Apollo 640 as standalone sight ?’s

[JPM_6.8]

Howdy! I’ve been a long time reader. The information has been very helpful and often times invaluable!

For those that are/have used the Apollo as a standalone weapon sight, can you use the digital zoom without affecting POI?

I’ve had mine for 4-5 years and have always used as a clip on. I decided to try it as a standalone sight this weekend to trim weight for hiking around looking for hogs, etc.

I used the Boresight menu to adjust the recticle. Had it zeroed at 100yds on 4x. However, when I’d change magnification, my POI shifted. It would always return to zero at 4x, so I wound up shooting hogs on 4x all night - but it was frustrating having to toggle up to 4x to make the shots.

I feel like I’m missing something, but I’m at a loss. Any help, insights, or guidance would be much appreciated!

 

[Fla_dogman]

I've had the same experience with mine. Same setup apollo 640 as a stand alone. I can shoot accurate on 2 and 4 X. Check my previous posts for more details

 

[JPM_6.8]

I've had the same experience with mine. Same setup apollo 640 as a stand alone. I can shoot accurate on 2 and 4 X. Check my previous posts for more details

Thanks. I can’t believe I didn’t come across your post in my hours or a scouring this and other forums.

Before I go blow through another $30-40 of ammo trying to get this thing working right. Did you wind up zeroing on 8x or at the lower 4x?

I’ll have to play with it to verify, but it seems I was having 8-10” shift of POI when I went from 4x to 8x. Maybe the difference between 2x and 4x is small enough that it won’t matter. Which would be acceptable. 2x and 4x is ideal.

What kills me is that when the recticle is centered before making Boresight adjustments (windage and elevation at 0), the magnification doesn’t seem to impact POI. But once I boresight the recticle is off center, so zooming pushes my recticle down and right.

Anyway thanks for the reply dogman. This gives me hope again that it can be used as a standalone!

 

[JPM_6.8]

Okay, got the tripod out and set an ice block down the hall way to test. Surprisingly, when I set the recticle dead center on the ice block at 1x, there is a shift of POA/POI when going to 2x.

However, when going from to 2x to 4x there doesn’t appear to be a shift. 4x to 8x, however, there is another shift.

I’m going to confirm this at yardage next week at the ranch with live rounds, but hopefully 2x and 4x are useable and accurate.

 

[Fla_dogman]

I've settled in on using 2x to scan and take a quick shot and 4x when I have time to adjust. I struggled with mine for months and missed several coyotes before getting the sweet spot I can live with. The margin shift was key to getting where I'm at now. It seems the margins can be shifted and cause it to hit on one side of the target at closer ranges and the other side at distant ranges . Hope this helps

 

[JPM_6.8]

Thanks. This helps! I’ll play with the margins to see if I can get it any closer. Last time I was out I was hitting pigs, but they were 50-60 yards away and the 4x made it difficult after they scattered.

 

[JPM_6.8]

Didn’t get a chance to shoot at a paper target for exact precision - but did lock the gun in and confirm that there is virtually no shift between 2x and 4x - at least that my eye could detect at 100yds.

Dropped a boar at about 115 yds Saturday night on 4x - although, I agree with you. 2x is the optimal blend of scanning capabilities and quick target acquisition. At 4x the FOV is cut down making it a little more difficult to locate your target.

Gun is shooting good enough for now with the current setup, but when I have time I’ll play with the margins at longer ranges to see if there’s additional benefit to gain.

 

[Fla_dogman]

Recently had an problem with mine and thought I was going to replace it. Anyway figured it out but while I had it off did some testing and discovered the margins do not affect the poi. I tried everything I could to adjust the poi shift with the zoom but couldn't make it change. So I'm back to shooting on 2 or 4 power and let the rest go. I am considering going back the the day scope behind it due to the image being closer to my eye. But I'll hold off on that until bullets are available again. Hope your scope is doing well for you.

 

[JPM_6.8]

I’ve considered going back to the day scope/clip-on, but I really like the weight savings of just running the thermal and it balances better. Not a big deal when shooting off a tripod, but my last 20 or so shots have been free standing or without a tripod (using a tree or stand as support).

If I ever win the lottery, I could see buying a pure stand alone thermal weapon sight, and using this as the back up / scope for buddies that go out with me. Until then, the 2x and 4x will have to work!

 

[Fla_dogman]

I’ve considered going back to the day scope/clip-on, but I really like the weight savings of just running the thermal and it balances better. Not a big deal when shooting off a tripod, but my last 20 or so shots have been free standing or without a tripod (using a tree or stand as support).

If I ever win the lottery, I could see buying a pure stand alone thermal weapon sight, and using this as the back up / scope for buddies that go out with me. Until then, the 2x and 4x will have to work!

I just bought a 1-6 and held it in front of my thermal and wow what a difference. So i might be experimenting with it very soon

 

[JPM_6.8]

I just bought a 1-6 and held it in front of my thermal and wow what a difference. So i might be experimenting with it very soon

I run a Vortex Viper 1-6 on my gun. It’s a good combo for what it is. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts after you try it out.

I really like the balance of the gun with the Apollo as a standalone which makes it much more maneuverable. But, with the throw lever on my Vortex, I can adjust the magnification much quicker and easier than finding the buttons on the Apollo. And you don’t have to toggle thru 8x and 1x to get back to the 2/4x where the gun is accurate.

I was hunting this past weekend from a box blind using it as a stand-alone and shot 4 pigs. Next time I go out I may use it in clip-on mode just to play with it and see if there is a big advantage one way or the other.

 

[Fla_dogman]

It's been over a month since going back to the thermal ahead of a day scope and like it better so far. The additional weight is no longer an issue because of the turret setup we now use. The image is much clearer and the zoom is better than in the stand alone mode. The illuminated reticle in the day scope is superior to that on the thermal, but the greatest benefit is the image appears much closer. A couple of downsides are the focus ring on the thermal is further away and the biggest is, as with all day scopes, you have to be mindful of eye relief and centered behind the scope. I don't see me ever going back to using a clip on as a stand alone scope again.

 

[JPM_6.8]

I’m hoping to get out this next weekend and plan to use in clip-on mode. Glad to hear it’s working for you!

I probably don’t adjust the focus near enough - but 90+% of my shooting is typically 100+ yds so once I set the focus for the night it’s good to go.

 

[JPM_6.8]

After hunting a few times more with the scope in stand alone mode, I finally switched back to clip-on mode.

The ease of dialing up magnification with my Vortex and the clarity of the cross hairs alone are significant benefits. I was also able to shoot with my Vortex @ 6x on target so I made some additional fine tuning adjustments to the margins.

Need to go back out to shoot pigs with this reconfigured setup, but I’m very optimistic about it. The only downside is see is the additional weight on the front of the rifle, but the gun is typically in a saddle on my tripod.

Also, in case someone can benefit from this in the future, I gave up on my thermabrite targets and just used some 3M HVAC Tape to make a big X on a piece of plywood. After 10 minutes or so, the X was crystal clear through my scope @ 100 yds.