I was recently asked about my preferences in scopes for hunting with an airgun. While in general, I do adhere to the principle of getting the best glass you can afford, the answer is a bit more nuanced. In this post, I’m going to focus more on key attributes I look for rather than a specific model/brand of scope.

One of my favorite scopes for long range shooting these days is the MTC King Cobra FFP scope.

My preferences are driven by the rifle the scope is being mounted on, the range at which it will be used, the balance between bright and low light conditions I expect to encounter, and the size of my quarry’s kill zone.

For the guns I will use on small or medium game at closer ranges (<60 yards), my preference is for a more compact scope design, with a 1” or 30 mm tube, a 40 mm objective, and low-profile turrets. Variable magnification is preferable to fixed magnification, and I think a 3-9x scope covers the range of potential field uses, from small game at 10 yards to the occasional stretch at 60 or 70 yards. The thing that puts me off high magnification scopes (for this application) is that they tend to be larger, heavier, and require more time to adjust in typical small game hunting scenarios.

I think a 32–40 mm objective lens is good for this application, with 40 mm the best overall choice because it balances brightness, weight, and low mounting height. It typically supports good light transmission for dawn/dusk squirrel or rabbit hunting, and works well at a 3-9 x scope magnification, which I consider the sweet spot for this type of setup. When I am in the Northern woods after squirrels or snowshoe hare, it is not unusual to walk several miles in rough terrain or thick brush, so keeping the hunting rig light and compact is a primary requirement in my estimation. The larger dimension of a higher magnification scope without the actual need for the higher magnification capability is hard for me to justify.

A compact scope like the Hawke AirMax isis the perfect option on a compact hunting rifle.

On the other hand, when I am putting together a longer-range rig for prairie dogs or groundhogs, there is a lot to be said for a higher magnification scope on my hunting rifle. These requirements vary in a couple of important ways from the small game rig already described. I am often shooting between 75 to 150 yards when out after prairie dogs, and the guns I use for this tend to be longer, heavier, and not carried long distances compared to my standard rig. So, a heavier scope is not a hindrance, and in fact can help stabilize a gun typically shot from a bipod. The high magnification is useful in imaging a sub-inch kill zone on a prairie dog 125 yards away, and any reduction in low light capabilities is mitigated by the fact that most of this shooting is done in bright daylight.

With respect to FFP vs SFP, I like both and use both, but again find this depends on the use case. Based on the two use cases discussed above, my preference for a standard small game rigs is an SFP scope. The reticle visibility stays thick at low magnification, making it easier to see in brush, shadows, and early morning light. I find that this provides fast target acquisition—critical for shooting small game that is constantly moving. Also, at the sub-60-yard ranges, a Simple holdover at your chosen zero magnification is fast and easy to use. I find that when using a through-scope camera, the FFP reticles can become too thin at low power, and some of my shooting buddies find this true for woodland hunting in general. FFP scopes tend to be more expensive, which is harder to justify for a gun primarily intended for close-range shooting.

But there are times when FFP is useful. For long-range airgun shooting (60–150 yards) where consistent subtensions at any magnification matter, they allow a more consistent and precise shot placement. This is especially true when coupled with optimized reticles that can provide accurate scaling. As mentioned, my long-range shooting rigs are used in an environment where I don’t mind the extra weight and size of a high-magnification FFP scope. And in these scopes, I am fine with a larger 44 mm or 50 mm objective that requires high-profile mounts.

For most airgun hunting, the best reticles are the ones that help you make fast, accurate shots at varying distances, often in imperfect light and on small targets. Unlike benchrest, hunting demands speed, visibility, and simple, reliable holdover estimation. While reticles are a point of personal preference to some degree, I like an uncluttered system, yet one that still has adequate aimpoints. For scopes on my standard small game guns, I like a BDC or a mil-dot reticle. They are simple to use, quick to deploy, and typically easy to see in low-light conditions. On my long-range rigs, I will often use more exotic configurations such as a Christmas tree reticle, which, when paired to an FFP scope, is extremely precise though a bit more fidgety.

Again, these are broad considerations when selecting the scopes for my rifles. Once you find a scope that has good quality glass with good light transmission characteristics, tactile and stable windage and elevation controls, and an AO that is easily adjusted on the fly, consider the other characteristic we discussed to decide what best fits your needs. There are a lot of quality scopes out there for airgunners these days, and I use a lot of MTC and Hawke scopes myself. They have gained my confidence over the years for their performance, reliability, and build quality, and while not inexpensive, they are reasonably priced and provide good value for money.

A frequently asked question is if a feral hog can be taken with a standard caliber air rifle, and in this weeks entry Jim shares his thoughts.

As long as I’ve been working with airguns, I’ve had people asking if their smaller caliber and standard powered air rifle can be used to take feral hogs. The water was muddied in previous years by media airgunning “experts” making videos of taking pigs with a spring piston .177 rifle; at the same time, Wildlife Management Organizations were deciding if they would allow airguns to be used for hunting in their states. Those who knew airguns and those with a deep understanding of hunting and wildlife management clearly understood that the idea of using a .177 spring piston air rifle to hunt larger game or pest species was unethical at best, but more over not a very bright thing to do. It compromised the legitimacy of airguns as a valid method of take. In my view, these companies and their sponsored hunters harmed the efforts to legalize hunting with airguns more than any other single factor.

For this reason, I was very conservative with my public comments. When asked “can you kill a hog with a .25 caliber gun doing 50 fpe’? My response would be something like, in certain scenarios you could, but it’s not the right gun for the job. I still don’t feel like that would be the right gun for most hunters in most situations, however, I do believe it could be used ethically and efficiently in the right conditions and by the right hunter.

What do I mean by the right conditions? The first criterion is the ability to make the right shot placement. If using a gun of marginal power, the placement needs to be a headshot, which, for a hog in my experience, means right between the eyes if the pig is looking down, dropping the pellet down the ear, or placing the pellet/slug between the ear and eye.

It also means getting into the appropriate range, I would say 50-60 yards is about as far as you’d want to go. But the range limit, be it 30, 50, or 70 yards, is a function of how far you can reach out and still consistently drop the pellet on target. And remember, this is shooting from field positions, not off a rest. But for me, this is the essence of airgun hunting, using your fieldcraft to close the range is what makes airgunning such an exciting approach to hunting.

To expand a bit on the hunters ability to make the right shot; remember that a .25 caliber air rifle generating 50 fpe is about half the power of a .22 LR rimfire, with a slightly larger diameter. That is why shot placement is so important. I have hunted with air rifles many times alongside traditional firearm hunters. It is more common than not for me to have the same number of shots fired as pigs on the ground. This is rarely the case for the centerfire hunters, whose guns are an order of magnitude more powerful. Yet I am constantly surprised at the sloppy shooting that often accompanies the powder burners, with missed or wounded animals the result. Their expectation seems to be that if the shot is in the ballpark, the animal will go down.

I think that I’m a pretty good field shot, but not exceptional. The difference is primarily one of mindset: what’s always in the back of my mind when squeezing the trigger is that if the shot is not perfect, the animal won’t go down. Therefore, if I don’t feel I have the perfect shot, I will not shoot. Instead of taking the marginal shot, I will either wait for a better opportunity or move to make one.

So, back to the initial question about using a smaller caliber 50 fpe gun for a larger quarry. My opinion these days is, yes, you can. But I would make 40-50 fpe my power floor, limit shots to 50 yards providing a ½” target can be hit from a field position almost every time utilizing field positions, I would only recommend head (brain) shots, and stipulate that the hunter has the discipline to wait for a better shoot rather than taking the marginal one, or walk away if that doesn’t happen.

I will often take a 50-90 fpe gun in .25 or .30 caliber out stalking for hogs, with the expectation I’ll have to work my way in close, and follow all the aforementioned guidelines. If hunting from a blind where the ability to change position is limited, I will usually use a big-bore with a lot more power, which allows a heart-lung shot from a bit further away. But my opinion is that if you pick the right shot, at the right range, have the capability with your gun to place the shot on target, and the discipline to walk when it doesn’t line up, It can be done ethically and efficiently.

Jim looks back over some of the Brocock/BRK rifles he hunted with in 2025, and explains why this is currently his favorite premium-level brand as a hunter.

I am fortunate to hunt extensively over the course of a year, and get to try several different guns, sometimes my own rifles and sometimes loaners. In the past, I found myself hunting mostly, at least in the context of British/European guns, with models from Daystate, AirArms, and FX. Then a few years ago, an acquisition brought Brocock and Daystate under the same ownership structure. It also saw design and manufacturing resources aligning, and in my view, was the beginning of a new era for Brocock. They had always produced compact little guns that were barebones but workmanlike, at a budget-friendly price point, but outside of pricing and being compact, they were a fairly basic design…. But nothing wrong with that, they were still very nice compact small game guns..

But not that long after the merger, Brocock came out with the Compatto. I was in the UK visiting family shortly before the introduction of this innovative semi-bullpup, and my brother-in-law and I were invited to stop by Daystate for a tour and to see this pre-released rifle. and I was in love! I got to shoot it on their range and found the design perfect for my style of hunting, and the performance to be outstanding. The Brocock Compatto soon became one of my primary small game guns for several years.

Flash forward to 2025, and as we come towards the end of the year I wanted to look back on some of my experiences hunting with Brocock/BRK rifles this year. While I did get out with the Compatto and Bantam a few times, I want to look at a few of the newer rifles that include the standard Sniper, the Sahara, the Sonoran, and the Ghost.

My Sniper XR Commander is a .25 caliber rifle that I used on rabbit and squirrel hunts, long-range prairie dogging, and even took a small hog with it. It is a full-sized rifle, a modular design that provides excellent accuracy and more than enough power for small/medium game hunting and long-range shooting. Mine has the desert sand finish and the 23” barrel options with the 480cc CF bottle up front. The lever action has a good tactical feel and cycles rapidly and smoothly, and the trigger is truly outstanding. I was sent this gun as a test sample and liked it so much I bought it, and with the number of guns in my collection, this is about the highest praise I can give.

The Brocock Sahara XR in .25 caliber is a semi‑bullpup PCP air rifle with also in a sand‑colored finish. It has an adjustable thumbhole stock, which is a comfortable gun to shoot in the field. It shares many of the features and technologies of the standard Sniper platform, but the power has been significantly ramped up in this gun. I used this gun mostly for small game and predators, and had a lot of success with it on both using pellets and slugs. The Sahara is more compact than the Sniper XR, but weighs a bit more, and carries well on the shoulder.

I had made a joke when reviewing this gun that my only major criticism is that it was not a .30, so of course, when the .30 caliber version of the Sahara, called the Sonoran, was announced, I started wrangling to get one. This rifle was a collaboration between Airguns of Arizona (Brocock importer), BRK (Brocock’s rebranded label), and Sub-MOA (precision barrel manufacturer), and they did a great job. The Sahara was a step up in power from the Sniper, and the Sonoran is a step up from the Sahara. And Ill say right here that all three are absolute tackdrivers once you find your preferred projectile and get dialed in. The stock of the Sonoran uses the same furniture as the Sahara, but leverages a 25” 15mm diameter barrel fabricated by Sub-MOA. I have used this gun on predators, javelina, feral hogs, and think it is one of the best all-around mid-sized game and predator airguns on the market.

All of the guns based on this platform offer consistency and a high shot count achieved with the HUMA regulator, and one of the best triggers to be found on a production air rifle.

The other Brocock/BRK rifle I used this year was the BRK Ghost. This is a departure from the other rifles discussed to this point, with a different design language, though there is some shared technology. While the Sniper is a tactical rifle, the Sahara and Sonoran are semi-bullpups, the Ghost is a straight-up bottle-forward bullpup design. This gun was released before the Sonoran, and was the first .30 caliber offered by Brocock. While this gun is a modular design and has caliber kits for .177, .22, .25, and.30, I have never felt any desire to move away from the .30. I used this gun extensively for long-range prairie dog shooting and have taken several predators, and hogs with it as well.

Of the rifles used in 2025, there are many that I liked a lot. When you review guns, you have to look at them in the context of targeted user groups. If I am thinking in terms of budget, I have one set of favorites. If thinking in terms of precision, some other brand will be ranked higher, etc. But I can say that, if my budget allowed it, my favorite of the premium-level guns for field work these days would be Brocock/BRK. Across the company’s product portfolio, based on design, quality of manufacturing, feature set and functionality, they are my favorite premium level brand overall.

I find all of the Brocock guns have a high degree of ergonomics and usability designed in. The HUMA regulator, the company’s proprietary air management system, is easy to adjust and does a superb job of generating consistent accuracy and power. And the responsiveness and tactile quality of the triggers reflect the competition legacy and know-how of the Daystate engineering team. I am not a competitive shooter, and don’t see how anything could be improved on these guns that would provide improved performance for me as a hunter.

Quick update: Hi all, hope you’re all having a great hunting season! I was in Texas for a couple weeks for javelina, hogs, predators and rabbits, then to Northern Wisconsin for snowshoe hare and squirrels. Going back to WI next week for the second year of Airgun deer hunting, then on to Texas, Indiana, and S. Dakota, with a few days in Puerto Rico, then scooting over to Vegas for the SHOT Show. Busy time of year, and there will be a lot of content so keep checking back!

Also just posted a video from a recent night hunt for hogs with the Western Airgun Sidewinder, take a look!

Out for one of the most popular game animals in North America.

As the leaves turn shades of amber and crimson, it signals my favorite time to be out in the woods: the beginning of the new squirrel hunting season! For many hunters, the pursuit of squirrel with an air rifle is more than a pastime—it’s a time-honored tradition and a test of patience, marksmanship, and fieldcraft. In this blog post we’ll talk about preparing for the new season, highlighting regulations, equipment, techniques and the challenges that come with this pursuit.

Squirrel seasons are typically established by state and provincial wildlife agencies to help manage healthy populations and protect the ecological balance. Most seasons begin in mid-September, I hunt in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Indiana mostly, and this timing aligns with the squirrels’ heightened activity as they gather food for winter. Hunters eagerly anticipate the release of the new season dates, which vary by location and can be affected by factors such as climate, population surveys, and conservation needs.

Hunting regulations exist to ensure ethical harvests and protect wildlife populations. Most regions require a small game hunting license, and some may have specific requirements for hunting with air rifles. Legal shooting hours, bag limits (often 5-10 squirrels per day), and regulations around equipment must be understood and followed. It is the responsibility of each hunter to consult local wildlife agency websites or handbooks for the most up-to-date information before heading afield.

The air rifle holds a special place in the tradition of squirrel hunting, as this is where many kids get their first experience of hunting. Airguns are well suited for this due to their quiet operation, inherent accuracy, optimal power for small game, which makes it the perfect tool for both newcomers and seasoned hunters. Compared to traditional firearms, air rifles create less disturbance, less carrying range, and I believe allow for a more immersive experience in nature and the potential for multiple shots in one outing.

When selecting an air rifle for squirrel hunting, several factors should be considered. With respect to caliber, .177 and .22 caliber are the most popular choices, with .22 historically preferred for the balance of effectiveness, cost and availability of guns and ammo this caliber offers. However, in more recent years .25 and even .30 have gained traction for their superior knockdown power. On one hand this is more power than you will need, on the other it is still lower than a .22 rimfire which has been the most common firearm for small game hunting for generations.

The rule of thumb for power output is that the rifle must deliver enough energy (typically at least 12 foot-pounds) to ensure a clean, ethical shot. However, 12 fpe is the low end of the spectrum and has become a threshold because in countries such as the UK, this is the most powerful gun a citizen can have without a license. My preference is for guns in the 25 – 70 fpe range, I don’t think there is a downside to a more powerful gun, except maybe the ammo is slightly more expensive though we are still talking pennies per shot. I pay more attention to accuracy, precision is critical; a well-placed shot is necessary for a swift, humane harvest. I think that whatever range you intend to shoot, you and your gun can consistently print sub-inch groups.

Quality optics improve shot placement, especially at the small vital zones of a squirrel. There is no problem with shooting open sights if you can meet the sub-inch group requirement with them. My eyes aren’t as good now as when I was a teen, but even though my vision is still pretty good I like a scope to ensure a clean shot. I also like the improved visualization they offer in low light scenarios.

Successful squirrel hunting begins before the season opens. Pre-season scouting involves observing likely habitats: mature hardwood forests, oak and hickory stands, and brushy edges. Look for signs such as cut nut hulls, nests (dreys) in the treetops, and areas with heavy leaf litter. Early morning and late afternoon are typically the best times to spot squirrels as they forage and play.

If I’ve had time to scout an area, I’ll set up in a hidden area and wait for squirrels moving between den and food source in ambush. I often hunt in distant areas that are not practicel for me to scout in person, though I will use Google maps to look for hardwood, water sources, and fields to get an idea of where squirrels might be found, then still-hunt those areas. Once I find good areas, I mark them on onX for future use.

A well-prepared hunter carries more than just an air rifle. It may seem like overkill, but I will often wear camouflage clothing appropriate for the season. I’ll often wear a camo shirt or vest, gloves, hat and a facemask, and think that a facemask and gloves are absolutely necessary at the very least. I also carry mid-power binoculars for spotting squirrels at a distance, in the shadows, or in dense vegetation. A small backpack with water, snacks, and field dressing supplies (with knife), a First-aid kit and insect repellent is also a good idea. In the past I would carry a game bag or wear a vest to carry the squirrels I shot, but this can get really messy, really fast. My preference these days is a game stringer such as those used by bird hunters, and hang it from my pack.

The foundation of all hunting seasons is ethical behavior—respect for the quarry, the land, and other outdoor enthusiasts. Ethical squirrel hunting involves taking only legal, safe, and ethical shots, harvesting within bag limits, recovering all game and using it responsibly (squirrel meat is lean and flavorful, perfect for stews and roasts), and leave no trace—packing out all litter and respecting private property boundaries. Not only are these ethical guidelines, but codified into law in many jurisdictions.

Tips I would suggest to new hunters are to learn the habits and calls of both gray and fox squirrels, and also Alberts squirrels if you are lucky enough to live in their range, to locate them more effectively. Move slowly and sit quietly; patience often brings the best rewards. This is also a good time to glass the area with those binoculars, as you will often spot squirrels otherwise missed. Practice marksmanship before the season to ensure clean, humane kills, and remember to shoot from the field positions and rests (shooting sticks, bipods, etc) you intend to use in the field. Just a reminder that there are not many benchrests in the woods to shoot game from. Field dress squirrels promptly to preserve the quality of the meat.

Squirrel hunting isn’t only about the pursuit; it’s also about enjoying the results. Across North America, classic recipes such as squirrel and dumplings, Brunswick stew, and fried squirrel have been a staple on tables for generations. Sharing wild game with family and friends strengthens bonds and continues the enduring traditions of the hunt.

The new season for hunting squirrel with an air rifle offers a chance to reconnect with nature, test one’s skills, and participate in one of the most enjoyable field sports to be found. By approaching each hunt with preparation, respect, and a well honed set of field skills, hunters ensure that this tradition remains sustainable for years to come. Whether you are a seasoned hunter or a newbie eager to learn, the changing seasons invite you to explore the woods, your favorite air rifle in hand, and discover the fun of squirrel hunting.