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HFT Scope Special

Hunter Field Target (HFT) shooting is a demanding sport, and getting the glassware right is vital. With the key rule being that the shooter can’t make alterations for the duration of the competition, any scope chosen needs to be streamlined and of a specification that is appropriate. Keeping magnification relatively low, normally 8-10x is the key, so that targets remain shootable at all distances without adjustment. Today’s competitor really is spoilt for choice, so I’ve picked my top ten that have what it takes, with all but the newest models proven winners in the field.

  • Bushnell elite tactical

    Bushnell elite tactical

    LRS 3-12X44 FFP Edgar Brothers, 01625 613177 www.edgarbrothers.com £860 Bushnell are a famous American brand, renowned for high quality, and this Elite has an impressive specification. Variable magnification between 3-12x and a 44mm objective lens gives an ideal spec as an HFT-friendly model and with a side-parallax knob; the clarity and focus can be set to suit. First Focal Plane (FFP) means the proportions on the reticle will stay the same as magnification changes. Twist the smooth mag collar to between 8 and 10x, and set the parallax to around 25yards and it begins to show its credentials. Lens quality is extremely good, as you would expect, but add in their ‘Rainguard’ lens coating, which inhibits water droplets from forming and gathering easily, and you can expect high resolution and a crisp image overall. The G2 reticle will please many, giving proportional, clean aim points through the usual trajectory, and the scale of the Christmas tree configuration also means that it is quite possible to bracket small kill zones to help ascertain target distance where possible. Everything is well engineered, and operation of both the magnification and parallax is super smooth

    For
    Respected brand name
    Against
    Chunky turrets
    Verdict
    The specification gives added versatility

  • Discovery HD 10X44 SFIR

    Discovery HD 10X44 SFIR

    Sure Shot Airguns, 0844 8003550 www.sureshot-airguns.co.uk £240 Discovery is a relatively new brand, (2014), and made in a factory founded by an ex-designer of Vortex, so the pedigree is there. Look beyond that distinctive blue livery, and they come brimming with features too, all for a very reasonable RRP. Turrets are lockable and pull up to adjust and down to close. Clicks are positive, and values are 1/10 Mil. Magnification is fixed at 10x, but with a smooth side parallax adjustment knob, clarity can be set to the desired point. A red or green illuminated reticle is all built in, and the sophisticated design even includes windage dots. The down side is the turrets are quite bulky, making the scope wide overall, but image quality including edge to edge clarity looks really sharp. All in all, a boldly presented product, and with several models in the pipeline, this brand looks like making quite an impact.

    For
    A lot of features for the money
    Against
    Maybe a little heavy
    Verdict
    Competitively priced given the specification

  • Leupold VX2 3-9X33 EFR

    Leupold VX2 3-9X33 EFR

    Viking Arms, 01423 780810 www.vikingarms.com £582 Less is so often more with HFT scopes, and externally at least, this VX2 Leupold is fairly bland and conventionally styled. However, for that read super sleek and compact, as this slim-line model is a great performer. The famous gold ring gives the game away of course, and Leupold’s legendary build quality is there for all to see, in a one inch body tube. Low profile screw cap turrets hide the quality tracking mechanism, whilst the Leupold multi-coated lenses offer a super crisp, sharp image right to the edge. Used by several competitors on the national HFT circuit, these scopes come in considerably lighter than many rivals, which makes them a great choice for those trying to slash weight from their competition combo.

    For
    Leupold’s build quality/ultra compact
    Against
    Standard reticle but Leupold Custom Shop options available
    Verdict
    Leupold always represents a sound investment

  • MTC viper connect 3-12X32

    MTC viper connect 3-12X32

    MTC Optics,08448 009929 www.mtcoptics.co.uk £287 MTC’s radical break with traditional design has been popular from the off, for where a conventional scope comes with around three inches of eye relief, the Connect comes specified with just 30mm. The idea being that the shorter the eye relief, then the less chance for incorrect head position (eye/scope alignment), and therefore parallax error. It’s a novel approach, but viewing a target does feel strange at first, due to the way that the ocular lens effectively sits against the nose and eyebrow. Using this set-up (30mm body tube here) has a unique feel to it, and whether it feels right will be down to the individual; and for obvious reasons, the Connect is totally unsuitable for use on recoiling guns. Greater depth of field, an increased field of view overall, and MTC’s usual choice of reticles are further selling points, and with several tournament wins to its name, the highly innovative Connect is hard to ignore.

    For
    Good FOV and depth of field
    Against
    Unsuitable for use on recoiling guns
    Verdict
    Love it or hate it; a highly original product

  • Nikko stirling

    Nikko stirling

    Panamax 3-9X40 AO Highland Outdoors; www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk £136.99 Nikko Stirling have been a respected name in optics since 1956, which says a lot in today’s fast moving market place; so I think we can safely assume they know a fair bit about optical design! The Panamax range uses a wide angle lens arrangement, which offers around 20% greater field of view than comparable models. Having toyed with this scope, I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on the FOV benefit! However, what really stands out is the impressive clarity through the target distances. Eyesight variation will dictate fine settings, but I found with the front parallax ring set to about 27yards, image definition was good from close in at 10yards (acceptable blur) right out to the full 45yard target maximum distance (HFT rules). The HMD (Half Mil Dot) reticle is another bonus, as this offers a semi-floating central equidistant fine stadia and cross hair, and four outer thick posts that nicely draws the eye to the target area. The result is an uncluttered image with Mil Dots and half Mil hashes, for full trajectory tracking/ aim points- and all for a very reasonable asking price.

    For
    Impressive little performer and great value for money
    Against
    Not a lot
    verdict
    The super low RRP belies the performance

  • NightforcE NXS 2.5-10X42 Zerostop

    NightforcE NXS 2.5-10X42 Zerostop

    Sportsman Gun Centre, 01392 354854 www.sportsmanguncdntre.co.uk £2086.99 Nightforce are a premium American brand and supply the US Military, which gives some idea of the specification, build quality, and extreme robustness built in to all their products. Admittedly, all this fine pedigree doesn’t come cheap, but build quality is top notch. A super robust adjustment mechanism and a 30mm body tube are all part of the spec; as is the impressive MOAR reticle option, which gives clear, precise aim points, nicely proportional to airgun use. Just lately, several shooters have been experimenting with high sight lines, but many HFT shooters still strive to keep this measurement as low and as near to the bore as possible. Streamlined, low profile models such as this are therefore ideal. In addition, the new Zerostop function allows the shooter to make adjustments and then feel the turret return back to zero. Not relevant for HFT admittedly, but handy when using the same rifle combo in a hunting scenario. This model also features side parallax adjustment- crucially down to 25yards, which is a big help, allowing clarity to be usable through the usual HFT target distances of 8-45yards. Whether this particular model is worth substantially more than many of its rivals is up for debate. but one thing is for sure image and build quality is excellent.

    For
    Ultra robust quality US brand
    Against
    Very expensive
    Verdict
    High quality but you pay for it

  • Sightron SIH 4-12X40 HFT

    Sightron SIH 4-12X40 HFT

    Optics Warehouse, 01803 611895 www.opticswarehouse.co.uk £250 This super compact scope has been around for a while, but it has only recently been imported into the UK, by newly appointed UK distributor, Optics Warehouse. It seems a bit of a find too, since it retails very competitively, considering the highly regarded Sightron name. As we have come to expect, image quality is extremely good, with a clean, sharp picture edge to edge, with no aberrations or distortion. What lies at the heart of the image here is Sightron’s MOA 20 reticle, and this is an impressive design, since it offers plenty of proportional reference/aim points, set, within outer German-style thick posts. Front parallax adjustment and low profile turrets are also welcome features, and with a minimum focus of 8yards marked up, it’s clear this model is aimed at airgunners, rather than an afterthought as with some makes. All in all, a very reasonably priced entry into the quality world that is Sightron, with all the features we need for HFT.

    For
    Impressive lens quality
    Against
    Reticle is quite bold
    Verdict
    Great value and worth every penny!

  • Optisan EVX 3-12X44I

    Optisan EVX 3-12X44I

    MTC Optics, 01380 859572 www.mtcoptics.com £316 Optisan EVX models from MTC Optics will outwardly look familiar to many, but the major selling point has to be the newly developed MH10 reticle. It’s actually a combination of the best points of both the original MTC-designed SCB and the later AMD patterns, and the result is a fantastic array of aim points, with perhaps the highlight being those incredibly useful floating windage dots. On the range, the widest windage dot gives around 6” when viewed on 10x magnification at 45yds. The others are equidistant, so give roughly 1.5, 3, and 4.5” of wind at the same distance, with an increasing and corresponding amount of drop designed in. All this information is invaluable, and a great asset for the serious HFT competitor, or hunter for that matter, who means business. The body tube here is 30mm for the record. Knowledge is power as they say, and this EVX can certainly be said to empower the shooter, who’s prepared to do their homework in any case! All in all, another impressive scope from an increasingly popular brand.

    For
    Good image quality along with a great reticle
    Against
    Chunky target turrets are an irritation
    Verdict
    Great value, yet competitive

  • Hawke vantage

    Hawke vantage

    SF 3-12X44 Deben Group, 01394 387762 www.hawkeoptics.com www.deben.com £169.99 The latest Hawke range certainly looks the part, and has been well received since the major revamp a year or so ago. There are of course several models from their extensive line-up that could be used for HFT, but I’ve picked the slickly presented Vantage SF 3-12x44 since the spec is just about ideal. A 1” body tube keeps things slim-line, and low profile turrets are a welcome sight, since we just don’t need to adjust anything midcompetition! Side Focus (hence ‘SF’ in the name) comes as standard too, meaning the Vantage can be set with parallax correction, at a distance of your choice. The Half Mil Dot Reticle is a nice uncluttered design, although, additional ultra fine but wider lines, maybe after two Mil Dots on all four stadia, would be beneficial to aid quick ‘bracketing’. As it stands, the reticle proportions are just about spot-on. The Half Mil Dot first line down relates to around 40 yards (.177), with the first Mil Dot down equal to 45yds. It’s all

    For
    Light and handy, ½-Mil reticle is excellent
    Against
    Not much
    Verdict
    Astonishingly good value for money

  • Vortex diamond back HP 2-8X32

    Vortex diamond back HP 2-8X32

    www.vortexoptics.com £227 Vortex are a relatively new name in optics, but they have fast built a reputation for rugged, well thought out products, and great after-sales service. This particular Diamondback model offers a neat specification, which is just about ideal for HFT, with a modest sized 32mm objective, and 8x magnification available. The side parallax adjustment is again kept nice and compact, and with a minimum of 20yards focus, it allows the competitor to fine tune to personal taste. The reticle is termed ‘Dead-Hold’ and it’s similar to a Hawke MAP design, with small dashes rather than dots, set along the windage axis, and lower stadia. Turrets are positive and finger adjustable too. What stands out with this model is the super sharp image, and the depth of field. Set the parallax to around 25yards- a popular setting for HFT, and targets viewed at other distances have a usable level of clarity, which is what it’s all about, given the key ‘no adjustment’ rules of the sport. And let’s not forget Vortex’s unlimited, unconditional lifetime warranty, bringing peace of mind to owning this neat little scope.

    For
    Ultra compact, good glass and features
    Against
    Not a lot
    Verdict
    Great value with an unconditional warranty

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