At the time I’m writing this, I suppose most hunters have marked their calendars with the starting dates for our hunting seasons to begin another year.
Even without a calendar, old-timers notice the fading goldenrod, cool nights and falling acorns that tell us it’s time to prepare for another season in the woods.
Part of these preparations of course includes a review of our hunting gear in general. What items should be upgraded or replaced? This harmless inventory is how we end up with a drawer full of skinning knives, a safe full of guns and closets full of boots, camo clothes, etc. In discussing “needed” new items, it’s interesting to me how much attention is now being paid to a new scope, usually described by our hunter as “bigger” and/or “better” than the one currently on the old deer blaster.
It seems to me that for decades, the emphasis on gear usually centered around a new rifle or caliber. For several years now, I’ve spent quite a bit of preseason time discussing the merits of different scope brands and models.
Quite often, the shooters express interest in more magnification or a more clear and sharp image when we peer through our scopes. Some of this is certainly understandable; I know my aging eyes appreciate help from good optics.
There are times, however, when I’m asked my opinion in such matters and find myself at a loss to give a diplomatic answer. Not long ago I was asked to compare two scopes of different brands to see which one I preferred. An acquaintance had a low priced 3X9 scope on a rifle for several years and he became convinced that buying a different brand would make a vast difference. He was probably right, except he was comparing another scope of the same quality and price range; there wasn’t much to choose between the two.
When he insisted that I look again through his old scope to see how dim and fuzzy the image appeared, I politely demonstrated that removing a thick layer of dust and grime from the objective lens would improve his view dramatically.
Back in “the day” choosing a scope was relatively simple, mostly because of a pretty short list of available makes, models and options. I’m reminded of the old joke about the model T Ford: you could have any color you want, as long as it’s black. Today, our choices are so numerous as to become downright confusing. A quick look at the internet indicates there may be 70 brands of scopes available worldwide. Then consider that many brands offer several grades or models, with increasing prices as quality features are added.
No short article like this could do justice to describing scope lens construction, coatings, dimensions, adjustment systems and a dozen other variables that may make one scope more desirable (or expensive) than others. Suffice to say that as far as cost goes, I recently looked at a sale flier from a big gun shop that had a lot of scopes suitable for big game hunting listed. They were on sale for $50 to $2,500 (that’s right- 25 hundred) and every price in between.
From across the room, many of these scopes look similar, but there better be a difference to justify the drastic price ranges. There certainly are differences in quality and features, but it’s up to the hunter to decide how much he’s willing to pay for these “upgrades.”
Many years ago, at the old Bradford Sportsmen’s Club, I had an interesting conversation that always stuck with me. The conversation was with a fellow shooter who I knew was comparing the scopes on our varmint rifles. He alternately peered through one scope, then the other, at the distant benchrest type targets and finally declared that he really couldn’t see a difference. Pointing to my scope, he said, “Why would I pay twice as much for this brand if I can’t see any difference?” He looked a bit puzzled when I agreed with him. I knew and could see the differences, but I wouldn’t argue the point. If he truly couldn’t see a brighter, sharper image in the more expensive scope, then why should he invest in one?
While waiting for woodchucks to appear in a large field near Smethport, a friend and I passed some time by watching deer coming and going out of the edge of the woods a long way off, probably 600 yards or so. My pal and I were using scopes of similar magnification (14 and 15 power) and we had a 20-power spotting scope, as well. We took turns watching the deer through the spotting scope, noting the number and size of the animals visible. When my friend announced that he had just seen more deer enter the field, I focused my 15 power rifle scope on them while he watched through the spotter. He said they were two more does. I commented that one fawn still had spots. Not believing that I could discern spots at that distance, my pal asked to look through my scope and said “I’ll be darned.”
Of the three good quality scopes we were looking through, only one had the clarity and definition to show those spots. We learned a good lesson that day; there’s more to a good scope than simple magnification. Whether you need that quality or not is up to you.
