The Remington SPS is supposed to have a great feeling action, but I don’t think it looks as nice as the Savage. (I am not a huge fan of syn stocks and I can not afford Rem 700 hardwood guns…)

The Savage looks great with a hardwood stock, but how will it perform? (Will that accu-trigger hold up in the feild?) Also the 110 savage comes with a crappy scope, so I will need to buy a new one anyway.

I am just really torn.

Should I forget about looks and go with the Remington 700 SPS or should I get the Savage?

I am so confused.

With there being literally thousands of rifle scopes on the market today, choosing the one that’s right for you can sometimes be a confusing task. The best scope for deer hunting will not necessarily be the best scope for competition target shooting. Once you understand the various terms that manufacturers use, and understand the basics about scopes, you’ll be in a better position to choose the scope that’s right for you.

The Basics

The first consideration should be the quality of the glass. Unfortunately, while optical quality can be measured, there’s no specifications published that will tell you which scope lenses are of better quality than others. You’ll need to compare one scope to another by looking through them to judge the sharpness and contrast of the lenses. In general, you should buy the best quality scope that you can afford.

The quality of the lenses isn’t entirely due to the glass itself, though. Lens coatings aid in contrast, light transmission and glare reduction, and there are terms that describe the type of coatings on a scope. A “coated” lens has a coating on the exterior surface of the lens. A “fully coated” lens has a coating on all lens surfaces exposed to the air, both front and rear. “Multi-coated” lenses have multiple layers of coatings on at least one surface of the lens. “Fully-multicoated” lenses have multiple coatings on all front and rear lens surfaces. The quality of the lens coatings can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, or even from one model to another by the same manufacturer, so you’ll want to compare the image quality of various scopes.

Another initial consideration when selecting a scope is its construction. If you anticipate using your scope in inclement weather, you’ll want to make sure that the interior of the scope is filled with a substance such as nitrogen, which keeps air from getting into the scope and causing moisture condensation on the interior surfaces of the lenses. You’ll also want to make sure that the scope body is weatherproof or at least weather-resistant.

Yet another factor in your selection process is the magnification of the scope. There are variable magnification scopes and fixed power scopes. A scope that’s marked 3×30 will have a fixed magnification of 3 (the 30 is the lens diameter, which we’ll get to shortly). A scope that’s marked 3-9×30 is a variable power scope, with the magnification adjustable from 3 power to 9 power. The magnification of a scope is usually referred to with an X, as in 3X. A 3X scope will make the target appear 3 times larger than it would be with the naked eye.

How much magnification do you need? That depends upon your intended use for the scope. Those who hunt at relatively short ranges, such as deer hunters, usually will want a lower magnification such as 3X. A higher magnification would make it difficult for them to see the entire deer and would also make the field of view too narrow for them to scan the area looking for deer. Whether you need a fixed power scope or a variable power scope is your personal preference. Years ago variable power scopes were slightly inferior to fixed power scopes; that’s no longer the case today. Variable power scopes also offer flexibility for different shooting situations.

Varmint hunters, benchrest shooters and other long-range shooters will often want the highest magnification they can afford. For these users, a 20, 30 or even 40X magnification isn’t unusual.

There’s also the light-gathering ability of the scope to consider. Generally speaking, the larger the diameter of the front (“objective”) lens, the more light it gathers, which means that your target is visible at lower light levels. A 30 millimeter objective lens is fine for shooting during the daytime, but if you’re planning on shooting at the break of dawn or the last light of the day, a larger objective lens will be a significant help. 40 or 50 millimeter objective lenses are the most common large objective lens sizes.

The Options

Scope manufacturers are providing a wide variety of options for specific needs. Included in these are turrets, reticle patterns, adjustable objectives, and more. Again, what you need depends upon your specific use for the scope.

The turrets are the adjustment knobs, usually located on the top and right side of the scope, that allow you to adjust the point of impact of your shot up or down and left or right. The most basic turrets are almost flush with the scope tube, and allow you to make adjustments using a screwdriver or a dime. Some of these flush turrets will have click adjustments. The flush-mounted turrets are probably the most commonly used for hunting, since most hunters don’t make adjustments to their scopes once the rifle/scope combination is set for a particular distance.

Target turrets protrude from the scope body, sometimes significantly, and allow the user to make quick adjustments for windage or elevation. These are popular with benchrest shooters, varmint hunters, snipers and other long-range shooters for whom a small adjustment will make a big difference in the point of impact downrange. Target turrets usually have click adjustments in either 1/4 or 1/8 Minute of Angle (MOA). Minute of angle is an expression of the number of degrees in an arc. For example, a 1/4 minute of angle adjustment will result in a point of impact change of 1/4″ at 100 yards, 1/2″ at 200 yards, 1″ at 400 yards, and so on.

Your choice of reticles, or “crosshairs,” is now so great that it would be impossible in this article to describe all of the options. They range from fine crosshairs to thick crosshairs to illuminated reticles, and more. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. For hunting, the combination of thick crosshairs on the outside edge of the reticle and thin crosshairs in the middle seems to be the most popular. Mil-dot reticles have become increasingly popular. These have dots regularly spaced along the reticle lines, and allow the user to gauge the distance to the target. Other scopes offer even more advanced rangefinding options than mil-dot reticles.

A popular option for precision shooting is the adjustable objective lens. Scopes without adjustable objective lenses are affected by what is called parallax. Parallax is the apparent difference in position of the target relative to the reticle at different distances. With a fixed-objective scope, if you move your eye left or right the barrel is no longer pointing to the same spot on the target as the reticle. You can see this if you mount your rifle solidly and look through the scope; move your eye slightly to the left and right, and you’ll see that the reticle isn’t in the same position on the target. While the parallax shift may be subtle, at longer distances it can make a significant difference in the point of impact. An adjustable objective scope allows you to correct for parallax for a particular distance by either turning a ring on the front of the scope or by a turret on the side of the scope. Fixed-objective scopes are generally set to be parallax-free at 100 yards; the adjustable objective allows for more fine-tuning.

The Technicals

When you’re shopping for a scope, you’ll encounter all sorts of technical specifications, some more important than others.

Eye relief is an important technical consideration. This is the distance from your eye to the rear (“ocular”) lens at which you can see the full target picture. The eye relief measurement will determine where on your rifle you’ll be mounting your scope. If the amount of eye relief is too short or too long, you won’t be able to properly position your cheek on the stock.

Field of view is another important factor. Field of view is the amount of area you’re able to view at a particular distance, usually measured in feet at 100 yards. For example, with a 3 power scope you would be able to view roughly 30 feet of terrain from left to right at 100 yards. The field of view becomes smaller as the magnification of the scope increases. Hunters typically prefer a wide field of view, while precision shooters usually want to narrow in on the target.

You’ll often see “Exit Pupil” as one of the technical specifications on a scope. This is the size of the circle of light on the rear (“ocular”) lens that is visible to you from arms length, and is usually expressed in millimeters. The size of the exit pupil is a factor of the magnification of the scope and the size of the objective lens. On high magnification scopes the exit pupil size can become so small that your eye must be directly in line with the scope in order to see the entire circle of view.

Technical specifications will often include the adjustment range of the scope, usually measured at 100 yards. Adjustment ranges vary from as little as 25 inches to as much as 150 inches or more. If you use your scope at moderate distances, and your scope has been properly mounted so that it’s on target at the middle of the adjustment range, a smaller adjustment range isn’t generally a concern. However, for long-distance shooters a wide adjustment range is a necessity, as bullet drops begin to be measured in feet rather than inches.

An often-overlooked technical specification is the mounting length. If the mounting length of the scope is too long or too short, you may not be able to put the mounting rings in the proper spots on your rifle, or you may wind up having to get a special scope mount.

With advances in technology, there’s almost no such thing as a bad scope today. Even the least expensive models give better performance than scopes made decades ago. But, when you consider that you may be using the scope you buy for years to come, it’s a good idea to get the best model you can afford that suits your particular needs.

An avid hunter does not choose the right time to do the thing he loves the most. In fact, every time is a right one even if it means being in the woods at night. On the other hand, there are shooters who are just dedicated to perfecting their rifle shooting. They can extend their practice until darkness falls. Regardless, what these people-and perhaps you-need it.

What is a night vision rifle scope?

It is simply a rifle scope that comes with a night vision. This way, you can see clearly through the images even if you are using your gun in the middle of the night. It is an excellent tool to ensure that you can get what you want right on target.

How to Buy a Night Vision Rifle Scope

There are a lot of things that you should consider before you decide to make a purchase of a night vision rifle scope. Some of these are the following:

Decide on the distance you want to cover. There are far and near shooters, and what you are will tell you the kind of that equipment you should buy. For example, if you are fond of targeting objects at several feet away, you need it that is equipped with a very powerful lens, the higher the magnification the better. However, you also have to know that you may also compromise the quality of illumination that your lens is going to receive. Thus, you need to weigh which is more important to you: illumination or magnification.

Know what you are aiming for. If an object you are targeting is inanimate or not moving (think of practice shooting), you can opt for the more affordable type of night vision rifle scope. You will not have to be concerned with the object’s speed. But if you are born hunter and you have set your eyes on deer, birds, and other fast-moving animals, you have to look for it that can also catch up with their movements. Your sights can also get blurry when your target moves too fast.

Identify the time you are going to use it. This will help determine the kind of generation your night vision rifle scope will belong to. So far, there are three kinds of generations available. The higher the generation level is, the higher the ability to see clearly in the darkness. That is why if you are just going to hunt at the early part of the evening, you do not have to go for generations 2 and 3 of it. They are expensive. However, if you are fond of being surrounded by darkness or there is not enough source of light, you really have to invest in a higher-generation night vision rifle scope.

Decide on the brand. You know what they say, “You will get what you pay for.” There are definitely cheap night vision rifle scopes around, but you may also have to deal with poor quality. If you are dead serious about hunting and shooting, you have to make an investment. There are good brands out there. One of the best manufacturers of that scope is ATN.

You can also shop for it can function as a regular scope. This means that you can turn off its night vision mode, so you have something to use when you are hunting during daytime and their lenses can withstand exposure to heat.

Thanks!

Many US scope manufacturers have been around for years and years. I consider Sightron to be the “new kids on the block”. Starting in 1994, just 16 short years ago, they have come a long way and have made a substantial footprint in today’s sporting optics market. Sightron, located in Youngsville North Carolina, is earning a reputation for the high quality of their rifle scopes. They are no doubt raising the eyebrows of king pins like Leupold, Nikon, and Burris. Dollar for dollar, the reliability, durability and repeat performance of a Sightron rifle scope cannot be ignored. Simply put these rifle scopes equal precision optical equipment. They are designed, tested and retested for sportsmen by sportsman.

Sightron holds the patent on ExacTrack. It is the most revolutionary breakthrough in modern shooting history. This Windage and Elevation Adjustment System, features an exclusive erector tube that keeps a positive, flush point of contact, from zero alignment through even the most dramatic adjustments. In other words, you will never experience drift.  Sightron scopes are as durable as any scopes on the market today because they are built on one piece, one inch aluminum main tubes. The lenses feature the Sightron’s “ZACT-7 Revcoat”, 7 layer coatings. The scopes are nitrogen filled, waterproof, fog proof and shock proof.  It is well known that these great rifle scopes can withstand all the harsh environments that any hunting situation may present. All Sightron scopes provide excellent viewing capabilities, with extremely crisp, clear, undistorted images.

Sightron has a rifle scope to suit every hunter and budget and they all boast the famous Sightron lifetime warranty.

Today Sightron offers three impressive lines of rifle scopes. The Sl Series, the Sll Series including the “Big Sky” and the Slll Series. They also manufacture some of the most durable, high quality and comparatively priced binoculars and spotting scopes on the market.

Sl Series – These scopes feature multi coated objectives and ocular lenses for superior performances. They have the unique 720 degree focus system. Generally speaking these are the less expensive of Sightron’s lines.

Sll Series – These are the most popular scopes and Sightron offers more available models than the SI and Slll lines. Sll and the Sll Big Sky series have features found in scopes costing hundreds of dollars more.  This is Sightron’s mid-range line and generally more expensive than the Sl series scopes.

Slll Series –  The Cadillac of the Sightron S Series.  They offer the long range series featuring 30mm tubes for extra strength and better light transmission. They are more than twice the thickness of many other scopes in the same class. These scopes are preferred by many big game hunters. This is Sightrons top of the line S series and is generally more expensive then the Sll models.

At 54 years old, I have hunted most of the United States for big game. My son has now come of age and enjoys hunting with his Dad. In the fall of 2009 we bought him his first big game rifle, a 7 mm-Mag and decided after everything that we had learned about Sightron’s quality that it was time to give them a “shot”.  We equipped his new rifle with the Sightron Slll Series, 3.5-10×44, long range, mil dot reticle, scope and off to northern Arizona we flew. As we expected conditions were horrible, and the snow was deep, but we had an excellent hunt. On day four, he shot his first mule deer, a nice 4×4 rack, but by no means a trophy. I have always been a diehard Leupold man. I own many firearms and I have always equipped them with Leupold scopes but I must admit, I was absolutely amazed at the quality, durability and excellent viewing clarity that this Sightron scope provided.  I may just go as far as to say that I am now a Leupold AND a Sightron man. I thank Leupold for a lifetime of hunting memories and Sightron for a future of brand new ones.

Leupold rifle Scopes are known for their superb quality and craftsmanship.  There also the leader in the optics industry, producing top quality rifle scopes.  As Leupold popularity grows it’s no surprise why these premium rifle Scopes targeted by counterfeiters.  Counterfeit leupold rifle Scopes have been popping up in the world market left and right. Here are some sure fire tips on how to spot a fake leupold rifle scope.

Only buy from trusted web sites

When buying a new leupold scope make sure the web site you are buying it from is a trusted or authorized Leupold rifle scope dealer.  Trusted websites will often go out of their way to prove they are an authorized Leupold dealer.

Trade web sites – avoid big trade, OEM, or manufacturing websites that provide B2B services.  Web sites like AliBaba.com, globalsources.com and tradekey.com are great for finding OEM manufacturers but will often list fake leupold rifle Scopes for sale.

What to expect from an authentic Leupold

Authentic Leupold scopes have a few distinctive markings that most fakes will not have.

Objective Ring – Authentic Leupold rifle scopes will have a thin objective ring with the company’s name etched on the ring itself. Counterfeits usually are missing this ring or will have the ring but not the etched writing.

Packaging – Often time counterfeit leupold scopes have similar packaging to the real thing but often lack one item, the warranty information. If you’ve purchased a Leupold scope you think could possibly be a fake, check for the warranty card information. It’s your missing it than you most likely have a fake leupold scope.

Leupold Serial Number – All of Leupold’s products come with a serial number. If the Leupold scope doesn’t contain a serial number then it’s a good chance the scope is a fake.

Always try to ask the seller for the serial number before you purchase the rifle scope. Once you have the serial number, call or email Leupold customer service to verify if the rifle scope is authentic.

The rifle scope is obviously a great invention, and like most inventions it was born out of necessity. Most great inventions evolve from someone finding a need for something and figuring out how to make it work. The evolution of the rifle scope began when people started attaching telescopes to rifles to maximize viewing capabilities. This idea was of course very primative and did not provide the desired effect. The first verifiable use of a telescopic sight on a pistol dates back to 1834,but attempts to create a workable rifle scope were unsuccessful until 1880 when August Fielder managed to build the first telescopic sight that really actually worked. This was the predecessor of all modern day rifle scopes. In 1907 a German immigrant named Fred Leupold set up a small shop in Portland Oregon repairing survey equipment. Several years later when he met inventor John Stevens, the marvelous company named Leupold and Stevens was born and still exists today. It was around 1930 after a failed hunting trip, that Leupold began making his first rifle scopes. The small company survived World War I and the great depression but it was  the Second World War that changed the company forever. Working with the US Army and Navy, the engineers at Leupold learned the secrets of waterproofing and durable construction that would change the world of optics forever.  The engineers learned that by introducing nitrogen gases within the scope that the optics would remain clear, waterproof and fogproof… for a lifetime.

Today Leupold and Stevens is a family owned American company with 100 years of experience. Their modern day state of the art facility  employs over 600 employees in Beaverton Oregon. The Leupold engineers design, machine, assemble and test all of their optics within this facility. Only the finest material known to man are used for production of their optics especially the lenses and they are of the highest grade quality that is demanded by Leupold engineers.  In addition to rifle scopes Leupold also offers a fine line of binoculars and spotting scopes as well.The products produced are made to last more than a lifetime and they are all backed by the famous Leupold Lifetime Warranty. They set all the standards that other optics manufacturers strive to achieve. Leupold optics are world renowned for their ruggedness, absolute waterproof integrity and their superior optical quality. Leupold offers a vast line of rifle scopes with both fixed and variable powers and many types of reticles. They have many different lines to chose from, sure to please any rifleman. The name Leupold is one of the most trusted, respected, and known names in the outdoor and hunting arenas worldwide.

Leupold has recently issued a counterfeit warning to its customers cautioning them to be on the lookout for counterfeit Leupold scopes that are illegally being imported from China. These fake reproductions bear many of the marks of the a genuine Leupold, making them very difficult to distinguish externally from authentic Leupold products. Recently many rifle scopes have begun to arrive at the Leupold headquarters for service. Obviously these products were not manufactured by Leupold and are not covered by the Leupold lifetime warranty. Leupold uses serial numbers on all of their optics so if one finds a suspect they can simply contact Leupold at 1-800-LEUPOLD to verify the authenticity.

To me I feel that a Leupold scope is the best scope for the money and I have many of them. I own 9 hunting rifles and they are ALL equipped with Leupolds. I personally thank Leupold for my grizzly bear  and dall sheep from Alaska, my mountain lion and elk from Arizona, my black bear and mule deer from Colorado, and the 13 trophy whitetail deer from right here in Pennsylvania. Through many conditions, from rain and snow, to blizzards and fog, to tripping down mountains, and banging around on horseback, my Leupolds have NEVER let me down under any circumstances.  Thanks again Leupold for a lifetime of memories!   

Robert Manack writing as “Outdoorcrazy”

Every true sportsman knows that he wants a quality rifle scope to improve his hunting skill. Rifle scopes are also used in armed applications, and from time to time for trap shooting. Scopes are available for crossbows, shotguns and handguns as well as for rifles. Spotting scopes are used by diversity of people including golfers, hunters, and for birding. The basic reason of a range is to allow the user to see clearer and additional than he would with the bare eye. The scope magnifies the target and its environs. Even lower class rifles are greatly improved by good rifle scopes. Nikon, Leupold, Bushnell, Sightron, Aim point, and Burris are all manufacturers of quality scopes.

Let’s start by researching the fundamentals of rifle scopes. A simple one has an optical lens, an elevation and wind age adjustments, and an objective lens. The glass is usually coated to increase visibility and to decrease glare. The size and enlargement of the lenses are extra considerations when purchasing rifle scopes.

The cross hairs on scope are called reticles. Reticles may also comprise dots and other configurations to provide a variety of functions. These help to line up the firearm to the target, however if you are using the rifle to shoot slighter targets, the dot in the middle of the scope may be too large and in fact hide the target. Some manufactures, including Nikon, Leupold, Bushnell, Sightron, Aim point, and Burris, in addition to others produce excellent riflescopes.

Many manufacturers, Aim point for example, also have a laser dot scope that shows the hunter where his shot will hit when the rifle is ablaze. There are night scopes obtainable for rifles as well. Nikon makes an outstanding all purpose scope, while Bushnell has a lens that is water repulsive. Leupold and Burris rifle scopes have outstanding optics, and Sightron is well recognized for producing quality riflescopes at a lesser price.

A higher enlargement is not always essential or even advantageous. It takes great care to not only decide the correct scope for the rifle itself, but to also choose the right scope for the task it will be used for. Over magnification can spoil a good shot and, at close range make it hard to acquire your target. It is essential to understand the not only how high it can enlarge and collect light, but also how low it can go.

After choosing the correct rifle scopes from no matter which manufacturer you prefer, it is very important to site in the scope. To do so, a good laser foresighted will be priceless. This will make sure accuracy, and save bullets.