Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Nightforce Optics 4-16×42 ATACR Series Riflescope, Matte Black with Digillum Illuminated First Focal Plane Mil-XT Reticle, Side Parallax Focus, 34mm Tube
NightForce ATACR Riflescope, 4-16x42mm, 34mm Tube, First Focal Plane, F1 MIL-XT Reticle, Black, C615
Rifle Scope Product Features
34mm main tube
First focal plane
Tactical MIL turrets
Waterproof and fogproof
Illuminated MIL-XT Reticle
About the NightForce Scope Maker
NightForce is a premium company for weapon scopes, optics, mounting solutions, and other accessories used for guns like rifles and long guns. They innovate and build their mounts and related products using building materials which are long lasting and resilient. This includes the Nightforce Optics 4-16×42 ATACR Series Riflescope, Matte Black with Digillum Illuminated First Focal Plane Mil-XT Reticle, Side Parallax Focus, 34mm Tube by NightForce. For additional shooting products, visit their site.
Info About Rifle Scopes
Rifle scopes permit you to precisely align a rifle at various targets by lining up your eye with the target at range. They do this through zoom using a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s positioning can be adjusted for the consideration of many ecological things like wind speed and elevation increases to make up for bullet drop.
The scope’s purpose is to help the shooter understand exactly where the bullet will hit based on the sight picture you are seeing through the scope as you line up the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended target. Many contemporary rifle scopes and optics have around eleven parts which are found internally and externally on the scope body. These optic pieces include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, modification dials or turrets, objective focus rings, and other components. See all eleven parts of an optic.
The Varieties of Rifle Scopes
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of optics. Deciding on the optimal type of rifle optic depends on what type of shooting you plan on doing.
First Focal Plane Optics
Focal plane scopes (FFP) feature the reticle in front of the zoom lens. These styles of scopes are helpful for:
- Quick acquisition, far away kinds of shooting
- Shooting scenarios where calculations are minor
- Experienced shooters who have an idea for their aim point “hold over” plus “lead” equations for their firearms
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is bigger and takes up more visual eyesight area than a SFP reticle
Second Focal Plane Glass Facts
Second focal plane scopes (SFP) feature the reticle behind the zoom lens. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” one hundred yard tick measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick measurement.
- Long distance types of shooting where shooters have more time to make ballistic computations
- Shooting where most of the shots occur within shorter ranges and distances
- Shooters who want a clearer optic picture with less space taken up by the larger sized FFP reticle
Magnification for Rifle Scopes
The amount of magnification a scope supplies is figured out by the size, density, and curvatures of the lenses inside of the rifle scope. The zoom of the scope is the “power” of the scope.
Fixed Power Lens Rifle Optic Details
A single power rifle optic will have a zoom number designator like 4×32. This indicates the magnification power of the scope is 4x power while the objective lens is 32mm. The magnification of this kind of scope can not change given that it is a fixed power optic.
Variable Power Lens Scopes
Variable power rifle scopes can be changed between magnification levels. These types of scopes will list the magnification degree in a format like 2-10×32. These numbers mean the zoom of the scope can be changed between 2x and 10x power. This also incorporates the power levels in-between 2 and 10. The power modification is achieved by operating the power ring component of the scope near the rear of the scope by the eye bell piece.
Glass Power and Range Correlation
Here are some recommended scope power settings and the ranges where they could be effectively used. Highly magnified rifle scope glass will not be as beneficial as lower magnification level rifle scope glass given that too much magnification can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The same idea goes for longer distances where the shooter needs to have increased power to see where to properly aim the rifle at the target.
Rifle Scope Lens Finish
All present day rifle scope lenses are coated. Lens coating can be a crucial aspect of a rifle when thinking about high end rifle optics and scope equipment.
HD Versus ED Rifle Optic Lens Coatings
Some scope manufacturers likewise use “HD” or high-definition lens coverings which use various techniques, chemicals, components, and polarizations to draw out separate colors and viewable definition through the lens. Some scope producers use “HD” to refer to “ED” implying extra-low dispersion glass.
Single Coating Versus Multi-Coating for Optics
Various optic lenses can also have various coverings used to them. All lenses normally have at least some type of treatment or covering used to them before being used in a rifle scope or optic.
This lens treatment can offer protection to the lens from scratches while decreasing glare and other less useful things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single covered lens depends on the scope maker and how much you paid for it.
Some scope manufacturers also make it a point to specify if their optic lenses are covered or “multi” covered. Being “better” depends on the manufacturer’s lens treatment innovation and the quality of products used in developing the rifle scope.
Anti-water Lens Covering
Water on an optical lens doesn’t assist with keeping a clear sight picture through an optic whatsoever. Many top of the line or high-end scope producers will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic finish. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a fine example of this type of treatment. It provides protection for the surface area of the Steiner glass lens so the water particles can not bind to it or produce surface tension. The result is that the water beads roll off of the scope to maintain a clear, water free sight picture.
Options for Mounting Rifle Optics on Firearms
Installing options for scopes are available in a couple of options. There are the basic scope rings which are separately installed to the scope and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These various types of mounts also typically are made in quick release variations which use manual levers which allow rifle shooters to quickly install and remove the scopes.
Hex Key Scope Ring Mounts
Standard, clamp-on type mounting optic rings use hex head screws to install to the flattop design Picatinny scope mount rails on the tops of rifles. These types of scope mounts use double separate rings to support the scope, and are made from 7075 T6 billet aluminum or similar materials which are manufactured for far away precision shooting. This kind of scope mount is excellent for rifle systems which need a durable, rock solid mount which will not move regardless of how much the scope is moved or jarring the rifle takes. These are the style of mounts you should have for a faithful optics system on a long distance scouting or competition rifle that will pretty much never need to be changed or adjusted. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can also be used on the mount’s screws to stop the hex screws from backing out after they are installed securely in place. An example of these mounting rings are the 30mm type from the Vortex Optics brand. The set usually costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Rifle Scope Ring Mounts
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to rapidly attach and detach a scope from a rifle before reattaching it to a different rifle. Several scopes can also be swapped out if they all use a compatible style mount. These types of mounts come in handy for rifles which are transferred a lot, to swap out the optic from the rifle for protecting the scope, or for scopes which are used between multiple rifles or are situationally focused.
Details on Rifle Optic Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Moisture inside your rifle scope can ruin a day of shooting and your costly optic by triggering fogging and developing residue inside of the scope tube. Many scopes prevent wetness from getting in the scope tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are waterproof.
Rifle Scope Gas Purging
Another part of avoiding the buildup of moisture inside of the rifle optic tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Considering that this area is currently occupied by the gas, the scope is less affected by temperature level changes and pressure variations from the outside environment which might potentially enable water vapor to leak in around the seals to fill the vacuum which would otherwise exist. These are good qualities of a good rifle scope to seek out.
