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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