Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Sightmark Citadel 3-18×50 LR2 Riflescope
If you’ve been searching for a quality first focal plane riflescope for medium to long-range hunting and competition shooting that won’t break the bank, look no further than the Citadel 3-18×50 LR2. Designed for both amateur and professional shooters, the exposed, pop-up locking turrets found in the Citadel 3-18×50 make adjustments extremely easy; simply pull up to adjust and down to lock. A first focal plane reticle allows shooters to range targets and use holdovers at any magnification, while red reticle illumination improves low light shooting and provides contrast against darker targets. Featuring fully multi-coated optics and a single-piece 30 mm tube, the IP67 waterproof Citadel 3-18x LR2 includes flip-up lens covers, a sunshade and one CR2032 battery.
Rifle Scope Product Features
First focal plane reticle
Red illuminated retiicle
Exposed, low-profile turrets
Single-piece 30mm tube
Fully multi-coated optics
Sightmark Citadel Riflescopes
Features
First-and-second focal plane reticle options
Shockproof, fog-proof and waterproof
Sunshade included (LR1 & LR2) Series
Single-piece 30mm tube
6:1 zoom ratio
Fully multi-coated optics
Single piece 30mm Tube
Aircraft grade aluminum and hand-anodized finish with Subdued logos
Sightmark Citadel LR2 Riflescope
Situated on the high ground of close-to-long range optic performace, Citadel Riflescopes include affordable first-focal-plane, long-range capability and second-focal-plane tactical solutions. Citadel series optics are perfect for precision shooters, multi-gun competitors, hunters, and yes, most definitely, LEOs who demand and deserve peace of mind reliability.
Sightmark’s line of Citadel Riflescopes are designed to help professional, competitive and recreational shooters climb to the top of their game with impenetrable confidence and win the day with feature-rich, premium performing optics. All Sightmark Citadel riflescopes boast 30mm single-piece, aircraft-grade 6061-T6 aluminum tubes; premium, fully multi-coated glass; fine-etched, red-illuminated reticles; lens covers; throw levers; IP67 waterproof, dustproof, fogproof and shockproof reliability.
Parallax Correction
The Sightmark Citadel riflescope is equipped with a side focus dial that is used to eliminate parallax and finely focus the image. Parallax occurs when the image of the target does not focus at the same optical plane as the reticle inside the riflescope. When parallax is present, the reticle appears to move over the target when the shooter’s eye is not centered to the eyepiece. Adjusting the side focus dial properly will eliminate parallax.
Windage and Elevation Adjustments
The Sightmark Citadel riflescope has finger adjustable elevation and windage adjustments with audible clicks. The Citadel LR2 have locking, pop-up turrets. These turrets must be pulled up to disengage the locking mechanism. Once disengaged, adjustments can be made. When adjustments are finished, the turret can be pushed back down to lock the adjustment
LR2 Reticle
The LR2 reticle is based on milliradian (mrad or mil) design. Milliradian is a measurement of angle. A single mil is equal to 3.6″ at 100 yards. The adjustments in the Citadel 3-18×50 and 5-30×56 riflescope is .1mrad, meaning that each click will move the point of impact .36″ at 100 yards or 1cm at 100 meters. The reticle is a first focal plane reticle. This style of reticle will grow along with the image as magnification is increased. The advantage of a first focal plane reticle is that the dimensions of the reticle will be true at any magnification. Therefore, rangefinding and performing holdovers can be done at any point in the magnification range.
Diopter Adjustment
The Sightmark Citadel riflescope eyepiece is designed to rotate to adjust for diopter. Diopter is the measurement of the eye’s curvature. By rotating the eyepiece, the diopter is adjusted to properly match each person’s vision. If the reticle does not appear clear, crisp, nor sharp, rotate the eyepiece until the reticle becomes clear and sharp. This adjustment should stay the same unless the riflescope’s operator changes.
Citadel 1-6×24 Citadel 3-18×50 LR1 Citadel 3-18×50 LR2 Citadel 5-30×56 Citadel 1-10×24
Reticle Type CR1 LR1 LR2 LR2 CR1
Magnification 1-6 3-18 3-18 5-30 1-10
Objective Lens diameter 24 50 50 56 24
Eye relief (in/mm) 3.5 – 2.9 / 88.9- 73.66 4.6 – 3.7 / 116.8 – 94 4.6 – 3.7 / 116.8 – 94 4.9 – 3.7 / 124.5 – 94 3.7 – 3.1 / 110.3 – 10.8
Tube Diameter 30 30 30 30 30
Adjustment Value (one click =) 1/2 MOA 1/4 MOA .1 MRAD .1 MRAD 1/2 MOA
About the Sightmark Brand
Sightmark is a premium manufacturer for long gun scopes, optics, mounting solutions, and other accessories used for guns like rifles and long guns. They create and build their scopes and related products by making the most of building materials which are long lasting and durable. This includes the Sightmark Citadel 3-18×50 LR2 Riflescope by Sightmark. For additional shooting products, visit their website.
Rifle Scope Details
Rifle scopes enable you to specifically aim a rifle at various targets by lining up your eye with the target at range. They do this through magnifying the target by utilizing a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s alignment can be dialed in to account for different environmental elements like wind and elevation increases to make up for bullet drop.
The scope’s purpose is to understand exactly where the bullet will hit based on the sight picture you are viewing using the optic as you line up the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended target. Most modern-day rifle scopes have about 11 parts which are arranged internally and on the exterior of the scope body. These scope parts include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, modification turrets or dials, objective focus rings, and other components. Learn about the eleven parts of rifle optics.
Rifle Optic Varieties
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of optics. Deciding upon the optimal type of rifle optic is based around what type of shooting you plan on doing.
First Focal Plane Scope Details
Focal plane scopes (FFP) include the reticle in front of the magnification lens. These styles of scopes are beneficial for:
- Quick acquisition, far away kinds of shooting
- Shooting scenarios where estimations are marginal
- Experienced shooters who know their aim point “hold over” and “lead” equations for their weapon
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is enlarged and uses up more visual eyesight room than a SFP reticle
Second Focal Plane Scope Details
Second focal plane optics (SFP) include the reticle behind the zoom lens. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” 100 yard tick reticle measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick reticle measurement.
- Far away kinds of shooting where shooters have increased time to make ballistic calculations
- Shooting where most shots happen within shorter distances and ranges
- Shooters who desire a clearer optic sight picture without area taken up by the enlarged FFP reticle
Zoom for Rifle Optics
The quantity of zoom a scope provides is figured out by the size, density, and curvatures of the lenses inside of the rifle scope. The magnification of the scope is the “power” of the scope.
Single Power Lens Optics
A single power rifle optic or scope will have a magnification number designator like 4×32. This implies the zoom power of the scope is 4x power and the objective lens is 32mm. The zoom of this kind of scope can not change given that it is a fixed power scope.
Variable Power Lens Rifle Glass Details
Variable power rifle scopes can be adjusted between magnification power levels. These types of scopes will list the zoom amount in a format like 2-10×32. These numbers mean the zoom of the scope can be set between 2x and 10x power. This always incorporates the power levels in-between 2 and 10. The power adjustment is achieved by working with the power ring component of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
Power and Range
Here are some advised scope power settings and the ranges where they could be efficiently used. High power glass will not be as efficient as lower magnification level optics considering too much zoom can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The exact same idea relates to extended ranges where the shooter needs to have increased power to see precisely where to properly aim the rifle.
Rifle Glass Lens Covering
All modern-day rifle optic lenses are coated. There are different types and qualities of finishes. When considering high end rifle optical systems, Lens finishing can be a vital aspect of defining the rifle’s capability. The lenses are among the most important components of the scope given that they are what your eye sees through while sighting a rifle in on the target. The covering on the lenses shields the lens exterior and even helps with anti glare capabilities from refracted natural light and color presence.
ED Versus HD Rifle Scopes
Some scope brands likewise use “HD” or high-definition lens coverings which use various methods, polarizations, chemicals, and components to draw out separate colors and viewable quality through the lens. Some scope producers use “HD” to refer to “ED” implying extra-low dispersion glass.
Single Finish Versus Multi-Coating
Various optic lenses can also have different finishes applied to them. All lenses usually have at least some kind of treatment or covering applied to them prior to being used in a rifle scope or optic. 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 covering applied to it so that the lens will be optimally functional in numerous kinds of environments, degrees of sunlight (full VS shaded), and other shooting conditions.
Single coated lenses have a treatment applied to them which is usually a protective and improving multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can preserve the lens from scratches while decreasing glare and other less advantageous things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the optic. The quality of a single layered lens depends upon the scope developer and the amount you spent paying for it. The scope’s maker and cost are indicators of the lens quality.
Some scope producers similarly make it a point to specify if their optic lenses are coated or “multi” covered. Being “much better” depends on the manufacturer’s lens treatment technology and the quality of materials used in developing the rifle scope.
What to Know About Hydrophobic Finishing
Water on a scope’s lens doesn’t help with maintaining a clear sight picture through an optic whatsoever. Numerous top of the line or high-end optic producers will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic coating. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a good example of this kind of treatment. It treats the exterior of the Steiner glass 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 maintain a clear, water free sight picture.
Scope Installing Choices
Mounting solutions for scopes can be found in a few choices. There are the basic scope rings which are separately installed to the optic and one-piece scope mounts which cradle the scope. These different types of mounts also generally can be found in quick release versions which use manual levers which permit rifle operators to rapidly install and dismount the scope.
Hex Key Scope Ring Mounting Solutions
Basic, clamp style mounting scope rings use hex head screws to fix to the flattop design Picatinny scope mount rails on the tops of rifles. These kinds of scope mounts use double separate rings to support the scope, and are normally constructed from 7075 T6 billet aluminum or similar materials which are made for far away accuracy shooting. This type of scope mount is ideal for rifles which are in need of a durable, unfailing mount which will not shift no matter just how much the scope is moved about or jarring the rifle takes. These are the type of mounts you want for a faithful scope system on a far away hunting or competitors firearm which will seldom need to be modified or recalibrated. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can additionally be used on the mount’s screws to prevent the hex screw threads from backing out after they are mounted securely in position. An example of these mounting rings are the 30mm type from the Vortex Optics company. The set generally costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Optic Ring Mounting Solutions
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly connect and remove a scope from a rifle before reattaching it to a different rifle. Multiple scopes can also be swapped out if they all use a similar style mount. These types of mounts are convenient for rifles which are transported a lot, to remove the optic from the rifle for protecting the scope, or for optics which are used in between multiple rifles.
What to Know About Optic Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Wetness inside your rifle optic can ruin a day of shooting and your pricey optic by causing fogging and creating residue inside of the scope tube. The majority of scopes prevent moisture from going into the scope tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are water resistant.
Glass Gas Purging
Another part of avoiding the accumulation of wetness within the rifle scope’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Given that this area is currently taken up by the gas, the optic is less impacted by temperature level changes and pressure variations from the external environment which may potentially allow water vapor to seep in around the seals to fill the void which would otherwise be there. These are good qualities of a decent rifle scope to seek out.
