clear scope

kevinc

Well-Known Member
hi guys i have a hawke panorama ev 4.12x50 with the l4 reticle THAT I CANT GET ON WITH the scope is only a week old and i cant get on with it at all. adjust and holds zero just the dot i dont like ,its on my cz .222 and thinking of getting another scope but not pricey even if its part ex with my panorama what should i get that very clear on a budget ??
 
Buy a good fixed mag Euro scope second hand, a Hungarian S&B probably offers the best value. A 6X42 or 8X56 will work well for almost any stalking and can be had from maybe £250 or £300 upwards. You will have the best glass and, even better, if you ever come to sell it then it will still be worth what you paid for it. In terms of budget a top notch scope that doesn't cost anything is about as good as it gets.
 
A friend of mine uses hawke in the winter for target..(and has a cupboard full of PM11's)
I'm still trying to work out the logic!
I don't get on with hawke,I think they are what they are....Not for me!
I have a budget Redfield for playing...cheap but good glass!:D
 
Did you not look through the scope before buying?

Sorry but IMHO Hawke optics are rubbish. I am afraid to say that cheaper scopes in a mine field area today. So many are made in China and despite the fact that can and do make some excellent stuff they also produce lot's of crap and don;t seem to weed out the rubbish and faulty..................................... just ship the lot.

May I suggest you get a scope with a normal duplex reticle, less clutter to the the eye in the view, personally I would try a 40 mm or 44mm scope objective.
 
had hawkes and I wouldnt even put them on my air rifle now

truly dreadful eye relief, paralax issues and general lens quality
what I dont get is some models still command high prices

I bought a nite eye on a rilfe, tried it for a while and I really like the IR but the paralax between the IR section of the reticule and the Non IR section was so bad at 100yds I could get the centre spot to move about 3" each way (6" spread!) on the target with the tiniest of head movements

I run a old nikko sterling 8x50 on my .222
cheaper than a new Hawke,
better glass and as much mag as you will ever need

any meopta, S&B 6-8x fixed mag scope will do you
 
yes i did look through it and at the time i liked it but under a lamp its no good a distance even though its a 50mm objective i just cant get on with hawke scopes i really need something sorted fast and i have always said i prefer a standard cross hair i just thought id try the dot and see how i got on and now regretting it :( and thats funny u say meopta bewsher500 i looked through one at a local club last night and evein indoors i noticed a hell of a difference in the glass i was impressed i just need to make some money now lol :)
 
The 'lower' end of the market has some real gems.

I can agree with buying into a second hand Euro scope if that's what you want.

There are a couple of outstanding options in the sub £200 bracket though.

Vortex Diamondback
Nikon Fieldmaster (hard to find) or Prostaff
Bushnell Legend Ultra HD

In terms of low light performance and clarity the above all offer bags of performance without breaking the bank.

I have put Prostaff and Diamondback scopes up against top drawer scopes and there isn't a whole lot of difference as the light fails.

10 -12 minutes was the biggest difference I saw, with the usual being 5 - 6 minutes. It's hard to justify the asking price sometimes when it doesn't always translate into significant tangible benefits.

I bought a Panorama EV 3-9x50 IR with the floating half mil dot ret on an air rifle on the strength of all the positive reviews they were getting and I hated it and very quickly sold it on.

I could easily pick out head shots on pigeons in woodland roosts at dusk with a 3-9x40 Nikon Prostaff, almost 40 minutes after I couldn't even see the pigeon (let alone its head) with the bigger 3-9x50 Panorama.

A chap using a brand new Prostaff EFR tried a couple of my rigs on the weekend and remarked on the clarity and bright sight picture offered by the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD scopes on them. I had the gorgeous little 1.75-5x32 model on two of my rigs and he was very impressed with them. I have a couple of the bigger 4.5-14x44 SF mil dot Legend Ultra HD scopes as well and they are very nice. Sportsmans gun centre has the Multi-X ret (plex to you and me) marked down to £199 which is a bargain: Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 4.5 - 14 x 44mm Rifle Scope - Multi-X Reticle

Uttings have the 3-9x50 Nikon Prostaff for the same money and, in my opinion, it is optically superior in low light but lacks the side (or indeed any) parallax adjustment of the Legend: Nikon Pro Staff 3-9x50 Rifle Scope | Uttings.co.uk

Riflecraft list the superb Vortex Diamondback 3.5-10X50 BDC for £184 and the plex ret in the same size/mag for £176: Vortex Riflescope Diamondback 3.5-10x50 with Dead-Hold BDC Reticle
Vortex Riflescope Diamondback 3.5-10x50 with V-Plex Reticle


The Vortex Diamondback is the best low light scope I know of in the sub £200 bracket, very closely followed by the Nikon Prostaff and Bushnell Legend Ultra HD.

Depends on what you want and whether fixed or zoom mag is a desirable feature. Personally I find the Prostaff's circle BDC aim points far more flexible than the Diamondback's BDC or a mil dot scope. Nikon's "Spot On" online ballistic software is pretty bang on at plotting your BDC aim points with loads of different readily available factory ammo, so perhaps that might be a point worth considering.

There are gems available without breaking the bank :)
 
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You need a nice second hand Meopta 6x42 with a 4b ret. want to have a look through mine under a lamp ?
 
i would love that meopta mate and i really dont need to weavers are good under a lamp and your 6x42 i noticed it was good glass the second i seen how clear the actual cross hair was i looked through plenty of higher end scopes like the schmidts and zeiss and whats not and they aint much better but then my eyes arent that bad so i dont benefit like others on the higher end stuff :) and .30.06 i sue to have a bushnell legend ultra hd and found it awesome and sold it with my daystate huntsman classic air rifle wish i hadnt now :(
 
I have and have had quite a few scopes in my time and I have to say the best lamping scope I've had was a meopta 7x 50 fixed mag fantastic under the lamp I shot many a fox at the 250-300 yrd mark no problem I then got fooeld into think I needed higher mag so I px it for a bench rest night force it was heavy but superb in daylight but a absolutely rubbish at night bad eye relif if the lamp was an inch to close you just got total white out I've now moved to Swarovski and I have to say they are superb I also have a mtc mamba 4-16x50 on the rimfire that's not bad but I still think for lamping you can't beet a fixed mag scope there's to much to fiddle with on most scopes thease days by the time you've adjusted your mag and parallax and switched on the ir and got to the right brightness the fox is in the next county!!!
 
had hawkes and I wouldnt even put them on my air rifle now

truly dreadful eye relief, paralax issues and general lens quality
what I dont get is some models still command high prices

I bought a nite eye on a rilfe, tried it for a while and I really like the IR but the paralax between the IR section of the reticule and the Non IR section was so bad at 100yds I could get the centre spot to move about 3" each way (6" spread!) on the target with the tiniest of head movements

I run a old nikko sterling 8x50 on my .222
cheaper than a new Hawke,
better glass and as much mag as you will ever need

any meopta, S&B 6-8x fixed mag scope will do you
+1 on nikko sterling and meopta . I use nikko sterling delux 4-12x56. 6x56 . 4x40 tv. nikko sterling diamond 4-12x42.meopta artimis 2000 7x50 just waiting for a nikko sterling nighteater 3-16x50 to be deliverd
 
The 'lower' end of the market has some real gems.

I can agree with buying into a second hand Euro scope if that's what you want.

There are a couple of outstanding options in the sub £200 bracket though.

Vortex Diamondback
Nikon Fieldmaster (hard to find) or Prostaff
Bushnell Legend Ultra HD

In terms of low light performance and clarity the above all offer bags of performance without breaking the bank.

I have put Prostaff and Diamondback scopes up against top drawer scopes and there isn't a whole lot of difference as the light fails.

10 -12 minutes was the biggest difference I saw, with the usual being 5 - 6 minutes. It's hard to justify the asking price sometimes when it doesn't always translate into significant tangible benefits.

I bought a Panorama EV 3-9x50 IR with the floating half mil dot ret on an air rifle on the strength of all the positive reviews they were getting and I hated it and very quickly sold it on.

I could easily pick out head shots on pigeons in woodland roosts at dusk with a 3-9x40 Nikon Prostaff, almost 40 minutes after I couldn't even see the pigeon (let alone its head) with the bigger 3-9x50 Panorama.

A chap using a brand new Prostaff EFR tried a couple of my rigs on the weekend and remarked on the clarity and bright sight picture offered by the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD scopes on them. I had the gorgeous little 1.75-5x32 model on two of my rigs and he was very impressed with them. I have a couple of the bigger 4.5-14x44 SF mil dot Legend Ultra HD scopes as well and they are very nice. Sportsmans gun centre has the Multi-X ret (plex to you and me) marked down to £199 which is a bargain: Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 4.5 - 14 x 44mm Rifle Scope - Multi-X Reticle

Uttings have the 3-9x50 Nikon Prostaff for the same money and, in my opinion, it is optically superior in low light but lacks the side (or indeed any) parallax adjustment of the Legend: Nikon Pro Staff 3-9x50 Rifle Scope | Uttings.co.uk

Riflecraft list the superb Vortex Diamondback 3.5-10X50 BDC for £184 and the plex ret in the same size/mag for £176: Vortex Riflescope Diamondback 3.5-10x50 with Dead-Hold BDC Reticle
Vortex Riflescope Diamondback 3.5-10x50 with V-Plex Reticle

The Vortex Diamondback is the best low light scope I know of in the sub £200 bracket, very closely followed by the Nikon Prostaff and Bushnell Legend Ultra HD.

Depends on what you want and whether fixed or zoom mag is a desirable feature. Personally I find the Prostaff's circle BDC aim points far more flexible than the Diamondback's BDC or a mil dot scope. Nikon's "Spot On" online ballistic software is pretty bang on at plotting your BDC aim points with loads of different readily available factory ammo, so perhaps that might be a point worth considering.

There are gems available without breaking the bank :)
Thread above dates from 2014.

What 3-9x50 budget gems are available today?
 
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