scope for steyr hs50
- Thread starter bruce johnstone
- Start date
A Tasco 4x15 Canadain Tire special.
But seriously, if you are getting into 50 cal, youd better have lots of money to spend because shooting it is going to be very expensive. How much are you looking to spend? If you are going to have a gun like an Hs.50, you will want a good scope for it. Better keep saving then.
But seriously, if you are getting into 50 cal, youd better have lots of money to spend because shooting it is going to be very expensive. How much are you looking to spend? If you are going to have a gun like an Hs.50, you will want a good scope for it. Better keep saving then.
You should post some photos because that is one ###y beast of a rifle.
I agree... but personally would save up for a quality optic.
I pray you are not serious... this is a 50 cal... that has the capability to go out well over 1000 yards... not to mention the recoil... a cheap bushnell would break pretty darn quick not to mention a crappy warrenty system means waiting forever...
Now my input: Save up yet again and put a quality optic on her... I suggest a S&B PM II 5-25 (will allow you to easily get to 2,000 + yards) with a 40 MOA cant rings, I suggest the NEAR ALPHAMOUNT in 40 MOA cant. With that setup she won't break... she won't lose her zero... she will perform flawlessly... also with a .50 cal this price point shouldn't be beyond your means as you are probably paying about $10 a shot...
The alphamount will be rock solid, even with that .50 cal... not to mention it was designed originally around S&B's...
Thanks,
- Koshy
If you can find a used Leupold, the factory is great at fixing them up just like new for next to nothing...and they will modify it to suit your taste if you want. They can't do everything on the modifications as any mods have to fit the scope model, and be sort of standard, but they have done great stuff for me every time I asked...
I bought a used 2-7 compact that was really beat up, and it looked almost new when I got it back.
I bought a used 2-7 compact that was really beat up, and it looked almost new when I got it back.
Thats funny because the 10X Bushnell is the first scope to go on my 50 till I could afford better and its been on a dozen rifles since with most of them having far more recoil than the 50.
Cheap Bushnell maybe, but they are a damn good scope !
I've got several Leupolds, Nightforce, Swarovski, Redfield, and Bushnells, not to mention a good old Tasco and all are working well.
As for recoil of a 50, mine is like shooting a 243....thats because its built right..
Scharfschütze
Regular
- Location
- Courtenay B.C.
A 10x scope will work for a .50cal and for 1000 yard shots. Much larger than 10x mirage might start to become a problem. Ive seen some Bushnell elites on HS 50's but I would go for a NightForce. They are really good scopes although expensive. Leupold Mk 4 will also work and are cheaper than the NF's.
When it became affordable, I swapped the 10X Bushnell for an 8.5x25 Leupold and for the shooting I do that is adequate, but my 338 LAI wears an 8x32 Nightforce which would be better still for the 50 when reaching out near a mile or more...
- Location
- calgary alberta
At least there is 1 other post where the poster actually knew something about a 50
Bruce be a bit acrefulo on what advice you heed from guys about the 50s. Damn few have ever shot 1 but know all about them.
You are going to hear about how brutal the recoil is and how they destroy scopes and on and on. The FACT is that 50s typically have effective brakes on them and the recoil is quite light. more along the lines of 12 ga with 2 3/4 heavy loads. Big roar mind you.
The 50s are NO harder on a scope than any other rifle unless you drop the rifle on the scope, then physics is the issue.
If all you can afford is a 3200, it will work. The problem with the HS50s is that they require stupidly high rings, so you can get behind the scope.
I run Nightforces on my own 50s and like the 8x32 as it has enough elevation to get out to the mile mark and I can still see clearly enough to use it in most conditions. There are times when mirage is a problem, but the lovely thing about variable scopes is you can turn them down.
At least there is 1 other post where the poster actually knew something about a 50
Bruce be a bit acrefulo on what advice you heed from guys about the 50s. Damn few have ever shot 1 but know all about them.
You are going to hear about how brutal the recoil is and how they destroy scopes and on and on. The FACT is that 50s typically have effective brakes on them and the recoil is quite light. more along the lines of 12 ga with 2 3/4 heavy loads. Big roar mind you.
The 50s are NO harder on a scope than any other rifle unless you drop the rifle on the scope, then physics is the issue.
If all you can afford is a 3200, it will work. The problem with the HS50s is that they require stupidly high rings, so you can get behind the scope.
I run Nightforces on my own 50s and like the 8x32 as it has enough elevation to get out to the mile mark and I can still see clearly enough to use it in most conditions. There are times when mirage is a problem, but the lovely thing about variable scopes is you can turn them down.
Wasn't talking about with muzzle break... heh
Although maybe I am still incorrect about the recoil?
Also question about high rings, because there is no adjustable cheek piece, I would think you would want low rings? So you could obtain a good cheek weld and also see properly through the optic?
Thanks,
- Koshy
- Location
- calgary alberta
The recoil from most 50s is quite mild as I mentioned. Without a brake they are BRUTAL!! but even with the not so efficient brake that the Steyr comes with, the rifles recoil is much like that of 12 gauge shotgun.
Case in point a 12 year old 80 lb girl who shoots it every time she can. She in well into her 2nd rebarrel job on that rifle now at age 17
The stock design of the Steyr in my opinion is very poor, they use a tube as a rear stock that the bolt goes insideof, so you can not get a decent cheekweld on it at all. In order for most guys to see through the scope the scope needs to be mounted up quite high off the action.
I see many Steyr owners who have taken the hard plastic cheek rest off in order to be able to see through their scope, hence my recommendation of very high rings.
Yes clearly a Bushnell 3200 10X is a cheap POS and cant hold up to the monster recoil of a HS 50.
If you ever have shot one, you would know a 375H&H kicks harder....
And you dont think you can shoot a 10X at 1000m?
Keep sharing your vast experience Koshy....
Yes clearly a Bushnell 3200 10X is a cheap POS and cant hold up to the monster recoil of a HS 50.
If you ever have shot one, you would know a 375H&H kicks harder....
And you dont think you can shoot a 10X at 1000m?
Keep sharing your vast experience Koshy....
Yes I think you can shoot 10x at 1000m, I know a few F-Class shooters who use fixed x10 at 1000. If I didn't think I could shoot at x10 at 1000, I wouldn't have purchased a 3-15 scope...
But I would think with a .50 you would want to start shooting at 1000.... and go further from there
Thanks,
- Koshy
The recoil from most 50s is quite mild as I mentioned. Without a brake they are BRUTAL!! but even with the not so efficient brake that the Steyr comes with, the rifles recoil is much like that of 12 gauge shotgun.
Case in point a 12 year old 80 lb girl who shoots it every time she can. She in well into her 2nd rebarrel job on that rifle now at age 17
The stock design of the Steyr in my opinion is very poor, they use a tube as a rear stock that the bolt goes insideof, so you can not get a decent cheekweld on it at all. In order for most guys to see through the scope the scope needs to be mounted up quite high off the action.
I see many Steyr owners who have taken the hard plastic cheek rest off in order to be able to see through their scope, hence my recommendation of very high rings.
Yea I guess in terms of .50s the Steyr HS is quite cheap, especially compared to something like a BEOWOLF. Wow a girl using a .50 since she was 12 thats cool
Yea I can see what you are saying, is a shame they didn't put a little more design into it.
Thanks,
- Koshy
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Steve David
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Oshawa, Ontario
The Bushnell 3200 10X is one of 2 scopes that Barrett will sell on a Barrett 50 from the factory as a package, so it is more then doable as a scope for your 50.
rnbra-shooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Brunswick
Rick, it was my understanding that .50s were hard on some scopes, the reason being the reverse recoil impulse that the muzzle brake (pretty much a given for a .50BMG) produces Not the amount of recoil, but rather the direction of it (that most scopes are not necessarily designed to be strengthened against). Spring-powered airguns also have this reverse recoil impulse, and apparently they tend to break scopes too, for the same reason. Any truth to what I've written here?
Bruce, I'd say you should go ahead and put a good cheap scope on your rifle. You seem to understand the tradeoffs you're making. Since we have someone here (Kevan) who has actually put a 10X Bushnell on a .50 and had it endure, I'd go ahead and do the same thing without losing very much sleep at all.
Look into the adjustment range of the scope that you get (generally, lower magnification scopes tend to have more; and larger tube diameters also tend to have more). If you don't already have a good understanding of external ballistics, ask around for some help, and figure out what range of elevation adjustments you will need. Part of setting up your scope might include using bases or rings that point the scope down a certain amount (e.g. 20 MOA), in order to move the scope's elevation adjustment range to be over an interval more useful to you as a shooter.
Will you be handloading for it, or shooting military ball? Will you be shooting on a rifle range (CFB Borden?), or in the field? What distances were you interested in firing it?
It certainly is possible to shoot from 100yards to 1000yards with a 10X scope, and aim better than most rifles are capable of shooting. The sight picture does look *SMALL* though, and it takes quite a big leap of faith to imagine that you are actually going to hit the centre of the target.
Bruce, I'd say you should go ahead and put a good cheap scope on your rifle. You seem to understand the tradeoffs you're making. Since we have someone here (Kevan) who has actually put a 10X Bushnell on a .50 and had it endure, I'd go ahead and do the same thing without losing very much sleep at all.
Look into the adjustment range of the scope that you get (generally, lower magnification scopes tend to have more; and larger tube diameters also tend to have more). If you don't already have a good understanding of external ballistics, ask around for some help, and figure out what range of elevation adjustments you will need. Part of setting up your scope might include using bases or rings that point the scope down a certain amount (e.g. 20 MOA), in order to move the scope's elevation adjustment range to be over an interval more useful to you as a shooter.
Will you be handloading for it, or shooting military ball? Will you be shooting on a rifle range (CFB Borden?), or in the field? What distances were you interested in firing it?
It certainly is possible to shoot from 100yards to 1000yards with a 10X scope, and aim better than most rifles are capable of shooting. The sight picture does look *SMALL* though, and it takes quite a big leap of faith to imagine that you are actually going to hit the centre of the target.
- Location
- calgary alberta
Spring powered air rifles ARE really hard on scopes, a few of the 50s are known to be hard on scopes because of very poor brake design. The recoil from a 50 is "slow" and more of a shove than a 'fast" kick like some of the standard magnums can deliver. I say "slow" as they tend to be heavy rifles with longer barrels and as mentioned before seem to mimic shotgun style recoil more than high power rifle. I can not think of a better way to describe the recoil.
I believe it is more the shock wave of gas being blown back at the scope and shooter that seem to be the problem which has a simple cure, replace the brake with a more efficient design.
The brake on the Steyr is guilty of blowing back at the shooter.
I have just for fun and education purposefully tried to kill a scope on a 50.
We have tried everything from $99.00 Tascos to $4000.00 USOs, as long as the mounts are not allowed to come loose we have not had a scope failure from recoil.
Getting dropped or knocked over accounts for most scope failure on 50s, the joys of heavy and unwieldy rifles.
Most of the 50 cal shooters that I have supplied rifles to or know, run higher quality optics as ammo is not cheap, nor are the rifles and most like to shoot distance so good optics are what is generally used.
I don't mean to side-track this thread. but when I upgraded the glass on my 50, the cheap little Bushnell went on my F-class 308 and in 3 matches I made one first and two second place finishes.
As Rick stated the brake is a very important factor in shootability and mine is a dream to shoot thanks to his expertise.
However that doesn't help my recent loss of hair....
