February 6, 2014 0:00

// Pneumatic weapons

Do you want to know how to choose an optical sight? Contact the specialists of our online store for advice. And if you are completely confident in your knowledge, then in order to make this very choice, do not forget about all the criteria that an optical sight should meet, we suggest that you arm yourself with the advice of professionals.

There are the following types of sights:

• Open mechanical sight;
• Aperture or “closed” mechanical sight;
• Dioptric sight;

• Collimator sight;

Mechanical sighting devices are a front sight and a rear sight (i.e. an open sight). The essence of using a mechanical (open) sight is to focus three objects into one aiming line – the target, the front sight and the rear sight. When using an open sight, the problem arises that the human eye cannot physically focus on three objects at the same time, the eye focuses on the point located between the whole and the front sight, and as a result, the target itself is vaguely visible.

The main advantage of mechanical sighting devices is that almost all rifles are equipped with them. And you do not need to spend additional funds on the purchase of sighting equipment. Therefore, if you are thinking about the question – how to choose a sight and save money at the same time, think about the expediency of such a purchase. Perhaps an open sight is the best solution in this case.

The mechanical also includes an aperture (i.e. closed mechanical) sight – a front sight, which is a ring or a half-ring. Due to the fact that the process of combining the front sight with the whole when aiming occurs intuitively, and the eye thus concentrates on the target, this type of mechanical sight is superior to the open one.Also, the closed mechanical sight has a large aiming line, providing higher accuracy.

A dioptric sight is a kind of a closed sight, the rear sight in which has the shape of a disk, when aiming, the aperture is located directly near the shooter’s eye, which allows you to focus on the front sight, thus visually combining the center of the hole with the target, as a result we have a large aiming line and high accuracy compared to open–type sighting devices.

An optical sight is an optical device of complex design, when choosing which one should pay attention, first of all, to the quality of the lenses, and also take into account the following parameters:

• Detuning from parallax
• Lens diameter
• Multiplicity
• The presence of grid illumination
• Tightness of the sight
• Resistance to recoil
• The option of attaching the sight to the weapon.

The difference between cheap Chinese lenses and expensive lenses of European manufacturers can be seen with the naked eye, pebbles, bubbles may come across in cheap “technical” glass, which makes the image fuzzy, or distorts it as a whole. In our online store you can buy only high-quality sights of such companies as BSA, Tasco, Gamo, Center Point, which use special “optical” glass in the manufacture of lenses, which is characterized by uniformity and transparency.

How to set up an optical sight – our experts will tell you. And as for the main parameters of the choice of the sight, you need to remember about the presence of a focusing system. The adjustment of the optical sight is carried out on the basis of these data. Parallax is the shift of the target image relative to the sighting mark. This phenomenon occurs when the target is not in the focus of the sight, and negatively affects the accuracy of the shot, therefore, before starting shooting, you need to adjust the focus to the distance required at the time of the shot. The presence of the SF – Side Focus cipher will tell you about the presence of side focus in this sight, and the letters RF – Rear Focus mean that the focus is on the lens.

Choosing an optical sight for hunting

When choosing an optical sight, you are faced with the problem of choosing the diameter of the object. A large lens with a diameter of 50 mm and more will suit you if you plan to hunt in the twilight time of the day. Sights with a large diameter of the front lens are not recommended to be placed on spring-piston rifles, since they quickly fail due to the powerful recoil. If you choose daytime for hunting, choose a sight with a diameter of 40-44 mm.

Multiplicity is one of the main characteristics of the sight. The effect of increasing the sight depends on the distance to the target, the distance visually decreases by as many times as the multiplicity of the sight is equal, for example, if the distance to the target is 100 m, and your sight has a multiplicity of 4, then you will visually observe the target from a distance 4 times closer, that is, 25 m. The multiplicity can be constant or variable (adjustable).

For example, in the CenterPoint 3-9×40 sight, the multiplicity is set from 3 to 9, in the Gamo 4×32 sight, the multiplicity is constant – 4. Variable multiplicity is not always necessary and effective, since the structure of such a sight with a variable multiplicity is more complex and has a larger number of lenses than a sight with a constant multiplicity, the image is at maximum the multiplicity will be vague and cloudy, so if you want to get a clear picture, do not use the maximum multiplicity on such sights. The optical system of sights with a constant multiplicity contains fewer lenses and in itself is more reliable and has better image quality. Reviews about the features of using such a system are extremely positive. Therefore, if variable multiplicity is not important for you, it is better to choose a sight with a constant multiplicity.

If you want to pick up a sight for hunting purposes, choose a sight with a multiplicity of no more than 9x. Sights with a multiplicity of 10-16x are considered universal, they are suitable both for hunting and for entertaining target shooting, and for sports shooting. The diameter of the lens should be at least 40 mm. The multiplicity of 24x is suitable only for target shooting, while the lens diameter should be at least 50 mm, and preferably more.

Sights with maximum multiplicities of 32x, 40x, 50x are suitable exclusively for sports shooting, require some experience in use, so it will be difficult for an unprepared shooter to find a target, and it will seem dark and unclear to him.

Another important criterion for choosing an optical sight for pneumatics is the illumination of the grid, which will be necessary for you if you plan to hunt at night. The need to highlight the reticle may also arise in some cases with good illumination – if you aim towards the sun, or at dawn. You can find out the presence of the grid illumination in the sight immediately by the presence of the Latin letters IR in the name of the sight (Gamo 3-9×40 IR).

The body of the sight. The cases of expensive sights are almost always made of one indivisible part (a monotube) of duralumin, while they are sealed and filled with nitrogen. Nitrogen filling of the sight protects the lenses from fogging from the inside during a sharp change in temperature. Therefore, it is not necessary to disassemble the sight at home

The next criterion for choosing an optical sight is the ability to withstand the recoil of the caliber of your weapon, especially if you are the owner of a spring–piston rifle. If you are choosing a sight for a spring-piston rifle, you should opt for a sight with an input lens diameter of no more than 40 mm and, preferably, with a constant multiplicity, since it is precisely such sights that, to the best of their design features, are least affected by recoil. Mount the sight on a spring-piston rifle should only be mounted on a monoblock mount.

Installing the optical sight

As for the ways of attaching the sight to the weapon, they come in two types – separate rings and a monoblock bracket. The latter is necessary where increased strength is needed – on spring-piston rifles, if the rifle has a small recoil, you can attach the sight to the rings, while choosing the attachment points of the sight to the base yourself. Rings and monoblocks are attached to the rifle either to the dovetail base of 11 mm, or to the Picatinny rail (Weaver) of 22 mm. Landing diameters are mainly of two types – 25.4 mm and 30 mm. The mounts also differ in height: low – for sights with an objective diameter of up to 32 mm, medium – for lenses with a diameter of up to 44 mm, and high – up to 60 mm.

Choosing a collimator sight

A collimator sight is a type of optical sight consisting of a lens and an LED (collimator) that projects a sighting mark onto the lens.  The projection distance of the sighting mark coincides with the distance to the target. Thus simplifying aiming. Collimator sights are of closed and open types. The main advantage of a collimator sight is that if the shooter looks at the sight at an angle, the accuracy of aiming does not change from this.

Aiming is much faster than when using a mechanical sighting device. The best collimator sights are produced by such companies as Tasco (Tasco ProPoint 1×42), Gamo (Gamo Quick Shot BZ 30mm), BSA (BSA Red Dot RD30), Bresser (TrueView RD 1×30 WP), and others. You can buy products of this type at an affordable price in our online store. And if you are interested in the rating of optical sights, then the information provided on our website will help you determine which of the sights is the best for you.

There is also such a type of sight as a laser designator (LCU). Aiming takes place with the help of a beam that creates a light point on the target, as the intended place to hit.