Can someone help me understand scopes (getting more into rifle shooting)

[MJRW]

I'm primarily a handgun and shotgun shooter, though I own an SKS, SAR-1 (with a Kobra red dot), and a Ruger 10/22 (walnut stock, 20" stainless). The 10/22 had a cheap bushnell scope on it until recently when said scope opted to fail completely. I have also taken to shooting a friend's Remington 700 in .30-06 with a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x and have enjoyed that a great deal.

I will clearly have to replace the scope for the 10/22. I am also apparently proceeding toward eventually picking up some sort of well ranged plinker. Having said all that, in my current quest for a replacement scope for my 10/22 and what will likely eventually become shopping for a scope for more potent plinker, I'm discovering I know nothing about optics and can't seem to find a good resource for learning about them.

I understand 3x-9x, but honestly, that's about it. Now, a list of things I don't understand:

1. I don't understand why smaller magnification is better for some rounds.

2. I don't understand what the x30mm or x40mm and what is preferrable.

3. I don't understand what the measurement is for regarding "exit pupil," why it is relevant, and what is preferrable.

4. I know what eye relief in general is, I don't understand what the measurements of eye relief mean.

5. I don't understand the tiers of brands. I believe Leupold is very good, and that Tasco is cheap. But is Tasco inappropriate for an inexpensive gun? How about Redfield, Weaver, Burris, and so on?

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide for me.

 

[Bowfishrp]

I can help with some of this but not all. As for the smaller magnification, well it allows you to aquire the target quicker. Have you ever used a spotting scope with it cranked all the way up and try to find the target? It's pretty tough. It is easier to crank it down to low power and then find the target. Kind of the same concept. Plus on a 22 you wont be shooting much beyond 100 yards so a high powered scope is kind of pointless. I had a 3-9 on my Ruger 10/22 once and the 9 is way too much. Even popping snapping turtles in the pond the 3X was plenty.

As for brands, I have a Leupold that I dearly love. I cant say I have tried any of those others.

 

[Janitor]

1: Bowfishrp had that right. Lower magnification provides quicker target acquisition - much nicer for close in, possibly moving targets.

2: I'm guessing you're talking about the objective size with the X30 & X40 (and today X50 is common and higher is available)

3: Exit pupil relates to a combination of magnification and the objective size. As the magnification goes up, if you want the amount of light reaching your eye to remain the same the objective size needs to go up also.

4: The measurement is how far away your eye is to acquire the reticle and be in focus. (hope that made sense - I'm sure it's worded poorly)

5: Brands are all over the place. It's not at all uncommon for folks to put a scope on their rifle that cost more than the rifle itself. But ... there are a LOT of folks that seem happy with the Tasco they put on their Marlin .22. I don't think it's inappropriate at all if it works for you.

The higher end brands will hold zero better, be much sturdier overall (you could just about use your IOR for a carry handle), have repeatable click stops on the turrets, have better glass with better coatings, etc.

Just like anything else, you pretty much get what you pay for.

 

[rcmodel]

1. High power = very small field of view at the target.
Low power = very wide field of view.
In otherwords, it's easy to snap the gun to your shoulder and see the target at low power.
More difficult at high power.

2. x30mm or x40mm is the size of the front lens in millimeters.
The bigger the lens, the more light it can let in. But also, the bigger & higher off the rifle the scope must be mounted.

A 30MM is fine for a 3X or 4X scope and even works pretty well on a 3-9. But 40 gathers more light, and the scope is bigger & heavier.

But, a cheap 50MM scope may not be as bright as an expensive 32mm scope. It all depends on the quality of the lens.

3. Exit Pupil is the size of the spot of light that is focused on your eye when looking through the scope. About 7mm is the largest the human eye can use.
2mm or 3mm would give a very dim image in low light conditions.
But a 15mm would be no brighter then a 7mm, because that is all your eye can use.

4. Eye relief is the distance from the back of the scope to your eye when you can see through it clearly. Very important it be long enough on hard kicking guns. Not so critical on .22 RF's.

5. You get what you pay for. Tasco makes a pretty decent scope for the money, but it is the bottom of the Bushnell line.
So Bushnell, in the higher price point scopes, is a better scope.
And right on up the food chain.

A bubble-pack Tasco & a bubble-pack Bushnell, that sell for 30 bucks at Wally-world are about the same thing.
A 30 buck scope!

Burris is better then some Bushnell's, but perhaps not as good as the top-of-the-line Bushnell's.

Leupold is considered a step above the others mentioned.

rcmodel

 

[highorder]

just to add, you can figure the exit pupil by deviding the objective diameter by the power.

for example:

a tasco 4x32 scope has an 8mm exit pupil because 32/4=8

 

[lmccrock]

A few notes.

2. Higher objective size gathers more light. For range use, not a big deal.

3. Exit pupil = objective/magnification. There is a spot of diameter "exit pupil" on the rear eyepice and you have to get your eye behind that. So, the bigger it is, the easier it is get your eye lined up. Downside of bigger is the scope must be bigger and heavier.

5. The tiers of scopes roughly relate to quality. Put a cheap scope on a higher caliber gun, and the scope will probably break. I have a Bushnell Sportview which works great on my 10/22, but the reticle does not stay put on a 223 rifle. The higher tiers have higher optical quality of the glass, i.e., the lenses are more accurately ground.

I also have an IOR scope on one rifle, and it is built like a tank. But it is not a let's-go-to-the-pit-and-shoot-cans scope. Well, I could, but the $39 Sportview is enough for that.

Lee