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Optics rated for airguns?

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thebookdoc View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thebookdoc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Optics rated for airguns?
    Posted: September/06/2009 at 12:40
I recently went about researching and purchasing new optics for my rifles as I thought it was time to improve that part of my battery. Anyway I looked at a lot of different models and got several, looking for good deals, but nicely rated and reviewed scopes. Well, I ended up with the following 4:

Nikon Monarch 4-16x42 SF AO
Sightron SII 3-12x42
Leupold VX-1 3-9x40
Millett Gold Buck 4-16x56 SF AO

One thing I didn't realize is that scopes are supposedly rated for different gun types!? I had no idea. I don't see the ratings in specs. I shoot a few springers that run about 1000fps. How do I find out which of the above scopes will work with them? I hate to have to go back to the drawing board on this. I would think if there is an actual rating somewhere that they would be posted more prominently in specs???
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big boar View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote big boar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/06/2009 at 17:29
On an airgun forum up here a lot of guys use Bushnell as they focus very well down to 10yds for indoor shooting. They also perform very well at the higher magnifications. They mostly do not use the "Airgun" scopes but use the 3200 and Legend line of scopes. That's from what I've read on their forum.
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thebookdoc View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thebookdoc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/06/2009 at 17:55
thanks for following up. I've heard good things about the c\scopes you mention. I just can't believe that top-of-the-line scopes would ignore that people might use them on airguns!
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thebookdoc View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thebookdoc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/09/2009 at 13:20
I took the opportunity to call Nikon, Sightron, Leupold and Bushnell (they own Millett). I figured I'd report on the experience.

Nikon answered my call within 3 minutes. They said that they considered the Monarch as top-of-the-line and suggest that they are fine for use with air rifles / springers. Quick info.

Bushnell had me on hold for a while, more than 20 minutes (claimed there was a high call volume). Their phone system wasn't terribly friendly. I told them I bought the Millett and didn't know it wasn't springer rated, and they offered an exchange. Millett doesn't make a springer rated scope, do they offered an even exchange for a Bushnell Trophy 6-18x40. It seemed like a good option.

I called Leupold and was on hold for a little under 10 minutes. The phone system was pretty friendly and had some good info. They said the scope would be fine on a springer. They offered an exchange for a scope with AO as long as the scope was a 2009 model. They also offered to change the fixed focus on the objective for a $15 fee. I'm hoping the scope is a 2009 model so I can exchange and pay the difference. That'd be fine!

Sightron. A human answered !?! I was never on hold, really. They said the scope should be fine on any rifle. They offered an exchange for a new scope with AO if the scope was new. The scope was mildly used, so they will not exchange. They offered to change the objective. They did not mention a fee. I may have to sell this one...

So, all of the tech support people seemed willing to help and pleasant. Beside Nikon's long wait, everything went pretty quickly. 4 calls took an hour. But found that 3 of the scopes should be fine and the other can be exchanged.

Learning experience... And now I probably know more about scopes than I need to ;-)
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tahqua View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/09/2009 at 15:55
All Leupolds are rated for spring guns per my discussions with their customer service. For a springer I would get the parallax changed on the VX-I.
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thebookdoc View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote thebookdoc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/21/2009 at 10:15
to update this...I decided to swap out to be sure all the scopes I had were springer rated. I also need AO for shorter target distances, and prefer SF but decided that was the least of my worries. Here is what I ended up with:

Bushnell Trophy 6-18x40 AO (736184) ($177!)
Sightron SII 4-16 AO ($313!)
Swift 6.5-20x44 AO 686m High Recoil ($190!)
Hawke 4-12X40 Air Max MAP 6 ($155 w/rings!)

Pretty happy with all these and the prices, and I'm sure all of these are springer rated. I'll have a Leapers UTG 4-16x50 as a backup. Now I just have to get rid of these:

Nikon Monarch 4-16x42 AO SF (bought new, mounted and removed)
Sightron SII 3-12x42 (bought used, never mounted)
Leupold VX-I 3-9x40 (bought new, never mounted)
...and a few cheaper scopes. Interesting learning experience.

Back to selling those and concentrating on the custom rifle!
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