Hunting Scopes – Getting Started Part 1

Posted: March 14th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Outdoor Activity | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

It’s common for rifles and shotguns to look like something is missing when no hunting scope or other kind of sighting device is attached. Scopes are becoming more and more popular with handguns, also. The main reason is that it makes it easier to hit your target, when it is faraway, even though the guns can have the iron sights built in. It is easier to see your target and get off a more accurate shot when you aim through a magnifying scope or use a red dot laser sighting set up.

 

All rifle scopes feature a sizing system called a number range, these numbers refer to a hunting scope’s magnification range and the diameter of its objective lens. The 1st numbers of a 3-9x 40 optic would show that it is a variable optic capable of 3 times closer than the naked eye and up to nine times the naked eye in magnification. The main thing here is how low the magnification is rather than how high it is, because as the magnification increases, you willl get less light through the eyepiece.

 

The end # of the number range shows you the diameter of the objective lens, measured in mm. Normally, rifle scopes use objective glass with diameters of 40 to 45 millimeters. Other more extreme models range up to 75 millimeters, but this isn’t required. The higher the number of the objective lens, the more light you get through your eyepiece. A delicate balance of magnification and objective lens size is what will hand you the most detail and the best chance of accurate shots.

 

The magnification size you choose depends on how much enlargement you need. Don’t forget that the detail gets better when you use a lower magnification, but you also need to think about whether you will be shooting at small targets from faraway. So, you could choose a 3-9×40 scope for deer hunting, but for pheasant or rodent hunting, you might want a 6-20x or 8-25x variable gun scope because you will be shooting targets from a larger range distance.

 

The objective lens can be adjustable or variable, also. External parallax adjustments are able to change the diameter of variable objective hunting scopes. A variable objective can make a difference with scopes that have greater than 10x magnification. You won’t usually find this feature on scopes with smaller magnifications.

 

Rifle scope lenses generally are water resistant and fog-proof. They are coated with one or more layers of coating to help diminish light loss and glare. Typically speaking, the more layers of this coating you have, the sharper the contrast and the clearer the object’s image will be. Fully multi-coated hunting scope lenses normally are thought of as the best because they typically give better light transmission and distinct contrast.

 

Another term you will hear while you are looking at hunting scope optics is Field Of View, or FOV. Field of View is refering to how many feet, left to right, you will be able see while looking through the scope. Normally, you will have about a 30 foot Field of View or FOV at a 100 yard distance on 3 times magnification. As the magnification you use goes down, the Field of View increases. The FOV typically is only about 14 feet at 9x magnification.

 

It is critical to understand the measurements of rifle scopes when you want to select the best overall model for the type of hunting you will be doing. The scope’s measurements definitely can make quite a difference in the preciseness of the shot you take.

 

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