The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Hi

Newbie question would a 3x9 x 44 scope ne suitable at 25 yards or would a smaller magnification like 1.5 be better?

Thanks

depends what you are looking to do, and how big the holes are

Also at 25 yards, you really want a scope with AO or SF (Adjustable Objective or Side Focus).

Optical sights have a thing called parallax.. There is a fixed range where the cross hair is always on the target no matter where your eye is.

this means that given a higher magnification and higher objective lens size (the one nearest the target) the reticule/point of aim will move as your eye moves across the eye box (bit behind the scope where you can see the crosshairs). At high magnifications and large objective sizes, and excessive differences between zero parallax range and actual range, this can become very significant (several .22 bullet diameters are possible at 25m).

An AO or SF scope allows you to set the zero parallax range, to the range you are actually shooting at.

Most scopes are zeroed at 100yards/100m. So for small bore or air rifle shooting at smaller ranges an AO/SF scope can significantly improve your accuracy.

To get back to actual question, what are you using it for?

depending on what I'm shooting I use different scope settings.

at 25m,

For LWSR i personally find the 3-4 power range best, for benchrest/supported i will go up to 12-15 range. For practical I generally use a red dot (with x3 multiplier for ranges over 30m ish if required).
However it is personal preference, some people I know use 7x for LWSR which i find too wobbly.

The Hawke scopes are reasonably good for the price, and you can get a 2-7 AO for around £100 which will work well on a rimfire.

I'm shooting paper targets indoors at 25 yards

I've seen a couple but Vortex seem good value and quality from the reviews I have seen like this one?

If you're going to be shooting competition cards, you will probably find that a higher magnification may be needed. If you are a member of a shooting club, ask the other members what they are using. They will usually be happy to let you have a "look see".

I use a 3-9x40 for the same shooting. Works just fine.

Given the specs on that scope, (35mm objective, 2-7x magnification, 50 yard parallax)

I calculate the parallax error at 25m, to be in the range of 2.23-7.93mm (depending on magnification) with the eye being 2.5mm offcentre.

I would suggest something like https://uk.hawkeoptics.com/vantage-ir-2 ... ot-ir.html as a similar replacement, which will allow you to set the parallax range to the same range you are shooting at.

I would also note that an illumiated reticule makes hitting a black target on a light card a alot easier, than a black cross hair on a black target.

strangesam wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 4:00 pm Given the specs on that scope, (35mm objective, 2-7x magnification, 50 yard parallax)

I calculate the parallax error at 25m, to be in the range of 2.23-7.93mm (depending on magnification) with the eye being 2.5mm offcentre.

I would suggest something like https://uk.hawkeoptics.com/vantage-ir-2 ... ot-ir.html as a similar replacement, which will allow you to set the parallax range to the same range you are shooting at.

I would also note that an illumiated reticule makes hitting a black target on a light card a alot easier, than a black cross hair on a black target.

For the record, I think the OP has posted the wrong target. That is a target for use with dioptre sights. The NSRA scoped rifle targets are similar but with a yellow centre.