How to Clean A Tactical Rifle Scope

If you own a rifle, then cleaning, assembling and dissembling a rifle to clean it are some of the things that you should know if you want to keep your rifle in optimum condition. The same thing goes for tactical rifle scopes. The amount of care put into it has to be high as rifle scopes are expensive and very sensitive. A clean lens makes the difference between a hit and a miss especially if you are out in combat or stalking a field, ready to aim at your prey.

Although these equipment are made to be robust and take bad handling and rough situations, they are also of engineering sophistication at the highest end of optical devices, meaning that it has to be kept clean and well cared for if you want to them to provide the same level of performance and the high quality precision for both long range and accurate shooting as when you first purchased it.

There are many rifle scope cleaning kits available in the market. Purchasing a cleaning kit specifically designed for your own scope will give you the necessary tools and cleaning liquid. Before you purchase one, it’s good to get a first hand lesson in cleaning and caring for them. Here are the basics:

Step 1

Some of the basic things you need for cleaning a tactical rifle scope are a soft brush and clean cloth. Steady and clean hands are also essential. Using the soft brush, gently clean away any surface dirt from around the lenses. Never clean the lens directly. Some lenses have the tendency of getting scratched easily than other so best not to do this directly. Most cleaning kits for the specific scope come with specially designed brushes to help you clean, otherwise stay away from using the brush on the lens.

Step 2

Using optic solvents spray the lenses adequately. You can find these cleaning agents in any eyewear shop, hardware stores and even sporting goods stores. Your cleaning kits will also come with cleaning solvents. Using a smooth cloth, such as the on normally given with spectacles, wipe the lens with this cloth. This cloth is called an optical cleaning cloth which can also be purchased as optical shops.

Step 3

Once this is done, now using the dry part of the cloth, clean the surface again. Never use normal cloth as this can easily scratch the lens.

A good cleaning kit to consider is Austria's Swarovski who makes a great all-in-one lens cleaning kit which comes in the form of a green cordura-type pouch, with pockets to hold the lens-cleaning fluid bottle, lens brush pen, moistened lens wipes and packet of lens tissues. Leupold comes in next with a double-end application in the shape of a pen which is a brush at one end and a non-fluid lens-cleaner at the other.

You can also try Bushwear Spudz which is a cleaning cloth that is stitched to a protective elastic waterproof pouch. All you need to do is pull out the cloth, clean your lens and pop it back into the pouch.

Tactical Scopes: Choosing A Tactical Rifle Scope

When selecting a tactical rifle scope, there are a few things or elements that you should consider before purchasing. From it’s uses to your budget, here are a few questions to ask before your next tactical scope purchase:
1) What will is be used for- law enforcement, military or recreational use?
2) What are the distances are you expecting from 80% of your shooting?
3) What is your maximum range?
4) When will your shooting be most likely conducting-at dusk, dawn, low light, moonlight or a separate light source?
5) What are the calibers of your rifle?
6) Are you using any ancillary night vision device?
Answering these questions will help you find the best optic scope for your needs. After asking these questions, now comes to picking a scope according to its different elements:
Magnification
Generally, all you need is a little magnification to shoot effectively as too much magnification can be dangerous and pose as a high liability. Modern day tactical rifle scopes now have one extreme advantage compared to older scopes and that is to collect information on a higher magnification and to power down to engage targets on a lower magnification.
The magnification range depends on your individual needs but commonly, a simple 2.5-10X will do though some prefer a 6-24X scope to use in place of a spotting scope. The problem with the usage of a spotting scope is that only a few riflescopes can match the resolution and brightness of a high-quality spotting scope.
When choosing magnification range, also look out for ambient lighting conditions as both magnification and objective lens size interrelate.
Reticle
The right reticle will help you shoot much more accurately. When choosing the reticle, pick one that is suits your actual needs and then look at the design. Your reticle should have a definite easy-to-define aiming point that is plainly visible in low light or shadows and it should also have at least one method for quick and accurate range finding. Which should become the first focal point? This is for you to decide as there are pros and cons for both. A first focal plane reticle can Mil or range find at any magnification whereas a second focal plane reticle is easier to employ on low magnification and in low light.
Tube Diameter
Tube diameters for tactical scopes are commonly available with 1-inch, 30mm, 34mm, and 35mm. A general rule for tubes are that the larger the tube diameter the more robust the tube is and the more adjustment the scope will have. Shooters normally use a 30mm tube diameter for most tactical scopes.
These are some of the elements that you should consider when looking for a rifle scope. Though there are many on the market, you should get one that is comfortable for you and your shooting needs. Another thing to consider is your budget. Tactical rifle scopes can be very expensive especially with more and more features included into it with each new model coming up every year.

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Choosing The Best Tactical Rifle Scope

Many firearm enthusiasts in this day and age are using an optical sighting device or tactical rifle scope on their guns. There is a great reason for making this happen, which is simplicity. Using a scope is a lot less complex than lining up your iron sights. Here is what you need to know about choosing the best tactical rifle scope.

Having the right tool for the job is vitally important. Cartridges and scopes are getting more powerful every single year, and this makes choosing the right scope even more vitally important than ever before.

On one end of your tactical rifle scope you have the objective bell and the objective lens. The elevation adjustment and the windage adjustment are in the center of the scope. Then you have the power ring, the eye piece, the ocular lens and the exit pupil which are on the side that you look through with your scope. Knowing these terms is important when it comes to choosing the best tactical rifle scope, because there are unique characteristics among each of them. If you don't know your tactical rifle scope anatomy, then you are going to have trouble determining which features are the most important for you to seek out.

The main tube for most scopes in America is only a single inch in diameter, which means that they make use out of one inch rings. Some main tubes are only 30 mm, meaning that they use 30 mm rings. There are a number of different base types that can be used to connect the rings directly to your rifle. You are going to need to know what type of base you need in order to find out the height and the type for the rings that you are going to use for the scope that you want, whether they are 1" rings or 30 mm rings.

Scopes do not gather light though most people think that they do, but rather they transmit available light to your eye through the lenses, even losing some light in the process. The best scope is one that offers a theoretical 98% light transmission. Anything that is above 95% in light transmission is considered to be great, though most scopes only offer around 90%.

Another consideration is magnification range. A scope with a 3 to 9 magnification range for a gun intended for whitetail deer is pretty much standard. For mule deer or for antelope, choosing a 4 to 12 or a 4.5 to 14 is not going to be too bad. High power scopes are definitely nice, but in certain situations such as on hot days, they will be rendered nearly unusable because of heat waves and mirage. For smaller animals or for longer range targets, choose a variable range with 6 to 20X or 8 to 25X for the best results. Some other people prefer fixed scopes because they have fewer moving parts and are simpler, so consider this option as well.