Scope recommendations for HMR

[StevieD]

Hi all, I’m looking for a scope recommendation for my HMR (T1X); Predominantly for hunting rabbits, but also for some range work so looking for something that’s got great glass, a reasonable weight, high mag (x16 minimum, preferable slightly higher, possibly up to 24) and which can reliably be dialled in (like the idea of a zero stop, but not essential) - I’d initially budgeted around the £1000 mark give or take, and have been looking at the Zeiss Conquest v4 6-24x50 (£1149), Leica Amplus 3-18x44 (£1299) - SFP or FFP, not fussed. Existing scopes are a Frontier 3-15x44 which sits on my LR and a Pulsar C50 for night work. Anyone have any experience of the Zeiss and/or Amplus? Any other recommendations also gratefully received! Many thanks!

 

[palo]

I have the zeiss v4 6-24x50 on my 22lr. It's the model with the T20 reticle with elevation turret with zero stop and locking windage turret.
I like it. Glass is not as good as the top end zeiss scopes but it's still good with a good field of view.
I have dialled it a fair bit and adjustments and tracking are spot on.

 

[malmick]

I've got a Zeiss v4 6-24x50 ZMOA-1 on my 6.5 and I'm very happy with it. I wanted something with a similar reticle but not as pricey to go on my .22LR and got a Rudolph 6-24x50 varmint hunter, really good glass and worth a look, no zero stop.

 

[oldhamstocks]

I've got a Frontier 3-15 x 44 on my 22lr, and was so impressed I bought another for my HMR! Have range checked the reticle sub-tensions in the reticle manual for each calibre and they're pretty much spot on. Just use each for hunting and don't go much beyond 200 with the HMR and 100 with the LR.

 

[6mmAI]

I’ve just put a Atn X-Sight 5-20X on my 16” T1X

 

[foxerklw]

Leupold do the CDS. Choose the model to suit your requirements. Get intouch with them and supply your ballistic information, and they'll send you the caps with all the relevant markings

 

[jcalleja91]

I can highly recommend Maven for glass quality. I have an RS.4 which might be a bit out your budget bur it blew my Vortex Razor out the water for glass clarity and colour. Any of the other RS series scopes will all be Japanese Glass, Japanese made.

The RS.1/ RS.3 might be one to look at. Parralax comes down to 15 yards too so ideal for .22lr and .17hmr

 

[Bowland blades]

I would put a 6x42 of quality on it because its a fair task to find conditions suited to shooting further than 150 yards on rabbits etc . Plinking wise whatever your willing to spend to put on top of it

 

[StevieD]

I've got a Frontier 3-15 x 44 on my 22lr, and was so impressed I bought another for my HMR! Have range checked the reticle sub-tensions in the reticle manual for each calibre and they're pretty much spot on. Just use each for hunting and don't go much beyond 200 with the HMR and 100 with the LR.

Yes it’s a great scope and works perfectly with the LR for me too. Annoyingly my right eye is weaker than my left, so struggle with x15 out to 100yds at the range, hence the need for something a bit brighter with more mag. Actually tried a Frontier 30 4-24 SFP which worked well, but also fancied a change, proving to be a costly one though for those premium brands!

 

[StevieD]

I can highly recommend Maven for glass quality. I have an RS.4 which might be a bit out your budget bur it blew my Vortex Razor out the water for glass clarity and colour. Any of the other RS series scopes will all be Japanese Glass, Japanese made.

The RS.1/ RS.3 might be one to look at. Parralax comes down to 15 yards too so ideal for .22lr and .17hmr

Thanks, had a look, they have great reviews the RS4 looks fabulous - R/S 5 4-24 would definitely work, ticks all the boxes but at near on £1500 a bit more than I’d like to spend, will add Maven to the short list though for sure.

 

[jcalleja91]

Yeah they're little known outside of the States but I think they're going to become more and more popular here as the word gets around.

Here's a short little comparison of the glass quality between my RS.4 and the Vortex Razor.. camera is obviously different to the eye but you can see the difference in colour and brightness.



Preview has been removed because of Instagrams ridiculous sensorship.. but the link does work.

 

[Tingers]

I have an old ATN X-Sight II on my 17hmr. It has its flaws and had alot of issues with the software to begin with. But going out with the landowner and his kids tackling rabbits at night and having it connect to my phone so everyone can see what's going on. Let's just say no one is bored and there's lots of micky take when a certain person misses the easy 30m rabbit after shooting 100m rabbits all night. I also find it a great tool to teach them with.

It's a tool for a purpose, would I want to use it for any other purpose. Nope. Give me a conventional scope for everything else.

 

[Warbucks]

Hi StevieD.
If you want to spend £1000+ on a scope to go on your hmr to do mainly rabbits and some range work ------its your money but its not some thing i would do, seeing as you have a Frontier scope and a c50 allready.
IMO rabbits are best shot in the dark away from the full moon, its quite easy-ish to walk rabbits down to within 100 yard, and this is where the hmr is at its best, not 100-200 yds.

Ive had 6 cz hmr's from new, grouping has been just over the 1" at 100 yds with 1 in 5 being a flier, your idea of doing daylight rabbits dialing in over 100 yds, IMO with a little cross wind and the hmr not being consistant enough say at 150 yds it will be hit one miss one and injure one.
Put you £1000+ towards a thermal spotter with laser range finder.

Dave (warbucks)

 

[StevieD]

Hi StevieD.
If you want to spend £1000+ on a scope to go on your hmr to do mainly rabbits and some range work ------its your money but its not some thing i would do, seeing as you have a Frontier scope and a c50 allready.
IMO rabbits are best shot in the dark away from the full moon, its quite easy-ish to walk rabbits down to within 100 yard, and this is where the hmr is at its best, not 100-200 yds.

Ive had 6 cz hmr's from new, grouping has been just over the 1" at 100 yds with 1 in 5 being a flier, your idea of doing daylight rabbits dialing in over 100 yds, IMO with a little cross wind and the hmr not being consistant enough say at 150 yds it will be hit one miss one and injure one.
Put you £1000+ towards a thermal spotter with laser range finder.

Dave (warbucks)

Thanks Dave, I’ll bow down to your HMR experience here, still getting to grips with it tbh having only added the variation earlier this year.. The Frontier sits on the LR, so still in need of a decent day scope that I can also use at the range out to 100yds, my right eye is unfortunately my weaker so struggle to zero at x15 out to that distance, and the C50 digitally out to x14 isn’t great at all (C50 is good at night but like most people, much prefer glass wherever possible even at dawn and late into the day); Plenty of experience shooting rabbits at closer range and already have an Axion LRF thermal spotter, but thanks for the advice.

 

[Greenmist]

Fixed power, fixed parallax, higher quality glass. I usually have a Leupold 6x42 on mine, but I've just bought a Meopta 7x50 which is going on to it. While the HMR is a good round, realistically its a 150 yard max rifle (yes they can be used further, but that is the exception rather than rule), as you're after rabbits, go for better glass that will allow you and extra 10 mins of use either side of the sunlight when they tend to hop away from the hedge. I have used variable mag and side parallax scopes but unless you intend to use an NV add on you'll likely find you stay on one mag and don't touch the parallax

 

[Bowland blades]

Yes it’s a great scope and works perfectly with the LR for me too. Annoyingly my right eye is weaker than my left, so struggle with x15 out to 100yds at the range, hence the need for something a bit brighter with more mag. Actually tried a Frontier 30 4-24 SFP which worked well, but also fancied a change, proving to be a costly one though for those premium brands!

A lot of folks i have known have taken the more magnification route to combat poor eyesight , however better glass really can help most via sharper images of the target and reticule. With higher magnification you loose light and to a good degree the higher you run a scope on its magnification the more need to adjust focus and remove parallax. I run a higher mag Leopold on one of mine and although i have shot it a good long while and its a very good through tracking etc , i am feeling its getting time to move it on and get yet another S&B with a nice fat reticule , lower mag just for the extra clarity .

 

[Len the dog]

With higher magnification you loose light

Exactly this. The human pupil will dilate to a maximum of about 7mm, take the objective lens diameter and divide it by the magnification to get the aperture size, anything less than 7 will mean that you aren’t maximising the available light, anything more than 7 and you are wasting light that cannot pass through your pupil.
For example a 6x42 or 8x56 both maximise the light available with an aperture of 7mm, whereas a 50mm variable dialled up to x24 gives an aperture of only a smidge over 2mm.

 

[Overlay]

Variable low mag hawke vantage are pretty good plus you can put a pard oo7 on for very little money all in for considerably less than your original spend

 

[StevieD]

Thanks all, anyone tried Meopta Optika 6? Optics warehouse running them at half price.

 

[Bo Diddley]

Thanks all, anyone tried Meopta Optika 6? Optics warehouse running them at half price.

I hear good things about them, never used one admittedly... tempted by the Optics deal on the Meopta I must admit, but I'm about to push the button on another Delta Titanium.. bugger