Hunting Tips: How Do You Pick the Best Rifle Scope?

One of the most important pieces of equipment that any good hunter should own is a rifle scope.

Sure, some old timers may tell you that there’s nothing like relying on the traditional iron sight, but let’s face it, rifle scopes are an essential in pulling off the perfect shot.

A good scope that is sighted in well is almost an absolute must have, especially as you gain a little experience, and want to start taking longer shots at bigger bucks.

Now, there’s a lot of factors to consider when choosing a rifle scope and it can seem a little baffling to a beginner, so I’m going to tell you what to look for.

Magnification Power

You’ll find that most popular power for rifle scopes is 4-12×40.

What does this mean? It looks complicated I know, but it is actually pretty straight forward. The 4-12×40 is the magnification. That means you can see 4x better, with the ability to adjust to see 12x magnified. The 4-12×40 part is the size of the objective lens- in millimeters. That is the lens that is opposite of the one you look through. The bigger the number, the bigger the picture at the end and also the more light that is allowed in…but they also cost more.

There are certainly more scopes to choose from than just a 4-12×40, however, the 4-12×40 is a great scope that is capable for most hunts an average hunter will ever need it for. It is also fairly priced for what you are getting. It is the scope I use and would recommend! The Vortex Diamondback 4-12×40 is one of the best bangs for your buck, really at any level of experience level this is a great scope.

Is the Scope Fog proof?

Just imagine that you’ve finally tracked down that elusive buck with a prize set of antlers. You lift your scope to your eye, but you can’t see anything apart from mist and condensation.

You quickly try to clean it and wipe it away, but it’s too late. The buck’s gone.

Yes, fogged up scopes can be a real nightmare! That’s why you want to really research the fog proof capabilities of any scopes you’re looking into. For any of you that looked at the Vortex Diamondback, this is a fog proof scope.

Even though they may claim to be waterproof, you’ll find that not all scopes cope well with changes in temperature and humidity.

Variable Power or Fixed Power?

There are two types of rifle scopes you can go for: variable power or fixed power.

But which is best for you?

Variable power scopes are very flexible in that you can change the magnification to your pleasing, so you can quickly adjust the scope for a shot at a buck from 50 yards or 250 yards.

With a variable scope, though, you will find that, particularly with the cheaper ones, the point of impact suddenly changes as you switch between magnifications. So be aware, a scope is not something you should try to save money on especially with a variable scope.

A fixed power scope, however, is less flexible as it has only one magnification type. However, the benefits are that a fixed power scope is more rugged, and can also be less expensive.

I wouldn’t recommend a fixed power scope as much as a variable power scope, unless you are only using a scope for one application on one rifle, or you are accustomed to hunting a certain tree stand from the same distances.

I hope these tips have made you feel a little bit more confident in picking the right rifle scope for your needs, so please let me know what you thought below!