VarmintAir's Airgun Hunting Blog

Benjamin Discovery .22 - Gets Some New Glass - And Continues To Impress The Heck Out Of Me

Discovery .22, with new Hawke Panorama 4-12x40mm AO EV scope, with sunshade.

I've been running my .22 Disco with a 5-15x40mm Bushnell Legend scope on it, which is a nice scope, but I wanted something with a finer crosshair, and that would also take a sunshade.

After a bit of research, I decided on one of the Hawke Panorama 4-12x40mm AO EV scopes, with the half mildot reticle, using one of their sunshades.  I mounted it in a set of medium mounts that I had on hand.

Of course the first thing to do, after getting the scope mounted, was to get the Discovery sighted in at 40 yards, my preferred distance for this rifle.

I bought my Disco back in May of 2008, just after they first came out, and it has impressed the heck out of me right from the first time I shot it.  For me, accuracy is my first priority in a gun, and this little rifle just blew me away from the first time I put it on paper.  Are they all like this, I don't know, but this one is a tack driver.  Below, is a target shot from my first time out with her.

Five JSB 15.9 grain Jumbo's at 30 yards.

Again, shooting the 15.9 grain JSB's, I got her sighted in at 40 yards on a bullseye target, and then just for the heck of it fired a couple of shots at a sabertooth prairie dog target that I happened to have along.

Holding on the eye, I fired two shots that touched.  There was just a whisper of a left to right breeze, so I didn't change my scope settings, I just put everything away, and headed out into the forest to see if I could find a ground squirrel or two.

Two 15.9 grain JSB's from 40 yards, very light left to right breeze. 

As I was hunting along, I spotted an old stump out in the open, and when I glassed it with my binoculars, I could see the head of a ground squirrel looking at me from the back side.  I couldn't resist grabbing a quick picture of the squirrel on the stump.

First squirrel of the day, 41 yard head shot opportunity.   

My rangefinder lasered the squirrel at 41 yards.  Since I have the gun zeroed at 40 yards, I held on for elevation, and the left edge of its head, to allow for a light left to right breeze.

When the shot broke, there was a loud THWOCK, and the squirrel disappeared.  A few seconds later, it tumbled out from behind the stump, rolled a couple of times in the grass, and came to rest.  When I got over to it, I could see that the pellet had gone in one ear, and out the other. Score another one for my tack driving Discovery.

Ground squirrel taken at 41 yards with a head shot from my .22 cal Disco.

After the requisite photo op, I continued to hunt for another hour.  I only saw two more ground squirrels, and didn't get a shot at either one. They both bailed before I could get within range. 

Then, as I was hunting my way back to my vehicle, I spot another one on the limb of an old blowdown, out in the open at 88 yards.  There was a very large Ponderosa Pine tree between me and the squirrel.  I shot a range to the tree, and it came back at 45 yards. That told me, that if I could get to that tree, without spooking the squirrel, I would have a 43 yard shot to the furball.

The sneak was on.  I was very careful to carry my rifle, and Stoney point bipod directly in front of me, so the squirrel wouldn't see them moving and sticking out from the side of the tree I was using for cover, as I closed the range.  I was also very careful not to step on any crunchy sticks or twigs along the way.  These guys have amazing hearing.

I finally made it to directly behind this big pine, and stuck just enough of my head out, so that I could see if the squirrel was still there.  Yep, he's still there alright, and better yet, has climbed up a little higher on his perch.

He's presenting me with a nice face on shot.  For elevation at 43 yards, I held on the center of his head, and for windage, just off the right edge of it, to allow for a frisky right to left breeze. The shot knocked him off the limb he was sitting on, and he dropped out of sight behind the blowdown.  When I got up to the old tree, he was DRT.  The pellet had entered under his chin, and exited the back of his neck.

Squirrel taken at 43 yards with .22 Discovery.  Air tube mounted wind flag showing right to left wind direction.

It was a very satisfying hunt, and I'm more than pleased with the new Hawke scope. As usual, the Disco did what she always does, and that is to put a pellet right where I want it, when I want it.

Sometimes, I get asked why I would put a custom stock on an inexpensive rifle.  Well, when I get a gun that shoots as good as this one does, I want it the way I want it.  The factory stock is a bit small for me, and since I will be keeping this little rifle for ever, I decided to put a custom stock on her, that not only enhances her appearance, but also her handling and shootability.  She now fits me like a glove.

Below is a picture of a game tank that was in the area I hunted.  On my way out, I came around a bend in the road, a couple of hundred yards from this tank, and encountered four cow elk that were headed toward the game tank for a drink.  I need to start leaving my camera out, so that I can get pictures of some of the critters I come across while driving these old logging roads.

So far, I've seen elk, deer, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, a bobcat, and several gray foxes.  Pretty cool. 

Game tank.

 

 

 

Scopes For Airgun Hunting With PCP's - How Much Do You Really Need To Spend?

Above, are some of the scopes that I find work just great for the type of hunting that I do with my airguns. Top to Bottom.  MTC Viper 4-16x50mm, Leupold Vari X II 4-12x40mm, Bushnell Legend 5-15x40mm, and a Leupold 3-9x33mm EFR.  In addition to those shown, I have others from Crosman, Nikko Stirling, and Simmons that are mounted on various guns, and ready to hunt.

When talking about scopes and prices, the sky is the limit, $800, $1500, $2000+, Swarovski, Zeiss, Leupold are some examples, and there are others up there as well. For sure there are some differences in the mechanical build, and optical quality, between the premium priced scopes, and the value priced units, but do I really need that difference on guns that have no recoil, and rarely get shot past 100 yards.  I decided some time ago that the answer is no.

Up until four or five years ago, I had a couple of Leupold 6.5-20x40mm EFR models mounted on a couple of my air rifles, and they were really nice scopes.  Around that same time, I picked up a used FX 2000, and started looking for some glass to put on it. I settled on a Bushnell Elite 3200, 7-21x40mm with mildot reticle.  At the time, I think it was around $325 bucks.  It turned out to be a very nice scope mechanically, and optically, and the performance on various hunts, was everything I could ask for and then some.

I sold off the Leupolds, and bought myself a nice AA 410ERBSL .22 cal PCP with the money, and at the time, dropped a $200 dollar Bushnell Legend 5-15x40mm scope on it, and never looked back

I currently hunt with scopes by CenterPoint, MTC, Bushnell, Simmons, Nikko Stirling, and Leupold.  The price range is from $114 dollars, to around $400.  Some were picked up on sale, and others were purchased at the going price of the day.

The big CenterPoint, MTC, and Nikko Stirling 4-16x50/56mm scopes are all on my prairie dog rifles, and they work great when looking to put a pellet through a prairie dogs head at 100+ yards.  With these scopes, I can easily spot a prairie dogs head sticking up out of the prairie floor at 100 yards, and dropping a pellet onto it is not a problem.

A high dollar scope might also let me see the whiskers, on the prairie dogs nose, but do I really need to see the whiskers, to drop a pellet down a dogs ear hole, that I can plainly see with my value priced scopes?  Not really.  A nice clear image of the dogs head is all I need to get the job done, and all of these value priced scopes that I use, give me that.

Some of my hunting rigs, and the scopes I run on them.  All the scopes are variables, and set at 8X.

Leupold 3-9x33mm, on my FWB 300S .177, duplex crosshair.

Bushnell Legend 5-15x40mm, on my Benjamin Discovery .22, mildot reticle.

Leupold VariX II 4-12x40mm, on my RWS Rapier .22, duplex crosshair. 

Bushnell Elite 3200 7-21x40mm, on my FX 2000 .22, mildot reticle. 

Nikko Stirling Nighteater 4-16x50mm, on my AA 510 TC .22, mildot reticle.

Simmons Whitetail Classic 6.5-20x50mm, on my FX Whisper .22, mildot reticle. Thick crosshairs, but this is a dedicated cottontail rifle, so it's a non issue.

MTC Viper 4-16x50mm, on my AA 410ERBSL .22, SCB reticle.

CenterPoint 4-16x56mmAORG, on my Benjamin Marauder .25, mildot reticle.

CenterPoint 4-16x56mmAO, on my Benjamin Marauder .22, mildot reticle.

With just about any of these scopes, I can see the ticks in a jackrabbits ear at 90 yards. With a much more expensive scope, I might be able to tell the gender of the ticks in that jackrabbits ear, but I don't really need that capability to drop a pellet down that hares ear canal.

So like I tell folks all the time, when it comes to scopes for airguns that are recoilless, and rarely get shot past 100/120 yards, it's your dime, spend it how you want, but for what I do with my PCP's, these value priced scopes have all performed to perfection for me.  Never an issue of any kind with any of them, and I have never thought to myself, "man, I've got to get some better scopes."  YMMV.  

 

Crossman CenterPoint - Power Class 4-16x56mmAO - Mounted On My Marauder .22 - This Scope Has Got To Be A Best Buy

Marauder .22, with CenterPoint 4-16x56mmAO scope mounted.

I have a CenterPoint 4-16x56mmAORG, mounted on my .25 cal Marauder, and have hunted her hard for a couple of prairie dog seasons now.  The combination of that scope and rifle, have been amazing out in the dog towns.  They have allowed me to make head shots on prairie dogs all the way to 100 yards, and the optical performance of this scope is a big part of what has allowed me to do that.

Marauder .25, with the CenterPoint 4-16x56mmAORG mounted.

I was so impressed with its capabilities in the field, that I picked up this CenterPoint, Power Class 4-16x56mmAO, to put on my .22 cal Marauder.

The only difference that I can see, between the two scopes, is the 4-16x56mmAO does not have the illuminated red/green reticle feature, that the 4-16x56mmAORG, on my .25 Marauder has. Since I don't use that feature, I opted for this model without the illuminated reticle.  I picked it up at Walmart online for $114.  I don't know if that's a close out price, but as far as price performance goes, this scope has got to be a best buy.  

The specs are the same as my first CenterPoint, excluding the R/G illuminated reticle. Coated lenses, 30mm tube, side focus, 1/8 MOA click value on the W/E turrets, all weather construction, mildot reticle, lockable turrets. It also comes with a 4 inch sunshade, popup lens covers, and fast focus eye piece.

The weight runs 27 ounces, just what I'm looking for when I want to add some heft to a rifle I'll be hunting prairie dogs with in the wind.  I really like the clarity of the two that I have, and the side focus is nice also.

One of the things that I really like about both scopes, is the size of the crosshairs and mildots.  I run my scopes at 8x, and the crosshairs are thin enough, and the mildots are small enough, that they do not completely cover small critters, like prairie dogs, even at 100+ yards. This is very important to me, because I make some very small corrections in my hold sometimes, and it's nice to be able to see the critter behind the crosshairs, even at long range.

This is not a small, light weight scope, so it's not one that I will be putting on one of my carbines any time soon, but for what I bought it for, like on my .25 cal Marauder PCP, this will be a very nice addition to my .22 cal Marauder rifle.

The below targets show how she shoots at 55 yards.  I was sighting her in with the 18 grain JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy's, and fired this five shot group in a light switching breeze.

 Five shots easily covered with a dime.

Now I've got twin Marauders, not quite identical, but close.

Marauder .22 with CenterPoint 4-16x56mm scope mounted, and ready to hunt. 

 

 

Crosman - CenterPoint - 4-16x56mm - Power Class Rifle Scope - Mounted On My .25 Cal Marauder - For Hunting Prairie Dogs With

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A few weeks ago I acquired a new CenterPoint 4-16x56mm Power Class rifle scope. Crosman Power Class Scopes  I have been swapping an MTC Viper 4-16x50mm scope back and forth between my FX Whisper and several other guns, including my .25 caliber Marauder.

Using a set of the CenterPoint high rings,  I mounted the new scope on my .25 cal Marauder, and have been hunting prairie dogs with this setup over the past couple of weeks.  

Like the Viper, this is a big scope, and it does have some heft to it (27.5 oz). The tube is 30mm, and the objective lens is 56 mm.  It has side focus, and the ocular lens has fast focus capability.  The windage and elevation turrets have 1/8th MOA clicks, and are very positive. They are also lockable, so you don't have to worry about them accidently getting moved while hunting.

The scope also comes with a set of pop-up lens covers, a nice 4 inch sunshade, and user selectable, red or green illuminated reticle.  Speaking of the reticle, it is what I would call medium fine, and the mildots are appropriate in size too. Not too large and not too small, just about right. 

The optics are bright, crisp, and clear.  I was easily picking prairie dog heads out of the grass and ground cover at 80/90 yards no problem.  Using the side focus knob, the parallax is adjustable from 10 yards to infinity.  I like the way it feels, and it is very easy to snap your target into focus.  There is also available as an accessory, a 4 inch side wheel with range markings on it, to aid in range estimation.

As I said earlier, the scope has some heft to it.  I like that in a scope that will be used on a gun that I will be hunting prairie dogs with.  I like a heavy rifle when out on the plains.  The wind is forever blowing, and a rifle with a bit of weight to it, is much easier to hold on target in the wind, than a light weight rifle is.  

So how did it perform in the field?  I love it.  It's bright, easy to focus, the crosshair and mildot sizes are perfect for what I do, and I intend to leave her mounted on my .25 Caliber Marauder.

Here are a couple pictures of prairie dogs that I took while hunting with the CenterPoint 4-16x56mm.

A Prairie dog taken at 65 yards using 4-16x56mm CenterPoint scope. 

A pair of prairie dogs taken just shy of 70 yards.  Head shots using CenterPoint scope.

I'm very happy with this rifle and scopes performance in the field, and now, no more swapping scopes between guns.