Tom, what scope would you recommend? I’m hoping to hit a quarter sized target 9 out of 10 times at 25 yards. I’m willing to buy anything to make that happen.
I assume when you say, crows and squirrels really hate these new pellets. You mean it kills them well?
Joe, check this site out. The link is for scopes specific to air rifle use.
https://www.midwayusa.com/air-rifle-scopes/br?cid=11394
I went with the Winchester scope and have not regretted it a bit. 40 bucks very well spent for me. and the scope came with adequate rings. As I suggested, once you find the right location on your rifle for eye relief and etc and the scope has been tightened down in place, loosen each screw one at a time and Loctite it then crank it TIGHT. Do this to every screw on the rings at the receiver and at the rings on the scope tube. When you think all screws are tight, recheck them to be certain. Let the rifle set a day to cure the Loctite, then start your sighting in.
The Winchester scope I bought has parallax adjustment starting at 15 feet but by leaving it set at 30=50 yards and then adjust the focus ring on the eye piece you’ll be dialed for most shooting needs. I set a target in a sun lighted area and shoot at it from inside the garage at about 18 yards to sight in. Don’t try sighting in by having the target and the gun in the same light. You’ll do much better shooting from a shaded area into a lighted area as the glare gets eliminated. Its one reason ranges have covers over the benches. I use my bench bags to shoot from and have no issues with gun jump.
I suggest getting the rifle to shoot one brand of pellet fairly consistently but let the gun rest after say 5 shots. While there is no powder being burned those little holes in the barrel create a ton of heat from friction and the compressed air so let the gun rest for 5 minutes after 5 shots. Once you have a brand of pellet flying well, start changing targets and then do some shooting to see if one brand or another does better or if one brand may have issues with your gun. Its all a matter of elimination beyond getting the gun sighted in because pellets are not created equal. Buckybadger speaketh the truth about the hardness of the pellet’s lead and general accuracy.
If one has questions about whether the small calibers that most of these newer pellet guns come in need cleaning, a tight patch run thru the barrel might surprise you. Some pellets are made of very soft lead and when the barrel heats with repeated shooting can slough lead off and foul the heck out of the barrel. When accuracy heads south on a rifle that normally is accurate the first place to look is the screws for the scope attachment, then what’s in the barrel. Scheels and gun shops will have 177 caliber cleaning rods/accessories but I have found in lieu of brushing the death out of the small diameter bores I do better using a swab wet with a good lead/copper stripping solvent, then a couple strokes with a brush and then repeat, finally followed by dry patches until they come out clean. I also clean from the breech end to prevent any scouring of the muzzle with the rod. Pellets of harder lead will create fewer issues inside the barrel of small bore rifles.
As for the crows and squirrels, and rabbits, hating the pellets, I do indeed mean that these Red Fire pellets kill very fast and clean. I usually try for the head on critters so they flop and die on the spot. The Red Fire pellets get this done wonderfully plus they are very accurate in my gun.
