Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

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Blaine
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Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

I have a Diana RWS 48 air rifle on order. It's a rather powerful springer (19 fpe or so) and I don't want to put something on it that will self destruct in a few dozen shots. I'd like to use a Holographic Sight or Red Dot of some sort. I have on hand the SPARC and Bushnell red dots, and considering a holographic if that seems to be a better option. I've heard that both styles are not subject to damage from springer-type air rifles. Thoughts?
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Pete44ru »

.

Blaine, here's an article on that very subject @ Pyramid Air by Dennis Adler, a respected gun writer:

https://www.pyramydair.com/airgun-exper ... ex-sights/


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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

Pete44ru wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 12:15 pm .

Blaine, here's an article on that very subject @ Pyramid Air by Dennis Adler, a respected gun writer:

https://www.pyramydair.com/airgun-exper ... ex-sights/


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I saw that. He's very "high" on the BSA products... I wonder if they are better than they used to be. If BSA is good, I suspect that my SPARC or Bushnell are better. Still, I wonder about the holographics. They seem easier to aquire the target.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by GunnyMack »

For just plinkin & playin I d say a red dot would work provided it can take the forward recoil, for that answer I'd call or email the manufacturer.
Personally I like a scope more, air guns are accurate, a 2 or 3 or even 6 MOA dot just dont cut it. Red dot is just fine on a center fire for hitting plates or paper or animals. Now if a red dot could be made to work with .177 out to say 40 yards and be bug hole accurate then yeah I'd try one.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Nath »

What's up with the opens bud?
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Bill in Oregon »

I'm not a BSA fan, having sold them at Sportsman's Warehouse once upon a time.
Blaine, google Gateway to Airguns and sign in. The RWS 48 you chose is very powerful and know as a scope eater, but I can't say what it would do to a reflex sight. If you do get one, get the smallest dot you can -- like a 3mm. That 48 is capable of shooting the wings off flies.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by GunnyMack »

I have 2 different RWS air rifles, an old Model 45 and a 350 Magnum. The 45 is crazy accurate, I can ( could) shoot a playing card on edge at 50 feet off bags more often than not. The 350 has enough spring to push light pellets over 1200 fps. It's not as accurate or as high in quality but it's a good hunting rig.
Before I knew about the spring guns eating scopes I had wrecked a couple on the 45. The 350 wears an airgun scope, 3-12 with adjustable objective. Its held up just fine.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

Nath wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:30 pm What's up with the opens bud?
Open sights? I don't have delivery of the rife as of yet...I think I'd like some sort of optics on it because eyes really are not so good anymore.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Nath »

BlaineG wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 5:29 pm
Nath wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:30 pm What's up with the opens bud?
Open sights? I don't have delivery of the rife as of yet...I think I'd like some sort of optics on it because eyes really are not so good anymore.
I understand that, I have issues.
I am okish at air gun range though, that's why I commented.
Of course, I don't know how bad it is for you buddy.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

Nath wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:12 am
BlaineG wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 5:29 pm
Nath wrote: Wed Oct 24, 2018 3:30 pm What's up with the opens bud?
Open sights? I don't have delivery of the rife as of yet...I think I'd like some sort of optics on it because eyes really are not so good anymore.
I understand that, I have issues.
I am okish at air gun range though, that's why I commented.
Of course, I don't know how bad it is for you buddy.
Best wishes.

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It was on the porch tonight. The opens are not that bad, and I'll prolly use a little bright white paint to spruce them up a bit and try them out. I'll slip on the Bushnell Red Dot I have sitting around and give that a try, too. It came with a 11mm rail installed.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by 3leggedturtle »

I wouldn’t let a friend use a BSA scope to look at the women of Walmart on the 1st of the month! (prolly only time it’d work) Leupold and UTG scopes will more than hold up. Todd
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

3leggedturtle wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 11:56 am I wouldn’t let a friend use a BSA scope to look at the women of Walmart on the 1st of the month! (prolly only time it’d work) Leupold and UTG scopes will more than hold up. Todd
That's how I feel about BSA...strangely enough, a writer at Pyramid Air recommends them as being tough as nails. Customer reviews say quite the opposite. If this Bushnell red dot doesn't work out, Pyramid has a 4x fixed power UTG. I've never heard of them, but they get very good reviews. They are German, right?
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by 3leggedturtle »

Nope, presudent from I think Korea, he’s been n USA quite awhile. His company is based out of Michigan. Firearms News had 5 page write up on him, that issue is up at cabin and I’m working from memory. Todd
30/30 Winchester: Not accurate enough fer varmints, barely adequate for small deer; BUT In a 10" to 14" barrelled pistol; is good for moose/elk to 200 yards; ground squirrels to 300 metres

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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

3leggedturtle wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:02 pm Nope, presudent from I think Korea, he’s been n USA quite awhile. His company is based out of Michigan. Firearms News had 5 page write up on him, that issue is up at cabin and I’m working from memory. Todd
That 4X fixed UTG is only fifty bucks.... I hope "get what you pay for" is not applicable this time. :lol:
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by gamekeeper »

My Norica Thor air rifle came with fiber optic sights, I'm very pleased with them.
My 70 year old eyes are not what they were but I can still shoot in good light and by not stretching the range too far.
I have scopes and red dot sights but I have put them in a drawer for now.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Pete44ru »

gamekeeper wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 2:15 pm
My Norica Thor air rifle came with fiber optic sights, I'm very pleased with them.

My 70 year old eyes are not what they were but I can still shoot in good light and by not stretching the range too far.

My Ruger Airhawk .177 came with both FO front/rear sights & a 4x scope.

I sold the 4x scope that came with it (new), and just go with the FO sights, as (practically) my personal airgun max range is about 15yds, anyway. (YMMV)


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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Rusty »

Blaine, there's a newsletter that comes out once a week or so called THE AIRGUN WIRE. You might find it of some help from time to time.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by stretch »

I put a Bushnell AO airgun scope on my Model 48, and it's more accurate than I am.

The scope has held up fine, but it's designed for the job. I think I used an RWS 1-piece
adjustable mount. Heavy, but rugged.

On a good day I can keep my shots in a group the size of a quarter at about 35 yards
from a sitting position. Offhand is tough with that gun. "Artillery hold" is best from
a standing position.

Squirrels and chipmunks are no problem. Rats are tougher. Woodchucks are possible.
One-shot stops on the latter can be done if you have time to set up a shot behind the
ear. I've only gotten one that way, and he was DRT.

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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Grizz »

disillusionment... thought you bought a 48 Caliber springer! :lol:

what caliber did you get?
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by stretch »

YOWZA!!! :o :o :lol:

48 cal. springer - that would be something brutal on scopes! :(

Mine is a 22.

It likes heavy, pointed pellets the best. Beeman Crow Magnum or
RWS. The RWS hollow points are quite accurate, but they don't
seem to penetrate as well as the pointy ones. I think I get quicker
kills on squirrels with the pointy ones.

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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

Grizz wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:57 am disillusionment... thought you bought a 48 Caliber springer! :lol:

what caliber did you get?
.22 8)
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

stretch wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 11:04 am YOWZA!!! :o :o :lol:

48 cal. springer - that would be something brutal on scopes! :(


-Stretch
Evidently Diana has a Zero Recoil Mount...It sounded good in concept, but it's not German. Cheap Chinese pot metal. Not too many gave glowing reviews.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by AJMD429 »

As a non-airgun-shooter (although I do have a 177 piston gun, and am considering a 44-45 caliber someday), it seems like the main issue is that while you can achieve great accuracy with airguns, the velocity isn't all that great, and the ballistic coefficients aren't great either, so you have a predictable, but 'rainbow' trajectory.

So whatever sights you have, in addition to withstanding the 'reverse' recoil of some airguns, they need to be able to deal with range/elevation in a fully-capable matter.

For powder-burning guns, the best sights for that seem to be the Williams FP, as a repeatably-adjustable aperture sight, holographic sights with good range finding reticles, and optical scopes with good range finding reticles. I'd think the same concerns would apply for air rifles, with the addition that some types of air rifles have 'reverse' recoil, where the highest G-forces are forward rather than rearward.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Blaine »

AJMD429 wrote: Wed Oct 31, 2018 4:32 pm As a non-airgun-shooter (although I do have a 177 piston gun, and am considering a 44-45 caliber someday), it seems like the main issue is that while you can achieve great accuracy with airguns, the velocity isn't all that great, and the ballistic coefficients aren't great either, so you have a predictable, but 'rainbow' trajectory.

So whatever sights you have, in addition to withstanding the 'reverse' recoil of some airguns, they need to be able to deal with range/elevation in a fully-capable matter.

For powder-burning guns, the best sights for that seem to be the Williams FP, as a repeatably-adjustable aperture sight, holographic sights with good range finding reticles, and optical scopes with good range finding reticles. I'd think the same concerns would apply for air rifles, with the addition that some types of air rifles have 'reverse' recoil, where the highest G-forces are forward rather than rearward.
The guy at Pyramid said that the holographics are not bothered by airgun recoil...that they use them on the large calibre 9mm and .45s without problem.
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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by Nath »

It's nothing to do with bore size or pre charged airguns.
It's spring piston air guns that can eat scopes, the reticule usually or the threaded parts internally start undoing.
A good tuning with improved spring guide and not using stupid very light pellets usually transforms a spring gun.

You can keep your precharged things! :lol:

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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by stretch »

It's nothing to do with bore size or pre charged airguns.
It's spring piston air guns that can eat scopes, the reticule usually or the threaded parts internally start undoing.
A good tuning with improved spring guide and not using stupid very light pellets usually transforms a spring gun.
Just so!

Which is why a huge springer might be REALLY hard on the optics......

One of these years, I've got to get mine tuned.

The very light pellets my yield impressive velocities, but skirted pellets are
not very stable at transsonic speeds. They tumble at those velocities. They
may go really, really fast, but your accuracy will suffer. Generally, I shoot the
heaviest pellet the airgun will shoot accurately. As Nath alluded to, the
reverse recoil is also greater with silly light pellets because there's not
as much of an air cushion for the piston as it reaches the end of it's travel.
So, the scope will suffer more AND the gun will move around more, further
compromising accuracy.

Doc has point about trajectory. It ain't like a laser beam, so being able
to estimate range is important, especially so with heavier pellets. And
pellets are MUCH more sensitive to wind than are bullets.

Because the amount of energy is quite limited, I prefer a pointed
pellet to achieve greater penetration on game. The hollow points
expand impressively (1.5+ times the original diameter), but there
just ain't that much energy to transfer there. Better to put holes
in AND out of the critter.

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Re: Sights For Powerful Air Rifles

Post by AmBraCol »

BlaineG wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 12:51 pm
3leggedturtle wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 11:56 am I wouldn’t let a friend use a BSA scope to look at the women of Walmart on the 1st of the month! (prolly only time it’d work) Leupold and UTG scopes will more than hold up. Todd
That's how I feel about BSA...strangely enough, a writer at Pyramid Air recommends them as being tough as nails. Customer reviews say quite the opposite. If this Bushnell red dot doesn't work out, Pyramid has a 4x fixed power UTG. I've never heard of them, but they get very good reviews. They are German, right?
Blaine, I've got one of those UTG 4X scopes with the fixed 35 yard parallax. Never had an issue with it, although I'm not kicking it around as hard as your rifle will kick it. Still, I've never had an issue with ANY UTG scope on ANY rifle. My personal favorite is the 3-12X44 SWAT (Side Wheel Adjustable Turret - I think) with the etched glass reticle. Slap it into an appropriate set of 11mm rings and it does a great job. The "mil-dot" reticle is nifty to use for adjusting hold at various distances.
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