Bushnell Scopes Tips

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What is a duplex reticle?

Duplex Reticle

The word duplex comes from the Latin for two-fold, which is only one reason the duplex reticle is the most popular type of cross hair set-up today. The other reasons are as follows:

• The lines in a duplex reticle are thicker on the edges, then taper to thin in the center of the image.

• The thick sections are easier to see against a dark background and the thin lines provide a more precise aiming point. So, if you find yourself in the dark, you may not be able to see the thinner lines at all, but not to worry, the thick outer lines will point to the center where they intersect.

   
What are some other simple tips that I can use to improve my odds?'

Tips for Success

Even the best hunters can benefit from a little advice sometimes. Here are a few tips that may help you become a more successful hunter:

• A variable power scope should be set to its lowest power for fast target acquisition. High powers should be reserved for long range, controlled shots.

• Lens caps provide good protection in foul weather but should be removed when stalking or still shooting to save time in snap shooting situations.

• Take off transparent or tinted covers to avoid image distortion. Optics on a Bushnell rifle scope are recessed to avoid lens contamination when lens covers are removed.

• Using a Bushnell Bore Sighter is recommended after any fall or mishap to assure the zero point of your rifle.

• Storing your rifle and scope overnight in the outdoors will help avoid external fogging of optics. In extreme cold, cycle the action a few times to loosen it up prior to returning to the hunt.

   
What's the difference bettwen a fixed-power and variable magification scope.

Magnification: Fixed vs Variable

Scopemakers, like Bushnell, offer variable magnification scopes and fixed power scopes. Variable magnification scopes have an advantage over fixed power scopes in that they allow you to adjust your magnification according to the situation.

If you know your parameters, fixed-power scopes may be the better choice. Fixed power scopes are generally considered to be more rugged because they have fewer moving parts.

   
What is eye relief?

Eye Relief

We're not talking about sunglasses or that stuff you squirt in your eye to get the red out. In the wide world of scopes, eye relief is a measurement. It has to do with how far back from the eyeguard your eye can be and still see a full sight picture. Eye relief scopes fall into three categories:

• Standard eye relief scopes, which is the category most riflescopes fall into.
• Medium eye relief scopes, for shotguns with interchangeable barrels or for "scout" rigged rifles.
• Long eye relief is for scopes on pistols that give you a full field of view at arm's length.

Short eye relief can be dangerous. The back of the scope could hit you in the eyebrow when you fire a shot. Ouch! So, when you choose a scope, go easy on your eyebrows and make sure you've got plenty of eye relief.

*If you wear glasses, eye relief is one of the most important considerations in choosing a scope/eyepiece combination.

   
What is field of view?

Field of View

Field of View must be the picture presented by a scope to the shooter at specific magnifications. Its diameter is typically measured in feet. For example, a 20x power scope, with a field of view of 5.5 feet will get an extremely detailed picture of the target area at 100 yards, but you won't be able to see much to the sides of the target. This is no biggy when the target area is fixed, but can be a problem if you can't find your target, or when the target is moving.

Bushnell scope experts think a variable power scope of approximately 3-9x magnification is ideal for general hunting. (32 feet, low power; 14 feet, high power at 100 yards).

   
What is a plain reticle?

Plain Reticle

The plain reticle is just what it sounds like, two intersecting lines with no other features. The only choice you can make with this type is how thick or thin the lines are.

Since this reticle is often used for paper targets, thin lines might be best. If you intend to do general shooting with it, however, get a reticle thick enough that you can find it when looking into dark foliage.

   
What is a mil dot reticle?

Mil Dot Reticle

Although it was developed for snipers, the mil in mil dot reticle does not stand for military. It is short for a unit of measure known as a Milliradian (who may or may not have been a Roman Emperor).

If you look along the lines of a plain reticle, you'll see small dots placed at precise distances from one another. These tiny dots allow you to measure angle downrange while looking through the scope. The mil unit of angular measurement is used because a mil is smaller than a degree of an angle. Just so you know, there are 6,400 mils (as opposed to 360 degrees) in a full circle.

   
What are some other features of rifle scopes that I might want?

Scope Enhancing Features

Like a fine automobile, you can soup up your riflescope with cool (and useful) features like windage and elevation adjustments, which allow you to sight-in the firearm or make field corrections based on actual conditions.

You may find as part of your standard scope package such handy items as a power selector ring (oooh!) that adjusts magnification on variable power scopes, a sun shield option to reduce glare, and lens covers to keep dust and moisture from messing up your lens.

   
What is a reticle?

Reticle

The reticle is what the rest of the world calls "crosshairs." In the distant past, these were actual threads of silk or spider webs, but today they are more often either thin metal wires or even lines etched on glass.

Reticles are housed in a tube called the erector tube and the adjustment knobs move this tube in the desired direction. That's why the reticle lines appear centered on nearly all scopes. A few scopes from Europe have reticles that actually move in your field of view when they are adjusted, but most shooters prefer reticles that are always centered.

   
How do I determine range with a mil dot reticle.

Determining Range with a Mil Dot Reticle

To determine range with a mil dot reticle you may need to hunt down an MIT professor. Think I'm kidding? Get this explanation from snipercounty.com:

"The radian is a unitless measure which is equivalent, in use, to degrees. It tells you how far around a circle you have gone. 2 PI radians = 360 degrees. Using 3.14 as the value of PI, 6.28 radians take you all the way around a circle. Using a cartesian coordinate system, you can use "x"- and "y"-values to define any point on the plane. Radians are used in a coordinate system called "polar coordinates."

A point on the plane is defined, in the polar coordinate system, using the radian and the radius. The radian defines the amount of rotation and the radius gives the distance from the origin (in a negative or positive direction).See what I mean? If you can't find an MIT professor you will just have to do what other street smart shooters do to determine range with a mil dot reticle: Learn by doing.

*As you get familiar with the reticle over time, you'll get the hang of how best to use the dots. By the way, most shooters use the dots on the horizontal line as alternate aim points for windy situations.

   
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