HW50s scope killer

[triggerfest]

So it seems that my HW50s is really, really grouping great with JSB Exact RS pellets. I was coming from the standard Exact 8,44 grain pellets and they grouped like a shotgun pattern.

Now, once I was finished with sighting in my scope on the Exact RS pellet trajectory, I first noticed that the screws of my turrets were all loose.Secondly, also the screws of my mount were loose and my scope was just bumping around once I held my HW50s vertically.

The scope is a Hawke Vantage 3-9x40AO IR MD on medium Sportsmatch mounts.

Have you guys ever experienced something like this with your HW50's I mean, I have owned many springers, but would never ever expected to have this issue with a medium powered springer like the HW50s !

[Bayman]

Vantage scopes are not spring gun rated. They will warrantee them upto 12fpe guns. Your 50 is borderline they teeter either side of 12fpe in stock form. I have a Vantage 3-9x40 on a HW50 that's hanging in there. My rifle is tuned to 11lbs. This information was straight from the lips of Hawke customer service agent (forgot his name) last week.

[Bayman]

Also if you have barrel droop, it will seem like the scope is bad when its not. I had to bend my barrel up a little to get the rifle shooting in the optical center of the scope.

[Yogi]

Yes you should check the stock screws and scope screws every 100 or so shots.
Use Viba-tite and get a torch wrench.  Springers spring, get used to it!

Sounds like you just did not check your screws, you got more than one loose.
Nothing should be wrong with your scope.

-Y

[fwbsport]

The HW50S are short powerhouses.  Yes mine all bounced!  You need a scope mount that is one piece and 3 screws to cover the holding bar against the dovetails.  Two piece mounts are okay if you make sure they are checked after every 25 rounds or so.

I find that I have to recheck ALL screws on ALL springers from R7 to R1! No kidding, even if they are the grabbiest mounts in the world.

[onet12]

Vantage scopes are not spring gun rated

They are airgun rated up to 12 fpe, I got that from the manufacturer.

As mentioned previously it can be screws problem. I had couple of vantage scopes on different airguns, never had a bad one, they are not unbreakable, but hw 50 shouldn't be a challenge for it

[Bayman]

Two piece mounts will work fine on that gun if they have a recoil pin and they correctly tightened. Check to see if your elevation is maxed out. If your point of impact doesn't track perfectly vertical if you dial it up its probably maxed out and you have barrel droop issues. When a scope is maxed out in its adjustment (in any direction) the erector tube (the tube inside the scope that holds the reticle) bounces off the scope main body. It won't hold zero this way and often breaks the reticle. It's a cliche how often this happens to airgunners. Springers are tough on scopes but most of the problems with them stem from sliding mounts and barrel droop. Both are easily addressed.

[Mark 611]

Any good air gun rated scope should hold up to an HW50! if its not air gun rated I would not expect it to hold up for very long! IMO

[SpiralGroove]

Any good air gun rated scope should hold up to an HW50! if its not air gun rated I would not expect it to hold up for very long! IMO

I have 4x12x40 Hawke Vantage scopes on my two HW50S's and two HW35E's.  These guns are all between 10-12 FPE shooters.  I've noticed the scopes, purchased from Dvor ($75) aren't made as well as my 3x9x40 Hawke purchase in 2013/2014 and used extensively on my Hatsan 95's.

I've lost a few scope, turret screws (my Son) and these screws seemingly need to be tightened all the time for good, turret function.  While I love their length, weight and clarity, my 30mm UTG 4x12x44 and 4x16x44 scopes are definitely better scopes ... but heavier.

As Bayman's said, I try to keep all my scopes as close to their "turret center" as possible and keep it simple by staying away from drooper mounts or shims that could complicate their ability to function.  I have bent my barrel's upward when needed so scopes can stay very close to center.

I had no idea Hawke Vantage scopes weren't airgun rated, but that makes sense given my need to pamper them for best performance.

[Ingwe]

I just ordered a Vantage for my Walther LGU...will I be ok with that?

[SpiralGroove]

I just ordered a Vantage for my Walther LGU...will I be ok with that?

I use a UTG 4x16x44 on my HW77K, but I'm no expert on how it will handle the LGU.  IIRC, my HW77K is shooting at about 13+ FPE.