Seeing is Believing (pt. 2): Firearm Optics

In November of 2009, Corporal of Horse (CoH) Craig Harrison, made the longest confirmed kill shot on record.  This shot was recorded being made with a .338 Lapua Magnum caliber sniper rifle and at 2,707 yards!!!  (For all of our mathematically challenged sharpshooters out there, I’ll do the math for you!!)  At 5,280 feet per mile, that equates to over 1.5 miles!  Yes you read it correctly!  Over a mile.  Official divulgence to the public of confirmed kill shot distances for record started around the late 1960’s.  As gun tech improved through the years, decent optics became superior optics, and now, shooters are able to push limits that heretofore would have been absurd to even fathom!

As you can probably tell….one of my favorite areas of gun tech is firearm optics!  Manufacturers around the world are developing glass that will blow your mind……and your wallet!!!  Depending on the constraints of your budget, you can get the best while zeroing in on a Zeiss Scope that’s gonna run you about $2500 smackers, or you may be able to get the new NC Star that will run you about $40 bucks.  Firearm optics vary just as much in price as they do in types.  It is amazing how they’ve evolved from the traditional tubular scopes to some of the open reflex red-dot sights.  I get goose bumps just talking about scopes and red-dots!!!

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This hunting scope is one of the best “middle-of-the-road” pieces of glass I’ve ever seen.  It’s a 3-9x40mm (read: three to nine by forty…).  It has a proprietary crosshair that will allow sighting up to about 600-650 yards pretty accurately. That’s about 2,000 feet!  It comes with the Butler Creek Scope Caps (love em!!!!), elevation and windage adjustment protective caps, and is sturdy!!!  It mounts great, and zeros hold!  I love these types of scopes!!!!!

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I would probably describe myself as a shooter on a budget!  But at the same token, I need my accessories to be durable and sturdy!  When I was in the market for a red-dot scope for this particular platform, I went with the UTG.  This thing is like the bully of the red-dot world!  Has a large dot (which I LOVE), and can be displayed in either red or green.  The battery life kinda goes depending on the quality of battery you have.  I’m not really a fan of the flip covers (I think I’m spoiled by the Butler Creek’s!!), but I do appreciate the covers for the windage and elevation knobs.

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One of the newest innovations in firearm optics is the open reflex sights.  These wonderful little puppies are a red-dot type of optic, but are very interesting.  With this particular system, at the flip of a switch you can change the shape from a typical dot, to crosshairs, to a circle, to a crosshair with a circle in the middle.  Target acquisition is a cinch with this guy.  I’ve got it mounted on a .22LR plinking rifle.  Holds a zero like a champ with all that recoil (yea right!!!)….

I love firearm optics!!  Love em’!!  But please people understand…Your bills won’t go away!!  As much as we all want to….you can’t spend all your money on scopes!  If you are like me and have several different platforms and want an optic of some sort to be mounted on each one, things can get a little hairy for your budget!!!  Take your time, save and then get your collection right!  You have a world of options to choose from, so please conduct thorough research and find what suits your mission!

We want to thank you for stopping by our lane at the shooting range!! We hope you enjoyed your stay and we hope that we were able to hit the target.  Please stop by soon and often to check back for new posts and PSA updates.  We look forward to shooting with you soon!

And as always….remember to watch your six and stay low.

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