Posted on 07/03/2018 4:52:16 AM PDT by w1n1
If there's one question I receive, or view as a question posed on the vast expanses of the internet, it's "what scope should I buy?"
The resultant answers are usually comprised of about 95 percent useless information, whereas the remaining 5 percent is generated by folks who have a solid understanding of how to make a good choice with optics.
Optics aren't cheap, and it’s always a good idea to subscribe to the “buy once, cry once” policy when it comes to buying them. Why is that useless information percentage so high? Because there's an incredible amount of old and untrue information continuously being circulated throughout the shooting industry.
When someone presents the optics question to me, I cut right to the chase and ask them what they've budgeted.
I want to see where their expectations lie, which is going to help me direct them to certain brands that have the highest quality and feature rich products that fit that budget.
For the purposes of this article, I want to skim the surface and give you the information you need to know.
First off, if you’re looking for more light transmission, you're not going to get it from a bigger objective lens, or a bigger main tube. Those two items have zero influence on light transmission, which is one of the biggest misconceptions people have on rifle scopes.
Light transmission has everything to do with the refraction rate of the optical system, how many lens to air transitions the incoming light has to navigate before it gets to your eye, and the effectiveness of the coatings on the lenses.
There are a lot of optics companies out there that optimize the brightness and clarity of their lenses for in-store fluorescent lighting because that’s where the vast majority of scope purchasing decisions are made by the consumer.
The scope might look bright and clear in the store, but it might not be all you thought it would be in fading light when you’re trying to find that animal your buddy is trying desperately to talk you onto. Read the rest of this Rifle Scopes Guide here.
I agree completely! I have a lot of scopes, but I’ve owned and used even more binoculars and the author’s claim is nonsense. The quality of coatings does have a great deal to do with how much light is transmitted to the eye, but, all things being equal and given the same number of lenses, prisms and equivalent quality coatings, more light will be transmitted by optics with larger objective lenses.
Theory and practice are essentially the same as physics limits how much of an arc the lens can sustain without distortion. The practical side of building high quality lenses comes in how much the customer is willing to pay for something that simply transmits light. Zeiss, Leupold, Swarovski, all command a high premium because they turn out high quality glass. But Bushnell, Nightforce, and Trijicon are competing quite well because they balance cost with lens quality.
What they all do is coat their lenses. This does several things: -reduce glare -restrict ultra-violet -reduce fog (among other things). But they all desire the maximum amount of light to be transmitted. They do this by increasing objective lens diameter. The fact that this increases FOV is not lost on any of them, but to say that it does not increase brightness simply defies physics. Everything we see, if it is not a projected light source, is reflected light. The paper you read, the trees, the animals, EVERYTHING is reflected light and a rifle optic is designed to transmit the maximum amount of light that is there.
You can always save money by buying one used. Leopuld is one of the few companies that offers a lifetime guarantee regardless of whether you are the original owner. If it breaks send it to them they will fix or replace it.
Forgot to add, I do not thing we are butting heads but rather having a fantastic discussion as God intended.
The Leupold scope on my ‘bench rifle’ was more than a months pay.
You get what you pay for.
For shooters on a budget I have found that Bushnell gives good performance for the price.
Bookmarked for later reading.
Thanks guys.
I found the BEST rifle scope I ever had is the Lyman All-American.
When my rifles were submerged in the Tulsa Memorial Day flood in 1976, only the Lyman scope survived. They were laying in a steel box that filled with flood water, and remained soaked until I returned and emptied the box. Submerged for over 16 hours as I was 100 miles away at that time.
All the others were filled with water. The Weaver scope did not fill, but enough got inside to permanently fog and rust parts inside.
Have 35 year old lei-old 3-9X mounted on Pre-’64 Model 70 Winchester. A winning combination if ever there was one.
Bkmk
I splurged and got an ATN thermal scope.
Light gathering or transmission is the last thing to care about. Repeatability is the most important aspect especially when dialing. Unfortunately this is something Reupold cannot do well.
Yep. Got my 4x12 leupy bought in 1982 on my 1958 mod 70 in 3006. Take a white tail with it every year. I don’t know what the problem is thoguh. Shoots straight but seems to get heavier every year.
With lots of firearms (semi, bolt, breach) accumulated over the years and ranges of use from the bench to the field the most expensive is never always the most durable, brightest, clearest, with the exception of Leopold and what used to be Redfield (name now owned by Leopold). I have some older upper end Bushnell that have held up better than more expensive scopes, although Bushnell quality in my opinion is not as good as it once was 25 years ago. I have an older Tasco world class long range bench scope that rivals the clarity of some Leopold’s for 1/4 the price, but even Tasco is no longer the same company it was two decades ago. For my H-bar platforms I have preferred Burris for clarity, quality, and price. Some of the lower price Nikons are good, but do not compare to the quality and clarity I have found with Vortex. Few scopes are made in the U.S. anymore which is why many prefer Leopold. Most are made in China. Vortex has an outstanding warranty and most are made in Japan or the Philippines, except their low end Crossfires which are made in China. If you can afford a Ferrari as a commuter car than you might enjoy a Swarovski or Zeiss. If you want a good scope for cost, durability, and quality with decent warranty than Vortex Razor, Viper, or Diamondback are great choices. Leopold is always a good choice, but for most folks with multiple firearms only one or two of your best rifles get that luxury.
Leupold VX-1s in 3-9x40 can be had for less than $200.
I overheard a guy in a Coquille, OR restaurant talking about his experience with a Leupold scope. He was set to leave on a big hunt in a couple of days, and found his scope was fogged. He called customer service, and asked how quickly they could fix it. They said the mail wouldn’t get it to them fast enough to make his trip. So, he asked if they’d fix it if he drove it there. They would, and he did.
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