[Remander]

I have recently thought about buying a 22 LR, probably a Ruger 10/22, Marlin or the like, for outdoor range fun.

I would also like a scope, but I do not know jack about scopes. I would appreciate a tutorial on what the numbers mean. 4-16X40 or 3x98x40 or the like mean nothing to me.

Please explain it to me like I am six years old and have never used a scope.

Thanks

[BusMaster007]

The first # to learn is: $$$ :D

[Kcustom45]

I know very little, but I will take a crack at this one. First 4-16 is the power of the scope. Two numbers means a variable power, so you can adjust from 4 times your normal sight to 16 times your normal sight. The second number is the size of the front lens (objective lens I think it is called). The bigger the lens the more light it lets in and the brighter your scope is. The downside is that the scope is bulkier and it will require high scope rings.

Someone who knows more than I should be with you shortly to fill in any gaps and correct me if I am wrong.

[Ullr]

http://www.zeiss.com/us/co/sports/home2.nsf/Contents-FrameDHTML/E34E4125AA548D6685256BCF0061320D

The above link is to Zeiss-USA's "Riflescope School" which defines most of the important terms and has some nice photos. Of course, it's designed to sell Zeiss scopes, so filter out the editorialization found throughout.

A good search here on terms like "Leupold" should yield lots of useful information. Hope that helps you get started.

[Legionnaire]

Remander, in my opinion, Ken Marsh has one of the best (both knowledgeable and entertaining) scope sites on the web. Happy reading!

http://www.charm.net/~kmarsh/scope.html

[Logistar]

3-9X40 seems to be popular. I think you can mount most scopes up to a 40mm objective without a lot of trouble. Above that I think the scopes generally tend to get heavy and more difficult to mount.

Most all scope novices seem to think they need high magnification on their scopes. That's usually not necessary or even desirable. I seriously doubt that shooters ever use the "9x" magification of their 3-9 magnification scopes. It is just too hard to hold the image still unless you are shooting from a bench.

Smaller objectives are not as bright (in general) and also won't provide the resolution that larger objectives provide.

Anti-reflective coatings will brighten an image and increase it's contrast. Most of my knowledge of scopes comes from astronomical telescopes so if I screwed up here, let me know guys!

Logistar

[BusMaster007]

Legionnaire---

THANK YOU!
I had that page in my mind and in my computer somewhere, too, but I couldn't find it last night!
I remembered reading it before.
Saved it to a folder this time.

Great stuff, huh? :D

[Legionnaire]

Yer welcome! I love the "What to do with a Cheap Scope" section.