Shorter scope?

[Dutchdavid]

Hi everyone!

My first post here… I‘ve been reading here for quite some time now, and I‘ve learned a lot. Many thanks for that!

To me…: 60 years old, originally from the Netherlands, but living in Germany since the mid-nineties. I started going down the rabbithole of airgun shooting about two years ago - it really is great fun!
(Yes… I‘ve come to realise that when it comes to airguns, I‘ve moved from the best country in Europe to the worst for that… If I‘d only known…)

I am now the happy owner of three airguns, all Weihrauch: hw30s, hw35e, hw77k.
All in 4,5mm, (.177).
I somehow ended up putting Hawke 2-7x32 scopes on the hw30 and hw35, which suits me just fine. Mostly shooting paper targets at 12 meters ( about 13 yards) with the scope at 5x magnification. I‘m pretty pleased with how that works for me.

Thinking I would use the hw77 for targets a bit further away, I put a Hawke 4-12x40 on the hw77, often set at 10x magnification. That works… ok…
I‘ve come to realise that because the Hawke 4-12x40 is about two inches longer, and therefore sits further back… deminishing the eye-relief by about 1 inch.
This one inch makes shooting uncomfortable… having to pull my head back all the time.
If I move the scope forward, it sits partly above the loading port, which I don‘t like.

So… I‘m looking for a shorter scope!

Thinking that I‘m perfectly ok with the quality of the Hawke scopes, would a Vector optics veyron 4-16x44FFP be a disappointment? This one is about 2.5 inches shorter that the Hawke, and should therefore hopefully solve my problem…

Any thoughts?

Many thanks in advance for your input!

David

 

[Redsun351]

HI David, welcome to the forum.
I have a veyron 6-24x44SFP as I needed a short scope to clear my loading port. The problem is there is very little adjustment with the rear ring mount area being so short. I would look on some websites that show the measurements and workout your own scope position to make sure you have acceptable eye relief. I went form too far back with an airmax to far forward with the veyron and have to use cantilever mounts which sort of defeat the purpose. I feel these shorter scopes are more for bullpup type rifles, its way to short for my AA Pro Sport even with cantilever mounts.
Its a very good scope for the money but for target shooting/paper punching I prefer a SFP reticule as I find FFP blocks the point of aim too much.
One of plus's of living in Germany is you have enviable choice of cheap 10m match rifles to choose from

 

[Byronic]

Scopes up.to 13 inches long work fine for me on my HW77s and 97s.

I shoot supported by a bench but not "Bench Rest" rules.
Your shooting position makes a big difference to where your scope needs to be.
Standing brings my head further forward than sitting at a bench for example.

Most of my scopes are Hawkes but the Veyron 10 x 44 fits me fine too.

Overall.length of scope plus eye relief distance information should be available for most scopes?

 

[Chorleyboy]

Hi David,
First of all "Welcome aboard mate".
If you could live with a slightly longer length of pull (distance from butt to trigger) rather than change scopes another option would be an adjustable butt pad or a spacer between the butt pad & stock.
This sort of thing-

Rick

 

[Dutchdavid]

Hi Redsun,
Thanks for that input - I will need to have a look at what that rear ring mount area means for positioning. Also the issue with SFP or FFP. But if I understand you correctly, you‘re happy with the overall quality of the vector optics veyron?

 

[Dutchdavid]

Hi Byronic,
Thanks, yes indeed, shooting style makes a big difference. I usually shoot sitting, with just the front end resting on my hand resting on the back of a garden chair.
Somehow, my hw35 with the 2-7x32 fits me perfectly. It was when I started comparing the hw35 with the hw77, that I discovered that the scope on the 77 sits further back - and that that was my problem. You can see it on the picture that I posted.
Somehow, the veyron scopes were the shortest I could find…
Thanks!

 

[Dutchdavid]

Hi Chorleyboy,
Thanks for this idea - it is exactly how I got my hw30 to have the same length of pull (and eye relief) as my hw35. They now both shoot (and fit me) like a dream!

 

[Byronic]

Hi Byronic,
Thanks, yes indeed, shooting style makes a big difference. I usually shoot sitting, with just the front end resting on my hand resting on the back of a garden chair.
Somehow, my hw35 with the 2-7x32 fits me perfectly. It was when I started comparing the hw35 with the hw77, that I discovered that the scope on the 77 sits further back - and that that was my problem. You can see it on the picture that I posted.
Somehow, the veyron scopes were the shortest I could find…
Thanks!

Wow!
How long is that scope?

 

[Dutchdavid]

The hawke 4-12x40 is 13.6 inches long, about 34,6cm

 

[Byronic]

The hawke 4-12x40 is 13.6 inches long, about 34,6cm

A little surprised at that - looks longer to me in the photo.

Most of my old Hawkes are about 13" or maybe a tad under that.

Shooting from a sitting position and allowing for eye clearance gives very little overlap with the breech for my fat fingers using them.