Pinpoint accuracy

Shooting a rifle is so much fun, but what’s more fun than just shooting a rifle is hitting your target, spot on. A rifle scope will help you accomplish this. The only problem is which one to install on your rifle, well that all depends on what you are going to use the gun for. There are so many types of scopes to choose from and there are many price ranges that you will have to consider when making your decision. I’ll be talking about the basics of just a few.

Traditional crosshair scopes

This type of scope is the one that most of us are familiar with. Simply put, when you look into the scope, you will see the crosshairs, one vertical line and one horizontal. Of course, the object is to get your target lined up where the crosshairs intersect, squeeze the trigger and hit the target, yea, if it were only that simple. The thing is, after you mount the scope, you will need to sight it in and there are a few different ways to do this. This scope has adjustments for the vertical and the horizontal, which you will adjust until you get the results you want. These scopes, depending on the magnification capabilities are usually best for daytime applications. As far as prices go for this type, it’s the same as anything else, you get what you pay for, but you can still get a decent scope at a decent price.

Red dot

With this type of scope, instead of seeing a set of crosshairs, you will see a little red dot, hence the name. With this type of scope, you can lock onto your target by simply putting the dot on it. This scope as with any will require an initial adjustment to line it up with where your gun is shooting. The red dot can be used in dimmer conditions, because the dot is illuminated and won’t disappear in darker conditions. The scope is powered by a small battery, so you will need to pay attention to that, although I have read that with new battery technology, they can last an unbelievable amount of hours. I’m sure that you will pay a premium price though, but it may be well worth the investment, depending on how often you use it. How much can a battery cost? These scopes are a bit more pricy for the higher end models. You may not be sure if you will like it or not and in this case the lower end models are quite reasonable and you will be able to decide weather or not this type is for you without going broke.

ACOG scopes

The ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gun sight) has an illuminating sight much like the red dot and that’s where the similarities end. Even though the ACOG is illuminated, it is not powered by a battery, instead it is powered by ambient light. It uses fiber optics that accept the light from where ever you are and adjusts the sight inside the scope accordingly, so in theory, you can shot anytime of the day, hum! I’ve done a little research and found that some people love them and some people don’t like them. Some say that they are tricky to use and are no good for close range, although they didn’t specify what they ment by close range, while others say that the scope is awesome and that the folks that don’t like them, just don’t know how to use them, so I’m assuming that there must be some sort of learning curve involved. Whatever the case, the military uses them, so they must be pretty good. They are used extensively on the M16 and you know those guys are trained for that, so maybe that’s the secret, proper instruction. In any event, if your thinking about buying one, you will need your credit card. These scopes can and do get into the thousands. Wow!

In Conclusion

Whatever type of gun you shoot, a scope will help you hit your target and where you want it hit. Not only will it improve your accuracy, but they look great. Remember that there is the mounting to consider, if you are serious, you will not want to skimp on the parts that attach the scope to the gun. You don’t want it to move after you put the time and effort into sighting your gun in. It’s a matter of repeatability. I am looking at scopes myself. I am going to put one on my ar15. I am pretty sure it won’t be an ACOG though.