Scope/reticle for AAA Slayer 5 .357??????????

[J. Gordon Knives]

So I need to snag up a scope for my American Air Arms Slayer 5 .357 that I have coming in later this week.

I want good glass and will probably avoid most of the sub-$200 imports(leapers, UTG, barska, etc).

What I want is a scope with a low bottom end power. At least 3x or maybe even 2x. This will be a hunting rifle primarily, not a benchrest rifle. I don't want a hugh telescope on top of the rifle. I'm thinking 2x-8x or 3x-9x. The main thing I need to figure out is what reticle will work best with this rifle's ballistics.

I use a Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40 on my .25 Marauder and the glass is great. It only has a duplex reticle though. I'm thinking maybe one of the Burris scopes with their "ballistic plex"reticles. I'm just not sure how bullet impacts would line up with the hash marks on the reticle. It only has 3-4 hash marks on the reticle whereas a mildot or similar reticle could be used more broadly. I'll be borrowing a Nightforce 2.5-10x24 NPR2 off of a .300blk/powder burner until I figure something else out. I'm hoping I don't just fall in love with that setup or the .300blk is gonna be furious.

If anyone has any ideas or recommendations I'd love to hear them.   

[Gut2Fish]

There are so many choices. I like the new Airmax reticle. That Hawke line is 2-7X32 all the way up to 4-12X50.

http://www.hawkeoptics.com/airmax-2-7x32-amx.html

But then those Slayer probably wont need much for mil dots. Leopold has the LR Dupex which gives 3 points elevation.

https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-2-riflescopes/vx-2-2-7x33mm/

[J. Gordon Knives]

There are so many choices. I like the new Airmax reticle. That Hawke line is 2-7X32 all the way up to 4-12X50.

http://www.hawkeoptics.com/airmax-2-7x32-amx.html

But then those Slayer probably wont need much for mil dots. Leopold has the LR Dupex which gives 3 points elevation.

https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-2-riflescopes/vx-2-2-7x33mm/

Thanks for the response. I really like that Hawke Airmax reticle too. I have a Hawke crossbow scope on one of my crossbows and, while it's one of their more expensive models(XB30), the glass isn't that great. IIRC it was around $300. That being said, it's perfect for my crossbow as the BDC reticle is exactly set for the speed of my bolt.

As far as the Leupold's go, I really like their glass. I mean they're no Hensoldt or anything but darn good glass. I'm thinking I might just try to find a traditional 3-9x40 as I'd only have to go one level of magnification higher on the bottom end and get two on the top. 3x is still pretty good.

As far as the reticle is concerned, this is the real sticking point. Like with anything in life, it's all about balance. I want to have enough hash marks on the reticle to have a couple of them fit my bullet impact/trajectory, yet not too many that it makes the reticle busy and difficult to use when a coyote is running at your call at 30mph. I don't want to have to turn dials or count hash marks in that scenario. So I think I'm gonna need something like the Leupold LR duplex you mentioned. The only draw back is that I don't know what that reticle is calibrated for. I'm sure it's probably something pretty generic like a 30-06' with a 150gr soft point/hunting bullet at 2900fps-3000fps. I have no idea how that would jive with a 125gr .357 slug at 950fps. It'll be a &^^& shoot and I'll have to just buy it and see. Of course I suppose, with it likely being a second focal plane scope I could adjust the magnification until the reticle worked for my projectile. Again that's a &^^& shoot though. I really NEED to be at the lowest magnification possible when calling/hunting coyotes.

Sorry for the rambling here lol. I'm just kind of thinking out loud here.

 

[Airgun.Sniper]

  I like the scope tom had one his. It was a SWFA FFP scope I like that and the reticle that worked great

[Rizen 1]

I have this scope on my Extreme 40 cal... It is not real expensive and has been a great scope... The reticle works good for me out to 125..

I have the  illuminated tactical ballistic-x reticle, not the mill dot....

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1477356388/weaver-kaspa-tactical-rifle-scope-30mm-tube-3-12x-44mm-side-focus-illuminated-reticle-matte

[airkrazy]

MTC as one that I wish I'd seen before. It's the genesis ultra light with the AMD reticle gives nice points of hold over. Light in weight and clear glass. It's a 3x9x40.



http://mtcoptics.com/genesis/

[QVTom]

http://swfa.com/SWFA-SS-3-15x42-Tactical-Rifle-Scope-P62238.aspx

This is my favorite airgun hunting scope and is the one Jay is referring to.  It has a wide 3-15 zoom range, first class optics, very compact, and A+ turret tracking.  The only downside is the price.  If you can wait till black friday they can be had for 479$

The Airmax 3-9x40AO with the AMX reticle is also a great bargain  scope if you can find them.  They are currently out of stock.

You can never go wrong with the Sidewinder 4.5-14x42 or the 6.5-20x42.  Not as compact as the above mentioned but far from huge.  The latter has the 20x reticle which is better for long range holdover but inside 200 yards I prefer the 4.5-14

Tom

[Rizen 1]

I too like the Hawke scopes and will be mounting the sidewinder 4x16x50 with the SR Pro reticle on my Slayer when it arrives.. I have had several Hawke scopes, and they have all been of good quality and reliable.

[J. Gordon Knives]

I think I'm just gonna throw a Burris Fullfield II Ballistic Plex 3-9x40 on there for now and maybe upgrade in the future. Can't have too many scopes like these laying around. It could very well be perfect for the rifle though. Depending on how the reticle pans out for the Slayer, I might upgrade down the road to something more versatile. For now I just needed something I could throw on there and run with.

I do like the looks of that SWFA. I had one of their fixed 10x super sniper scopes on a .308 about 10yrs ago or more and back then the knobs were real mushy. I'm sure that isn't the case anymore as the brand is real popular. My only complaint now is that it's not MOA/MOA. I've shot MOA my whole life and know it inside and out. I could switch to mil but I just don't really want to. lol