Light Stream 4.5-14X44 TMR

[Scooby]

I had two of the first focal plane Lightstream.

Optically they are brilliant, but it seems that much of the bright picture is due to the ret being formed from wire rather than engraved in the glass.

The worst aspect however is the parallax error if using holdover (so I'm a wee bit surprised by the comments about it being a great HFT 'scope.....it's not!) As a dial in for the range being shot it makes an excellent sniper 'scope.
Ken

The Lightstream has a Glass etched reticle & it's parallax error is no more than most scopes for a given head movement. What most people see as more parallax error on this scope is purely down to massive field of view, you can move your head quite a way & you will still see the picture. This massive head movement will give you plenty of parallax error but during normal shooting you don't move you head side to side this much, for a set head movement (10mm) the Lightstream is slightly better than the Bushnell 6500 & better than the EB Sniper, this is using the same parallax setting & magnification.

[Scotland rifles]

I was going to have one of these for the new 17hmr sako ??

but there seems to be a few people that are not that happy with it,

mmmmmmmmmmm

what to go for now,

bob.

[Sam Vimes]

I was going to have one of these for the new 17hmr sako ??

but there seems to be a few people that are not that happy with it,

mmmmmmmmmmm

what to go for now,

bob.

Bob,
there's not a scope made that will get universal praise. Because of this I learned to not take too much notice of what others have to say, positive or negative. What works for their eyes might not work for me and vice versa. Make your own mind up, preferably after at least looking through the scope you intend to buy if you possibly can.

[Scotland rifles]

Bob,
there's not a scope made that will get universal praise. Because of this I learned to not take too much notice of what others have to say, positive or negative. What works for their eyes might not work for me and vice versa. Make your own mind up, preferably after at least looking through the scope you intend to buy if you possibly can.

good point Sam

bob.

[jagxkrs]

Bob if your anywhere near Lyneham in the next few days drop me a PM, mines on my Wolf but it will give you a good idea how good these scopes are

[Scotland rifles]

Bob if your anywhere near Lyneham in the next few days drop me a PM, mines on my Wolf but it will give you a good idea how good these scopes are

cheers bud.

i was in hatfield luton dunstable and m K today so i could be about next week,

will keep you posted.

oh ! and thank you for that

bob.

[Feral]

Just to add my two penneth...

I've had my Lightstream for a couple of weeks now. I went from an EB Sniper to the lightstream. It's on low mounts and sitting on top of my Walther. I've noted the comments both on here and fellow lead slingers that have Lightstreams regarding the parallax and head position. I've gone the scope enhancer route and put a DG Enhancer on the back which forces me to be more disciplined and because of this I've not experienced problems related to head position (although I know not everyone gets on with scope maximisers it definately helps me)

What drew me toward the lightstream was two things, firstly that I was dropping points on closer targets in HFT due to them being an indistinguishable splash of lead and secondly I wanted something I could dial down for ratting. On the first point it definately did the trick. I am trying shooting at x8 for HFT and the visibility and clarity are fantastic but I still need to see how it copes with the Buxted woods and those non standard 45 yard targets but testing so far seems promising from 8 to 45. For the second point I am still waiting for the rats to find their way back over from the woods as I hit them pretty hard 2 weeks ago

I've put some time into getting comfortable shooting it at different PX setting and different mags and it seems to hold true incredibly well. I usually try to bracket where possible to reinforce my range estimation and I've found even at x8 with the fine ret I am able to do so reliably.

For the Lightstreams first outing I used it on Sunday for the Sussex interclub at Swallows, there was a mixture of wood and open field targets and therfore a mix of light and shade yet everything remained clear from about 10 yards out, the torrential rain didn't help but the scope stood up to it okay. I put in a 58 ex 60 on my first run with it so it's definately a keeper.

Atb

Cliff

[Ian Harford]

The Lightstream has a Glass etched reticle & it's parallax error is no more than most scopes for a given head movement. What most people see as more parallax error on this scope is purely down to massive field of view, you can move your head quite a way & you will still see the picture. This massive head movement will give you plenty of parallax error but during normal shooting you don't move you head side to side this much, for a set head movement (10mm) the Lightstream is slightly better than the Bushnell 6500 & better than the EB Sniper, this is using the same parallax setting & magnification.

Well said Pete,

I've used a Lightstream 4.5-14x44 for a full year of FT (SFT Grade), HFT and I have one on my CZ rimfire too. I use it for HFT between 9 ad 45 yards, FT between 8 and 55 yards and all the way up to 115 yards for long range rabbits with the rimmy (Leaving parallax set at 70 yards). Typically i use 12 mag for SFT, 9 mag for HFT and 10 mag for the rimfire.

The Lightstream has performed outstandingly well for target work (according to my trophy cabinet) and hasn't let me down in the field (according to my freezer!), even with all of the different mag and parallax settings. Myself and Pete had a one-two in the Anglo American last year using lightstreams, and I also won the UKAHFT Matchplay with mine.

In all my years of shooting (airgun, small bore, full bore and big game), I have been fortunate to have used some of the very finest optics ever built, and I can say with some certainly that the Lightstream offers a level of performance far beyond its pricetag. But like anything else, you have to put the work in to get the best out of it.

It all really comes down to setting up your stock properly so that your eye falls consistently and effortlessly behind the scope, and then concentrating carefully on your position. I have tested over 20 different air rifles over the past year using a Lightstream, and only 2 have allowed me to position my head in a way that I am consistenly at the centre of the eyepiece. Both had adjustable stocks.

I originally used 10 mag for HFT, but switched to 9 because with a 25 yards parallax setting I could still see the exact point of impact of my pellet as it hit a target at 45 yards (kill or plate). 10 mag was a little too blurry for this, but the point of impact is still identical (according to my paper targets).

I don't sell Lightstreams, nor am I sentimentally attached to the brand. However I do feel that they have been given a bit of a rough time by a few shooters, and this has led to others choosing not to give them a fair crack of the whip. Everyones eyes are different, and everyone wants something different from a scope, so you owe it to yourself to try as many as possible. Everyone thinks their kit is best, but with such a wide range of rifle and scope combos winning each week, everyone must be right!