There are many advantages to mounting a scope to your firearm. For shooters that have difficulty focusing on iron sights due to poor eye sight, a scope makes it easier to identify your aiming point to your target. The main advantage is the object magnification a scope offers that makes it very easy for any shooter to acquire and hit the target with consistency and improved accuracy especially for long range shots.

Scopes are available in many sizes and are defined by power or magnification x objective. There are scopes specifically for rifles and scopes for shotguns. There are also scopes to use with handguns. The following explains the different scope functions and will help you identify the functions you need and require to fit your hunting and shooting needs.

• Magnification or Power

  The magnification is how many times larger the target will appear through the scope than to the naked eye. For instance, a 3x power means the scope will make the target appear 3 times larger. 2x to 3x are the most common for hunting guns and some scopes with magnifications of 9x to 12x are more suited for hunting rifles as the higher magnification is needed for long range shots. If you are buying a scope for long distance target shooting, there are scopes that offer as much as 20x magnification.

• Fixed or Variable Magnification

  Some scopes offer variable or more than one magnification option. They allow for adjustable magnification depending on the distance from the target and the hunting conditions or cover. The most common variable scope is the 3-9x used for hunting. The 3x magnification allows for a shot as close as 10 yards and the flexibility to take longer shots. The eye relief may vary with each magnification setting. Eye relief is the maximum distance from your eye to the eye piece of the scope to view your target. The drawback to this is the position you hold your firearm will also change depending on the setting. A fixed power scope offers only one magnification and therefore no change in eye relief.

• Objective

  The objective is the size of the forward lens of the scope and measured in mm. The larger the lens, the more light is gathered by the lens. A 40mm objective lens is more than sufficient for seeing in low light conditions while hunting at dusk or early morning. Some scopes with larger objectives may be required to be mounted higher up on the firearm which will affect the line of sight and the way you position your gun when shooting. Some scopes do offer an adjustable objective but it really has no benefit for most hunting conditions.

So to recap, a 4-12x40 scope is adjustable from 4 to 12 times magnification with an objective of 40mm.

Other scope features to consider are the scopes finish, how it will mount to your firearm and anti fogging lenses to name just a few. When it comes to quality hunting optics you really do get what you pay for and the more special features you want or require will determine how much you will spend on a scope. It is very possible to outfit your gun with a good scope that will not cause you to break the bank but be careful that the money you save does not end up costing you the shot of a lifetime in the hunting woods.