The Scope Review Process

There's a lot more to doing a rifle scope review than reading the specs on the back of the box. Before a reviewer looks through a scope, he/she will look at it.

A scope has to look good. The reviewer checks out the optics for clarity and fiddles with the fine tunable adjustment knobs, making sure that they turn easily and don't fall off. Obviously, a good scope has to be able to stay zeroed through thicket and thin ice.

A field reviewer will fire the weapon several times and then check the calibration of the scope. If it hasn't moved much or at all, this is obviously a good sign. However, it is not the only sign. There is another test known as the “How's-about-I-drop-this-sucker-three-times-and-see-what-happens?” test. After this test, the reviewer refires the weapon (at no one in particular) to see how much it is off.

The last (and most demanding) test is a trial by fire, you might say. The scope is heated to 140 degrees for one hour then immediately put in the deep freeze for 8 hours. If the scope doesn't fracture or fog up, it's a keeper. If the reviewer cracks up, that's another story.

Adjusting Your Scope

Getting your vision in sync with your scope is kind of like going to the eye doctor, except a lot more fun. The beautiful thing is that you can do it even if you don't wear glasses. The focus adjustment on your scope is similar to that machine optometrists use to check your prescription—if you turn it one way, the power gets stronger and, if you turn it the other way, the power gets weaker. Follow the simple steps below to adjust your scope:

• Loosen the eyepiece lock ring (if applicable).
• Rotate the eyepiece in the negative direction (check your scopes owners manual).
• Look through the scope toward the sky, or at a white wall about 10' away.
• Rotate the eyepiece clockwise until the reticle appears sharp and black at a quick glance.
• Don't look into the scope as you turn the eyepiece, as your eye will adjust to the out-of-focus condition.
• Glancing through the scope will reveal the reticle as distinctive and black when it is properly focused.
• Lock the eyepiece in place by tightening the lock ring.

Price vs Value in a Scope

The old adage "You get what you pay for" may be truer for scopes than for anything else in the shooting realm. You can buy a lower-priced rifle and get excellent accuracy (often with run-of-the-mill ammo that's available at your local Wal-Mart). However, all of that accuracy is academic unless your scope is worthy of the gun and ammo. Sure, you can buy "package guns" that include a scope, sling, and other stuff with a new rifle, but most experts agree that these aren't good for much more than plinking cans.

When pricing a new rifle, pass on the packaged scope and factor in roughly $200-$250 for a good Nikon rifle scope. That may sound like a lot, but quality optics can run in the thousands. Fortunately, you don't have to shell out super-big bucks to get quality.

Putting Objectives in Focus

At first glance, a larger objective (or forward lens of a scope) seems to make sense. After all, larger objectives gather more light, which in turn makes for a brighter view—especially in low-light conditions. Yet, many experienced shooters object to super-size objectives, claiming those extra millimeters are meaningless.

When all is said and done, 40mm seems to be as big as you want to go. At dusk or daybreak, any good scope will gather enough light to allow you to sight into dark, brushy areas and see much more detail than you can see with the naked eye. What's more, larger objectives have a some drawbacks (because the line of sight is higher, the scope must be mounted higher on the gun—this makes the gun top-heavy, more difficult to sight and tougher to handle).

The Uses of Power

When it comes to power ranges, most experts agree that the very lowest they would want on a hunting scope is 4x. Why? Because anything higher than that will narrow your view too much for close shots and/or shots involving moving game.

For zooming in on far game at reasonable ranges, 9x is usually plenty high. You might want a higher magnification in some cases, but that depends on the type of terrain you hunt and how far the longest shot may be. You should keep in mind that 12x is probably way too much for most realistic hunting situations. Besides, the higher the magnification, the shakier the movement of the crosshairs on your target. In the end, however, you are the best judge of what you need in a riflescope.

First Generation Night Vision Scopes

First generation night vision scopes don't have anything to do with ancestry or immigration—it's just a name the scope experts gave to scopes that amplify the ambient light between 150 and 400 times. You can see the image perfectly in the centre of the eyepiece, but out around the edges things get a little fuzzy.

First generation models have a shorter viewing range (typically half that of 2nd generation models), although they can still manage 100 yards in low light if you use an infrared illuminator. As the technology used is less sophisticated, first generation scopes are likely to cost less than their second generation relatives.

Mounting Your Scope

Once you have the scope of your dreams you are ready to find rings and bases to mount it to your rifle. Since scopes come in different diameters, you will need to choose proper size rings. (Duh!). You will also have to select the proper height. (Double duh!)

The larger the objective on your scope is, the taller the rings will have to be to clear the barrel and/or sights. Some shooters prefer to leave the iron sights on, some like'em off. Others are just too lazy to bother. You can get rings that allow you to see through the scope mount and use the sights. This is great in most case, but be careful: Some designs will make the scope sit too high.

*You should be aware that you can get bases and rings that can be removed and remounted with minimal change to the zero of the rifle. Only in America!

Handgun Eye Relief

No, it can't be! Since a handgun is held at arms length away from your sighting eye, the “eye relief” of a handgun scope is set for a longer distance than it is on a rifle scope. What a lot of folks don't realize is that variable power (zoom-magnification) scopes change their eye relief as the magnification zooms from low to high.

A scope that is an arms length away at 2-3X has to be sucked back to 10-11 inches away on 7-9X. Since a handgunner is most accurate when he maintains a consistent hold, having to change his hold for a variable scope is bad for accuracy. With the limited field of view and reduced eye relief of handgun scopes in the over 7X magnification, I recommend them primarily for bench rest target and varmint shooting.

Talking Turkey About Vests

If you like going after gobblers, you'll want to make sure that you have a well-designed turkey vest. Not that every turkey is crazy for a sharp-dressed hunter (though you never know). It's just that a well-designed turkey vest can help you keep your gear organized and accessible. This is no minor detail. Think of all the stuff you need to bring in a Big Tom. You need lots of pockets for:

• Calls
• Strikers
• Extra shells
• Face masks
• Gloves
• 2-way radios
• Binoculars
• Range finders
• Knives
• Snacks (in case you get hungry waiting for your dinner)

Some vests even have attachment systems that allow you to add more accessories to your vest. Those large pouch pockets in back are great for decoys, stakes, or a gargantuan gobbler.

Contrast

Not to get too technical on you, but contrast is how you judge a scope's ability to manage light. And, if a scope can't manage light, you might as well go bowling.

Contrast is enhanced by resolution, which has to do with producing a crisp, finely detailed image. Contrast is also enhanced by light transmission, a parameter that is affected by the number of glass or mirrored surfaces, the absorption of light in the glass materials, and the quality of the anti-reflective and mirrored coatings.

As we all know, glare is the enemy of contrast. Glare is the stray light that reflects off internal parts of a scope and sneaks into the field-of-view. Glare also diminishes detail and color quality of the image. Needless to say, you should look for a scope that has more contrast and less glare.