How to choose the right scope for your budget

Many of us have heard the expression “You get what you pay for”, while the expression has become somewhat of a cliché, it truly relates to riflescopes as well as other optics such as binoculars and rangefinders. While there are many features and specifications that are important in distinguishing a decent scope from and excellent scope, it really boils down to three things: durability, brightness and clarity.

Why that order? If a scope is not durable, all the brightness and clarity will not help.

Brightness and clarity really go hand in hand with quality. Usually a scope with lower light transmission does not have the same quality of glass as a higher priced model and the lenses are not coated and polished to the same degree.

This is not to say that entry level scopes do not have their place, they certainly do, but within limitations. Those limitations become the deciding factor for the shooter based upon his or her usage and budget.

While there are many bells and whistles that add to the scopes attractiveness, durability and optical quality are what truly separate the men from the boys. This is the area where shooters and hunters sometimes find themselves “caught short.” I always try to leave the following thoughts with people who ask, “What scopes do I buy?”

• You are never unsatisfied when you spend a little extra, but you almost always wonder, “if I had spent a little more, would I have gotten a better product and been more satisfied?”

• Spend as much as you can afford on your scope. I am not trying to slight any firearm company, but most modern firearms are capable of better accuracy then the shooter can achieve. But if you cannot see your target, all of the accuracy is moot.

I am sure that you have a friend or acquaintance that has gone out to the local sporting good shop and purchased a top of the line rifle, only to outfit it with a bargain riflescope. Top that off with inexpensive aluminum rings and bases and you have a recipe for disaster. This gentleman proudly takes his new coveted big game rifle to the range where he shoots a box or two of ammo and calls it a day. A few weeks later finds our friend in the Selway Bitteroot Wilderness of Idaho on a once in a lifetime elk hunt he has saved his pennies for years to afford.

While the guide uses cow calls to entice the 6×6 bull out of the timber, our friend is struggling to find the bull in his scope…. his frustration grows as the opportunity of a lifetime slips away!

What happened? Well, my first guess would be the inexpensive scope our friend decided on was the after thought of the firearm purchase. He was so excited about finally owning the rifle that he did not think much about the scope. After all, he had used a similar scope for years in the thick forests of the Northeast where shots usually were not more then 50 to 75 yards. The light gathering ability of his scope was never a factor before.

Here is where the lesson begins. We all know that big game moves most in low light conditions, early morning and late evening; this is the time when we need a riflescope to perform. I can pick up any scope at my local dealer and look through it in a brightly lit store and it will look pretty good. It’s the low light situations where quality optics stand out. There are many scopes out there that will provide a lifetime of usage without breaking the bank. Here are some features you should look for:

• Durability— Lets face it, scopes take a beating. If a firearm is dropped or you fall or slip, the scope is usually the part of the rifle that makes contact first. I have seen scopes that were actually bent due to a fall and yet still held zero. Many scopes are built tough. Check to see what G-Force the scope you are contemplating is built to withstand. All Nikon scopes are built to withstand 1000g.

This is where good quality mounts come into play. Many people think that if there is an area of the rifle/scope/mount package that they can skimp on, it is the mounts. This is a big mistake. I have seen guys at the range wasting box after box of ammo because they could not get the gun to shoot a decent group. Many times this guy has a high quality scope and a high quality firearm, with inexpensive mounts. While I know that there are good quality aluminum mounts out there, I prefer steel. While steel may add a little more weight, I know that steel is stronger then aluminum and will stand up to the bumps and bangs associated with hunting conditions.

• Clarity— Being able to see detail is critical. Clarity has more to do with just the coatings. Coatings are important, but so is glass quality and the process of grinding and polishing it so it does not have any imperfections. If the glass has imperfections, the light transmitted through the scope can bounce around inside the tube instead of going directly to you eye. The imperfections will also contribute to distortion.

• Multicoated, or better yet Fully Multicoated lenses— The difference here is that fully multicoated scopes have multiple coatings on every air-to-glass surface including internal lenses.

Multicoated means that there are some, but not all, lenses that have multiple       layers of coatings. What does this mean? The more coatings, as well as the way it        is applied to the glass, and the quality of the glass provide better light       transmission, meaning you have a better ability to see the target in low light         situations.

I have on more then one occasion harvested animals in low light situations while             my buddies were walking back to their trucks, since they could not longer see             through their riflescope. Please don’t misinterpret this comment. I am not advocating shooting in the dark, but in certain states were you are hunting          over     food plots or bean fields and the shots can be long and in extremely low light,   you are going to harvest more game if you have a scope that can transmit as well        as “gather” light.

Light Transmission v. Light Gathering— Is light transmission and light gathering the same thing? No they are not! Although the term “Gathering Light” can seem         somewhat misleading, the fact that you can see better thru quality optics in low           light then you can with your naked eye is a simple example of an optic “gathering            light.”

Most lower-end scopes have single coatings on the lenses. This provides a minimal amount of light transmission yet keeps costs low. Many manufacturers try to trick the consumer by using the term “Fully Coated” optics. All this means is that all lenses have a single layer of coating. Remember to check for a scope that has Multicoated or better yet Fully Multicoated optics.

When looking through a scope in a brightly lit store look for the darkest spot in the store or up in the rafters and see if the scope allows you to see into the shadows.

• Long, Consistent Eye Relief — A scope needs to have sufficient eye relief in order to keep your face far enough away from the scope so that you are not hit with the scope during recoil. Since today most shooters and hunters are using variable power riflescopes, you want to make sure that the eye relief does not drastically change for low to high power. This change would cause you to reposition your face on the stock and alter the cheek weld that is essential to consistent shooting.

My opinion is that a scope should have a minimum of 3.5 inches of eye relief. Remember, while the eye relief may be perfect when you shoulder the gun off hand, your position when shooting from a bench or in the field lying prone can alter your position and change the eye relief. Couple this with a heavy hunting coat and your “perfect” eye relief is no more.

One thing to be careful about is manufacturers who list a range of eye relief. For example 3.3-4.3. While this appears to a good thing, it really is not a “range” of eye relief. This can be confusing as the “range” is actually the drastic change I mentioned before. This change causes you to shift your face on the stock which is not conducive to accurate shooting.

• Consistent, Positive Click Windage and Elevation Adjustments—While most folks do not use these adjustments in the field, the repeatability of your adjustments are extremely important. You never know when you might have to check you zero in the field.

This leads us to tracking and repeatability. Tracking is the ability of the scope to             move the correct amount of intended adjustment. If you need to move the point of          impact 3 inches, and you adjust the scope based upon the markings on the turret,        it should move 3 inches. What we have to realize is that when you make these    adjustments you are moving the actual guns group size and not just the impact of             a single round.

Unfortunately, you cannot test this until you have already purchased the scope.   Remember you need a very accurate rifle to truly test the scopes adjustments.    Repeatability is the ability of the adjustment to move and return to the same     original point regardless of how far up or down or right or left the adjustment is moved.

• Hand-Turn Adjustments— Many Lower End Scopes Feature Friction Type Adjustments, these are remnants of the past. While these adjustments work, having an audible “click” makes adjustments simpler and is another nice feature that comes in handy at the range.

• Warranty— Most quality manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty. Remember the best warranty is the one you never have to use!

The choice of your riflescope is equally as important as the firearm itself. Remember to follow these guidelines and stick with a prominent quality brand and you will be assured of a lifetime of enjoyment out of your firearm.

“Most of the time you only get one shot, make it count!”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 7:40 am and is filed under Instructional. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.