Picking a scope for an RWS 48

[Hoosier 45]

Hi All,
I have just purchased my first adult air gun. I went with an Rws 48 in .22. I have shot about 6 - 7 hundred pellets thru it. I like open sights but the RWS sights are not working for me. It may be my old eyes or the current sights.

I am using this rifle as a satisfying my desire to shoot in my back yard. I live in the country but have neighbors on three sides within 100 yards. I could legally shoot a .22 but it would not be the neighborly thing to do.

I have set up various steel targets (2" - 10") out to 100 yards. I also enjoy paper targets to test my group holding ability.

So the question is which scope should I go with? I like the Vortex unconditional gaurantee, I have looked thru them and they are quite clear. I want an AO scope. I am thinking to spend about half the cost of the rifle on the scope.

Thanks in advance for all thoughts.

Martin

[BenjiHunter]

There are a lot of scopes out there, but you need a scope that is airgun rated.
Shockproof is not enough.

[K_sqrd]

From personal experience, Vortex has a great warranty. They pick up the shipping costs both ways and
response time is usually same day when it comes to issuing shipping info, labels, etc. I would avoid the
Crossfire II scopes as they are/were rated at "medium recoil" for spring guns. Also, AoA told me that a
Crossfire II lasted about 3 years on a RWS48 before the scope died. Besides that, I had two CF II's that
had change-in-POI-with-change-in-AO issues and both suffered from sticking / jamming turrets.

I've had good luck with Bushnell Trophy and Trophy XLT products but luckily, no experience with their warranty
department. An XLT 4-12X40 AO is mounted on an RWS 34 and so far so good.

There are lots of good scopes out there to fit your needs and I'm sure others will chime in with their
experiences and recommendations.

Good Luck and enjoy your 48.

[Springrrrr]

Go to the Hawke web site and look at the wide variety of scopes well in your price range.  They too have a great warranty and are air gun rated.

[Hoosier 45]

Thanks, What vortex scope is magnum air gun rated?

[BenjiHunter]

I did a bit of research.
One guy called Vortex and they assured him that all their scopes are airgun rated.

"I called Vortex about this last year and they stated yes.I was very specific that it was for spring-piston air rifles.They told me I could use any Vortex scope."

[Hoosier 45]

Thanks, with their guarantee it sound like there is nothing to loose.

[K_sqrd]

My experience with Vortex was shortly after the Crossfire II's came out and there was little history
on them. I was told at the time - 3 or so years ago? - by the Vortex rep. that the Vortex tech's did not recommend
the Crossfire II's  for spring airgun use. I recall reading a post later where a poster stated that Vortex was
testing their scopes on an RWS 54 IIRC. Straight Shooters originally had the Crossfire II's rated for Heavy Recoil
and later changed that to Medium recoil. The Diamondback is rated for magnum springer use as far as I know.
It seems that lots of folks with magnum spring guns like the Dback and it has performed well for them.

At the time of my Crossfire II issues, I was updated to a Diamondback, albeit a Demo, for a nominal charge.
It turned out that there was no change in POI with a change in AO but there seemed to be a a change in POI with
a change magnification. I swapped out the Diamondback with the Bushnell XLT and haven't had any changing POI problems.
I haven't followed up on further testing of the Diamondback yet. The other thing I noticed was that when adjusting
the AO, the XLT "snaps" into focus while the Dback seems to "ease" into focus and sometimes needs a  little back
and forth adjustment. It's probably my older eyes but that is what I perceived.

As stated in my earlier post, Vortex service was first rate.

[mpbby]

Congratulations for the rifle!

Based on my learning curve, adult airguns 'serious' shooting is MUCH more complicated than we (newbies) would think. There are several factors involved.

As I understand, it's a long way where you - have to - mix reading, practicing, reading, practicing, .. Be prepared, patience and perseverance become a 'must'.

By now, some examples.

One thing, you have to know the current rifle's performance (with a specific pellet) through a 'chrony' in order to fully understand what you read; also, the chrony numbers (basically, the average speed and the spread) indirectly work as a probe regarding your rifle's internals health. Other thing, soon or later you have to have your own 'spring compressor' to directly check the internals - lubing, spring, piston seal, ..
 
Before the scope..

Spring airguns kick; so, be aware you are facing a huge accuracy challenge about what's up to the shooter: - holding, resting, squeezing the trigger..

When you think your part is getting "ok" (and with high repeatability), you'll have to find out what pellets match better with your rifle.  Maybe you can try different pellets while you're still training 'your part'. 
If I were you, I would try top quality pellets brands and the domed heads; about the different pellets' heads sizes, when available, try to feel which head size fits best in your barrel (not a kind of loose, not too tight); when you feel a 'loosie', just forget about its POI.

So, even after some hundred rounds, don't jump to conclusions about the open sights.

About the scope, you have already got the main and essential knowledge - friendly and trustable warranty, no matters what model/features.  Never forget it.

Before buying a scope, you should do some research about the different scope mounts. At the same time, try to find out if your rifle has 'barrel droop'.

Before putting the setup on the rifle, you should do some research about 'optically centering' a scope.

Marcos