Bushnell Sportsman 3-9 x 40

[C3PO_1]

This was the scope I originally had with my HW95 before moving on to a Simmons Whitetail 1.5-5 x 20 mini scope. The latter, while a great bit of kit, has proved to be less versatile at the ranges I usually shoot at and my eyes need about x 6 with better light-gathering capabilities.

Anyway, I again made the mistake of popping into my local airgun shop recently after picking up a parcel from the depot located nearby. I had been thinking of getting the Sportsman again for the reasons mentioned above and of course I walked out of the store with the scope. I took some time to compare it against other scopes and in particular a Hawke scope similarly priced around the £90 mark. The Hawke was a 4-12 and optically very similar to the Sportsman and was perfectly clear and acceptable. The only downside with the Hawke was the field of view was less good, the image was surrounded by a larger area of black compared with the Bushnell.

Anyway, got the scope home and was relieved to find that my Sportsmatch one-piece mounts I used with the Simmons scope fitted the Bushnell fine, with a few millimetres of clearance from the body of the barrel at the objective end. I fitted the scope easily taking care -- as always -- not to overtighten the screws.

Went out into the garden and within three shots the scope was zero-ed at ~ 22 yards, which is the perfect range for incoming squirrels as they pass along a familiar corridor of track towards a large oak tree during early autumn. H&N FTT in .22 is the staple diet of the Weihrauch and accuracy is pellet on pellet, certainly for this range.

The Bushnell has a fixed parallax of 50 yards. At 20 yards this is not really a problem at all at minimum magnification, but it does become blurred at x9 and a strain on the eyes. At that magnification, the picture does become somewhat milky and prone to reflection of light bouncing off the cornea into the scope, and then back into the eye.

I have fixed the parallax issue myself by unscrewing the front locking ring and turning -- very carefully so as not to touch the lens -- the objective lens a few turns "outwards". This has brought the fixed parallax down to 25 yards, ideal for me and my HW95K. Some pictures:

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...O_05/scope.jpg

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...05/scope_2.jpg

In summary, the optics are very good indeed, and I would say exceptional for the price of a budget scope. Drawbacks include the fixed parallax and the slightly milky image at high magnification, but I am comparing this scope with my other Bushnells. And yesterday it claimed a rabbit from the garden.