Airgun scope comparison

[MT Chambers]

2 makes of airgun scopes took top spots in the recent " Extreme Benchrest shoot" in Arizona, they are the Hawke Sidewinder and the MTC scopes, both of which I have installed on very capable airguns. These are 30mm tube scopes packed with features, although made in China, scopes made with these features prolly have to be made in China to come in with price tags under $500 and both these scopes barely come in under that mark. They are not for everyone, but are rated for springers, with the Hawke having a lifetime warranty, my Hawke is a 4-16X50 and the MTC Optisan is a 6-24X50 and is the "Taipan" model. Both come with side focus and large wheels for range finding, target turrets,(the Hawke's are locking), pointers, lens caps, lighted reticle and battery, etc. They are both equally very clear, with nice, though different mil. dot/line reticules.
In use, both scopes showed the need to set up your own distance marks on the sidewheels as their markings were off by a wide margin, windage adjustments were repeatable although the Hawke's adj. were somewhat "mushy". Please note that these are very large scopes and may not be best for hunting/carrying rifles as they are close to 2 lbs. in weight, and are meant for accuracy not portability. It was very simple to work out the holdover mildots/lines for out to 100 yds based on sight in distances of 40 and 60 yds, 40 yds for the Daystate Huntsman .22 and 60 yds. for the Daystate Wolverine .303. If any problems arise I will update this post.
One final word......I am normally not a buyer of Chinese products and have had quality issues with their stuff in the past, and I would def. not put one of these scopes on any pb rifle that recoils, it's just that the features are meant for the airgun market and are very useful, and are the scopes that serious airgunners seem to use, and use successfully.

[HARRYMPOPE]

Weird that the PCP guys chose spring gun rated airgun scopes when they could use any target scope.and at the close range it is shot sat I would think any midrange import would do.I like my Hawke 4-12 on my TX and it has held up well.I also have an older BSA airgun scope that is holding up to an RWS 48 pretty well.

[JDNC]

In reference to Chinese scopes, I have agree. I also have a Hawke and haven't had any issues so far. I want to pass on something I found about two years ago about some of these scopes made in China. I had one (two as a matter of fact) that I kept having POI problems with and found that while using a bore sighter that when the power ring was turned the reticle was moving. So now this is the first thing I check after mounting a variable power scope.

Just a tip.

JD

[MT Chambers]

Weird that the PCP guys chose spring gun rated airgun scopes when they could use any target scope.and at the close range it is shot sat I would think any midrange import would do.I like my Hawke 4-12 on my TX and it has held up well.I also have an older BSA airgun scope that is holding up to an RWS 48 pretty well.

For my airgun shooting I need the rangefinding and multiple mildots features matched with very clear optics, my PCPs are very accurate out to 100 yds or so in calm conditions, I have gone through a few scopes which didn't have these features including a Bushnell 6500 4-30X50.

[HARRYMPOPE]

Mtchambers I do like the rangefinder marks on my Hawke also but the glass isn't as clear as Leopold target scopes or my Weaver T series scopes.with all the money those rifles at extreme br cost I would think a nightforce or other quality glass.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I have three scopes "rated" for springers. My oldest is a Burris 4X that has been on my HW77 since 1990. It has never shifted zero.

My second is a Leapers 1-4x which did 1400 rounds on my Mini 14 before being moved to my R1. It never moved.

I haven't been able to tell if it is going to survive the R1 yet but the guys at Pyramid Air say they will. I am having problems keeping the mount in place, but a new mount with stop pin coming Friday should fix this problem. It was $14.95 as opposed to $78 for the one that won't stay put!

My third Air Gun rated optic is a 3-9x Bug Buster which I have no real experience with yet. It will get mounted on the HW35. The optics are very nice and are clear all the way to the margins, however the crosshairs are rather course and the illumination functions are way too intense, even on the lowest setting. Seldom if ever used anyway. The 1-4X Leapers scope has nice fine crosshairs and the illumination feature is great going from very dim to just bright enough to be prominent in bright sunlight.

I think it is important to note that the vast majority of inexpensive optics are being made in China now, and even if they are assembled here they most likely have Chinese lenses. The two Chinese scopes I have were $79.95 each. The Burris was $300. The Chinese ones have better optics simply because they were made in the last 3 years. The Burris was made 23 years ago. Technology changes.

My recommendation is to try an inexpensive optic on your gun. Do your research and read the reviews. The scope mounts I bought for $14.95 had over 100 5 star reviews. That is hard to argue with. Good products do tend to get talked about.

The Leapers brand seems to be a good one and I know they are designed in the US and built by UTG China under close supervision, just like Bushnell scopes are.

Sometimes you get more than you paid for, sometimes you don't.

Randy

[backroad]

I just ordered a leapers 3x9x40 ao mil dot a few days ago glad to see your comments hope your right. I was a little nervous as to quality.

[JDNC]

backroad,

Leapers is the brand I had problems with. I can't remember what model, but it wasn't a 3-9. The reticle moving around when the power was changed was the problem on two identical scopes.

Sorry, I didn't post the brand in my prior,
JD

[W.R.Buchanan]

The good thing about the Chinese optics is that they are inexpensive, and if it dies they will replace it free and if they won't replace it you aren't out that much anyway.

Randy

[backroad]

Thanks for the the tip jd i will check that when i mount the scope.Like randy is sayin i can't lose much.