Budget Side Focus scope required, how little can you spend?

[FOZZD1]

Starting back up and need something for the wife and daughter to use, previously they have just plinked
and generally pointed the gun vaguely in the direction of the target before pulling the trigger.
Those were cheap springer rifles.

They want to have a better go this time around and we have several PCP's for them to use but lack any
decent scopes.

Thinking something between 12X and 24X ? Side focus and fairly light? I have a 8-40 x 56 Hakko and it weighs
more than a bag of sugar, this is too much for them.


Due to needing to buy a couple of scopes and charging equipment, add in being unsure how long they will stay interested I
would like to keep the budget as low as possible.

So how cheap can we go and get what we need?


Is a max zoom of 12X enough or does it need to be a little higher for target work? Thinking at 24X they may not
be able to hold it steady enough?


Thanks
Dave.

[Shed tuner]

12x is plenty for airgun ranges, especially when you are starting out.

Are they shooting rested from a bench beenbag, or doing it properly ?

Also why SF ? I don't really get the requirement in your scenario, so it would be good to understand your thinking - unless you wanted 24 mag; in which case, sure, as everything will be out of focus. So don't go 24 mag, problem solved

In fact, if i wanted lightweight, I'd go fixed paralax at 35 yards, with something like a humble 3-9x40 so they can use lower mag 4x or 6x for standers and 9x for sitting/prone. ON my kid's first PCP I had a lightweight 4x28 fixed PA (set to 25 yards) scope. Worked well for them out to 25 yards.

[clipper]

Until a few weeks ago and my return to air rifle I had never used an air rifle much beyond 40yds (in my youth I dabbled in FT, but that was a lifetime ago, and everything in between has been short range vermin)

Now had a few sessions at Lains near Andover (soon to be called Targets and Tins) and have pushed this distance out to 60yd and 70yd rested - kept scopes set on 10x so that scope picture remains constant

Hawke Vantage SF 6-24x44 on my HW100, Hawke Airmax 4-12x44 on TX200; optically very little discernible difference, in rested position having SF means I can adjust parallax without breaking my position, and quickly confirm range - I'd have brought a second one to go on my TX200, but the Airmax including a pair of BKL mounts was a cheaper secondhand purchase from that auction site

The smaller mag (and physically smaller and lighter) Vantage SF scopes bring the price down a little, and save on the added weight and bulk of AO - I shopped around and apart from far eastern direct imports on that auction site couldn't find a new SF scope cheaper

[EricP]

My wife and I use (amongst others) the Discovery VT-2 4-12 x 40 which is a good scope with SF at £100, including mounts.
However, unless you are changing range often, what is wrong with a AO scope? They are cheaper especially in the popular 3-9 x 40.
You don’t need high magnifications unless you are doing FT or bench rest, and large objectives lead to having to raise the comb height to get a good cheek weld.
Eric

[angrybear]

Starting back up and need something for the wife and daughter to use, previously they have just plinked
and generally pointed the gun vaguely in the direction of the target before pulling the trigger.
Those were cheap springer rifles.

They want to have a better go this time around and we have several PCP's for them to use but lack any
decent scopes.

Thinking something between 12X and 24X ? Side focus and fairly light? I have a 8-40 x 56 Hakko and it weighs
more than a bag of sugar, this is too much for them.


Due to needing to buy a couple of scopes and charging equipment, add in being unsure how long they will stay interested I
would like to keep the budget as low as possible.

So how cheap can we go and get what we need?


Is a max zoom of 12X enough or does it need to be a little higher for target work? Thinking at 24X they may not
be able to hold it steady enough?


Thanks
Dave.

You can go as cheap as you like,
but you might get rubbish & if they don't continue or if they do & want to upgrade your cheap rubbish might as well go in the bin.

Check out our site sponsors JSR & also Optics warehouse who have some bargains,
remember if you buy a £50 scope & do want to sell it on in 6-12 months it'll only be worth £10-£15, buy a £150 scope & it'll still be worth £100 odd.

Exactly what model the want will depend on what type of shooting it is,
I always say look through one before you buy it, & always try the next model up, sometimes 25-30% more cost is a way, way better product.

[Jesim1]

Your always going to get different views on this as it's personal preference, so things like use/budget play a big part in it.

For instance, if your doing purely paper targets at 30m ish, then being able to see multiple points of impact from pellets, and being able to aim at a small area like a 2mm bull is more important - so a 24x mag scope is advantageous, as on lower mag scopes you simply don't have the detail, and the cross hair in all likelihood will totally obscure a 2mm bull, let alone allow you to aim within it - that's why you don't get low mag bench rest scopes

In saying that, if your more likely to be shooting spinners, which are typically 15-40mm, then something like a 4-16mag scope is pretty much perfect, and is far more user friendly. The target area is larger, and the cross hair thickness largely irrelevant for this kind of shooting, so max mag is not really required. Low mags also allow a greater depth of field and wider view, so can be easier for people to get to grips with.

Personally I like good glass, but would say for starting out go for a branded scope, and the convenience of SF. OA will cost a bit less, and is slightly lighter, but it's not as user friendly, and you want it to be easier for your wife and kid.

Lastly, don't worry about the cost if you can afford it, get a decent scope and decent mounts if the budget stretches to them, because if you buy second hand, you will not lose much selling them again in the future, so you may as well have the better scope

[Neil54]

Hawke fast mount 3-9x40 AO about £70 with mounts.

[FOZZD1]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

ShedTuner and EricP...
I want them to learn about how a pellets trajectory changes and to use a scope to help with
finding the ranges. I setup my AO scope and they could not get on with it. Daughter has a small frame
so reaching forward to adjust the scope is a problem. Unsure whether to pay extra on something that
has easy adjust turrets or save that for later?


Jesim1...
I was hoping for multiple preferences and opinions, gives me more options to think about.


angrybear...
So true that you get what you pay for but if they have a £50 scope and break it then its only
£50 lost. If i come to sell it then it can only lose £50. Spend £150 and sell for £100 ends up
being the same.

I doubt anything in my specs comes out anywhere near £50 though. £100 - £150 maybe?
Been that long I had forgotten who the site sponsor was, one website I had missed, off to look
on there now and thanks to some suggestions there maybe cheap options that I had not yet seen.


Yes FT so not tiny mm targets but various ranges and I would prefer if they could see the kill
zone rather than just the target. Think the smallest I used was a 18x and felt it needed
more for some shots. But that was a long time ago so maybe just a bad memory?

The weight starts to get an issue above that though.

[Jesim1]

Jesim1...I was hoping for multiple preferences and opinions, gives me more options to think about.

x24 mag, side focus, lightweight and budget don't' sit comfortably together I'm afraid. Many of the £45 types scopes are quite frankly junk, and even at double that I would not recommend anything for these specs I'd consider half decent

I think the kind of thing which would be my first consideration would be a Hawke Airmax with a set of Sportsmatch mounts, if you buy sensibly second hand you won't lose much if you shift it on later as these are always in demand

[Muskett]

Buy a good scope here second hand and in a years time you could sell it again and it would probably have cost you nothing bar the postage. Start budget £100 plus.
Same goes for the rifle. Start budget £350 plus plus.
Try and buy things that are always desirable rather than the stuff no one has heard of.

Good kit is just that: good kit. And why buy a beginner something you wouldn't be happy to shoot yourself?
Buy too cheap, or new cheap, and no one else will want it either. You will ether be stuck with it or lose plenty on it.

Bar the money tied up I've tried loads of stuff by buying second hand, seeing what it was all about, then selling again to try something else. If I kept something its because it was something I liked and wanted to keep.
Just look after it when its in your hands.

A 4-16x40 or 44 side focus would be ample. Something like a Bushnell Elite, or a MTC Mamba Light.

[FOZZD1]

As with a lot of items over the past year or so, finding the right product is one thing. Finding somewhere with that
item in stock is another.

JSR website. 17 scopes from one manufacturer but only 3 appear to be in stock.

May have to wait until shops allow customers without having to wear a hazmat suit.


Daughter wears glasses that are quite strong and she struggled to focus my scope properly.
May need some one to one testing.

Thanks.

[Jesim1]

Daughter wears glasses that are quite strong and she struggled to focus my scope properly.
May need some one to one testing.

I'm not trying to be awkward here - but have you adjusted the eye bell for her so she can clearly see the crosshairs against a light background? This would significantly increase her focus in the scope and make it far more comfortable to use, but it's often overlooked

[Steyr]

1. Buy 2nd hand. Your money will go further.
2. Totally wrong perspective. Your approach should be whats the best buy foe a scope that will actually do what its features offer andcdo so reliably and with repitition. Simply buying the scope that is the cheapest with the features on you wish list is highly likely to fail. Resale important to if its a 10 minute wonder. Buy onevthat can take springer recoil. It will double your reseller market place.

[angrybear]

Daughter wears glasses that are quite strong and she struggled to focus my scope properly.
May need some one to one testing.

Thanks.

Surely the lenses in the scope will in effect take the place of her glasses to view the target ?
so it all needs to be focused to her eye, which will probably be miles out from your settings.

I've always assumed that to be the case, I only use reading glasses so don't really know for sure.

[Steyr]

Surely the lenses in the scope will in effect take the place of her glasses to view the target ?
so it all needs to be focused to her eye, which will probably be miles out from your settings.

I've always assumed that to be the case, I only use reading glasses so don't really know for sure.

Nope. It depends on the individuals eye issue as to how to correct. The fact the scope has diopter adjustment may not be sufficient or have no bearing on the condition concerned.