What's a good paintball scope?

[ThePixelGuru]

Hey everyone. So I'm looking for a good paintball scope, primarily for target aquisition (ie, not having a staring match with the tree 150 feet off that I thought was a person...). Can anyone recommend a scope, or what to look for in one? I'm thinking the following:

-Small/Lightweight (or as close as can be)
-Mountable to my 'mag sight rail with minimal adaptors/ugly stuff
-4x magnification or so, not a lot but enough to help with finding people before they find me :ninja:
-Durable enough to take paintball hits, easy to clean

And... GO! :D

[kruger]

Well, the first problem that you are going to run into is the eye relief. Remember, you are wearing a paintball mask. So, I would suggest that you get a "scout" type scope. Those are designed to mount farther down the length of a gun. You can use one with both eyes open and you wont have a problem with trying to squint thru a scope. Just pick up the cheapest one you can find.

[Toll]

Duct tape some dollar store binoculars on there ^.^

[MoeMag]

Well, the first problem that you are going to run into is the eye relief. Remember, you are wearing a paintball mask. So, I would suggest that you get a "scout" type scope. Those are designed to mount farther down the length of a gun. You can use one with both eyes open and you wont have a problem with trying to squint thru a scope. Just pick up the cheapest one you can find.

QFT. a big cheap 1x reddot.

[Severe]

I use the Simmons 40mm Red dot sights. They are able to attach to both rail styles with a flip-able base. They run about $25-30. Eye relief is not an issue.

For a bit more, you can get the Green Dot if you prefer that. Honestly, any of those will be more than adequate for paintball. Check Wal-Mart out for the BSA types. If you want some choice in appearance, check around on the airsoft web pages for inexpensive, sharp looking versions.

[Warwitch]

I have an Armson Max-duty OEG sight I will let go for cheap ;)

http://armson1.stores.yahoo.net/aroegmaxdut1.html


I wold definitely go with a red dot over a scope. Magnification is a little overkill considering the effective range of a pb marker.

[doc_Zox]

get a chinese copy of an aimpoint red dot on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Ver-Military-Type-Red-Dot-Sight-w-cantilever-mount_W0QQitemZ270180725302QQihZ017QQcategoryZ6682 7QQcmdZViewItem

[magmonkey]

29X luepold :D

if you instist on having optics, you might as well have one that is usable, go with a red dot

[LegumeOfTerror]

for looking at stuff, get a cheap bushnell with alot of eye releif, or cary a monocular.

[ThePixelGuru]

Some good suggestions... To clarify here, I'm looking for a scope so that I can easily pick people out in the woods. I have a reddot sight, but that only puts a dot on the thing that might be a person or a tree. I want to magnify it so I can tell what the heck I'm lookin' at.

Thanks for the suggestions. :cheers:

[Andrewliu6294]

http://automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=221633

the one in my thread. :p

seriously though, its great. perfectly clear, 30/30 recticle, 4x magnification, its tough too, its in LNIB condition....everything you're looking for. its fairly small for its magnification and quality, about 11" long.

all it needs are some dovetail rings which you can get for cheap at dunhams or dicks or such, even walmart, and you're set. comes with a set of very beat up weaver rings.

EDIT: doc mention eye relief. this one has 3-4in of it, so you're set. :p I was using it on my T-9 no problem before i sold the gun...

[doc_Zox]

the problem with magnified paintball scopes is you need a Long Eye Relief Pistol or Scout rifle scope

an 4x Monocle with 3-4 inches of Eye relief on a lanyard, would be nice

but they are not cheap

[Russ]

some (relatively) cheap shotgun scopes have a generous eye relief.

doc_Zox,

ever try (or at least see) one of the aimpoint knock offs? I wonder how they compare to the real thing 9which I have on one of my toys)

[reflective]

Some good suggestions... To clarify here, I'm looking for a scope so that I can easily pick people out in the woods. I have a reddot sight, but that only puts a dot on the thing that might be a person or a tree. I want to magnify it so I can tell what the heck I'm lookin' at.

Thanks for the suggestions. :cheers:


Bushnell or Simons (any 22lr scope or shotgun scope), can be found at any sports store and range from about $35 up. Will work fine for woods/scenario "recon".

[Railgun]

A couple of times this year in playing in the dark of the woods I found that I was fixated on a tree or shadow thinking it may well be a player. A 2 to 4 power scope would have come in quite handy to confirm what I was looking at even if it was out of effective range. I see it more as an aid to confirming what is a target and what is not and to base the following closing in moves on the info rather than aiming for a long shot. So to some extent I can see where PixelGuru is coming from and wanting to go.

I sometimes find it hard to identify stuff in a dark thick woods setting. The light gathering power of a low power scope or gun mounted monocular would help a lot with planning your moves. Especially if you're like me and your distance vision is not a full on 20-20 but it's good enough to not want to mess with glasses under the mask.

[doc_Zox]

I have a real aimpoint on my AR15
and faux ones on my markers

the copies are single brightness on/off
but they are identical in appearance to the real comp M

they need to be shimmed up in the rear 3/8ths to get them in range for a 60 foot zero

they work well for a quick acquisition sight
and they have held up well on my markers

[Russ]

thanks Doc :)

[ThePixelGuru]

Ok, apparently I'm just realizing there's more to this than I thought. What's 4x32 mean, for example? I'm assuming 4x is magnification (makes stuff four times bigger), but what's 32 mean? Also, do you have to focus a scope like binoculars, or is it fixed focus? I guess I really don't know what I'm looking at in terms of scopes. Fill me in if I've left anything out, and assume I know nothing other than "it lets ya see good." Thanks!

Oh, and yes, I just want to see people in the woods, once I know what the heck I'm looking at I can shoot 'em just fine.

[SR_matt]

scopes on paintball guns

day time -ghost rings, siting tube, 1X red dot type. the only thing it does is knock out the peripheral vision to help you see.

night time- if you can afford it roll and mil spec gen 3 baby ooooo yaaaaaa. but in all seriousness. for night play a high quality NV is great but you have to learn how to play totally different because well, you cant see without the scope.

for me a scope in the day time is pointless, and at night... well i dont like to play at night any more and when i do i try to be in lit areas of the field or with an NV unit on me (the second is not as easy to do cause i dont have the cash to buy my own). i shoot my guns mostly by feel as apposed to sighting especially because paintballs will not travel as regularly as bullets form a modern firearm do.

i digress i digress, just get a larger red dot or heck get a piece of pipe and attach it on your marker in a way that is parallel to the barrel and in a place you can look into it with a mask on easily, feel free to make it as pretty or ghetto as you may like.

-matt

[Spider-TW]

Ok, apparently I'm just realizing there's more to this than I thought. What's 4x32 mean, for example? I'm assuming 4x is magnification (makes stuff four times bigger), but what's 32 mean? Also, do you have to focus a scope like binoculars, or is it fixed focus? I guess I really don't know what I'm looking at in terms of scopes. Fill me in if I've left anything out, and assume I know nothing other than "it lets ya see good." Thanks!

Oh, and yes, I just want to see people in the woods, once I know what the heck I'm looking at I can shoot 'em just fine.

Here's some optics info. (http://www.opticsplanet.com/info/how_to_buy_binoculars.shtml)

A little monocular doesn't give you much increase in gathered light. 20mm up front will separate wiggly trees from targets in a little light. 100mm lenses at night are really neat to look through at least once, just not real practical. They're like color night vision. :ninja:

[ThePixelGuru]

Yeah, I'm not looking for a red dot, I've got one. I want something with magnification to help me pick out targets in the woods.

Spider-TW: Thanks for the link, that explained almost everything for me.

One question left, though: Do I focus a scope, or is it a fixed focus? Thanks all!

[Andrewliu6294]

its fixed, up to a certain distance, which is what parallax means, i think. the one i have is parallax at like 250-300 yards, which is much farther than you would need.

[longi]

I used to use a cheap sight and found that it worked just fine. I just found that i didn't have enough time to use it in one on one. Sniping was fun though.

[ThePixelGuru]

its fixed, up to a certain distance, which is what parallax means, i think. the one i have is parallax at like 250-300 yards, which is much farther than you would need.
So does that mean it'd be pretty much useless at 150-200 feet? That's probably the usual range where I find myself unsure of what I'm looking at.

[93civiccpe]

Ok, apparently I'm just realizing there's more to this than I thought. What's 4x32 mean, for example? I'm assuming 4x is magnification (makes stuff four times bigger), but what's 32 mean? Also, do you have to focus a scope like binoculars, or is it fixed focus? I guess I really don't know what I'm looking at in terms of scopes. Fill me in if I've left anything out, and assume I know nothing other than "it lets ya see good." Thanks!

Oh, and yes, I just want to see people in the woods, once I know what the heck I'm looking at I can shoot 'em just fine.


4x32 means 4x magnification and 32mm front objective (how big the front lense on the scope). The bigger that lens, typically the more light comes into the scope. But for paintballing, you don't want a huge target and you don't need more than a 32. If it is an adjustable scope, it would say 4-9x32, which is 4-9x zoom and 32 mm objective. (Sometimes written 4x9x32). The tube size can either be 1inch or 33mm, and that too deals with how much light comes in and what size rings you need. I can almost guarantee that for the cheaper scopes you will be looking at, they will all be 1" tube. Sometimes they have minor front lense adjustment so you can get it clear for your eye, but you don't have to constantly play with it like binoculars.. just set it and look through.

Just a note, if you've never used a scope before it is going to be interesting.. you'll want to spend some time figuring it out. That eye relief is a big thing. You will only see that clear picture if your eye is the right distance from the scope. Too close or too far away you don't see through it.. which is typically frustrating for first timers when using a scope. None-the-less, pick up something in the 4x configuration and you should be good to go. Typically when choosing a hunting scope you never want to go cheap because they aren't a clear and you lose your zero, but seeing as this is a spotting device and NOT an aiming device, just choose something that's cheap enough to try out but not too expensive that you'll cry if a paintball destroys it.. =).

[Andrewliu6294]

So does that mean it'd be pretty much useless at 150-200 feet? That's probably the usual range where I find myself unsure of what I'm looking at.


it'll be focused UP TO 300yds, not out of focus. except for like 10ft, thats much too close ;)

[Freebird]

tru glow makes a 2x scope that is sweet. Ive used one in the past on my 12 gauge for turkey huntin.

[Spider-TW]

So does that mean it'd be pretty much useless at 150-200 feet? That's probably the usual range where I find myself unsure of what I'm looking at.
While parallax can be the result of a poorly focused scope, it refers to the apparent movement of the reticle of the scope as your eye position moves. You look at the target with the scope (and gun) supported and note the location of the crosshairs. Then you move your head (and eye) up and down or side to side a little. If the crosshair seems to change location on the target without moving the scope, that is parallax. At paintball range and ballistics, you won't notice the inaccuracy.

Better $cope$ show less parallax, or may have adjustments so you can get rid of it at the range you are shooting. Even with a cheap scope, you can compensate for (avoid) parallax by keeping a consistent cheek weld on a rifle. With a cheap pistol scope (with inconsistent eye pickup), you're out of luck and are likely to get the full effect. :tard:

:cheers:

[Jaan]

some (relatively) cheap shotgun scopes have a generous eye relief.Quoted For Truth...

You can get ones from Cheaper Than Dirt that have great eye relief for paintball masks. 4x, $15 or so...