For most airgunners, picking the best air rifle scope will be more subjective than objective. However, we’ll give you some solid things to consider while choosing. Some may say it will come down to budget, but there are many other things to consider. Let’s get started.
What Do You Shoot? Target or Varmint
The scopes landscape is nearly as vast as PCP airguns. More options are hitting the market daily, each touting how they are the best and only option. But, like with airguns, it all comes down to the consumer pulling the trigger on the sale. With that in mind, knowing how you plan to use your airgun optic is important.
For the sake of this article, we’ll break things down into two basic categories; Target or Varmint. We’ll want to break that down further for target shooters into those that shoot inside 50 yards and those that shoot beyond 50 yards. And for hunters, do you shoot at fixed distances from a stand or stalk and take game at various distances?
Features Every Airgunner Needs
There are some common features that both groups will want in their airgun optics. The first common feature is an adjustable parallax. This is often called “focus,” which is how it looks to the viewer but it is not completely accurate. But it’s a close enough representation, so we’ll go with it. An adjustable parallax allows you to bring the sight picture into focus regardless of the magnification range. If you’ve ever had an airgun scope with a fixed parallax and tried to zoom all the way in while aiming at 10 yards, you’ll understand the problem. Everything is totally out of focus and impossible to see. It gets better as you reduce the magnification, but you don’t have the close-up detail to make the most precise shot.
The next feature comes down to reticle choice. Airguns don’t shoot flat. They shoot on an arc. So a reticle that offers mil-dot or some other form of range estimating is always very useful. Even if you shoot at fixed distances, having more aim points to adjust for wind or distance is very helpful.
Specifics for Target Shooters
Target shooters generally need high magnification scopes with a lot of useable aim points. A good starting point for shooters that top out at 50 yards is a 4-16 mil-dot scope. On the low end, something like the UTG SWAT AccuShot 4-16×44 AO, EZ-TAP offers advanced features at a sub $200 price point. This is a great all-round scope and a good option for hunters too. If you want more, moving to a Hawke Sidewinder offers a major jump in optical clarity, represented by the much higher price. Options in between would be optics from Element or Athlon.
Moving to higher-grade glass will pay off for target shooters setting up past 50 yards. Also, jumping to a much higher magnification will deliver the potential for better accuracy at all ranges. The Hawke Sidewinder and Frontier lines have exceptional glass that’s clear at all magnification ranges. Picking up a 6-24 or 8-32 range scope will give you many options when dialing in your shots for maximum accuracy.
One point to consider when looking at higher magnification scopes is your overall field of view when at max magnification. If you are shooting at 100 yards and your pellet drop is 24 inches or more, and your field of view is smaller than your pellet drop, your pellet will land below your last aim point. You’ll have to zoom out to be able to see your pellet impact, thus negating the more powerful magnification. Also, high magnification scopes often have a more narrow adjustment window when adjusting for your aim point. You may need to match a set of adjustable scope mounts to get the most out of your combo.
Varmint Shooters
The same considerations we discussed for target shooters can be applied to hunters. If you are hunting at a fixed distance, then any scope that holds zero will get the job done. Something like the UTG mentioned above is a great option. It has an illuminated reticle to help when taking shots at dusk or dawn, where the black reticles may be lost on a dark target. It’s a solid option for most shooters.
When hunting at varying distances, a first focal plane scope can make all the difference. As mentioned above, airguns don’t shoot flat. They all shoot on an arc. If you are hunting different ranges, you need to use mill dots, or whatever your reticle provides, to adjust for the drop. A first focal plane scope’s reticle moves with you as you change the magnification. If your holdover is 2 mils at 50 yards at 10x and you change your zoom to 24x, your hold will remain 2 mils. If you were on a 2nd focal plane scope, your holdover would change based on your magnification. It’s a lot of work to try and dope a 2nd focal plane scope, which is why most shooters just set a magnification and leave it. A first focal plane scope gives hunters the full magnification range while keeping your holdover throughout.
As with target shooting, the better glass you can afford, the clearer your sight picture will be, especially at higher magnifications. If you like to shoot small game at longer ranges, then consider something with at least 24x magnification. If you are shooting bigger game or small game up close, then a good 16x scope should be more than adequate.
Final Thoughts
The general rule of thought when picking an optic is to get the best you can afford. A good scope will often move from airgun to airgun, and the investment will prove worth it. We know there are a lot of options, and all the bells and whistles can be overwhelming. So if you have questions, just give us a call, and we’ll help you make sense of it all and get you into the right glass for your airgunning needs.
