It is common for rifles and shotguns to look like something is missing when no hunting scope or other kind of sighting device is connected. It is becoming increasingly prominant for handguns to have them, as well. The major reason is that they make hitting a distant target easier, even if the weapon has an iron sight built in. By aiming into a magnifying scope or using a red dot laser sight, it is easier to see your target and get a more precise shot.
Many rifle optics have a sizing set up that is known as a number range, which refers to the magnification ranges and the objective lens diameter. The 1st digits of a 3-9x 40 hunting scope, for example, say it is a variable scope capable of showing targets three times closer than they look to the naked eye, but it is also capable of going up to 9 times the unaided. The main factor 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 last number is the objective lens diameter, measured in metric mm, and usually they are 40 to 45 millimeters, although some of the extreme models go up to 75 millimeters, even though it isn’t necessary. The higher the objective lens number, the more light you will get entering through the eyepiece. A subtle balance of magnification and objective lens diameter will give the greatest amount of detail, which is needed for exact shots.
Your choice of magnification range will depend on how much magnification you want to have. Don’t forget that the detail is better when you use a smaller magnification, but you also need to think about whether you will be shooting at small targets from long distances. For example, you could select a 3-9x 40 rifle scope for deer hunting, but you might need a 6-20x or an 8-25x variable gun optic for game bird or squirrel hunting because your targets will be far away.
The objectives can be adjustable or variable, also. External parallax adjustments can change the diameter of variable objective hunting scopes. This can make a difference with hunting scopes with greater than 10x magnification. But you sometimes will not get this feature on hunting scopes that use a smaller magnification.
Gun scope lenses generally are water proof and fog-proof. They are coated with one or more layers of coating to help decrease light loss and glare. As a general rule, the more layers of coating, the clearer the contrast and the better the image will be. Fully multi-coated hunting scope lenses usually are considered the best because they typically allow greater light transmission and distinct contrast.
Another term you will hear while you’re looking at hunting scope optics is Field Of View, or FOV. This measurement refers to how many feet left to right you can see when you are looking into the scope. Generally your Field of View will be about 30 feet at a 100 yard distance at 3x magnification. As the magnification goes down, the FOV goes up. At 9 times magnification, the Field of View would only be about 14 feet.
Developing knowledge about the measurements of a rifle scope is important when selecting the best overall scope for the type of hunting you want to be doing. Its dimensions will make a major difference in the precision of your shots.
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