Understanding Scopes?

[1LOW8TE]

I've been hunting now for about 5 years. I done pretty well, really love to hunt. Just seems like its getting so hard to find places to hunt. This may sound stupid but I have no idea when it comes to scopes for rifles. can anyone explain them to me? I plan on buying a 30-30 lever action and would like to have a good scope for deer hunting. So what does 3 X 9 mean? etc. Thanks

[jjj]

3x9 means that the magnification will go from 3 times normal to nine times normal. The number usually after this is the objective diameter in milimeters. The bigger this number is normally the more light the scope will pick up in low light conditions and the wider your field of view will be. Also the higher the magnification you set your scope on the more narrow your field of view will be. A 3x9 40 will work pretty well most places around here, the 3 power is good thick places where you shots will be close and the 9 power will work better on longer shots.

[WhiteRubi]

Technically, it should be a 3-9x40. It's the power, in this case, variable from 3 to 9 power. The 40 is the objective size in millimeters. The larger the objective, the more light get gathered and the longer you can see, as it approaches dark.

That being said, a 30-30 is NOT a long range caliber. A 3-9x40mm power should serve you well. A 40mm can gather plenty of light for a hunting application.

In tactical situations, you will see 50mm and up to 60mm objectives.

[Dangermouse]

Just to add to what WhiteRubi was saying. When you turn your magnfication up it defuses the amount of light you gathered when with your objective lense. So the same objective with a mag of 2x will give you a brighter image then say a 3x or 4x.

Here in eastern KY, I favor a wider field of view and brighter image. The wider field will help you with target acquisition. So I use a 2x7. Then the type of terrain you think your going to hunt does play apart in your selection. More open and longer range shot you might get , more mag.

Also eye relief is something to be considered, unless you dont mind walking around with a bloody ring around your eye. The better scopes usally have good eye relief.

[1LOW8TE]

Thanks for the Info... Keep it coming

[newshooter05]

scopes are strange critters. they make a man accept tradeoffs. your objective lens determins the amt. of light u get providing u have good glass but your eye can only use so much light. a 38 or 40 is about right but if u hunt late in the day u may want a 50 . course that makes the durn scope fit the rifle like a pregeant lump.the higher the magnification u have the more your heart beat and other things are noticed.3x9 is a good compromise.when scopes were really fragile most folks went with a fixed power like 4x32 and killed a world of critters.now u see folks with 3x12x50 in the woods .then u have to understand the lens finishes and coatings and how that works and u need to research how to fit a scope to a set of rings. just setting it in the rings and tightening it down causes problems somtimes. also the way scopes are built makes a big differance.when u set a scope by shooting targets u need to give it a whack with your plam to set the springs that move the cross hairs.do not use money to determine how good a scope is cause some mighty expensive scopes are pretty poorly made.look thru a scope outside not under shop lights to see how bright it is and see how easy the knobs turn and look at the feel of the scope. if u buy a used scope u need to look at a bullseye at a given distance and turn each knob that sets the cross hairs to the right as far as it will go counting the clicks then take half the clicks and turn back to to the left . this centers the cross hairs like they came from the factory.u also need to check for parallex by sighting at a spot at a hundred for a deer scope or 50 for squirrel and move your head and see if the crosshairs move.the higher the magnification the more parallex u have . course a adjustable objective will fix that but usually not needed in deer rifles at low magnification.never a ssume a scope is working , any time u get a chance u should check it.

this has harly scratched the surface on scopes and it is pretty basic. my advise for a deer rifle in ky is a fixed 4 power X38 in a leupold. not because leupold makes the best scopes but because they have a great guarantee and if u buy a used one u get the guarantee.course if u shooting over long distances u may want a higher mag but a fixed power is a lot less trouble over the long haul. u will be surprised what u can hit with practice with 4 or 5 power .check most hunters and see what there scope is set on i bet it is from 3 to 6 power.
david