Air rifle scope buyer's guide

How to choose a scope for your air rifle

So you’ve bought an awesome new air rifle and now you need a scope to go with it. But which scope should you use? Many first time air gun owners think that they can simply attach their conventional rifle scope to their new equipment and start shooting, but beware; this can be a costly mistake. Use our air rifle scope buying guide to help you understand why a specialised air rifle scope is necessary and what to look for in an air rifle scope.

Why do I need a special air rifle scope?

Many high powered air rifles create large amounts of recoil that can damage conventional rifle scopes. Unlike normal rifles, air rifles create recoil that travels in two directions. To start, when the spring mass of the rifle uncoils, or the gas-piston is released, the rifle recoils backwards. Then, when the piston reaches the end of its length, the rifle recoils forwards. Such high recoil levels can cause chaos with the internal parts and lenses of normal scopes, and can cause damage even after just a few shots, so to avoid damaging your equipment it’s vital to start as you mean to go on and choose a dedicated air rifle scope at the get go.

What type of air rifle scope should I choose?

So you know you need a specially designed air rifle scope, but what specifications will be most suitable for you?

Many of the factors for consideration when purchasing an air rifle scope are the same as those that should be taken into account when choosing a conventional scope. Our Rifle Scope Buyers Guide is a great place to start if you’re buying your first scope, whether it be for a conventional rifle or an air rifle. The guide will provide you with all of the knowledge you need to make an informed choice when choosing a scope.

Don’t forget to consider

  • Do you want a fixed vs variable air rifle scope - find out more here and here
  • What size objective lens you need - find out more here
  • How you’re going to adjust your scope to compensate for parallax - will you choose a factory set scope, one with a side focus or an adjustable objective? - find out more here
  • Which reticle you want to choose - find out more here
  • What mount you need - does your air rifle have dovetail or weaver connections? - find out more here