Rifle Scopes and Optical Terminology – Everything You Need to Know

If you use any type of fire weapon, it is essential to have the know-how on everything that comes with it in order to be able to use it correctly and to purchase everything you need that will help you in the most effective manner.

Gun optics make no exception and in order to properly use them, you need to understand how they work, and to understand how they work you need to know what some terms in their description mean.

If you want to purchase a scope from the well-known brand Barska, for example, it is not enough to know its name. You should look at other things as well in order to get the best one. This way you will be able to make a clear and objective opinion about different scopes. So in this article, we will explain what the most relevant terms mean.

1. Field of view

The purpose of an optical instrument when you are using a gun is to magnify the image in order for you to better spot your target. The important thing you need to know about these types of optical instruments is that the more you magnify the image, the narrower your view will become.

The field of view is how much you see in terms of width. So if you are looking through a scope that has great magnification levels, your field of view will be reduced. The field of view is usually measured in feet or yards and it is important to know what it means before using a scope.

2. Exit pupil

The exit pupil refers to the shaft of light that comes out at the back of the scope and enters your eye. This is important because it says something about how bright the image you will see is. It is measured by dividing the diameter of the objective lens of the scope to the magnification power of the scope.

So if you have a scope that has high magnification power, the exit pupil will be smaller and the amount of light that will enter your eye will be lower, and therefore, the image will be a lot dimmer. With lower magnification, the opposite will happen.

3. Eye relief

This is an important feature that you have to consider. It refers to the optimum distance between your eye and the eyepiece of the scope where you will be able to see the clearest image through the scope without reducing the field of view by seeing that vignette effect.

Understanding this feature is really important especially if you are using a variable power scope because every time you change the magnification you will have to adjust the eye relief in order to use it at its maximum capacities.

4. The coating of the lens

To gather as much light as possible in order for you to have a high-quality image in terms of clarity and details, it is essential for a lens to have an anti-reflective coating. If this coating would not be applied, some of the light would not enter your scope because the laws of physics say that it will be reflected back into the environment.

So to maximize how much light your lens gathers, manufacturers apply a coating that eliminates reflections and allows up to 99 percent of the light to enter your scope. Before buying a scope it is important to consider this aspect as well because you will not be able to get the clearest image possible if the lens is not coated.

Final thoughts

There is a lot of information you can acquire about gun scopes and the field is pretty interesting. However, these are the basic things you need to know before getting and using a scope. If you want to find out more, keep following us and you will become a lot more informed in everything involving weapons and how to use them.