my writings for decades, "Do as I say, NOT AS I DO." You allude to why I use that disclaimer in my FT advice so often- "he hardly needs a scope to determine the range because of his decades of shooting with trained eyeballs." Your talent for exaggeration makes me question your AGN profile as a Cajun, since Texans are well-known for our ability to take exaggeration to art-form level. However I've noticed Cajuns ain't 'zactly deficit in that regard.;)

I'd hoped your profile would give me more clues to your identity beyond your AGN alias and home state, but it didn't. I know quite a few Cajan FT shooters, and hold all y'all in high regard. Whichever you are, thanks again for contributing not only information I should have, but good information I'm incapable of (Hunter Class scope information not so dated as to be obsolete). BTW, I included that chapter for entertainment value only.

On second thought, that's not true. I hoped it might be thought-provoking enough for (some) readers to conclude there is no one ideal Hunter scope, due to tolerance variations...

In Humans!🤣

Happy Shooting Bud (whoever you are),
RR
 
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Soon I will be purchasing an air rifle to plink with and possibly trying out HFT. I am leaning on a TX200 and a fixed power 10X44 Hawke scope. I'm generally drawn to fixed power scopes and I realize that may put me at a disadvantage if I decide to compete. That said, exactly what would I be missing out on if I went with the fixed power scope and what if anything would I gain?
 
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fingerguns said:
Soon I will be purchasing an air rifle to plink with and possibly trying out HFT. I am leaning on a TX200 and a fixed power 10X44 Hawke scope. I'm generally drawn to fixed power scopes and I realize that may put me at a disadvantage if I decide to compete. That said, exactly what would I be missing out on if I went with the fixed power scope and what if anything would I gain?
Click to expand...
You’ll be missing the target a lot. Go with the maximum power allowed, a reticle that’s useful, and a scope that ranges well.
 
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