Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Crimson Trace CSA-3108 1-8x28mm 3 Series Short-Range Sport Riflescope with FFP, MOA Reticle and Zero Reset for Shooting, Competition and Range
The CTL-3108 3 Series is a feature rich 1-8x28mm short-range rifle scope that has been purposefully built from the ground up. The scopes First Focal Plane (FFP) and impressive Japanese ED glass clarity makes for an unparalleled shooting experience. The custom designed SR2-MOA advanced reticle offers a quick acquisition points that vanish when increasing magnification. The capped .25 MOA tactical turrets provide a precise and rugged feel when dialing for the most accurate of shots. The entire Crimson Trace Scope Line offers EZ Mount Leveling Indicators for quick and exact mounting and red alignment ring for proper eye placement. All Crimson Trace Scopes are part of the FREE Batteries For Life program and are covered under the Lifetime Protection Guaranteed Warranty.
Rifle Scope Product Features
SPECS: 1-8 magnification with a 28mm lens diameter, 2.2″ H x 10.9″ L x 2.2″ W and weighs 22.4 oz
ACCURACY: Features a first focal plane, SR2-MOA BDC reticle and 1/4 MOA capped turrets
EASE OF USE: Features capped windage (right side) and elevation (top) turrets for easy adjustments, leveling lines for a quick scope mount and a premium zero reset for a mindless zero and fast acquisition at various distances
RETICLE: Features a hybrid BDC reticle that when located on the first focal plane the scale is always accurate regardless of the magnification setting
DURABLE: 34mm one piece tube is constructed of 6061-T6 aircraft grade anodized aluminum and features nitrogen purged, Japanese ED extra low dispersion glass with proprietary MoC coating for
GUARANTEED: All Crimson Trace Scopes are covered under a Full Lifetime Warranty. For questions or warranty contact us at support@crimsontrace.com
About the Crimson Trace Manufacturer
Crimson Trace is a premium producer for long gun scopes, optics, mounting solutions, and other add-ons used for firearms like rifles and long guns. They innovate and manufacture their mounts, scopes, and related products by making the most of building materials which are long lasting and resilient. This includes the Crimson Trace CSA-3108 1-8x28mm 3 Series Short-Range Sport Riflescope with FFP, MOA Reticle and Zero Reset for Shooting, Competition and Range by Crimson Trace. For more shooting goods, visit their site.
What You Need to Know About Rifle Scopes
Rifle scopes enable you to specifically 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 making use of a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s positioning can be adapted to take into account separate ecological aspects like wind speed and elevation increases to account for bullet drop.
The scope’s purpose is to help shooters understand precisely where the bullet will hit based upon the sight picture you are viewing via the optic as you line up the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended point of impact. The majority of modern-day rifle scopes and optics have around 11 parts which are arranged internally and outside of the optic. These optic pieces include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, windage and elevation turrets, focus rings, and other elements. See all eleven parts of a rifle optical system.
Rifle Scope Types
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” kind of scopes. The style of focal plane an optic has determines where the reticle or crosshair lies in relation to the optic’s magnification. It simply indicates the reticle is located behind or ahead of the magnification lens of the optic. Looking for the most beneficial kind of rifle scope depends upon what kind of shooting you intend on undertaking.
Info on First Focal Plane Optics
First focal plane glass (FFP) come with the reticle in front of the magnifying lens. This causes the reticle to increase in size based upon the amount of zoom being used. The result is that the reticle measurements are the same at the enhanced distance as they are at the non amplified range. For example, one tick on a mil-dot reticle at 100 yards without any “zoom” is still the exact same tick at 100 yards using 5x “zoom”. These types of scopes work for:
- Quick acquisition, far away kinds of shooting
- Shooting scenarios where computations are low
- Experienced shooters who recognize their aim point “hold over” and “lead” relationships for their firearms
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is bigger and occupies more visual eyesight space than a SFP reticle
About Second Focal Plane Optics
Second focal plane glass (SFP) include the reticle behind the magnifying lens. This triggers the reticle to remain at the same overall size in relation to the volume of zoom being used. The effect is that the reticle measurements evolve based on the magnification chosen to shoot over greater distances since the reticle measurements present different increments which differ with the zoom. In the FFP example with the SFP optic, the 5x “zoom” one hundred yard tick measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick. These varieties of scopes work for:
- Far away types of shooting where shooters have additional time to make ballistic computations
- Shooting where most shots occur within shorter ranges and proximities
- Shooters who would like a clearer optic picture with less room taken up by the larger sized FFP reticle
Scope Magnification
The quantity of scope magnification you need on your optic depends on the form of shooting you would like to do. Pretty much every kind of rifle glass delivers some amount of zoom. The level of zoom a scope gives is determined by the diameter, thickness, and curvatures of the lenses inside of the rifle optic. The magnifying level of the scope is the “power” of the opic. This means what the shooter is looking at through the scope is magnified times the power factor of what can typically be seen by human eyes.
Single Power Lens Rifle Optic Facts
A single power rifle scope will have a zoom number designator like 4×32. This means the magnification power of the scope is 4x power while the objective lens is 32mm. The zoom of this kind of optic can not change since it is a fixed power optic.
Variable Power Lens Optic Details
Variable power rifle scopes use enhanced power. The power change is performed using the power ring part of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
Scope Power and Ranges
Here are some recommended scope powers and the distances where they may be efficiently used. Always remember that high power scopes will not be as practical as lower magnification level scope and optics due to the fact that excessive magnification can be a negative thing in certain situations. The same concept applies to longer ranges where the shooter needs sufficient power to see precisely where to best aim the rifle.
Lens Finishing for Glass
All modern-day rifle scope lenses are coated. There are different types and qualities of glass lens finishes. When researching luxury rifle targeting setups, Lens coating can be a crucial element of a rifle. The glass lenses are one of the most key components of the scope considering they are what your eye looks through while sighting a rifle in on the target. The coating on the lenses protects the lens exterior as well as improves anti glare from refracted natural light and color discernibility.
Info on Lens Coatings – HD Versus ED
Some scope manufacturers also use “HD” or high-definition lens finishings which use various methods, components, chemicals, and polarizations to draw out different colors and viewable quality through the lens. Some scope manufacturers use “HD” to refer to “ED” to signify the lens has extra-low dispersion glass.
Single Covering Versus Multi-Coating
Various optic lenses can also have different coverings applied to them. All lenses generally have at least some kind of treatment or finish applied to them prior to 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 requires a coating to be applied to it so that it will be optimally usable in lots of types of environments, degrees of sunshine (full light VS shaded), and other shooting conditions.
Single covered lenses have a treatment applied to them which is typically a protective and improving multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can protect the lens from scratches while reducing glare and other less beneficial things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the optic. The quality of a single coated lens depends on the scope company and just how much you paid for it. Both the manufacturer and amount are signs of the lens quality.
Some scope manufacturers similarly make it a point to define if their optic lenses are coated or “multi” covered. Being “better” depends on the producer’s lens treatment innovation and the quality of products used in developing the rifle scope.
Hydrophobic Finishing for Scopes
Water on a scope’s lens doesn’t help with maintaining a clear sight picture through an optic at all. Lots of top of the line or premium scope manufacturers will coat their lenses with a hydrophobic or hydrophilic coating. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a good example of this type of treatment. It provides protection for the exterior of the Steiner optic lens so the H2O molecules 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.
Rifle Scope Mounting Options
Installing approaches for scopes come in a few choices. There are the basic scope rings which are individually installed to the optic and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These various kinds of mounts also typically are made in quick release variations which use manual levers which permit rifle operators to quickly install and dismount the optics.
Rifle Scope Mounting Solutions with Hex Key Rings
Normal, clamp style mounting scope rings use hex head screws to mount to the flattop style Picatinny scope mount rails on rifles. These types of scope mounts use two different rings to support the optic, and are often made from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which is developed for long range precision shooting. This type of scope mount is fine for rifles which require a durable, sound mounting solution which will not move no matter how much the scope is moved or abused.
Quick-Release Cantilever Rifle Scope Rings
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to quickly remove a scope from a rifle and reattach it to a different rifle. If they all use a similar design mount, several scopes can often be swapped out in the field. The quick detach design is CNC crafted from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers connect solidly to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This lets the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, taken off of the rifle, and remounted while preserving accuracy. These kinds of mounts come in convenient for shooting platforms which are moved a lot, to take off the glass from the rifle for protection, or for aiming systems which are used between a number of rifles. An example of this mount type is the 30mm mount designed by the Vortex Optics brand. It generally costs around $250 USD
Scope Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Moisture inside your rifle optic can spoil a day on the range and your expensive optic by resulting in fogging and developing residue inside of the scope tube. A lot of scopes protect against humidity from getting in the scope tube with a series of sealing O-rings which are waterproof. Normally, these optics can be submerged beneath 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can force moisture past the O-rings. This should be sufficient humidity prevention for basic use rifles for hunting and sporting purposes, unless you plan on taking your rifle on your motorboat and are concerned about the scope still performing if it goes overboard and you can still find the gun.
Details on Rifle Scope Tube Gas Purging
Another part of avoiding the accumulation of wetness inside of the rifle scope’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Because this space is currently taken up by the gas, the scope is less affected by temperature level changes and pressure distinctions from the outdoor environment which might 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 good rifle scope to look for.
