GunsAndOptics: SCOPE TIPS

DID YOU KNOW?

Many of today's moderately priced rifle scopes are BRIGHTER than more expensive scopes that were made over 10 or 15 years ago. This is NOT surprising as we live in a technological age. Many scopes today in the $250 to $500 retail price (and can usually be found for less on line) range:

Have fully multi-coated lenses
Eye relief of 3 inches or more
Red dots or illuminated reticles or even Bushnell's version called Firefly
Many have Ballistic Plex type reticles for longer range shots
Can be had in 1 inch or 30mm tube size
Shockproof, waterproof, Argon purged
Many have rain guard or a similar feature that makes shots easier in the rain
1/4 min elevation and windage adjustments
One piece tubes for strength
Come in a wide variety of magnification choices such as: 1.25X4X24, 2X7X32, 2.5X10X4, 02.5X10X50 etc.

I own several rifles from handy Marlin lever action carbines to bolt action rifles from the .270 to .308 and up to and including the .350 Rem mag. I tried to purchase scopes over the years to fit the rifles use.

My Marlin .35 Rem lever action wears a Mueller 2X7X32 Red Dot scope. The gun recently put 2 Hornady Leverevolution 200 grain FTX bullets into the same ragged hole at 75 yards and put two more at 1.25 inches at 150 yards. When still hunting or sitting in close cover I normally keep the scope at 3X or 4X and at dawn and dusk keep the red dot feature on which makes for fast acquisition for a shot. The red dot rheostat has 11 setting for brightness on the circle dot, however I normally just switch it to #11 and leave it there or turn it off.

My .308 wears a Bushnell Elite 3200 / 3X9X40 matte 1 inch fully multi-coated scope with a firefly reticle and comes with the rain guard feature which I really like. If it is raining, or misting or sprinkling, the water beads up on the scope allowing you to still see well enough to make the shot as opposed to having the rain completely obscure your field of view.

My .350 Mag wears a Burris Fullfield II 1 inch scope that is also fully multi-coated, water proof, shock proof and features an adjustable illuminated (in red) ballistic plex type reticle.

Many of my scopes over the years were purchased from SWFA and I have found them to be reliable and easy to work with. Many scopes today come with a lifetime warranty.

Dan

Here are a couple of examples from SWFA:

BURRIS:

With a legacy of high performance, modest prices and the backing of a Forever Warranty,™ choosing to purchase a Burris Fullfield II ® riflescope isn’t difficult. But there are more than two dozen Fullfield II models, finishes, and reticle configurations to pick from, so choosing just which one is the hard part.

Burris Fullfield II’s are the smart choice when you know they are packed with the performance features that made Burris famous. Outstanding optical quality. Positive steel-on-steel adjustments. Extremely rugged outer tubes. No-slip grips on the integrated eyepiece and focus adjustment. To make a fair comparison with other brands, you’ll have to look at riflescopes costing hundreds of dollars more.

With performance standards so high and their retail prices so reasonable, you may not have to limit yourself to just one.

	Burris® Fullfield II™	Nikon® Monarch™	Nikon® Buckmaster™	Leupold® VX-I™	Leupold® VX-II™
Purged and nitrogen filled 24 times	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
100% Waterproof Tested	Yes	Unknown	Unknown	Yes	Yes
Lens Covers Supplied	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Weight (oz.)	12.7	12.6	13.4	12	12
Length (inches)	12.3	12.3	12.7	12.3	12.3
Light Transmission Calculation (Cumulative lens coating efficiency)	95%	95%	88%	82% - 87%	85% - 87%

BUSHNELL:

Tested, Proven, Uncompromising Superiority.

With the world’s brightest riflescope, featuring RainGuard® HD, you’re fully equipped to strike with lethal precision in the dimmest, wettest, most unforgiving circumstances. For 2011, our unprecedented low-light performance is taken to the next level with the addition of our Ultra Wide Band Coating. Its fully multi-coated optics deliver an amazing 95% light transmission across 300% more of the visual light spectrum than before. And the lenses are treated with the only patented, permanent assurance that you can make the shot in any weather – RainGuard HD. With a one-piece tube recoil tested with 10,000 rounds of 375 H&H and 100% waterproof/argon purged, you can expect nothing less than unfailing reliability. Remember, the highlight of the hunt will most often be in low-light. Prepare accordingly.

Features:

Rainguard HD
Ultra Wide Band Coating
Fully Multi-Coated Optics
Magnum Recoilproof Construction
One-Piece Tube
100% Waterproof, Fogproof and Shockproof
Argon Purged
1/4 MOA or Finer Fingertip, Audible and Resettable Windage and Elevation Adjustment
Elite Bullet-Proof Warranty

MUELLER:

From turkey to big game, the Mueller Multi-Shot has it all and was designed specifically for hunters who want the versatility of a multi-purpose scope. Mueller feels it is by far the most unique and versatile scope ever developed. What sets the Mueller Multi-Shot 2-7x32 apart from anything else on today's mark is the advanced technology and versatility implemented into the design. The Mueller Multi-Shot can be used on virtually any type of firearm because of the multi-purpose reticle design.

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