RIFLE SCOPES

Question
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN I BUY A SCOPE. I ALSO NEED TO KNOW WHAT 3x9 MEANS AND ALL THE OTHER NUMBERS USED TO DESCRIBE A SCOPE  

Answer
Dean,

It's hard for me to tell you what to look for since I don't know your intended use, but clarity in the optic field has got to be at the top of the list. Next would probably be brightness. All lenses lose some measure of light and the less the better...also the more costly. Compare different scope brands and models from varying price groups and you'll see the  differences in quality.

The nomenclature is pretty straighforward:

3x9 (or 3-9) would be a scope with a lower magnification of 3x and an upper limit of 9x and is adjustable within those ranges.

A 3-9x40 would be the same but with the added designation of it having a 40mm objective lens. That's pretty standard but scopes can also be had in 44 and 50mm objective sizes as well. The larger the objective, the higher it's theoretical light gathering ability is.

There are also fixed-power scopes. 4x or 10x or 36x, etc. These are not adjustable in power. The lower the magnification the wider the field of view will be when looking through the scope. A 4x scope may give you a 6' wide field of view at 100 yards while a 36x scope may only give you 1' at the same range.

Compare, talk to the scope seller honestly about your intended uses and pick wisely. The most common mistake for the beginning scope user is to buy cheap and then work his way up the price ladder as his needs or capabilites expand. In the end he winds up paying more for what he didn't know he needed in the beginning. If you have $300.00 to spend on a scope you would not go wrong by saving another $300.00 and then buying. There IS a point of diminishing returns with scope purchases!

I hope that helps. -Rod-