The right riflescope for successful shooting

Do you have a firearms license and have you chosen your weapon? Are the sights alone enough for quality and accurate shooting? Not enough. You can attach various components to your guns and improve their functionality. People who invest heavily in a quality gun should also invest in the right riflescope. This, often underestimated, part of the gun can greatly contribute to more accurate and faster shooting.

Let's start from the beginning

If you are an occasional shooter or a novice, ask more experienced colleagues for help when choosing a riflescope. In this article, however, we will try to give you as much advice as possible and explain what kind of riflescope to use and for what kind of shooting. We will start with the basic designation of a riflescope. In our e-shop we have, for example, the Norconia 3-9x40 riflescope.

Norconia is the name of the manufacturer. The numbers 3-9x indicate the zooming capabilities of the riflescope. The number 40 at the end of the name indicates the diameter of the objective lens. These three designations of the riflescope determine exactly what the riflescope is for and what kind of shooting you will use it for.

Zoom

Zooming capabilities vary between riflescopes and have a great influence on accurate shooting, especially at longer distances. There are two versions of riflescopes. Those with a fixed zoom are applicable within a certain activity, for example for snipers. Then there are riflescopes with adjustable zoom. In the previous section, we chose the Norconia 3-9x40 as an example. The 3x zoom is used for shooting at close targets, where at decent zoom you have a constant overview of the wider surroundings as well. The 3-9x zoom range also determines the upper limit of the zoom.

Compared to the 3x zoom, the 9x zoom already offers more comfortable and accurate shooting at longer distances. We deliberately chose this riflescope example because the 3-9x zoom is the most used, for example, for hunting and offers quality shooting at close range as well as at longer distances and it is also recommended for airsoft players.

The zoom above 15x is useful for shooting at the longest distances, but it is necessary to keep the gun stabilized and avoid unwanted movements. Any minor movement means missing the target due to the longer trajectory of the projectile's flight. Shooting accuracy will of course be affected by wind, heat waves, but also barrel clarity. Count on the ballistic curve as well. When zooming, the larger the zoom, the smaller the light transmission.

Lens diameter

The second number in the device description, 40, indicates the diameter of the lens in millimeters. It determines the shooter's field of view and affects what the shooter sees in addition to the object they are aiming at. With lenses, the larger the lens diameter, the better the light transmission when zooming. A lens diameter of 30mm to 50mm should be sufficient in our area and is also sufficient in terms of light transmission.

What to watch out for

If you have managed to choose the riflescope that would suit you best after the basic information, check the other parameters that affect the functionality of the device.

These include, for example, the tube, which can be made of different materials. Beware, however, some materials can shine and give away your presence in the woods! Furthermore, its length influences the light transmission.

The parallax is used to focus the image and is referred to as SF (Side Focus) or AO (Adjustable Objective). It will help you to better target your object. The axis of sight is an important indicator. It determines the point you want to hit, and it is best if the manufacturer has placed the axis in the second focal plane and possibly includes a backlight. The quality and workmanship of the optics and mechanics (along with good and intuitive controls) are essential, and you should also focus on this aspect when making your choice.

Division of riflescopes

Beating Riflescopes

They are primarily designed for shooting at moving targets and shorter distances up to 100 meters. A well-lit environment is a must. They are characterized by no or minimal magnification and a large field of view, important for finding the target in a short time frame. Riflescopes in this category are, for example, marked 1-4x22, 1-5x24, 1-6x24.

Posse riflescopes

Riflescopes with a fixed zoom with a size of 6x to 8x. They are mainly used by hunters at distances of up to 200 meters. The small field of view minimizes visibility of the surroundings and makes it more difficult to follow and hit a moving target. With stationary objects, however, it guarantees greater accuracy and, in the hands of an experienced shooter, almost certain success. Riflescopes in this category are, for example, marked 7x50, 7x56, 8x56.

Universal rifle scopes

These are primarily rifle scopes with variable zoom. It is adjusted by a circular movement of the body on the tube. Most often, riflescopes with a zoom of 3-9x are produced. However, as the zoom level increases, the more useful the riflescope is for more activities. The versatility of this type offers a large view at close range, plenty of illumination at medium range, and better shooting conditions at distant targets with a high zoom. Riflescopes in this category are marked 3-9x50, 2-12x50, 3-12x56, 3-18x50, 4-20x56, for example.

Conclusion

In the case of shooting at short distances up to 20 meters, it is not necessary to use a riflescope. If you want to be sure of accurate shooting even at short distances, we recommend you to use a fixed small zoom. Are you shooting at different targets at different distances? An adjustable zoom will come in handy. And for long distances, you need either an adjustable zoom (with a high maximum zoom) or a fixed high zoom.

We recommend using the mounting elements for a secure and high-quality attachment. If the riflescope itself is too big for you and you find it of little use in short range shooting, check out our range of red dot sights.