What to Look For Before Buying a Rifle Scope

If you are a good gunner, your rifle scope is just as good as you. Most people tend to purchase the wrong rifle scope hence they end up regretting after some time. As a talented gunner, you should always know what you intend to do with the scope. Since scopes look more or less similar, in that they are metal tube with lenses, you might end up making a mistake in your selection if you are new in this field. Here are some tips:
The optical power
This refers to the magnification power of the scope. Therefore, you must know how much magnification you require. Don’t always go for too much magnification. This is because, the higher the magnification the lower the field of view. Furthermore, most cheap rifle scopes tend to have high magnification numbers probably due to the cheap glass used. Take a situation when you are in the middle of short range shooting. You will spend more time in zooming in and out and this gives your target a chance to escape.
The size
This should be the next step after determining the magnification. The objective lens is the one responsible for transmitting ambient light required to focus on the image. Therefore, the bigger the objective lens, the more the ambient light hence the clearer the image. However, large objective lenses will require the scope to be mounted higher over the barrel and action. This in turn affects your shooting ability negatively. In addition, a bigger scope will be heavier than a smaller one and this affects the balance of the rifle.
Choosing the reticle
No matter how ideal a scope is, a wrong reticle might make it worthless. For instance, a mil dot reticle or a Horus reticle are needed for range finding while the standard duplex reticle or classic crosshairs are suitable for hunting within 500 yards. The ranging reticles are used when the hunter wants to calculate the range to the target or when the degree of bullet drop is expected. This compensates for windage and elevation of the bullet. On the other hand, most hunting practices will occur within 500 yards radius hence the shooter will opt for a flat trajectory
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The simplicity or complexity of the scope
If you are a deer hunter and likes to shoot within radii of 150 yards or less, don’t go for a scope with target turrets, mil dot reticle, bullet drop compensator or parallax compensator. This is too complex for the task. As a hunter, you must have a way of maxing out the features so as to get the right scope. On the contrary, while targeting a target within a 1000 yard radius, you might consider going for a complex scope. Avoid the scopes with duplex reticle and turrets which are capped with screw on covers.
Always remember accessories
The best quality scopes will not always come with flip up caps or sun shades. This means that you might require some accessories during your hunting session. In addition, the rubber plugs which come with the scope might not be as good as flip up caps in protecting the lens from damage. Take a situation where you are a tactical shooter and you are in need of a sun shade or kill-flash device to prevent your target from noticing the reflection on your scope. Therefore, simple things such as rings and bases should come with the scope to prevent future errors.
Conclusion
When you buy a high quality scope, with its proper accessories you might use it on a number of rifles. Moreover, it will last longer. This implies that by selecting the correct rifle scope at the beginning you will save yourself from a lot of hustle. Even though selecting the rifle might be very important, the scope is the heart of the rifle. Without it, the gun is worthless. Avoid these simple mistakes and enjoy your hunting