These are our top picks for Air Rifle Hunting. We've chosen these based on our experience of using these scopes in the field.
Simplicity and wide field of view is the key when hunting. This means you can find your quarry and dispatch of it quickly and cleanly. A scope with 1-16x magnification is more than adequate in most hunt scenarios.
Reticles
Reticle choice depends entirely on what you are shooting. Air rifles have a 'loopy' trajectory so mil-dot or mil-hash reticles are very useful. If you use a bracketing system, this will also help you to rangefind. Generally speaking scopes made for use with air rifles will be parallax adjustable down to 10 yards, which means you're able to use the scope for dispatching vermin up close.
If you are going to be shooting in dusk or dawn conditions, illuminated reticles can be very useful in conjustion with night vision or lamping. Having an illumated reticle helps to pick out the reticle against the background or target very easily.
Entry Level Hawke Airmax 4-12×50 AMX AO Riflescope
£179.99 £159.00
The Hawke Airmax 4-12×50 AO AMX Riflescope comes with 16 layer fully multi coated optics for exceptional clarity aswell as a glass etched reticle to withstand high recoils. The Hawke Airmax 4-12×50 AO is constructed along a 1 inch mono-tube chassis for superior strength and comes with an integrated adjustable objective for parallax adjustment. The Hawke Airmax gives the user a wide view optical system which makes it ideal for airguns. The 1/4 moa value turrets are found under low profile caps these can be easily adjusted via your finger tips and they offer the no snag feature so you know your clicks are precise and accurate. The fast focus eyebell and high torque zoom ring come as standard and will ensure click reticle focusing and fast target acquisition. The threaded objective / ocular allows for optional accessories to be added to this scope which are available.
Mid Level SWFA SS 6×42 Tactical Rear Focus Riflescope
£395.00
The SWFA SS 6×42 Tactical has been a favourite for many years amongst air rifle/ rimfire and centerfire shooters. All SWFA SS 6×42 Tactical rifle scopes are precision made in Japan and feature top quality lenses & multi coating systems. Each SWFA SS Riflescope is built on a 30mm main tube with the option of a matching MOA 1/4 MOA or MIL 0.1 MIL reticle depending on how your shooting brain thinks. The robust 30mm tube ensures the SWFA SS 6×42 is strong enough for all recoil punishment which even includes .50 caliber. The SWFA SS series features a unique easily adjustable rear focusing system which allows parallax adjustment from 10 yards out to infinity.
Top Level Delta Optical Titanium 4.5-14×44 FFP HFT Riflescope
£474.99
The Delta Optical Titanium 4.5-14×44 FFP HFT is one of the few quality air-gun riflescopes with a reticle in the first focal plane. The Delta Optical Titanium 4.5-14×44 FFP HFT comes straight out of the Light Optical Factory in Japan and has all the features what a HFT riflescope requires. The first main feature being the reticle is in the the First focal plane which means that the reticle size varies with the change of magnification which gives a constant ranging scale throughout the zoom. The Unique reticle which is called the HFT has been designed and tested by Jarosław „Yaro” Matuszewski. The reticle is fully graduated and the sub tensions match up perfectly with any HFT shoot and the reticle comes with essential + or – 1/2 mildot hold under or holdover markings. The HFT reticle is ideal for distance measurement as it is in the FFP and the mildot ranging scale is correct throughout the variable mag.