Pest control and rifle scope.

[Cowabunga]

For the first time in 50 years nearly, I've purchased an air rifle. Surprised at how much the technology has moved on. This is a compressed air charged weapon with a couple of 10 pellet magazines, sub 12lbs, so not needing a firearms license. Decided, after watching many reviews on YouTube to buy a .177 rather than the .22 I had in my youth. That one was a BSA and it was wonky from new, needing the rear sight positioned way out one side to aim properly and severely lacking in power. I was very surprised by the power of this new [to me] type of rifle.

To come to the point, I had a real outing when fitting the scope. It has a 50mm front element, so fairly big. So bit that when I got home and went to fit them, it was obvious that the supplied mounts were not tall enough, so it wouldn't fit. So back to get tall mounts. Back again and found that the tall mounts weren't tall enough either, so back to the shop for a third time. Fitted shims between the scope and the mounts. Great they fit at last with about a mm clearance at the front. Dark now.

So lunchtime today I decided to zero the scope. It was shooting [at 30 yards] a foot to the right and a foot high even with the windage and elevation adjusted to the maximum. What a palaver this was turning out to be. It brought back memories of the horrendous old springer .22 I used to have.
Anyhow, worked it out that if I removed the rear shim it would tilt the front up towards where the pellets landed, so gave it a try. Success!
However it still shot to the right. On careful examination it was obvious that the front of the scope was aiming slightly to the left. So unsecured the scope top securing bolts yet again and turned the thin plastic cup/shim underneath it up clockwise so that there was shim to its left but little to the right. This aligned the scope with the barrel.

Success! With the adjusters centred it was now just a matter of fine tuning at 30yards to centre the reticle on where the pellets hit.

My question is, whether it is usual to have to shim scopes in this way? Some people just seem to swap scopes regularly on the same rifle and just do some centring and they are fine in a few minutes. It took me three hours after I had the shims to get this thing right and I'm not about to swap scopes or upset the settings again any time soon. Perhaps its 'normal' and I just wasn't expecting the time and work required?

 

[SteveHants]

For the first time in 50 years nearly, I've purchased an air rifle. Surprised at how much the technology has moved on. This is a compressed air charged weapon with a couple of 10 pellet magazines, sub 12lbs, so not needing a firearms license. Decided, after watching many reviews on YouTube to buy a .177 rather than the .22 I had in my youth. That one was a BSA and it was wonky from new, needing the rear sight positioned way out one side to aim properly and severely lacking in power. I was very surprised by the power of this new [to me] type of rifle.

To come to the point, I had a real outing when fitting the scope. It has a 50mm front element, so fairly big. So bit that when I got home and went to fit them, it was obvious that the supplied mounts were not tall enough, so it wouldn't fit. So back to get tall mounts. Back again and found that the tall mounts weren't tall enough either, so back to the shop for a third time. Fitted shims between the scope and the mounts. Great they fit at last with about a mm clearance at the front. Dark now.

So lunchtime today I decided to zero the scope. It was shooting [at 30 yards] a foot to the right and a foot high even with the windage and elevation adjusted to the maximum. What a palaver this was turning out to be. It brought back memories of the horrendous old springer .22 I used to have.
Anyhow, worked it out that if I removed the rear shim it would tilt the front up towards where the pellets landed, so gave it a try. Success!
However it still shot to the right. On careful examination it was obvious that the front of the scope was aiming slightly to the left. So unsecured the scope top securing bolts yet again and turned the thin plastic cup/shim underneath it up clockwise so that there was shim to its left but little to the right. This aligned the scope with the barrel.

Success! With the adjusters centred it was now just a matter of fine tuning at 30yards to centre the reticle on where the pellets hit.

My question is, whether it is usual to have to shim scopes in this way? Some people just seem to swap scopes regularly on the same rifle and just do some centring and they are fine in a few minutes. It took me three hours after I had the shims to get this thing right and I'm not about to swap scopes or upset the settings again any time soon. Perhaps its 'normal' and I just wasn't expecting the time and work required?

No. Have you been sold an inexplicably massive scope?
I had a browning scope, with a suitably large recitcle really meant for regular rifles (nobody needs 100 yards on an air rifle). I had high enough mounts, but wasn't an issue....
Is the eyepiece unusually massive?

 

[Cowmansam]

Sound like the mounts aren’t up to it 50 ml isn’t massive size to be clearing seen a few twice that on target rifles

 

[Cowmansam]

May be a target scope had it got manual focus so as you zoom it blurs and then needs adjustments on focus if it is take it back there perfect for targets but useless at stuff that moves

 

[Cowabunga]

No. Have you been sold an inexplicably massive scope?
I had a browning scope, with a suitably large recitcle really meant for regular rifles (nobody needs 100 yards on an air rifle). I had high enough mounts, but wasn't an issue....
Is the eyepiece unusually massive?

It's a 4-16X50 Hawke Fast Mount, which is an ironic name for what I went through today. It is on a Weaver or Picatinny rail. Weaver I think but I wouldn't recognise one from the other.

 

[SteveHants]

It's a 4-16X50 Hawke Fast Mount, which is an ironic name for what I went through today.

Whilst not having actually looked at the scope in question, I hazard a guess that the initial mounts were the wrong size.

 

[Cowabunga]

May be a target scope had it got manual focus so as you zoom it blurs and then needs adjustments on focus if it is take it back there perfect for targets but useless at stuff that moves

I haven't used it enough yet to know its ins and outs. It does need refocussing for very near objects, those at less than 10 yards I've noticed, but not noticed that I need to do that at any distance upwards of 10yards. I do set the front to approximately the distance to the target to avoid parallax.
Early days yet and a lot to learn. Only shot about 50 Exact Diablo 8.44 grain so far. I've loaded one magazine up with Hades 10.34 grain ready for tackling the birds before my Red Tractor Assurance inspection in two weeks time.

 

[Cowabunga]

Whilst not having actually looked at the scope in question, I hazard a guess that the initial mounts were the wrong size.

Yes. They were supplied with the scope from the distributor, all new and unopened, but the shop owner did not appreciate that they were low mounts, not even medium. Trouble is that he had ordered such things that morning and high mounts are on back order due to import delays. He did find a pair on an used scope he had in stock, but I had to make yet another trip back to get shims afterwards.

 

[Cowmansam]

I’ve never managed to get on with complicated scopes on air guns by the time you have adjusted animals buggered off different on a big rifle where distance is on your side I use an older one with only a zoom adjust probably not as accurate but once your used to the fall off your gun and how you set it mines dead on at 25yard 1inch low at 15 and 2inch high at 35 just need to hold over and your away

 

[Cowmansam]

I prefer a quick shot though I get the shakes if I try and aim to hard don’t miss much still

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

Yes. They were supplied with the scope from the distributor, all new and unopened, but the shop owner did not appreciate that they were low mounts, not even medium. Trouble is that he had ordered such things that morning and high mounts are on back order due to import delays. He did find a pair on an used scope he had in stock, but I had to make yet another trip back to get shims afterwards.

It sound like the shop "doesn't know his onions"

 

[Cowabunga]

I’ve never managed to get on with complicated scopes on air guns by the time you have adjusted animals buggered off different on a big rifle where distance is on your side I use an older one with only a zoom adjust probably not as accurate but once your used to the fall off your gun and how you set it mines dead on at 25yard 1inch low at 15 and 2inch high at 35 just need to hold over and your away

Apart from close quarter work refocussing I doubt that I'll be changing settings much. Which has just reminded me that I left the sight line light on. Phew!
Anyhow I'll certainly not mess with windage and elevation settings unless they need to be different for the heavier Hades compared with the Exact. Since I've not shot a Hades yet, time will tell on that one. It's easy enough to use the markings on the crosshairs to compensate for distance and crosswinds.

 

[Cowabunga]

It sound like the shop "doesn't know his onions"

I think he was nervous and excited at getting a sale after being in lockdown for so long. I had a very competitive price and two free boxes of pellets and a cheap gun carrying bag in the deal. sh!t happens and I've learnt from long experience that nothing is easy in this world. No point getting in a tizzy about it and blaming anyone.

 

[Cowmansam]

Apart from close quarter work refocussing I doubt that I'll be changing settings much. Which has just reminded me that I left the sight line light on. Phew!
Anyhow I'll certainly not mess with windage and elevation settings unless they need to be different for the heavier Hades compared with the Exact. Since I've not shot a Hades yet, time will tell on that one. It's easy enough to use the markings on the crosshairs to compensate for distance and crosswinds.

you can get small bags of say 30 pellets of say 10 different makes and weights worth spending time when you get some to really find out what your gun shoots well without having to buy 500 of each I did it after years of using just eley wasps cos I always had and the air arms 16 grains suited a load better

 

[milkloss]

It sound like the shop "doesn't know his onions"

most of them don’t and usually most of the other customers in the shop are a load of twonks too.

@Cowabunga , I reckon you got sold the wrong mounts to be honest, shims shouldn’t really be the answer. You do find that swapping the rings front to back makes a difference sometimes and on the dovetail type mount they should only go one way to keep the scope in line with the bore.

 

[jondear]

I borrowed a rifle like that 1.77 precharge what a piece of kit .Used it to eradicate sheds full of feral pigeons .So accurate and powerful ,
I did buy a .22 but but couldn't get it accurate so gave up and borrowed a gun .

 

[Ukjay]

Are you shimming the actual rings?

A picture speaks volumes here.

 

[Lofty1984]

Can’t beat open sights

 

[Ukjay]

Can’t beat open sights

At night you may struggle to see what you're shooting at

 

[Lofty1984]

Eat more carrots