Look long and hard
THEN CHOOSE A RIFLE SCOPE
ALLEN
MACARTNEY
BUYING A GOOD scope used to be a lot
easier. Nowadays, buyers face a bewildering
range of excellent scopes, both specialty
and general models, with prices ranging
from modest to breath-taking. So it’s crucial
to figure out what type of scope you really
need, and how much money is enough.
Most people who shoot several times a year can spend
between $250 to $450 and get an excellent, rugged scope to
meet almost all their requirements.
So forget the night vision model that an actor used in the
latest Hollywood shoot-’em-up, unless you’ve just won the
lottery. It might improve your performance – but possibly by
only five or 10 per cent. A better investment is more time
spent at the range getting familiar with your rifle and the
reasonably priced scope you settled on.
Most scopes today allow the hunter or marksman/woman
to zoom through a range of magnifications, though some
offer one fixed version (often 10X). Those numbers mean an
object seen through 3X magnification appears three times
closer to you than when looked at with the naked eye. A 9X
magnification brings it nine times closer. Scopes in that 3X to
9X zoom range have earned popularity with their versatility.
So what’s best for you?
Start by identifying the type of shooting you’re planning.
If you’re a close- to medium-range deer or moose hunter
(100 to 300 metres) who uses the rifle up to five times a year,
that variable zoom scope mention above (3X to 9X zoom) is
probably ideal. You can zoom in or out, depending on how far
away your target is. Up close you’d dial in 3X magnification,
while at 100 metres and beyond 9X magnification is needed.
A zoom scope has more glass and parts inside than a
fixed-magnification scope. That makes it heavier and slightly
less rugged. Because of the extra optics, zoom scopes –
especially cheaper ones – might also be less clear than one
with fixed magnification.
The long-range target shooter trying to reach out accu-
rately from 600 to 1,000 metres is a different league entirely.
That shooter needs magnification above 15X, and there’s no
such thing as too much magnification for long-range target
shooting or hunting. But it’s a costly mistake to buy very high
magnification (above 12X) if you’re primarily shooting at deer
in heavy bush 100 metres away. Such a scope brings the eye
up so close to the target that the animal gets “lost” in the
brush clutter.
Then there’s the reticle. It’s a delicate object built right
into the scope to lead the shooter’s eye to the centre of the
aiming point. Reticles vary – traditional cross-hairs, a single
post, a tool to calculate range and wind adjustments. Spend
time looking through scopes to find the one you prefer.
Most of today’s scopes have good to excellent clarity,
thanks to decades of technological advances like special
coatings that increase light transmission and reduce glare
inside the scope tube. Most scopes are filled with nitrogen or
another gas to reduce or eliminate fogging in damp or co