Are you one of those people who confuse gun sights with rifle scopes? Well, Oem Optics is here to clarify a few things for you. A rifle scope provides a certain degree of magnification, while a gun sight has no magnification. The two machines assist shooters in aiming the targets accurately. Certain gun sights are straightforward but others come with lenses as those of rifle scopes. Let us demystify some of the confusing aspects of rifle scopes and optics.
Types of sights
Open sights: The shooters line up on a rifle with two sights (front and rear) to aim a target. The front sight is basically the vertical projection while the rear sight resembles a U or V.
Aperture sights: Like the open sights, these ones make use of a ring at the rear sight. The shooter aligns the front sight as per the ring ensemble and takes the aim.
The red dotted sights: Project an illuminated target above the image.
Laser sights: They project the laser beams towards the target.
Magnification numbers
If you need a scope with a magnification range of 7 x 42, the first digit indicates the scope magnification setting. For instance, 7x means that the image seen on the lens is 7 times bigger than the real target. You can always change the magnification settings in a flexible scope. But some scopes have fixed magnification settings so there is nothing you can do about them. The second number, in this case, 42, is the size of the objective lens i.e. 42 mm. This corresponds to the amount of light that the lens allows. The bigger the lens the greater the amount of light it allows. But you don’t always need a bigger lens when the magnification is big. The only time you need huge lenses is when the magnification lies in the 14-36x range. Many times, a 42mm lens diameter can suffice. The only professionals who are allowed to use bigger objective lenses are the military snipers but hunters do not need them.
What type of scope of you need?
This depends on what you want to shoot. If you are in a big hunting game, say a distance of more than 200m, you might want a high-power scope. Otherwise, anything above 8X is not necessary.
Then you must consider the prevailing terrain to calculate the distance between you and the target. Perhaps you hunt in dense forests where you cannot see far off distances; a powerful scope will come in handy.
If you want, you may pick a special night-vision rifle scope which includes infrared illuminators. If you are more of a nocturnal hunter, a night-vision scope should be your best bet.
Once you get your ideal scope, attach it to the rifle or ask for assistance if you are not familiar with the mounting process. Before mounting, assume the position you will be holding the rifle to ensure that it is comfortable. If the position is awkward, you might end up suffering muscle cramps.