air gun optics-question

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caustic

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I'll try this post here,
quick question, my uncle from out of town just call me and was looking for a scope for his air rifle. he had gone earlier to a local shop and was told by a clerk there that you should not use a standard optic on an air rifle as it will destroy the scope due to how they recoil , I call BS as this sounds like an old wives tale to me, but I figured a quick post in here would let me know if it is indeed true.

Thoughts on this.

Thanks
 
well ####, I googled and Phone called around and it's true, learn something every day!!

it has to do with the double recoil action of the air piston or something like that, it eats up reticules
 
If he does not want to spend too much money the Crossman 4x32 scope they sell at Canadian Tire is actually not that bad. I have one on a HW-77 which is a pretty powerfull air-gun and the crosman seems to survive.
Denis
 
Old bushnell scopechiefs can handle the recoil of a springer, as can almost all leupold optics. the scopechief has the lenses glue in well enough to handle the double recoil and the reticle is designed to handle it also. Airgunners seek these scopes out at gun shows as they hold up so well, and are clear, great quality scopes for the money. It has to be a scopechief, no other bushnell holds up as well.
 
The info you received is correct. Spring piston high performance air rifles can cause issues with some rifle scopes due to the push/ pull action of the spring piston. Many newer scopes are rated for air rifles but I sometimes wonder if they are built any different or the manufacturer just say their OK and they are willing to warranty in the event of a failure. Another thing to consider is some scopes (even low magnification ones) have too long a focal range to use properly at air gun distances sometimes as short as 5-10 yards. Some scopes like Leupold EFR (extended focal range) are set up for shorter distances. This is why we like scopes with adjustable parallax for air guns so you not only focus the target but adjust the parallax error for the actual distance wou are shooting at. You don't always need an expensive scope to accomplish this but the quality of the scope should match the quality (price) of the air rifle. For example I use a Gamo Extreme Hunter (now discontinued) built by BSA that has a velocity of 1200 FPS and over 1600 FPS with light weight pellets. I use a Burris Timberline 4.5-14x32 with AO. This scope is very compact considering the magnification and also has a very short (under 7 yards) parallax adjustment. The scope would be considered on the expensive side ($310) for an air rifle but matches the performance and accuracy of the rifle. Good parallax adjusted scopes start aroung $100. Phil.
 
P of PDent said:
The info you received is correct. Spring piston high performance air rifles can cause issues with some rifle scopes due to the push/ pull action of the spring piston. Many newer scopes are rated for air rifles but I sometimes wonder if they are built any different or the manufacturer just say their OK and they are willing to warranty in the event of a failure. Another thing to consider is some scopes (even low magnification ones) have too long a focal range to use properly at air gun distances sometimes as short as 5-10 yards. Some scopes like Leupold EFR (extended focal range) are set up for shorter distances. This is why we like scopes with adjustable parallax for air guns so you not only focus the target but adjust the parallax error for the actual distance wou are shooting at. You don't always need an expensive scope to accomplish this but the quality of the scope should match the quality (price) of the air rifle. For example I use a Gamo Extreme Hunter (now discontinued) built by BSA that has a velocity of 1200 FPS and over 1600 FPS with light weight pellets. I use a Burris Timberline 4.5-14x32 with AO. This scope is very compact considering the magnification and also has a very short (under 7 yards) parallax adjustment. The scope would be considered on the expensive side ($310) for an air rifle but matches the performance and accuracy of the rifle. Good parallax adjusted scopes start aroung $100. Phil.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info, one question what is AO
 
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