Explain scopes to me?

[gunnut44]

I know nothing about scopes and I want to buy one for my kids new Henry youth model 22lr but I dont want a salesman talking me into something I don't need because he knows I know nothing about them. I know I need to buy scope rings to mount it but what do I need in a scope? Who makes a good scope? What does the power of the scope mean etc. etc. The gun was $340 with tax so I don't need a $500 scope. Tell me what you think I need from your experience.

 

[smitret]

scope for .22

I have a Bushnell 3-9 power I bought at Gander Mountain

that has been plenty good enough. Cost $50.

The power number is how many times your target is

magnified.

The scope power is set by turning a ring near the eyepiece.

Mine came with rings.

Good Luck

 

[cobra44]

As stated above. the Bushnell is alright for a 22. I bought a BSA Catseye scope for one of my 22 rifles. I believe that it is a 3 to 10 power. It lets a a lot of light in.
Of course, the Leupold 3 to 9 is a very good scope if you want to spend the extra money.

As stated above, the power of the scope is how much it magnifies the object. A 3 to 10 varies the magnification from 3 power to 10 power. A 4 to 12 would magnify at 4 power adjustable up to 12 power, and so on.

Hope this helps.

 

[jkc]

Let's begin at the beginning --- riflescopes are typically designated/identified by two or three numbers, sometimes mistaken for a mathematical equation, but not so...

For example, a scope ID as 4x20x1" indicates: "4" times magnification, i.e, the image of the target viewed through the scope will appear four times larger than if viewed with the "naked" eye. "20" indicates the diameter, in millimeters, of the objective (front, light admitting) lens. (Despite the silly American aversion to metric measurements, metric is used to describe optics, even in the USA...) The 1" designation is the outside diameter of the 'scope tube, which tells you what's required for (inside diameter) of mounting rings --- OD and ID must match!

Scope bases mount on the gun itself --- either by factory or aftermarket gunsmithing or etc., and, in turn, permit fastening the scope rings --- essentially clamps around the scope tube, to the bases. Bases are offered in various heights to accommodate mounting scopes of various tube diameters, and objective bell diameters. Ruger rifles feature integral, dovetailed, ring/base mounts --- an elegant, clever, arrangement, unfortunately not adopted by other manufacturers.

.22 Rimfire, shotgun, airgun, and similar optics intended for relatively short-range use, vs. centerfile riflescopes, are parralax adjusted to comparatively shorter ranges, such as +/- 50 yards for a .22 rimfire scope --- so, make sure you've got a rimfire scope on a rimfire rifle, or, expect problems...

Hope this helps --- if inadequate, ask again --- somebody on this forum can answer any imaginable question ...

 

[Jellybean]

The scopes will be listed with the magnification first, such as 7X for a fixed power scope or 3-9 for a zoom scope. Then there will be a number following that that tells the size of the objective lens, such as 3-9X40 that is the lens in front. When you magnify the images there is a loss of light and the bigger the objective lens the more light gets through. This is important with large magnifications or shooting in low light.

You will find some scopes with "parallax adjustment". Parallax is when the image created by the front objective lens isn't focused directly on the back lens and is very noticable and worrysome with high magnification scopes or if aiming at long distances.

Field of view tells you how big of an area you can see at a given distance at a given magnification, such as 10' at 100 yds. This will change as you zoom the magnification in or out and is helpful to know if you want to look for game as opposed to aiming at a certain animal or target.

The size or the exit pupil is very important, but is hardly ever given in the specifications. The larger the exit pupil the better the clarity and less eyestrain compared to a smaller exit pupil, with everything else being similar. To compare exit pupils, turn the scope around backwards and look at it from the front about a foot or so in front of the eye. It is the diameter of light coming through the scope. This too will change with a change in magnification.

The quality of the lenses are a major factor in price, although that doesn't mean that a high priced scope will automatically have better lenses. The best way to tell good lenses from poor lenses is to put the scopes on their highest magnification. Good lenses should be bright and crisp while poor lenses will probably be blurry and hazy.

When you remove the caps the dials will hopefully tell you how much the reticle moves with each click of the dial, if not refer to your instructions. If they say they are 1/4" adjustments, that means that each click of the dial will move the reticle 1/4" at 100 yds.

 

[gunnut44]

Thank you all for explaining this. Very good info and it seems very simple to understand now. Thanks alot.

 

[Rule3]

Check here:

Bushnell - Riflescopes

For a 22 rifle a 3 -9 x 40 is plenty. Some rifles have a dovetail rim on the top that the rings attach to others require a base to be screwed on and then the rings attach to that.

Scopes are always on sale so look for those. Stay with a brand like Weaver, Bushnell for a basic scope. Within brands they have the low to high end. No, you do not need to spend a lot but there is a lot of junk out there and they are not worth it.

I do not care much for Bass Pro but if you have one near, go and check out their scopes. They carry a lot of brands and are helpful in showing you. They will also, mount and bore sight it for you.

 

[cowart]

The Henry youth model 22lr is a very small rifle - only 33 inches long, weighing 4.5 lbs. A full size scope will be awkward and look out of place on such a small rifle. A compact scope would be much more satisfactory, and that is what is pictured on the Henry website.

More info on this type of scope:
http://www.chuckhawks.com/burris_4x20_compact.htm

 

[Rule3]

Excellent point. I missed the "youth" part.