Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x50mm Side Focus Riflescope
What do hunters want most in a scope Plain and simple; outstanding performance in low-light conditions and an incredibly tough, lightweight design. The VX-3i delivers this and more. Our Twilight Max Light Management System lets you see details others can’t in those crucial low-light situations at the beginning and the end of the day. Everything we put into the VX-3i is there to help you tag out. Let the VX-3i 4.5-14×50 help you reach out further without adding ounces. With a magnification range great for any situation, you’re guaranteed to have the right tool for the job. The CDS-ZL adjustment allows for 14.5 MOA of bullet drop, which equals 500 to 700 yards of travel for most rifles. A push-button Zero Lock system eliminates accidental dial movement, giving you more peace of mind in the field.
Rifle Scope Product Features
Model #177822 – VX-3i 4.5-14x50mm Side Focus Riflescope with a Duplex CDS-ZL reticle and Matte finish
About the Leupold Manufacturer
Leupold is a premium producer for weapon scopes, optics, mounts, and other add-ons used for guns like rifles and long guns. They design and make their products making the most of elements which are long lasting and durable. This includes the Leupold VX-3i 4.5-14x50mm Side Focus Riflescope by Leupold. For additional shooting products, visit their site.
What You Need to Know About Rifle Glass
Rifle scopes permit you to specifically align a rifle at different targets by aligning your eye with the target at range. They do this through zoom by making use of a set of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s positioning can be dialed in to take into account separate natural elements like wind and elevation decreases to account for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to help shooters understand exactly where the bullet will land based on the sight picture you are seeing through the scope as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended target. Most contemporary rifle scopes and optics have about eleven parts which are found inside and outside of the optic. These optic pieces consist of the rifle scope’s body, lenses, elevation turrets or dials, focus rings, and other components. See all eleven parts of an optic.
Rifle Glass Varieties
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of scopes. Finding the perfect type of rifle optic is based on what type of shooting you plan on doing.
First Focal Plane Optic Info
First focal plane optics (FFP) feature the reticle in front of the magnifying lens. This induces the reticle to increase in size based on the amount of zoom being used. The result is that the reticle measurements are the same at the amplified distance as they are at the non magnified distance. For example, one tick on a mil-dot reticle at one hundred yards without having “zoom” is still the corresponding tick at 100 yards with 5x “zoom”. These types of scopes are useful for:
- Quick acquisition, far away kinds of shooting
- Shooting situations where computations are minor
- Experienced shooters who know their aim point “hold over” and “lead” equations for their long guns
- Shooters who do not mind the reticle is bigger and takes up more visual sight room than a SFP reticle
About Second Focal Plane Glass
Second focal plane optics (SFP) include the reticle to the rear of the zoom lens. This triggers the reticle to remain at the very same size in connection with the level of magnification being used. The result is that the reticle measurements adapt based on the magnification used to shoot over longer ranges considering that the markings represent various increments which fluctuate with the magnification. 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. These sorts of scopes work for:
- Long distance styles of shooting where shooters have extra time to make ballistic calculations
- Shooting where most shots take place within shorter proximities and ranges
- Shooters who like a clearer optic picture with less area taken up by the bigger FFP reticle
Zoom for Optics
The quantity of scope magnification you need on your scope depends upon the form of shooting you choose to do. Pretty much every type of rifle scope offers some degree of zoom. The level of zoom a scope offers is established by the dimension, thickness, and curvatures of the lens glass within the rifle scope. The magnification level of the scope is the “power” of the scope. This means what the shooter is aiming at through the scope is magnified times the power factor of what can normally be seen by human eyes.
Fixed Power Lens Scopes
A single power rifle optic or scope comes with a magnification number designator like 4×32. This suggests the zoom power of the scope is 4x power while the objective lens is 32mm. The zoom of this type of optic can not fluctuate because it is fixed.
Variable Power Lens Scopes
Variable power rifle scopes can be modified between magnified settings. The power change is handled by making use of the power ring part of the scope near the rear of the scope by the eye bell.
The Power Level and Range of Rifle Scopes
Here are some recommended scope power levels and the distances where they could be efficiently used. Always remember that high magnification scopes will not be as effective as lower powered scope and optics because too much magnification can be a bad thing. The exact same idea applies to extended distances where the shooter needs to have adequate power to see exactly where to properly aim the rifle at the target.
Rifle Glass Lens Covering
All contemporary rifle optic lenses are layered. There are different types and qualities of lens finishings. When thinking about luxury rifle targeting devices, Lens covering can be an essential element of defining the capability of the rifle. The glass lenses are among the most key components of the optic considering they are what your eye sees through while sighting a rifle in on the target. The finishing on the lenses protects the lens surface area and assists with anti glare from excess sunrays and color visibility.
HD Versus ED Glass Lens Coatings
Some scope makers likewise use “HD” or high-definition lens coatings which use various procedures, aspects, polarizations, and chemicals to draw out separate colors and viewable quality through the lens. Some scope producers use “HD” to refer to “ED” meaning extra-low dispersion glass.
Single Finishing Versus Multi-Coating for Scopes
Different optic lenses can also have different coverings applied to them. All lenses typically have at least some type of treatment or coating used to them prior to being used in a rifle scope or optic.
Single layered lenses have a treatment applied to them which is typically a protective and improving multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can shield the lens from scratches while decreasing glare and other less useful things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the optic. The quality of a single layered lens depends on the scope company and the amount you spent paying for it. The scope’s maker and cost are indicators of the lens quality.
Some scope producers likewise make it a point to define if their optic lenses are covered or “multi” covered. This suggests the lens has numerous treatments applied to them. If a lens receives numerous treatments, it can prove that a maker is taking multiple steps to fight various natural aspects like an anti-glare finish, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion finishing, followed by a hydrophilic finishing. This additionally doesn’t necessarily indicate the multi-coated lens is much better than a single covered lens. Being “better” depends on the producer’s lens treatment solutions and the quality of glass used in building the rifle glass.
Hydrophobic Coating for Scopes
Water on an optical lens does not improve retaining a clear sight picture through an optic whatsoever. Many top of the line or premium optic producers will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic coating. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a fine example of this kind of treatment. It deals with the surface of the Steiner glass lens so the water molecules can not bind to it or develop surface tension. The result is that the water beads move off of the scope to keep a clear, water free sight picture.
Optic Installation Options
Installing solutions for scopes come in a few choices. There are the basic scope rings which are separately mounted to the optic and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These different types of mounts also typically can be found in quick release versions which use throw levers which enable rifle shooters to quickly mount and dismount the optics.
Optic Mounts with Hex Key Rings
Standard, clamp design mounting scope rings use hex head screws to fix to the flattop design Picatinny scope mounting rails on rifles. These kinds of scope mounts use a pair of detached rings to support the scope, and are usually constructed from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which are made for long distance accuracy shooting. This form of scope mount is exceptional for rifles which need a resilient, rock solid mount which will not change regardless of how much the scope is moved about or jarring the rifle takes. These are the design of mounts you should have for a specialized scope system on a long distance hunting or competition rifle that will pretty much never need to be modified or adjusted. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can also be used on the scope mount screws to stop the hex screw threads from backing out after they are installed tightly in position. An example of these rings are the 30mm type from the Vortex Optics company. The set generally costs around $200 USD
Optic Mounting Solutions with Quick-Release Cantilever Rings
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly connect and detach a scope from a rifle. Several scopes can also be swapped out if they all use a similar style mount. The quick detach mount style is CNC crafted from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers attach securely to a flat top style Picatinny rail. This allows the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, removed from the rifle, and remounted back on the rifle while maintaining precision. These types of mounts are useful and practical for rifles which are transferred a lot, to take off the scope from the rifle for protection, or for sight systems which are adopted between a number of rifles. An example of this mount type is the 30mm mount designed by the Vortex Optics brand. It usually costs around $250 USD
Info on Rifle Glass Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Wetness inside your rifle glass can wreck a day on the range and your pricey optic by triggering fogging and making residue within the scope’s tube. Many optics prevent wetness from getting in the optical tube with a series of sealing O-rings which are water resistant. Typically, these water resistant optics can be immersed underneath 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can force moisture past the O-rings. This should be more than enough moisture content avoidance for common use rifles, unless you anticipate taking your rifle on your motorboat and are concerned about the optic still performing if it goes overboard and you can still rescue the firearm.
About Rifle Glass Tube Gas Purging
Another part of preventing the buildup of moisture within the rifle optic’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Because this space is already occupied by the gas, the optic is less impacted by condition changes and pressure differences from the outdoor environment which could potentially permit water vapor to leak in around the seals to fill the vacuum which would otherwise be there. These are good qualities of a decent rifle scope to seek out.
