Scope set-up for 10m air rifle

Pumps, pre-charged, springers and everything else pneumatic.
Post Reply
nemo
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 86
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:38 pm

Scope set-up for 10m air rifle

Post by nemo »

Greetings all,

I acquired a Weaver 6-24x42 A/O scope, and I would like to mount it on a 10m air rifle. I have two questions:

Do I mount the scope parallel to the bore or do I need to build some minute of angle (MOA) into the mount to compensate for the pellet drop ant the longer distances? I have different inserts for the Burris pos-align rings, so I do so easily.

On which animal - or distance - do you set the scope's zero?

Kindest regards,

N
thauglor
AAA Poster
AAA Poster
Posts: 628
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:18 pm

Re: Scope set-up for 10m air rifle

Post by thauglor »

It depends on what air rifle and how high above the bore line the scope is. On my 10m rifles I needed shims to allow my leupold scope to reach 20 to 45 yards
User avatar
acorneau
AAA Poster
AAA Poster
Posts: 880
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2015 12:12 pm
Location: Houston

Re: Scope set-up for 10m air rifle

Post by acorneau »

(Reposting here what I typed up on the RFC forum, just in case anyone else needs the info...)


I also shoot air rifle silhouette and we compete with all three rifles, including Target rifles. Mine is an Anschutz SuperAir 2002 SSP and it shoots a 7.3 grain pellet at about 575 fps. FWB300's are another popular choice for Target rifle.

Zero: Set your scope zero for chickens (20 yds) and you'll go up from there.

Settings: Most Target rifles will need about 8 to 10 MOA elevation to get to rams. My scope settings are 0, 3, 5, 9 (in MOA). Environmental conditions might shift those numbers one or two clicks (+/- half an MOA) on any given day.

Pellets: as mentioned before, you'll want to try some light domed pellets versus the wadcutters typically used for 10m paper. I suggest JSB 7.3's as a good starting point as that is what works best in my 2002. Don't be afraid to try the 7.87's or even the 8.4's, just know that it's going to take more elevation on the scope to get those heavier pellets out to rams. In the end, use whatever works best.

Knock-down: You don't need to worry about "knock-down power" for rams, even with a light pellet like the 7.3's. As long as you hit the ram it will go down assuming you have correctly-made targets. If you're using extra heavy targets then that may be an issue, but that's not the fault of the rifle/pellet choice.

Lastly, be prepared to pay close attention to the wind and to lean into it with the alignment of the shot. It's not uncommon to have to aim half-way to the next ram to hook it back in to a body shot. Also, pellets don't necessarily act like bullets when it comes to lift or drop based on left or right wind direction, so don't rely on those bullet-based "wind rose" charts.

I love air rifle silhouette and I'm glad we've got a good group of us that shoot it down here in the Texas and Louisiana region. We've got two big air rifle matches coming up in the beginning of the year... the North Louisiana Indoor Air Rifle Regional (a.k.a. the Coop Shoot) in late February and the Shamrock Silhouette Shootout (outdoor regional) in mid-March. If you're anywhere within travel distance then I highly recommend either or both of them!

Good luck.
Allen Corneau
richard
A Poster
A Poster
Posts: 213
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:22 am
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: Scope set-up for 10m air rifle

Post by richard »

Allen did a very good job explaining things. 10 meter guns are really great for silo. Rams can be a challenge though.
Rick B.
Richard
nemo
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 86
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:38 pm

Re: Scope set-up for 10m air rifle

Post by nemo »

Greetings all,

thank you for your replies.

H acorneau,

yes, i posted also on the RFC forum, a this one seems to be less active.

Kindest regards,

N
Hawkeye7br
B Poster
B Poster
Posts: 80
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 8:14 pm
Location: Indiana

Re: Scope set-up for 10m air rifle

Post by Hawkeye7br »

Slightly off the original question, but if you have thoughts of using the scope to shoot at 10m (basement, garage, etc) you will probably need some kind of 20-30 moa mount. I shoot handgun silo and targets are at 10-18 yards. We often shim the base to get the scope pointed at the bore line at such close distance. I have an IZH 46M with a dime inserted under the rear of a one-piece base.
Post Reply