Rifle Scopes: Bigger isn't Always Better
Posted: Tuesday, October 20, 2009
by Stephen Fischer
Clearly Optics
In many instances bigger = better, but that is not always the case with Rifle Scopes. As tempting as it may be, you don't need a riflescope the size of the Hubble to hit a target one or two hundred yards away. At the same time though, having more than your plain iron sights properly mounted on a firearm will greatly improve your accuracy.
The terminology surrounding rifle scopes can be a bit confusing many people. Some of the terms for rifle scopes seem designed to create confusion. But, if you know the basics, you should be able to find what you need at a reasonable price. The basic information you want to look at for a riflescope is magnification, objective, and reticle.
It's fairly easy to determine the magnification and objective diameter of rifle scopes just by looking at them. You'll typically see some numbers that follow the format of 3-9x42mm. In this example, 3-9x designates the magnification range, 3 times power to 9 times power. The number 42 designates the objective lens diameter in millimeters. It is possible to have fixed magnification rifle scopes. In that instance, the designation will appear like 3x42mm.
Magnification is discussed in terms of power. Power is the factor by which you are visually reducing the distance between yourself and the target. For example, if the magnification is 5X, targets 100 feet away will appear as though they are 20 feet away. In other words, a 10X magnification will make it seem like you are 10 times closer to your target. If the target were 100 feet away, you will see it as clearly as you could were it 10 feet away.
Don't be fooled by the lure of an ultra high powered Riflescope. The higher the power is, the lower the field-of-view. The field-of-view, as the name implies, describes the amount of sight picture available when looking through rifle scopes or other optics. A limited field of view can make it very difficult to acquire your target. Remember, if you will, being a child and pretending to use an empty paper towel roll as a telescope? Do you remember how difficult it was to actually find anything that way?
The objective lens is the light gathering lens of rifles scopes and is typically measured in millimeters (mm). As it is the light gathering lens, it is important to have a larger diameter objective if you'll be using your riflescope in low light conditions and especially under higher magnifications.
The next thing you'll want to look at is the reticle. The reticle is the aiming pattern that you see when looking through the riflescope. There are any number of reticle patterns available based on function. The most common type of reticle is crosshairs and a slight modification to the crosshair pattern called duplex. The scope of this article is too narrow to go into all possible reticles and their uses.
When buying Rifle Scopes , don't forget the mounting hardware. Many rifle scopes will come with rings; however they may not be compatible with your mount. In order to properly mount your riflescope, you'll need to know the firearm that you are mounting it to and the tube diameter of the scope. Then you'll need rings and a mount to match the two. If you're having trouble making the fit, be sure to ask your firearms professional and they'll be glad to help.
rifle scopes
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I have one scope that if I never saw it again it would be ok.... thanks for this information. MarijoThanks. I was just out back zeroing in a new reflex sight for tactical shooting. I think I'll be writing about those pretty soon.
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