Your First Scope Should be the Right Scope

In the past, your first rifle was one handed on to you by your dad, your uncle, or someone else close to the family. Usually it was well worn and fitted with iron sights. It might have been too large a caliber for you to handle well at first, or may have been too long in the stock. But you learned, and in time you became a proficient hunter. That was then.

Today, many people are taking up hunting and shooting. Not only those from “hunting families,” but people who may never before have held a firearm. Manufacturers of rifles are making many reliable and affordable models that can be purchased by the new hunter for a reasonable price. Special models with shorter stocks or lighter overall weights make the shooting sports more accessible to a greater number of people than ever before. Not surprisingly, the one tool that will make a new shooter a better and more consistent shooter, the riflescope, is being used in ever increasing numbers as well. The use of riflescopes enables the new shooter to gain better control of shot placement, obtain better results, and make more successful clean harvests of game animals.

Which riflescope is best for you? If you decide to use a scope, you need to decide if you need a fixed magnification or a variable magnification scope. Fixed magnification scopes have their uses, but for general purpose hunting rifles, a variable magnification model is usually the best choice. That way, you can adjust the magnification level down for close shots or up for longer shots.

What magnification is best? Remember that while very high magnification scopes might be fun to shoot on the range, they´re not always the right scope to use in the field. Too much magnification can limit your field of view and make targets difficult to locate. They are also difficult to shoot in off-hand positions. It is best to stick to a scope magnification range that is well suited for general purpose shooting, something between 2x or 3x and 7x to 9x; 12x at the absolute most.

What will a scope cost? There are now many reliable scopes on the market, such as the Leupold® VX®-I or Rifleman® models, that can be obtained at a very reasonable cost. However, when deciding to use and selecting a scope, remember that ´cost” can mean many things. A scope that has a low price tag can be ´expensive” if it fogs at a critical moment and you can´t take your shot; the expense would be the deer you lost. That’s why an understanding of scopes is a good thing to have when you select one.

Service and guarantees. There are a lot of low-priced scopes that are not guaranteed, or that are, but with a catch. Companies that make high-quality shooting equipment are willing to stand behind it if anything goes wrong. This is one of those times to consider reputation. Companies that make quality scopes and stand behind them not only have the guarantee in writing, but have a good reputation in the shooting world as well. Talk to a few people you know to be experienced hunters. Ask what scope company has a good reputation for quality and service.

Take Leupold for example—they´ve been around since 1907, making scopes since 1947. They make all their scopes in one location in Oregon, so you know if you need to, you can speak directly to the folks who make and service them without having to write to Germany or Asia. They invented the first waterproof riflescope, they invented the Duplex® reticle, and they have a lifetime guarantee on all their scopes that states if anything mechanical or manufacturing related goes wrong, they will fix it, period. That´s the type of company reputation you´ll need to look for when choosing your scope.Important features to consider. So in the end, you should look for a reliable scope in a variable magnification that´s waterproof, true to its adjustments, has a clear image, an easy-to-use reticle, and is backed by a good guarantee. Of course, price is a valid consideration in any purchase. You can get all these features in a Leupold VX-I or Rifleman scope for right around $200.00. What´s more, as it has all these things, it will be $200.00 well spent that will provide you with a lifetime of good hunting.

IMPORTANT SCOPE TERMS TO KNOW

• Magnification: The magnification (or power) of a scope indicates how many times larger the object seen through the scope appears to the eye.
• Variable Magnification: A style of scope that offers more than one magnification setting.
• Fixed Magnification: A scope that features only one level of magnification, such as 4x, 6x, or 12x.
• Objective Diameter: The size of the lens furthest from your eye. It is described in millimeters, e.g. 20mm, 32mm, 40mm, and so on.
• Eyepiece: The part of the scope closest to your eye. You look through the eyepiece to use the scope.
• Reticle: Also called the crosshair. The aiming point of the scope.
• Maintube: This is the central part of the scope that holds the adjustments, internal lenses, and all the other parts of the scope.
• Point of Impact: The place where the bullet strikes the target.
• Elevation and Windage: Elevation adjusts the point of bullet impact up or down (the vertical axis), while windage is side to side (the horizontal axis).
• Parallax: An optical phenomenon that occurs in a scope when the reticle and the image are not in the same optical plane, causing the image to be unclear or to move in relation to the reticle. Correction for parallax is generally set at a specific distance in lower-magnification scopes, often 150 yards. Highermagnification scopes will usually have adjustment dials (either on the objective, called an adjustable objective, or on the side of the scope, called side focus) that allow the parallax distance to be adjusted to longer or shorter distances as needed.

SELECTING A SCOPE

Once you´ve determined what magnification scope you would like, you need to think about the performance of the scope. A good scope must have a clear, well-defined image; an easy-to-use reticle (commonly called the “crosshair”); reliable and repeatable adjustments for windage and elevation; and must be waterproof. Let´s look at each of these points:

• A clear, bright, well-defined image—the ability to place a shot is partly determined by how well you can see your target. Remember, hunting is not only about getting your animal, it´s also about making a clean harvest; and above all not mistaking something that is not your target.
• An easy-to-use reticle—while there are many different designs on the market, the best for the beginning hunter is one that is easy to see, not too big as to block your target, and simple in its design. Leupold´s Duplex is a fine example of this type of reticle.
• Reliable and repeatable adjustments for windage and elevation—because you will need to adjust your scope to your rifle (sighting it in), and if you can´t trust your adjustments to hold true, you shouldn´t be using the scope.
• Waterproof—a good scope will be both waterproof and filled with nitrogen to prevent it from fogging. Too many hunters have lost game due to scopes they thought were a good buy at the time and then fogged in the field.