Most hunters and firearm enthusiasts have some kind of optical device installed on their guns. Reasons for this are plenty. A rifle scope has the function of magnifying the target and surrounding area, thus enabling the hunter to produce a more accurate shot. Even people with less than perfect vision are able to adjust the focus for their particualr eyes, so they will always get a clear image of the target.
A rifle scope is constructed from the following elements - exit pupil; eyepiece; ocular lens; power ring; elevation adjustment; windage adjustment; objective bell; objective lens. When buying a rifle scope, you should first make sure that it matches with your gun and ammunition.
The lens of the rifle scope is coated to achieve less light loss and glare. Optical coatings are very important because they increase the amount of light that enters the scope, which results in better clarity, contrast and color resolution. When buying a rifle scope, have in mind that different manufacturers are not equal in terms of coating quality, as some of them have proprietary, sometimes patented, coatings that give better performance.
Rifle scopes are compared based on several important characteristics, such as - image quality, magnification, objective diameter, eye relief, field of view, length, weight, light transmission, brand.
The quality of the image is determined by brightness, clarity, resolution, power and field-of-view. Other parameters to consider are possible precision adjustments, durability and reticle strength.
The magnification power is expressed in series of numbers, like 3-9x or 4x. On some rifle scopes, you can manually adjust the level of magnification, as given in 3-9x, which means that the magnification can be adjusted from 3 to 9. Low power rifle scopes are more suitable for close range and moving targets, because they have the most effective light management and wider field of view even in low-light conditions. So for close hunting, it's best to get a rifle scope with 4x magnification power.
The second number which comes after the 'x' stands for the diameter of the objective, given in millimeters. For example, 5x50 means that the power of magnification is 5, while the diameter of the objective is 50mm. The larger the number, the larger the lens, resulting in a wider field of view and greater amount of light that enters the scope, so you will get a clearer image, particularly in low light conditions.
The exit pupil is also parameter that determines the brightness of the image, proportional dependence. Larger exit pupil value means the position of your head related to the scope is less crucial.
Steve Gargento owns and operates http://www.rifle-scope-outlet.com a truly extensive website with plenty of information on Rifle Scopes.
Source: www.isnare.com
