Rifle Scopes ? Which rifle scope is best for you?
Hunting for Mule Deer, Elk, Moose, Whitetail Deer, Black Bear or Coyotes you will require an excellence rifle scope. The subsequent guidelines may help with your choice.
First find an excellence scope that fits in your financial plan, buy the finest you can you have the funds for. You will by no means go wrong buying the best, however we all have budgets.
First, think about the light gathering value of the scope. Start by, looking at the big end of the scope. It is always measured in millimeters. The bigger the objective lens the more light it will gather. If you are hunting early morning or late evening or other low light situations you need to gather as much light as possible. A scope size will look like this “9×40″. That tells you that you will see the target at 9 times magnification, and “40″ would be the objective lens diameter. That is where you gather light. The bigger the objective lens, the more light it pulls in.
The example above is for a fixed magnification scope. Many shooters prefer a rifle scope that has variable magnification. A scope with “4-9×40″ means that it is adjustable from 4 power to 9 power magnification. The scope set on 4 power will give you wider field of view (FOV). If you are aiming at a moving target then lower magnification is better. It will make it easier to track the moving target. The higher the magnification, the narrower the field of view (FOV) will be. Think about the zoom feature on a camera, works in the same way.
Be sure the scope has multiple coated lenses. This tells you that each lens in the rifle scope has multiple coatings which will reduce the loss of light, provides a higher contrast image and reduces glare. There are diverse types of coatings used. The type of coating depends on the manufacturer.
The next step, your new scope should have windage and elevation adjustments. These are the dial knobs on the top and the side. The top adjustment should be the elevation or up and down fine-tuning. The windage or left to right is usually on the right side of the scope. Each of can be change by removing the protective cap and turning with your fingers. Each click generally is ¼” in 100 yards. These clicks are quite easy to hear.
The next thing to think about is the exit pupil size. That will be the end of the scope closest to your eye. Here again, the larger the exit pupil size the brighter the image will be. In general you can divide the magnification power by the objective lens to find the exit pupil size. A 4×40 would then give you a 10mm exit pupil. In other words, the size of the column of light that comes out of the exit pupil lens.
A significant consideration for most shooters is the eye relief. Eye relief means how far your eye can be from the end of the scope and still give you a full field of view (FOV). With a long eye relief you can be farther from the end of the scope. If you are too close, the rifle recoil may cause the scope to hit your eyebrow causing a nasty little cut or at least a bruise. This is lovingly referred to as “scope bite”. If you choose a scope with a fairly short eye relief, make sure it has soft rubber surrounding your end of the scope. This will give a little more protection from the recoil.
Find a scope that is waterproof, fog proof, sealed and one that is scratch resistant. Falls, going through brush can all scratch your scope. And by the way, if you fall or otherwise shock your scope, you should sight it in again right away to make sure your shot at a trophy will hit its target.
Lastly, get your scope mounted on your hunting rifle by an expert. If you buy your new scope from a quality dealer, they will mount your scope at no charge.
There is not time or space to get into the internal parts of rifle scopes. What has been written here is the common man’s version of choosing a new rifle scope.
A good riflescope to begin with is a 3-9×40. Many shooters believe this is an excellent rifle scope for big game hunting.
Jon C. Swanson is the owner of “The Firing Line Store” and has had over thirty years of shooting and firearms training and experience. He gained his experience while serving as a Deputy Sheriff with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. He trained formally at the Sheriff’s Office range with a wide variety of firearms including revolvers, semi automatic handguns, fully automatic sub machine guns, rifles, assault rifles, and shotguns.
He also gained real life firearms experience in the street acting as a Patrol Deputy, Undercover Narcotics Agent, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant and Fugitive Unit Sergeant. He was tasked with the training of new deputies including weapons and firearms handling and use. During his 28 years in law enforcement he was involved in five officer involved shootings and always came out on the winning side with out a scratch.
He has a wealth of classroom, range and hands on weal life firearms experience.
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