Hi everybody.
Firstly, great big thank you to Russ. I have watched most of his videos on YouTube and find them some of the most helpful out there.
After 5 years of owning an Air Arms TX200 HC and not getting through a single tin of pellets, a friend invited me to a local shooting range and insisted I have a go with his PCP. A week later, I had sold the TX200 and everything else in the house that wasn't screwed down, with one goal in my mind - buying a PCP with a magazine.
Initally, I bought a BRK Ghost but, after experiencing some problems with it, the store allowed me an exchange, so I went for an Impact M3. After watching Russ' videos, my scope choice was the HIKMICRO Aplex and so began my hunting adventure.
I live in a 200 year old wooden cabin on a friend's 200 acre estate. The cabin is plagued with rats, living underneath and in the walls, which can make for noisy nights, and the estate is plagued by rabbits, as there are dozens of well established warrens in the nearby moorland. So, I was to have plenty of targets to shoot at.
I immediately fell in love with the Aplex, especially as I'd never had a night vision scope before. However, the more I used it with my Impact, the more I realised I should have opted for a scope with a range finder. So, it was back to YouTube and Russ' channel to see what was available/recommended.
After absorbing all I could from the comparisons, two weeks ago I decided to sell the Alpex and buy a Pard DS35, just as they disappeared from every shop in the country. I know I could have gone for a Cheetah or an NV008 but, I much prefer the tradional looking type of scope, so it looks like I'll be waiting a few weeks until the DS35 issues are resolved.
One thing I'm surprised about though is how few options there are for night vision, with a range finder and ballistics calculator, especially when this must be on the wishlist of every airgunner with rat and rabbit targets. And I'm gobsmacked that HIKMICRO can create such great scopes without a range finder option (Aplex) and when they do (Cheetah) they don't include a ballistics calculator. Thank God for Pard!
Regardless, the dogs now eat homemade rabbit dog food every day and, with a 34 shot magazine now, I can go through a tin of pellets in a single day haha.
Nick