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Thread: New 25mtr .177 competition optics advice please

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
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    Blackpool
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    New 25mtr .177 competition optics advice please

    Hi, i have been lucky enough to purchase an EV2 Mk4 .177 which i intend to use purely for indoor 25mtr comps at my club (Preston Grasshoppers) could anyone please offer some guidance on what type of scope i should be looking at please, £200 max or i have some explaining to do

    i have been looking at Nikko Stirling Target Master 1 Inch 2.5-10x42, Walther PRS 4-24x50 IGR and the Hawke Vantage IR 4-12x50 over at uttings uk. I currently use the edgar bros opti tt 5-20x 50 on my hw100 and that is set to x12 mag which suits me nicely but i am open to ideas.

    Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer, i am very new to air rifle competitions and i am on a bit of a tight budget so genuinely do appreciate any tips or help offered by the experienced members.

    AtB

    Derren
    .22 HW100T, .177 HW70, .177HW40, .177EV2 Mk4

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
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    near rotterdam,netherlands
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    what kinda competition? FT? benchrest?
    ATB,
    yana

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Warrington
    Posts
    6

    Scopes

    I am guessing Benchrest?

    I think you will struggle with your budget. You might be better getting something second hand.
    Reticle is EVERYTHING. Hawke mil dot is very thick and can cover the x completely. I recently fitted a Sightron S-II 36x44 to my Brno about £400 if you shop around they sometimes turn up as people upgrade.
    I have a Hawke Airmax30 AMX really quite fine glass as well.

    I once was told "Only a rich man can afford cheap glass"

    Hope this helps

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
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    Blackpool
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    Hi chaps, sorry yes its bench rest, thanks for the tips Horgi, i honestly didnt realise that 200 would not really be suitable, and in one of those weird coincedences life occasionally throws up i was offered and picked up a half-mil Nikko target master 4-16x44 for £149 on Friday so hopefully it will be enough to get me started and through a full season, i shall however start saving up now for something more suitable later this year.

    To be honest if i had known sooner i would have risked the wrath of my lovely wife and gone for the Hawke you have Horgi but such is life, hoping the Nikko will do for now (at least according to the website it will)

    Thanks again, and sorry again for not putting all the info story of my life.

    AtB
    Derren
    .22 HW100T, .177 HW70, .177HW40, .177EV2 Mk4

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
    Location
    near rotterdam,netherlands
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    Maybe a Hawke Varmint? OR its fellow clone?
    I use those in 6-24 as 'cheapo' 100m scopes but they're for sale in other magnifications as well
    ATB,
    yana

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Aberdeen
    Posts
    651
    What class of BR? This could dictate the maximum magnification you can use. Also check the prevailing rules for permissible weight and stock design.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Blackpool
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    Hi Zephyr, it appears as usual i have jumped feet first into something that i totally misundertood, i have been shooting at my local indoor club with a .22 air rifle on a bipod resting on a table at the firing point (i thought this was 'Benchrest' shooting), i have no idea what class it was for distance was 25mtrs i am going to the club weds eve and i will find out what type of competition it was that i had fired over the winter, apologies for all the confusion, and thanks for all the help.

    take care
    D
    .22 HW100T, .177 HW70, .177HW40, .177EV2 Mk4

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Blackpool
    Posts
    143

    Red face

    Guys and gals, thank you all so very much for your help, i have just been over to http://www.ukbr22.org.uk/ and after having a good read i have realised that my version of bench rest shooting and the offical version are totally different things, it definetly looks like something i would love to get into but i will have a talk with the higher ups at my local club to see if its viable for 1 shooter as i have never heard anyone mention it specifically.

    If i could start the post again it would be... utter noob needs help with the difference between arse and elbow.. or some such, at least i have learned something, i shall now slink off into a dark corner and not bother you good folk again

    Thank you all once again as you can see i really do need all the help i can get
    take care
    D
    .22 HW100T, .177 HW70, .177HW40, .177EV2 Mk4

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2000
    Location
    Tremar
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    First off, there are other bodies than UKBR22 that administer BR. Plenty of clubs shoot to NSRA rules which are substantially different and don't have such defined classes. There are also regional leagues such as the Midlands which allow you to have a bi-pod and a back rest, but the target card roundels are pretty tough; on the other hand they work on inward gauging which is more generous.

    Back to the matter of the scope, and your budget. In my opinion you should look out for a Falcon T35 second hand, they go for about 200 quid give or take. They are a fixed mag 35x scope with a very fine cross-hair and if you get the silver version with 1/8 clicks (most of the black ones have 1/4 clicks) then you have everything you need. Take the large sidewheel off, you don't need it for BR.

    I meant to add, if you want an intro to the Midlands league or the Devon league I'll forward you the contacts. You're too late for the 2017 summer comps as the entries closed last week, but it sounds like you're not ready yet. These leagues are postal, by the way; some of them you post your shot card to the scorer, and others you get a nominated person at your club to score them for you and send in the results by email.
    www.shebbearshooters.co.uk. Ask for Rich and try the coffee

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Blackpool
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    Hi Rich, thank you for the advice and offer thats very kind if you could send them on hopefully i could be ready for the autumn/winter season, i just clicked on the first offical looking link on google, like i said i will talk to the competiton chap at my club and see apart from anything else just what it was i shot in over the winter, they were Official NSRA 20 yard 10 bull targets, which were signed and witnessed and as i passed him 3wks ago he mentioned something about summer targets. I know we all start fresh so to speak but i hate being a noob

    Optic wise i got the Nikko targetmaster 4-16x44 1/2mildot 1/4click the reticle is a little thick but will do for now i hope, i also noticed on my opti tt 5-20x50 that it has 1/8 clicks full mildot and again quite a thick reticle and its a lot heavier but maybe that will suit better, i will however keep my eye open for the Falcon as you have suggested thank you again for that, its quite confusing if i am honest, scopes were not something i really had much to do with during my service, well apart from a 10x optics unit on my tank or those absolutely awful susat sights.

    i know i keep saying this but, thank you to everyone again just for putting up with me i do appreciate it, hopefully we will meet at a competition one day and i WILL buy the brews and biccies.
    take care
    D
    .22 HW100T, .177 HW70, .177HW40, .177EV2 Mk4

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    swansea
    Posts
    275

    Suitable scope

    You could look out for a used Sightron 36 x 42 or a Leupold BR36 or a Weaver T36. These scopes and slight variants are designed specifically for bench rest. Look for a fine, thin reticle...

    They would likely have better quality optics than the Falcon or Nikko....in fact better all around.. also at 16 mag you're going to struggle to pick out which bit of the pip you are aiming at.


    My advice re scopes would be to buy the very best quality you can afford. If you give up the sport you will still get your money back on a high quality used scope.

    If you get into the sport then you will very quickly wish that you hadn't bought an intermediate scope....buy quality and buy once....

    If you have an off day you might wonder 'what if I had a better scope'....it would always be on your mind...

    There are lots of comps that do not have weight classes. All comps have rules though and they differ from comp to comp so check them out..

    I really enjoy bench rest shooting...it's really addictive

    ...good luck !!
    Last edited by Sundance; 07-03-2017 at 07:58 PM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Norwich
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    1,049
    I have 2 x benchrest rifles, both with sub 200 scopes (OK, just sub, and 2nd hand!)

    On my rapid, I run a Simmons 36x42 fine target cross hair. Very similar to the Sightron 36x42. Glass not quite as good as the sightron, but it put me at the top step for January, and it only cost 150.

    On the FWB300 springer, I use a Bushnell Elite 6-24x40, its mil-dot, but quite a fine cross hair in the centre, un-cluttered at max zoom, again, thats good enough for top step in Jan and Feb and was 200. I think the 24x is the minimum zoom, but only on higher quality glass. I had a 24x Hawke, it wasnt a patch on the Bushnell, and useless for BR, really quite foggy by comparison at 24x, where the Bushnell is crisp and sharp.


    I would trade either out for a 2nd hand Sightron 36x42, and for 25m benchrest on an air rifle, you do not need anything better, the scope will be much better than you, the rifle and the pellets for a couple of years to come ;-)


    Enjoy!
    Last edited by mrgeoff; 07-03-2017 at 09:15 PM.
    Thanks - Geoff.

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    Location
    Tremar
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    Yes there are nicer scopes than the T35 for this application but the budget was set at 200 max, and I've not yet been lucky enough to see a Weaver or a Leupold at that level.

    www.shebbearshooters.co.uk. Ask for Rich and try the coffee

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Aberdeen
    Posts
    651
    Agree with Rich, UKBR is but one organisation, which is why I said check the 'prevailing' rules.

    I can't disagree with the opinions expressed about the scopes mentioned. However, decide which particular flavour and class of BR you want to pursue, check the rules and then make your decision on scope, it would be a shame to buy a scope and then find out it cannot be used or only in certain classes.

    Do you feel the need to compete against others? If yes, you'll have to play by their rules, if not then do your own thing and continue enjoying it as you seem to be doing with whatever rifle/scope combination you desire.

    Just my own experience - I shot with a 'thick' lined reticle to start with, this wasn't the disadvantage it first seemed. At 12x mag and my eyesight I couldn't see the fine (inner) rings of the target, instead I used the mildots to bracket the darker outer ring.

    Because of my eyesight (maybe I haven't learnt the correct technique for the lower mag!) I prefer to use a higher mag (36x) but this choice imposes limits to the class I can use it in.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Blackpool
    Posts
    143

    Smile

    Hi, thank you all once again for answering my questions i must apologise again for getting mixed up with the different disciplines, it will not happen again.

    Zeph, competition wise i don't absolutely have the need to compete, i just happened to notice my club did competition shooting and it was something i always enjoyed during my service, and i thought i would try my hand this is the very first time i have ever entered any sort of civilian competition

    I will be leaving the 'Bench Rest' shooting to a much later date, perhaps once i have learnt to control my overly enthusiatic urges and concentrate on A just enjoying the sport and B shooting whatever it is we shoot at my local club.

    Seriously thank you all for your help and time its very kind and greatly appreciated

    keep safe
    D
    .22 HW100T, .177 HW70, .177HW40, .177EV2 Mk4

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