Why does everything have a scope?

[bluetopper]

What really surprises me is all the used pistols I see listed for sale on net forums and auctions with scopes on them........Some have been butchered and permanently altered to attach them. Just seems ridiculous to me, but just my opinion.

 

[Dave R]

Cuz you can't shoot a whistle pig (think of a large gerbil) at 200 yards with iron sights.

 

[JackCrow]

Many modern rifles are available with iron sights.

On my hunting rifles I have both because the majority of the terrain I hunt over, shot distances can vary greatly.

 

[browningguy]

In spite of what a lot of people like to tell you, scopes are just better for most people, and there is certainly nothing more ethical about killing a deer with iron sights instead of a scope.

The great majority of hunters aren't really "shooters". They take ole betsy down to the range the week before hunting season, hit the target with a few rounds and they are ready.

For those that shoot a lot, well, scopes are still better. I only hunt regularly with one rifle unscoped, an 1891 Argentine Mauser with a peep sight. I can get reasonably good groups with it at 100 yards, but even at 150 they go all to pieces. I simply cannot see as well with peeps, or irons, as with a scope.

When hunting very early, very late, or in the middle of the night I find scopes a huge improvement over any kind of iron sights. I'm sure some of you think hunting at night isn't ethical, but we love to go pig hunting in the middle of the night.

And at the end of the day it's all about market forces. Ruger, Browning etc. don't force us to buy anything, they just try to make what people will want to buy. And apparantly the vast majority of people want rifles with scopes.

There are rifles available with iron sights, you may have to order it because you are the only person in town that wants one, everyone else wants a scope so that's what dealers have in stock.

Personally I think only gun snobs wouldn't hunt with a scope.

 

[Sistema1927]

Scopes on commercial bolt rifles, OK.

Scopes on commercial semi-auto rifle like the Remington 742, OK.

Scopes on mil-surps, no.

Scopes on handguns, nope.

Scopes on lever action rifles, NO, NO, NO, and NO!!!!!

(Just my ignorant opinion, don't have a fit.)

 

[sm]

Personally I think only gun snobs wouldn't hunt with a scope.

What do I know?
I am the big kid with a Kel-Tec P-11 going after ground hogs.

I got this figured out.
Jeans, white tennis shoes, and whatever oxford short I am wearing , allows me to use woods craft skills in a pasture , where the 55 gal drums are for barrel racing practice for cover.

It is said the horses have a good time watching and laughing from the stables up the way.

I do this with Model 10s, 64s, 1911 ...too.

Snob?
Not me, I have been called a lot of things , don't recall being called a snob though.

"Why is Steve duck walking back to the barrel he just left?"
"Looks like he either left his coffee or dropped his smokes to me"

*grin*

Use Enough Rodeo Barrels

 

[Exposure]

I am going to ask a serious question here and hope I don't get flamed for it.

Why is there so much snobbery and animosity towards scoped firearms?

It seems like almost every scope question has a bunch of the standard "learn to shoot with irons, THEN get a scope blah, blah, blah" type of responses.

If people want to put a piece of glass on their firearm, so what?

I just can't understand why people get so upset about someone putting a scope on a rifle, or pistol, or subgun, or LMG, or whatever, etc. etc. etc. It gets to the point of borderline degrading comments about people who want to use optics to shoot.

Is it really THAT big of a deal for someone to have a magnified view of their target when shooting? If a particular shooter enjoys looking through a scope, regardless of what type of firearm it is mounted to, then SO WHAT?!?!?!

This topic seems to come up more and more frequently and for the life of me I can't understand why people have such strong feelings over how someone aquires their target.

 

[General Geoff]

Hey, don't look at me. Scopes, irons, it's all good. If you can shoot with it and hit your target, nothing else matters.

 

[VARifleman]

I use a scope and irons. I can get better groups with the scope, but if I haven't practiced with it lately, flyers happen when they wouldn't (or at least not as bad) with irons. Things like looking for the shot and the obsession with shooting at a particular point instead of centering your hold and squeezing the trigger as the hold tightens up crop up with scopes. I would have never been able to hold off the right amount to get a long range .22 match win if I wasn't using a scope though (I could only get the point of impact to 100 yds, when shooting 200 yds, I've fixed the problem now).

 

[heron]

I own two rifles and two handguns, and no scopes.

My favorite rifle (Savage Mk I FVT) has a Williams FP system -- it all but aims itself, but still leaves me enough challenge.

 

[mustanger98]

Why is there so much snobbery and animosity towards scoped firearms?

I don't really know much about the snobbery and animosity on this subject, but I have learned something about co-dependancy and narcisism. Some people group together because they need others to validate their own being in love with their own thing. In other words, those who think it's more ethical to shoot a deer with a scope (as opposed to irons) will group together and dogpile a iron-sight-shooter. I'm sure the opposite also exists. However, I'm in the camp that says "learn to shoot with irons first" and that's partly because I know I can shoot better with irons than with a scope. I'm not trying to start a dogpile on either side because scopes and irons both have their place. As I said, I'm better at sights than I am at scopes. Somebody else may be the polar opposite.

On the scope side of the debate, there's the guy who can steady himself and hold the crosshairs dead still on the deer's side and make the one-shot humane kill. There's also the guy who lets his adrenaline run away with him and can't hit the side of the proverbial barn from the inside and the deer either gets away wounded or isn't even scratched. But those two guys also exist on the iron sight side of the debate.

Scopes on commercial bolt rifles, OK.

Sure. My Daddy uses a scope on his .30-06 deer rifle and it works quite will for him. But my Savage Model 11GL came with irons (v-notch rear) and provision for the scope, bases, and rings of the buyer's choice.

Scopes on commercial semi-auto rifle like the Remington 742, OK.

Daddy had that 742 when I was a kid.

Scopes on mil-surps, no.

None of my mil-surps have scopes, but what if it's an original 1903A4 or No.4T or K98k in sniper configuration?

Scopes on handguns, nope.

I haven't had any need for one, but there's a first time for everything.

Scopes on lever action rifles, NO, NO, NO, and NO!!!!!

I don't need a scope on my old Winchester .30-30... the one with the Lyman #2 tang sight... the one I brag about on here time to time.

(Just my ignorant opinion, don't have a fit.)

We all have an opinion and we're all ignorant about something.

 

[armedandsafe]

If you take a look at the demografics of the US, you will find that the shooting population is getting older, as an average. Therefore, it becomes easier to sell a scope system. Eyes deteriorating and disposable income increasing.

Pops

 

[jhco50]

{Why does everything have a scope?}

Everything does not need a scope. A scope is a crutch for those shooters who cannot use open sites properly. I know this will rankle those shotgunners and handgunners who have to have a scope on there close range firearms, but hey, I'm old and they can only kill me once.

I have never used a scope on any of my firearms. Originally scopes were a rarity, but manufactures wanted to sell their product and in concert with the gun magazines (catologs we pay for) they started promoting scopes on all rifles. As time went on they told us we couldn't hit anything with our handguns unless we had a superior sighting arangement...a scope. Iron sights were a cheap site gun manufacturers slaped on their products to get them out the door, according to scope manufacturers. Open sites were crude, inaccurate, and ugly. As of the last few years, we can't shoot our shotguns unless they are scoped.....riiiiigggght.

 

[Sunray]

The manufacturers know that most commercial hunting rifles get scoped. Their marketing people are using packages that include scopes to increase their sales. It all started with rifles being drilled and tapped for scope mounting. Adding a scope to the sale was the naural next step.
On milsurps, there is a misconception that a scope will improve accuracy. They won't. A scope does nothing but allow you to see the target better. If the rifle doesn't shoot well to start with, a scope won't make it shoot better.
Very few milsurps were ever intended to be scoped. On a carbine, like an M-1 or SKS, they bugger the balance severely. And, of course, drilling and tapping for a scope mount drops the value in half.
Scopes on a hunting handgun? Why not? Given the nature of most handgun sights, scoping a hunting handgun isn't a bad idea. Not on a target pistol though.

 

[JackCrow]

"Scopes on lever action rifles, NO, NO, NO, and NO!!!!!"


Ouch!
Well, I guess ya'll a hafta kick me out of the lodge. Most of my hunting is done with a scoped Marlin 336.

 

[jerkface11]

Most people aren't willing to practice enough to be good with iron sights. I know I'd rather have sights than a scope. Especially for hunting.

 

[MikeH]

The marriage between firearms and optics aren't really as recent as we'd like to think. It was just too expensive to be widely available, both to the military and civilian shooters, until recent years. I'd think that, given another couple of decades, we'll be taking scopes with built-in ranging, wind measurement, temperature compensation, gun camera, cell phone, MP3 player, and web browser for granted.

 

[peterotte]

I want to put scope on my shot gun!

Just kidding.

My Dad shot with open vee sights and he shot very well indeed!

I guess the complaints come from people who just want others to do as they do. I think if someone wants iron sights that's great. I just happen to like a scope - but it has to be clear, large eye piece, no big black ring around the image, mounted high and definately not longer than the barrel!

I bet there are a lot of folks out there who shoot a pistol without using the sights at all!

 

[AlaskaErik]

My AR-15 is strictly a SHTF weapon. I don't forsee ever having to engage targets beyond what my iron sights can handle. If I want to spend money over and above what I do on maintaining my house there's always my Harley and my airplane that can suck up any spare cash. Play toys for my weapons is way down on the priority list.

 

[WayneConrad]

I wish I could post a picture of what my eyes see when shooting through iron sites. Then those of you blessed with the flexible lenses of youth might understand why you, too, might one day put scopes on many of your firearms.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Most of us shooters prefer to hit where we aim and have every ability to do so with the tightest group possible. Scopes aid in that attempt.

I have scopes on 2 of my rifles (-06 and 10/22) and 1 .44 Mag handgun.

Shotties, autoloader handguns and SKS are scopeless. The AR has a scope too but I'm not going to keep it on. Just seeing if I like it or not. So far it isn't what I want.

To each his own.

I like Springmom's exit, venison in the freezer is a good thing!

 

[sm]

Why is there so much snobbery and animosity towards scoped firearms?

For me there is NO snobbery or animosity.

I just happen to be one that uses a handgun, or shotgun most times.
I also assist some kids just learning about shooting with .22 single shot rifles.

Most folks around here know I am a mix of old school fuddy-duddy with gun fit and learning correct basic fundamentals, add some sappy sentiment, sprinkle in some personal druthers and rebellious ways and this is me.
I do not deny this.

My deal / my role/ my choice is to assist with folks just learning. Then suggest they go elsewhere/ continue for further lessons.

Get one of these kids to get the basics with irons, they get bigger, and add a scope, they are ahead of the learning curve. IMO.


~~

Humans like to fuss, argue and debate. It does not matter the subject, just humans do like to fuss, argue and debate.

Topic of Scope is a nice change from "paper or plastic" , "inner or outer bellybuttons", "red heads, blonds or brunettes", "Ford vs Chevy vs Mopar"...

It is all good.

 

[sm]

It is all good.

Now if I could only get you knuckleheads to pay attention to me one more time...

28 gauge shotgun in Wood-n-Blue and you folks would understand you can "hit with authority" what pointed at.

Skeet Shooters can do it 25 times in a row in 8 different positions.

You Scope folks can only do what ? Three maybe Fours positions tops?

 

[runfrumu]

i dont care what people put on what. they can put a scope on a slingshot for all i care. whatever floats a person's boat.

beside's, why not use every advantage to make a better shot? people could complain that rifled barrel's are cheating and that the only real gun is a black power one where you load the charge yourself and not use some "fancy pants factory loaded bullet!"

 

[Aaryq]

Howdy,Folks, OP here. I wasn't trash talking scopes. I own a scope (just not a gun for it) and I intend on putting a scope on 1 of my guns. I just prefer irons because that's what I learned with, that's what I'm comfortable with. If you folks like your scopes, great, but don't be mean about it. If you folks like your irons, great, but don't be mean about it.