Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
NightForce ATACR 4-16x50mm F1 ZeroStop .1 Mil-Radian DigIllum PTL MIL-C
NightForce ATACR 4-16x50mm ZeroStop Riflescope, Capped Windage, Digillum, PTL, MIL-C, Black, C618
Rifle Scope Product Features
34mm main tube
First focal plane
Tactical MIL turrets
Waterproof and fogproof
Illuminated Mil-C reticle
About the NightForce Brand
NightForce is a premium producer for rifle scopes, optics, mounting solutions, and other add-ons used for guns like rifles and long guns. They innovate and build their products using materials which are resilient and long lasting. This includes the NightForce ATACR 4-16x50mm F1 ZeroStop .1 Mil-Radian DigIllum PTL MIL-C by NightForce. For additional shooting goods, visit their site.
Scope Details
Rifle scopes permit you to precisely align a rifle at different targets by lining up your eye with the target over a range. They do this through magnifying the target by utilizing a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s alignment can be adapted to take into account various ecological factors like wind and elevation to account for bullet drop.
The scope’s purpose is to help shooters understand precisely where the bullet will land based on the sight picture you are viewing through the optic as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended point of impact. Many modern-day rifle optics have about 11 parts which are found internally and externally on the scope. These parts include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, windage and elevation turrets or dials, objective focus rings, and other parts. See all eleven parts of scopes.
The Varieties of Rifle Scopes
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of optics. Considering the best type of rifle glass is based around what type of shooting you plan to do.
First Focal Plane Optics
Focal plane scopes (FFP) come with the reticle in front of the magnification lens. This causes the reticle to increase in size based upon the extent of zoom being used. The benefit is that the reticle measurements are the same at the amplified range as they are at the non magnified distance. For instance, one tick on a mil-dot reticle at one hundred yards without any “zoom” is still the exact same tick at one hundred yards with 5x “zoom”. These types of scopes are useful for:
- Quick acquisition, far away types of shooting
- Shooting circumstances where estimations are low
- Experienced shooters who recognize their target “hold over” as well as “lead” correlations for their long guns
- Shooters who do not mind the reticle is enlarged and takes up more visual eyesight room than a SFP reticle
Second Focal Plane Scope Facts
Second focal plane optics (SFP) include the reticle behind the magnification lens. This causes the reticle to stay at the same size in connection with the amount of zoom being used. The outcome is that the reticle measurements evolve based upon the zoom chosen to shoot over lengthier ranges because the markings present distinct increments which change with the magnification. In the FFP example with the SFP optic, the 5x “zoom” 100 yard tick would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick. These types of optics work for:
- Far away styles of shooting where shooters have increased time to make ballistic computations
- Shooting where most of the shots take place within shorter ranges and proximities
- Shooters who prefer a clearer optic sight picture with less space taken up by the larger sized FFP reticle
Optic Zoom
The amount of zoom a scope offers is determined by the size, thickness, and curvatures of the lenses inside of the rifle scope. The magnification of the scope is the “power” of the scope.
About Fixed Power Lens Rifle Optics
A single power rifle optic uses a zoom number designator like 4×32. This indicates the zoom power of the scope is 4x power while the objective lens is 32mm. The zoom of this kind of scope can not change given that it is a set power scope.
Variable Power Lens Scope Details
Variable power rifle scopes can be modified between magnified settings. The power adjustment is handled by the power ring part of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
The Power and Range of Rifle Glass
Here are some advised scope powers and the distances where they can be effectively used. Bear in mind that high magnification optics and scopes will not be as practical as lower powered optics and scopes since excessive zoom can be a bad thing. The exact same idea goes for extended ranges where the shooter needs to have sufficient power to see exactly where to properly aim the rifle.
Rifle Scope Lens Finish
All modern rifle scope and optic lenses are covered. Lens covering can be a crucial aspect of a rifle when considering high end rifle optics and scope setups.
About Lens Coatings – HD Versus ED
Some scope makers also use “HD” or high-definition lens coatings which use different processes, chemicals, components, and polarizations to draw out a wide range of colors and viewable definition through the lens. Some scope producers use “HD” to refer to “ED” implying extra-low dispersion glass.
What to Know About Single Coating Versus Multi-Coating
Different scope lenses can even have different coverings applied to them. All lenses typically have at least some kind of treatment or covering applied to them before being used in a rifle scope or optic assembly. Because the lens isn’t just a raw piece of glass, they require performance enhancing coatings. It is part of the finely tuned optic. It must have a coating put on it so that the lens will be optimally usable in many types of environments, degrees of sunlight (full VS shaded), and other shooting conditions.
This lens treatment can offer protection to the lens from scratches while lowering glare and other less advantageous things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single covered lens depends on the scope manufacturer and how much you paid for it.
Some scope makers also make it a point to define if their optic lenses are layered or “multi” covered. This means the lens has had multiple treatments applied to the surfaces. If a lens receives several treatments, it can establish that a company is taking numerous steps to combat different natural factors like an anti-glare coating, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion finish, followed by a hydrophilic coating. This also does not necessarily mean the multi-coated lens will perform better than a single coated lens. Being “better” depends upon the producer’s lens treatment solutions and the quality of products used in constructing the rifle optic.
What to Know About Hydrophobic Finish
Water on a scope’s lens doesn’t support keeping a clear sight picture through an optic whatsoever. Numerous top of the line and premium optic manufacturers will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic finishing. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a good example of this sort of treatment. It provides protection for the surface of the Steiner optic lens so the water particles can not bind to it or produce surface tension. The outcome is that the water beads slide off of the scope to keep a clear, water free sight picture.
Alternatives for Mounting Optics on Firearms
Installing solutions for scopes are available in a few options. There are the standard scope rings which are individually mounted to the scope and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These various types of mounts also usually can be found in quick release versions which use toss levers which allow rifle operators to quickly install and dismount the glass.
Optic Mounts with Hex Key Rings
Standard, clamp design mounting scope rings use hex head screws to mount to the flattop design Picatinny scope mount rails on rifles. These types of scope mounts use two separate rings to support the optic, and are made from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which is created for long distance precision shooting. This type of scope install is wonderful for rifles which need a durable, rock solid mount which will not move no matter how much the scope is moved or abused.
Quick-Release Cantilever Optic Rings
These kinds of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly detach a scope from a rifle and reattach it to a different rifle. If they all use a comparable design mount, a number of scopes can often be swapped out. The quick detach mount style is CNC crafted from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers attach tightly to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This enables the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, taken off of the rifle, and remounted while preserving precision. These types of mounts are useful and practical for shooting platforms which are transported a lot, to take off the glass from the rifle for protection, or for sight systems which are employed between numerous rifles. An example of this mount style is the 30mm mount from Vortex Optics. It normally costs around $250 USD
What to Know About Rifle Scope Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Moisture inside your rifle scope can wreck a day of shooting and your expensive optic by resulting in fogging and creating residue within the scope’s tube. Most optics protect against wetness from going into the optical tube with a series of sealing O-rings which are waterproof. Typically, these water-resistant optics can be immersed under 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can push moisture past the O-rings. This should be more than enough moisture content prevention for standard use rifles for hunting and sporting purposes, unless you plan on taking your rifle aboard a watercraft and are worried about the optic still working if it falls overboard and you can still salvage the rifle.
Gas Purged Rifle Glass Tubes
Another component of avoiding the buildup of moisture within the rifle optic tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Given that this space is already occupied by the gas, the scope is less affected by condition changes and pressure distinctions from the external environment which could possibly permit water vapor to leak in around the seals to fill the void which would otherwise be there. These are good qualities of a good rifle scope to seek out.
