Eye Relief and Light Transmission in a Rifle Scope

riflescope2Most people think that scopes gather light, but the truth is that they transmit available light instead. Most people think that scopes gather light because the term “light gathering ability” is thrown around a lot. Instead, scopes transmit the light that is available through the lens and to your eye, but they always lose a little bit of light in this process. The best that a scope can ever hope to offer when it comes to light transmission is a theoretical 98% meaning that 2% of light is always lost. This is only generally achieved by the absolute finest in scopes, which means the most expensive scopes on the market in most cases. Anything that is above around 95% is considered to be really great. Most scopes on the other hand are going to be closer to around 90%, give or take just a little bit.

Generally, the more magnification that you have, the less light you are going to get for your eyepiece. The larger that your objective lens is, the more you are going to get through the eyepiece.

Aged eyes can dilate only to about 4 mm. Younger eyes may be able to open up to as much as 7 mm or more.

There will be a small circle of light appearing in the eye piece when you hold the scope at arms length, and this is known as the exit pupil. The circle of light that you see in the ocular lens is this exit pupil, and the diameter of this in millimeters is what is known as the pupil size. When you use the scope during a poor lighting condition, you should imagine how small and how dark the exit pupil is going to be when you are choosing a rifle scope. How well are you going to be able to see your target through that tiny little circle of light? Is the amount of light enough to let you take advantage of the scope?

There is a formula to consider for the exit pupil calculation, which is as follows: You should take the objective lens size, convert it into millimeters and divide it by the score magnification. This is the way to figure out how much available light you are going to have, and the difference may be really significant.

The larger that your exit pupil is, the less critical that the position will be for your head in relation to where the scope is. The distance that your eye needs to be to the ocular lens in order to get a clear and full picture is known as eye relief. Scopes with less power will have a larger distance range to obtain a full view, while higher power scopes are typically much more critical when it comes to the centering of the eye through the tube’s middle as well as the required distance from the scope’s ocular lens.

Photo Credits: SamJUK

Originally posted 2009-10-19 03:34:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Choosing a Rifle Scope Magnification Range

riflescopeOne of the considerations that you are going to want to make when choosing a scope for your rifle is the magnification range of the scope. A scope that is in the 3 to 9 magnification range for a gun intended for whitetail deer is definitely pretty standard. In the western states when it comes to antelope or mule deer, you may want to go for a 4 to 12 range or a 4.5 to 14 range, and these are not too much. This is especially true when your average spot as so many times as long as it would generally be when hunting in the eastern woods for whitetail.

On the plains or when you are hunting in the open country, you can go with a scope that offers higher power. You will often be able to see all the way around you, with very little chance of something sneaking up an surprising you. Some animals do have occasion to sneak up anyway, however. You may have to shoot from one hilltop to another or from one mountain to another in some cases as well.

When you are shooting prairie dogs or shooting over a long distance for target shooting, you may find that you do not get much power out of a 6 to 20X or an 8 to 25X variable scope. You should be keeping in mind that on hotter days, heat waves and mirage can render a high power scope nearly impossible to use.

Some people do prefer to use fixed power scopes, primarily because of their simplicity and the fact that they have fewer necessary moving parts. On certain rifles, people are happy using nothing more than simply a fixed 4X scope. Squirrel rifles as well as many 22 files tend to be well equipped using this level of magnification. There are also some target shooters that utilize fixed power scopes with a high level of magnification such as 24 power, 36 power or 40 power.

The most common magnified scope for a handgun is a 2X scope. The higher the level of magnification that you have, the harder it is going to be for you to find your target and sight picture, and the closer and more critical your eye relief is going to become. When you shoot a handgun using a scope, you will find that the process requires a great deal of practice, especially when you are dealing with anything that is above 2X. Stronger or more powerful variable scopes are typically only best for experienced shooters and they are used near exclusively from a resting position.

Muzzle loaders and shotgun scopes often have lower powered scopes to handle hunting of deer on the short range with slugs as well as for hunting for turkey. A 2X fixed scope is typically standard here, but there is also a trend for variable power scopes in the 2 to 7 range and the 3 to 9 range as well.

Photo Credits: AMagill

Originally posted 2009-10-12 03:25:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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