what zoom magnifier should i use?

[Ben Allmond]

Hi, I am looking to get a dmr that will be shooting 80m max. I am looking to pair my normal red dot with a magnifier to put on it! I was wondering if a 3x magnifier would be enough for these ranges or would i have to use a 5x instead? Thank you!

[Rogerborg]

I generally run my adjustable scope at its claimed minimum of 3x when it's on my DMR.  At airsoft ranges, with airsoft accuracy, it's all that I need.

[Steveocee]

Depends is the answer. Some sites near me have normal battle rifle - full auto limit at 350 (0.2 obvs) and DMR at 400, at which point I'd say red dot is fine but then the more spread out sites tend to have the DMR limits at 420 or 450 where I feel disadvantaged with a red dot (hence investing in a short dot with adjustable 1-6). Even with my BASR I never tend to go past 5 times so yeah, maybe a 3 times magnifier or just grab an adjustable and have a single unit?

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Depends on your eye sight.  I can shoot both eyes open with a 4x no problem.  Some people cannot at all. 

 

I doubt that anyone needs much more than 3 or 4 times mag for airsoft.  One can walk shots in to the limits of range with irons at 350fps.  400 - 425 wont challenge too much more.

 

I just looked and my DMR has been left set at 1x since I last used it.  Someone else may habitually use a high(ish) mag scope all the time.  Image quality will always ace magnification in any event.  The 1x settingis on a £200 piece of glass.  I use my silly money HFT scope at x5, my daughter uses my far cheaper cast off at about 8x if memory serves.   Both suit us well.

 

You should ideally have a look through a few set ups before splashing cash.   Some makes will have a tint on the coatings that won't suit your eyes.   Some will have busy reticles or white out if exposed to light.  Some will work better than more expensive models that you look through.  Their is no substitute for trying a few out.  

[Tackle]

As has been pointed out, Airsoft ranges & accuracy is not comparative to real steel, so x3 should be more than ample, but maybe consider a fixed single unit as opposed to the red dot/magnifier combo, if your after accuracy then the single fixed unit will hold its zero much better than a unit that's continually moved up & down, plus if your planning on exploiting the max power in a dmr setup, also consider that most sites operate a med (minimum engagement distance), that would likely make your red dot ineffective. 

[Rogerborg]

6 hours ago, Tackle said:

maybe consider a fixed single unit as opposed to the red dot/magnifier combo, if your after accuracy then the single fixed unit will hold its zero much better than a unit that's continually moved up & down, plus if your planning on exploiting the max power in a dmr setup, also consider that most sites operate a med (minimum engagement distance), that would likely make your red dot ineffective

 

Heh, I also wrote essentially the same, then deleted it as "too much information".  I completely agree.

[Stratton Oakmont]

Higher magnification just shows how un-laserlike ( nice made up word) your pew is. Best to just use a red dot and sustain the generally accepted in airsoft illusion that your rif has 80 m of perfect straight line trajectory and people are all cheeeeettaaaahs who don’t call hits.

[Fatboy40]

I'm more than happy with my Aim-O 3x flip to side Eotech G33 clone, and like others have said more magnification than this is a bit pointless when if we're being truly honest our DMR's are "accurate" to 60 meters or so at best 😉

[Cyberlawyer]

I concur with all the above comments. I have a largish scope on my Mk12 as I like the look, but it rarely goes beyond its lowest 3x setting. On the very few occasions it does go higher than 3x its on large open sites when I'm using it for spotting rather than for actually taking a shot.

 

Glass quality will actually be much more important for you to ensure the scope is usable in all conditions (dark tints can make the picture too dark if it is overcast or if you want to use the sight at night dusk, and some cheap clear coatings can cause awful haloing or glare in bright sunlight). Reproduction optics can be a bit hit and miss in this regard so id suggest either being a RS sight from someone like Vortex or buying from Amazon (yeah I know) where a return will be easy if your airsoft repro turns out to be crap.