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Riflescope World - Everything you should know before you buy.

Tactical equipment Tips & tricks Review

When selecting a rifle scope, whether for airsoft, air or live weapon, it is important to focus on crucial parameters such as the purpose for which the optics are purchased (hunting, airsoft, dynamic shooting, long range shooting), magnification values, lens diameter, etc. There are a lot of parameters, and especially for newcomers they can be confusing. That's why this article is here to explain the basic concepts so that buying a rifle scope is not only much easier, but also saves a lot of money. The most important rule of thumb is to try on the riflescope you choose in the store, because you can't tell from photos the actual length, weight, how well does it look through the scope, how well the crosshairs will fit, etc. etc. Below we will explain the most common terms and important factors in choosing a riflescope:

Riflescope World - Everything you should know before you buy.

FFP or SFP?

These two terms can be found in every rifle scope with variable zoom. It simply indicates whether or not the optic magnifies the crosshair as you zoom in/out.

 

FFP (First Focal Plane),

Or, the optics of the first focal plane means that the pattern (most often a ballistic tree) will get larger with increasing magnification, while maintaining the MOA/MIL ratio. This is generally most often used by sharpshooters who are used to shooting at longer distances, for example at targets on the range. It must be said that for airsoft use, the FFP can be an unnecessary luxury whose potential is not used in combat. As a rule of thumb, first focal plane optics tend to be more expensive. A great FFP optic in our offer is for example: Constantine 1-8x24

(Example of the behaviour of the crosshair in FFP Optics)

 

SFP (Second Focal Plane)

Or, the optics of the second focal plane means that the pattern, unlike FFP, will still be the same no matter how close you zoom in. This means that even at 1.5x zoom you will see a nice big deliberate cross with uniform MOA points. With FFP scopes with large zooms, you may find that the intentional axis is too small at minimum zoom, so for airsoft, where 3-6x zoom is most often used for effective combat, SFP is more practical. 

A great choice from the SFP group is for example: Forester 1-5x24 SFP or Everest 3-18x50SF

(Example of the behaviour of the crosshair in SFP Optics)

 

Is the lens size important?

The front lenses of rifle scopes designed for shooting at longer distances are usually 50 or 56 mm in diameter. For airsoft replicas, smaller diameters can be found. But what is the difference? The main difference is the light transmission. In general, the larger the diameter, the better the light transmission (the quality of the glass the lens is made of must also be taken into account). For 50 mm diameter optics the light transmission is +- 92% (depending on the manufacturer), for 56 mm the transmission is usually much higher, therefore these diameters allow shooting even in situations where there is less light. The advantage of 50 mm optics is their smaller size, so they are suitable for guns where there is not as much space, as a higher mount is not required.

As a good representative of 50 mm rifle scopes we can recommend:  Tourex 6-24x50

For 56 mm scopes we would recommend this one: Paragon 5-25x56 Gen II

 

Is reticle illumination useful?

The illumination of rifle scope is useful when the ambient light makes it difficult to see the crosshairs.

The colour of the illumination is usually red or green, but blue can also appear (a combination of all three colours is for example  Mustang 1-4X30 gen II).

Sometimes the whole cross is illuminated, sometimes just a small cross in the middle of the picture to avoid straining the eye. 

In most cases, rifle scopes have multi-stage illuminators, where the person adjusts the illumination according to the circumstances and his preferences.

 

(Showcase of illuminationof the optics)

Most common colors are:

Red: suitable for most situations, good in low light conditions. Poor aiming in bright sunlight, not suitable for people with astigmatism.

Green color: Good to work with in bright sunlight, suitable for people with astigmatism. Not suitable for green background, not suitable for use with night vision.

 

High Recoil resistance

In airsoft and air rifle shooting this parameter is not so important, but in live fire it is crucial for the choice. Not every rifle scope can handle a strong calibre, such as 308 Win, 300 Win Mag, 6.5 creedmoore, 338 Lapua Mag or 50 BMG. 

Therefore, before buying, it is necessary to understand what specific weapon we want to use the riflescope on and check the parameters to see if the model we have chosen is suitable.
We recommend buying rifle scopes with higher durability (at least 223. Rem. or ideally for .308 Win. caliber). This will not only make the optic last longer, but you can potentially use it on a more powerful weapon without worrying about possible damage. 

A damaged rifle scope can be recognized, for example, by the fact that it does not hold zero, the lens can become loose, and in rare cases it can even crack....

 

Nitrogen filled, waterproof, what does it mean?

Most of the better quality rifle scopes are waterproof and nitrogen filled.

Filling with nitrogen is to prevent fogging from the inside due to moisture.

Waterproofing is a very important parameter in a riflescope, especially in a riflescope for hunting, where it can often come into contact with water, either as rain, snow, or if the gun with the riflescope falls into the water. If the riflescope is waterproof, nothing will happen to it and you can continue to use it. But it is definitely recommended to wipe the lenses with a goggle cloth, for example, to avoid damaging the protective coating on the lens (do not use paper towels).

 

What does LPVO stand for?

LPVO stands for Low Power Variable Optic, the advantage of which lies in the ability to quickly adjust the zoom depending on the situation. Usually they start at 1x magnification, the maximum magnification is usually 6x or 8x.
The 1x zoom acts like a collimator. Zooming here is simple and there is no need to fine tune with additional focusing. This is fixed in most LPVOs. This makes it eliminates the need to buy a separate collimator and magnifier.

Thanks to these features, LPVOs are currently the most commonly used optics in airsoft.

In addition to the already introduced popular Mustang or Forester, we can include the LPVO Grimlocka 1-6x or Arbitera 1-4x24

Turret lock, Zero stop

  • Turret lock – a system that protects the turrets from unintentional rotation and therefore from zero scatter. The most commonly used variant is where the turrets are raised, the desired value is "clicked in" and then locked downwards, thus locking the rotating mechanism

We recommend to test the intensity and loudness of the "click" of the turret, it is especially important in a situation when the shooter is wearing gloves, so even when using them the click must be felt and heard. 

 

  • Zero stop – is a feature on the turret of the rifle scope that allows the user to set the stop at its preset zero distance to ensure that it cannot go below that value. Some riflescopes have a Zero Stop that allows the turret to go a few clicks below their preset zero. This feature saves the shooter the time and expense of having to re-zero the rifle scope if it has lost clicks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parallax

Riflescope parallax is an irregularity in the view that you see when looking through a rifle scope. It causes the crosshairs to move across the target when you change your eye position. This means that the scope will not accurately reflect where your rifle is pointing. This problem only occurs with higher magnification rifle scopes and is much more noticeable the higher the magnification. Parallax tends to be fixed in lower magnification rifle scopes.

Since the amount of parallax in the sight is variable depending on the distance of the target from the shooter, it is important to ensure that you always compensate and adjust the parallax. 

(On the left is a showcase of correctly set parallax, on the right an example of an incorrectly set one)

 

Weight of the optics

As cool as it is to have a big rifle scope on your gun, there is a simple rule: the bigger the rifle scope, the more added weight on the gun. Therefore, it is very advantageous to consider whether I explicitly need a big and heavy rifle scope on my gun, or if a smaller and lighter rifle scope can do the same job, because every added gram will be felt when moving the gun.

 

Adjusting diopters or focus

The riflescopes are equipped with a dioptric adjustment that makes focusing easier. In riflescopes, the diopter on the back of the eyepiece is used only to focus the scope. It should not be used to focus the target. The diopter setting is intended to be adjusted for your eyes and may not suit another user with poorer or better eyesight.

To adjust the diopter on a rifle scope, look through the scope at a level background closer than 6 meters. Adjust the diopter by turning the dial (see figure below) until the sight is perfectly clear. Once the diopter is set, do not adjust it further. It is not necessary. 


MOA or MRAD, how to navigate around it?

Every rifle scope or collimator has a MOA or MRAD designation on it, but what is it and what good is it?

MOA: 

M.O.A. stands for Minutes of Angle; a system based on degrees and minutes. This type of angle measurement is used to calculate the distance to the target and correct the MOA turrets for the trajectory of the projectile.

The minute angle numbers basically express how your hits are distributed on the target at 100 yards in inches. If after a day at the range you achieve a 1 MOA average, you have shot at a range of 1 inch (26.1 mm). We say approximately because the MOA is actually 1.047 inches. 

At longer distances you can keep the same formula, meaning 2 inches at 200 yards is still 1 MOA, as is 3 inches at 300, 4 inches at 400, etc. If you bring the target closer, say at 50 yards, you will have 1 MOA when your group is about half an inch from the center.

 

MRAD:

The abbreviation MRAD stands for milliradian (or MIL for short) and was originally developed for artillery in the late 19th century. To this day, it is the preferred method for military and law enforcement operations, where you will commonly see the MIL-dot reticle designation. MRAD riflescopes are the preferred choice of military and police snipers.

The milliradian is based on the radial line, a unit of angular measure equal to about 57.3 degrees, and represents one thousandth of a radian.

Tento systém nevychází tak, aby tvořil dokonalý kruh jako systém MOA. Místo toho miliradiány rozdělují obvod kruhu na 6,28 stejných výsečí, z nichž každá měří 57,3 stupně v rozsahu MRAD.

Each circle therefore has a circumference of 6.28 radians. Each radian is then divided into another 1 000 parts, which are called milliradians.

When calculating MRAD in a MIL-based sight, you will say MIL, which is 3.6 inches at 100 yards (91.4 meters using the metric system).

Its calculation is simpler than MOA: when shooting at 100 m, 1 click is 1 cm displacement on the target. When shooting at 200 m, 1 click is 2 cm, etc.

We recommend that when shooting, if you are not sure, use any ballistic calculator where you set all the necessary parameters and the program will calculate everything you need.

Showcase of the difference between MOA a MIL

So which is best? The answer is simple: it's about preference.

 

Accessories

Scopes are no exception, and even with them you can buy a bunch of useful accessories that either make sighting in easier or simplify the installation and alignment of the scope. 

What accessories can we offer you?

Lever for faster zooming Killflashes Water levels for scopes
Scopemounts Celaning micro fibers Eyepieces

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, we would like to wish you every success in choosing and using your rifle scope. One last, but in our opinion very important piece of advice: do not rush the purchase, check everything thoroughly, test the rifle scope in the shop and if you are 100% decided, buy the rifle scope. There is nothing worse than succumbing to a poor quality advertisement, reference and buying an expensive model that will not suit you.

Best of luck, and even more good hits to you Team Actionshop.

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