Scope for air rifle

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Johnmash2
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Scope for air rifle

Post by Johnmash2 »

I have a Diana Model 48 .177 air riflle with a Bushnell 4 X 15 scope ( not shown)
Image

The grouping I get with this setup is inconsistent. I fact there is little grouping and I suspect the scope is the cause . Would any one recommend a better scope for an air rifle?
Last edited by Johnmash2 on Thu Aug 05, 2021 12:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

I use older Bushnell's on my springer air guns if I can find them. I like a scope that will focus to 10 yards or less for an air gun. I believe the 48 is fairly powerful, but I don't know much about them. Lots of the air gun folks now use Bug Busters---can't remember the brand or Hawke or Athlon.
I have an R1 and I did ruin a scope on it, but it's a powerful air gun and I've had an older, smaller Bushnell on it for years with no issue.
I have a TX200 that has had a Leupold---1990's Tactical model on it for a long time and no problem.
I have an R7 with a Burris Timberline and it has been good. The R7 is not very powerful.
All three of those are springers.
I believe Bushnell designed a majority of their scopes to be used on air rifles, Leupold designed some to be used on air guns, but not all. I believe some Weavers were also rated for springer air guns.
The two things that matter to me are, one, it's a scope designed for the type of air rifle you are shooting and two, it will focus down to at least 10 yards.
Springers require scopes that hold to bi-directional recoil.
ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

Although I mentioned liking Bushnell's doesn't mean your scope is not the issue. Seems like when I have an air gun that won't group it's either the pellets or the scope. I'm always shocked about how much difference there is in pellet performance--I have two brands of 8.2 grain 177 wad cutters, they look the same, but one groups terrible the other groups great---in the R7---one is RWS brand the other is JSB---hard to explain that.
Sometimes I've found when the scope is at the far end of the adjustment---either in windage or elevation, it causes erratic grouping. Shimming can solve this.
Easy route is to try a different scope or different pellet and rule out one or the other.
piller
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by piller »

Sorry to not be able to help, but I am learning a lot from this thread. Air rifles are fun, and the spring type are getting cheap enough where power and low cost are becoming very interesting.
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GunnyMack
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by GunnyMack »

Airguns recoil differently, especially spring guns, they recoil fore & aft. Most scopes will not stand up to forward recoil for very long. Ruger 10/22s are cheap scope eaters as well. Anyhow I would look for a true airgun/ rimfire scope.
I used 2 different Bushnell for years, 1980s vintage, they were good on a 22 pump but as soon as they went on my RWS 45 they were toast. No need to spend a ton just get the right scope.
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ywaltzucanrknrl
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by ywaltzucanrknrl »

Well, it's snowing here. Just started a fire and pulled out my air rifles figuring I would shoot them this eve after talking about them today.

Now I'm putting on a pot of crow and getting ready to eat it....HA!

Bausch and Lomb, not Bushnell. Just looked at the scope on my R1 and realized I had, as above, said Bushnell. Well it's not Bushnell that were mainly designed for springer air rifles it's Bausch and Lomb.

I'll get back to cooking my crow now.
piller
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by piller »

I am not sure about longer than 20 years back, but from 2,000 on, Bushnell was a subsidery of Bausch & Lomb. Both made on the Kansas side in one of the Suburbs of K.C.
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by Bill in Oregon »

I have a Hawke 2-7X airgun-rated scope on my inexpensive but relatively powerful Xisico B-25. It is holding up fine.
Agree with ywaltz on the huge difference in accuracy you can get just by changing pellet brands.
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by Blaine »

I have a red dot on my 900fps .22 Diana....I can't prove it but red dots seem to hold up better on air rifles. Sighted in for a 6 o'clock hold, it is pretty easy to get good groups.
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CowboyTutt
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by CowboyTutt »

I have been using a Vortex red dot with a 2 MOA dot. Agree with Blaine, works well. Found it on Brownells as a discontinued model for a very good price. The company told me it was rated for my air springer no problem. -Tutt
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AmBraCol
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by AmBraCol »

I've had good service from Leapers/UTG scopes with etched glass reticles on my springers. Check your mounts and try different holding methods as well.
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JB
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Re: Scope for air rifle

Post by JB »

I wouldn't waste my money on a cheap "airgun rated" scope on an RWS 48. They may hold up on the lower powered guns, but the magnum guns are scope killers. Leupold told me once that any of their scopes would hold up on spring guns. Over the years Leupolds have held up fine on the RWS 48 and 350 for me as well as the Bushnell Elite scopes. Some of the cheaper Bushnell's are airgun rated, but they won't hold up on the magnum airguns like the 48. Burris assued me that their scopes were rated for spring guns, but I broke two on an RWS 350 so gave up on them.
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