4-12x40AO trophy seems to be drifting POI. I know that it is the scope. It has to stand up to a 54 recoil. Looking for a new, stronger scope that will not break wallet.
Thanks
Derrick
4X12X40 on my RX-1. It has been trouble free. I bought it about 3 years ago, but since then Straight Shooters has down graded it to "medium recoil". On my M54 I have a Simmons Pro-Air 6X18X40, haven't had any problems either. Sometimes it seems (to me anyway) that a scope will fail on a particular rifle regardless of the cost. Yet I've seen some lower dollar scopes survive for a long time on heavy recoilers. I probably wasn't much help.
One of the most common caused of POI shift it that the scope is not optically centered. It is not enough to simply crank down the windage and elevation knobs, then crank them out halfway to get to the "middle". Typically, the inner tube that causes the cross hair to move, will have stopped long before the adjustment screw has come to its limit. The spring fingers that hold and move the inner tube sit on the outer surface of that tube and the farther the scope is from optical center, the easier it is for the fingers to slip on the tube. This often causes POI shifts on the diagonal, as well as what you might expect.
Optical centering is easily done by using two V blocks to rest the scope in. Lay scope in blocks, focus and put cross hair on small subject in distance. Rotate scope and watch cross hair move off target and back on again. adjust elevtion and windage so cross hair remains on target as scope is rotated. That will be the optical center.
Sight in at your favorite distance, adjust the scope MOUNT to get on target and only use the scopes internal movements for fine corrections. Hope this helps. Mac
It was designed with lots of input from a fellow airgunner and so it's springer rated for heavy recoil. Your M54, being recoil-less is actually going to be harder on scopes than a recoiling rifle because you don't have the mass of the stock to help absorb recoil. I wouldn't go with anything with a bigger objective lense.
I asked the same question on FS forum, got several replies of failure already, even on the newest "Springer Rated" series by Swift. The 54 is a scope eater unless you buy the very toughest ones. The Weaver V16 has a very good record against recoil, and can be had for less than $300 at some sites. Notice which reticle you're ordering though, I don't like "Fine Crosshair" myself. If you do that's great but make sure you know which one you're ordering. I prefer regular "Dual-X" or "Duplex" on that scope. (I wish they had it with a Mil-dot reticle as nice as the one on the Bushnell Legend 5-15 scope).
I've got a couple of them (as well as 4-12x40's) and will report on how they hold up over time. So far no problems, and one of the 4-12x40's was mounted on a Crow Mag for a while. Hey Derrick, whatever you decide on you might want to think about a few other things. First, make sure you don't have any loose screws or fixtures anywhere on your scope mount or gun's action. Anything loose can cause small "impacts" will be tap, tap, tapping on your scope and that may cause problems over time. Next, think about the firing character of the gun itself. Any amount of piston slam or "sharpness" while firing could indicate a problem that should be addressed to protect your scope. Last, you might want to look into the epoxy scope shims that Wayne has been researching over at AddictiveAirgunning.com. I think he specifically tested with an M54 and has had good results.
I have had a Trophy on my 54 for years. No POI shift.
Go to straightshooters.com and take a look at their scope selection in the heavy recoil area. There is a Swift there for only $175 that might do the trick.
Its a bloody mystery, really. I have a Tasco on an R-1 that has held up under 1000s of shots.
I have a Trophy on my Kodiak that is still perfect after 1000s of shots.
I recommend avoiding the BSquare adjustable mounts. Go with the RWS C-Mount or the Beeman 5039. Both are rugged with adjustments that can be made easily while the scope is mounted.