NRL.22 Scope Features that are most important

[SharpsNitro]

Thanks ILya. I’ll look closer at the Meopta.


Edit: ILya, can you confirm the 10yd parallax on the Optika6 3-18x50? I’m seeing conflicting data on this, most of the online dealers say it’s 25yds.

 

[Wrencoforge]

The Meopta web page says 25yds so I’m guessing that’s the correct distance..
I don’t shoot matches, so I can’t say for sure what the nrl22 distances are, but 25yds is pretty close..

 

[SharpsNitro]

When I look at the specs on the Meopta site both the 50 and 56mm scopes say 10yds. Eurooptic says the 50mm is 25yds and the 56mm is 10yds. I called them and they couldn’t say for sure what it is.

 

[Wrencoforge]

Looking again, the 4.5-27 and 5-30 are both 25yds.. the 3-18 goes down to 10yds (both 50mm and 56mm objectives).
I’d go with what the manufacturer says on their site.. (or if worried contact them)
Makes sense that a lower power scope would have a closer parallax..
though truthfully, it’s pretty close on both.
I think a lot of scopes only go down to 50yds. If you think about it, for everything but rimfire, 50 is closer than your going to typically be shooting.

 

[SharpsNitro]

I was just trying to avoid the potential for receiving a scope and having to send it right back because of bad info. The 10yd parallax is key for me on the air rifle though. The last two night I made head shots on rabbits at a whopping 5yds.

Today I’m going to try and check the tracking for the scope that came with my rifle. It’s behavior when sighting it in has made me suspicious that it has a problem.

 

[TP1960]

NRL.22 Scope... What features are most important to you?

Not necessarily looking for brand/model recommendations (although those would be fine too). I'm more looking for the features you feel are important or critical for NRL.22 specifically.

FFP vs SFP?

Parallax to min. 25 yds?

Magnification Range?

Glass clarity?

MRAD or MOA?

Reticle type (i.e. Christmas tree)?

0.5 mil vs 0.2 mil increments?.

Is an illuminated reticle important?

Zero stop?

The seemingly all important click "Feel"?

Objective diameter... 50 vs 56mm?

Barrel diameter... 30 vs 34?

What have I left off this list that's important to you for NRL.22?

What about elevation adjustment? That may not be important for competition, but just in general. How much elevation is required for long distance?

 

[Wrencoforge]

My scope has 60 total vertical travel, and I have a 30moa rail. With another 30 or so of usable holdover marked on my reticle, I have about 90moa of hold over between the turret, rail, and reticle. That should take me out to 450yds or so..
If you have a specific distance you want to shoot, I’d check a ballistic calculator and see how much drop there is at that distance.. for example you want to shoot 600yds, you may need to look into scope rings that have angle incorporated, or mounts that allow extra angle to be dialed in. But with just a 30moa rail and tactical style reticle you can get pretty far.

 

[Frankr]

I have a 3-18x50 Optika6 and it is a rather nice scope.

I also have a March 3-24x52 and I think it is a much better scope than NX8, but also more expensive. I do not think they are quite at the same price point. I was thinking about setting up for NRL22 and I might use the March for it. With Tikka T1X I shoot, it would be difficult for me to squeeze into the base class.

I will probably set up the Tikka T1X with the 3-24x52 March.

Then, I have FX Dreamline Tactical airgun coming this way and I will probably set that one up for NRL22 as well either for me or for one of my kids. I am trying to get them to shoot with me.

If I wanted to make base class, I would probbaly be lookign at something like a Savage boltgun and SwampFox Kentucky Long 5-30x56. I tested the MOA version and the scope is quite good. The mrad version should be hitting the market later this year and that should be a real option if you can find a sub-$450 boltgun that is accurate enough.

ILya

What will you be comparing the FX to?
Just saw a YouTube video on them and am curious about the quality

 

[srt-4_uk]

The 10yd parallax is key for me on the air rifle though. The last two night I made head shots on rabbits at a whopping 5 yds.

For a shot like that, how important is it to actually dial in the magnification and fine tune the focus?

 

[SharpsNitro]

In low light, a decent focus is pretty helpful to be able to actually discern the target. At those super close ranges it takes a surprising amount of mrad, for my setup it’s 8.7mrad up with a 20yd zero which is two turns. Scope height above the barrel is also a big influence at this range, going to lower rings, which I can do, would reduce the correction. Of course this is only 1.6” of actual vertical but for the size of the target and intended impact point it matters. I’ve been using hold over at this range, because I’m currently SFP I ignore the reticle tree and just hold on the top of the head in front of the ears. Dialing becomes more feasible at around 10yds (only 2.6rmad of dialing up).

 

[koshkin]

What will you be comparing the FX to?
Just saw a YouTube video on them and am curious about the quality

The FX Dreamline should be here tomorrow. The only other decent airgun I have is the Airforce Talon SS, so I am not sure there is really all that much of a comparison there to make. Dreamline is a higher end gun, priced differently. My plan is to use the Dreamline to do some scope testing in my backyard, to teach my kids to shoot and maybe use it in NRL22 when things settle down.

If I get more into airgun reviews, something from Daystate or Brocock would probably go head to head with FX, but time will tell if I want to go there.

ILya

 

[SharpsNitro]

ILya,

I’ll be interested to hear how you like the FX, I would have loved to have been able to get their Impact MkII. I’m running a Brocock Bantam Sniper in .177, only thing I don’t like about it so far is the comb is kind of cheap. It came with the Aztec Emerald 5-25x which I want to replace with something better.

 

[Frankr]

The FX Dreamline should be here tomorrow. The only other decent airgun I have is the Airforce Talon SS, so I am not sure there is really all that much of a comparison there to make. Dreamline is a higher end gun, priced differently. My plan is to use the Dreamline to do some scope testing in my backyard, to teach my kids to shoot and maybe use it in NRL22 when things settle down.

If I get more into airgun reviews, something from Daystate or Brocock would probably go head to head with FX, but time will tell if I want to go there.

ILya

sorry should have been clearer.
Is the FX scope line a rebranded scope line (Athlon, vortex, low, etc...)... just wondering where they stack up in the optics world.

the FX Dreamliner guns are nice. I have shot them and they are super sweet. I shoot an FX verminator as well as a hatsan flashpup (trunk air rifle for ground squirrels). Hopefully yours comes with a air rifle “suppressor” “lead dust collector”. Accuracy of the FX at 35 yards (longest indoor range that I took it to) was on par with my Winchester 52C it Kidd barreled 10/22.
Mine really likes JSB pellets

 

[koshkin]

sorry should have been clearer.
Is the FX scope line a rebranded scope line (Athlon, vortex, low, etc...)... just wondering where they stack up in the optics world.

the FX Dreamliner guns are nice. I have shot them and they are super sweet. I shoot an FX verminator as well as a hatsan flashpup (trunk air rifle for ground squirrels). Hopefully yours comes with a air rifle “suppressor” “lead dust collector”. Accuracy of the FX at 35 yards (longest indoor range that I took it to) was on par with my Winchester 52C it Kidd barreled 10/22.
Mine really likes JSB pellets

The new scope company backed by FX is called Element Optics. Their Japanese Nexus scope is coming together with the Dreamline, so I will be looking at both. It is made by LOW, but it is not an off the shelf design. I think Element had some very specific requirements.

The other two product lines are OEM'ed in China. I have not tested them yet.

ILya

 

[Frankr]

The new scope company backed by FX is called Element Optics. Their Japanese Nexus scope is coming together with the Dreamline, so I will be looking at both. It is made by LOW, but it is not an off the shelf design. I think Element had some very specific requirements.

The other two product lines are OEM'ed in China. I have not tested them yet.

ILya

Thanks. Can’t wait to read your review and some pictures

 

[SecretSquirrels]

Right now the best bang for your buck is the Gen 1 Athlon Argos BTR 6-24 at Camera Land. $269.99 shipped.

Camera Land

Question for you NRL22 peeps. Now that there is a Gen 2 Athlon Argos BTR, does that mean the Gen 1s are no longer valid for Base class?

 

[ralph m]

Hi Gentlemen, I want to shoot base class and have a budget. My question is when does a scope go off the "current" list? ie a gen 1 Athlon scope

 

[Dthomas3523]

Question for you NRL22 peeps. Now that there is a Gen 2 Athlon Argos BTR, does that mean the Gen 1s are no longer valid for Base class?

If it’s still being sold and still listed on their website to find a msrp, it’s valid. If not, it’s no longer allowed in base class.

In reality though, unless you’re planning on shooting the national match, if your MD allows it, you’re g2g for local matches.

 

[SharpsNitro]

The postman stopped by this morning and handed me an Element Optics Nexus. I had been bouncing around between the Optika6, Nexus and NX8. So far I’m impressed with the scope. I bought the mrad version with the APR-1D reticle.

I’ve gotten it mounted on the Brocock PCP and zeroed at 30yds. The scope is made in Japan and is a quality instrument, fit and finish are top notch and all of the controls have a good feel. The magnification ring is on the stiff side but not too bad, magnification increases CW which I found interesting as I don’t think I’ve had a scope that does that. Turrets have a good feel and distinct clicks, they feel very similar to the K312 and K624 turrets. Zero stop is easy to set and the rev indicator is marked out as the turrets translate up and down as you move them. Parallax turns smooth and easy, it goes down to 10yds (primary feature for me since its on an air rifle). Illumination knob is pretty stiff but distinct with off positions between each level.

Optical quality is very good, the lenses are clear, bright and resolve detail well. So far I’ve only been able to use it in bright daylight but so far it compares well to scopes in this price range and above. It’s easy to get behind with generous eye relief at low power and tightens up as you increase magnification (no surprises), it’s still fairly easy to get behind at max power. I do see a thin yellowish ring around the perimeter but otherwise have not noticed any other optical effects. Parallax is more sensitive than I am used to but I suspect it’s part of the design that gets it down to 10yds (maybe ILya will chime in when He gets some time on his Nexus).

The reticle is a nice tree design with floating dot. It is thin but usable at 5x and not too thick at 20x. The illumination is daylight bright at the higher settings so you can t to help at low power and dark backgrounds (and/or low light).

Overall, I’m happy with my choice. We is on par with the NX8 2.5-20 and length is a little over an inch and a half longer. I think the scope should do well, it adds a good option for people that need the close parallax and while the 4x erector isn’t sexy these days it should do fine on a centerfire rifle.

I’ll post more thoughts later as I get to work with it more in more varied conditions.