Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
Leupold 1 VX-Freedom 6-18×40 (30mm) CDS Side Focus Tri-MOA (175081)
You shouldn’t have to re-finance your house to start shooting long range, and that’s where the VX-Freedom 6-18×40 comes in. With a host of features you would expect in a higher price-point scope like a 30mm maintube, exposed adjustments, and 18x, this scope can make your long range dreams come true.
The VX-Freedom delivers the legendary Leupold performance and dependability hunters and shooters have demanded for decades, combined with a host of new and improved features. The VX-Freedom is guaranteed to get the job done every time.
Rifle Scope Product Features
Adds up to 10 extra minutes of shooting light
Eliminates 80% more glare-producing stray light than competitors
Premium lens clarity
Eliminates holdovers on longer shots with the optional Custom Dial System
Quickly change magnifications using the easy-to-grip power selector
About the Leupold Scope Maker
Leupold is a premium manufacturer for firearm scopes, optics, mounting solutions, and other accessories used for firearms like rifles and long guns. They design and build their scopes and related products by using materials which are long lasting and durable. This includes the Leupold 1 VX-Freedom 6-18×40 (30mm) CDS Side Focus Tri-MOA (175081) by Leupold. For more shooting goods, visit their site.
What You Need to Know About Optics
Rifle scopes allow you to specifically aim a rifle at different targets by aligning your eye with the target over a range. They accomplish this through magnification by employing a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s alignment can be dialed in for consideration of various environmental things like wind and elevation to account for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to help shooters understand exactly where the bullet will hit based upon the sight picture you are viewing via the scope as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the target. A lot of modern-day rifle optics have around 11 parts which are found inside and on the exterior of the scope. These optic pieces include the rifle scope’s body, lenses, windage and elevation turrets or dials, focus rings, and other parts. See all eleven parts of optics.
About Rifle Glass Varieties
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” style of scopes. The kind of focal plane an optic has establishes where the reticle or crosshair is located in connection with the optic’s magnification. It actually indicates the reticle is located behind or in front of the magnifying lens of the scope. Picking the most suitable kind of rifle optic depends upon what kind of shooting or hunting you intend on doing.
About First Focal Plane Glass
First focal plane optics (FFP) feature the reticle before the magnifying lens. This causes the reticle to increase in size based upon the level of zoom being used. The benefit is that the reticle measurements are the same at the amplified distance as they are at the non magnified range. One tick on a mil-dot reticle at one hundred yards with no “zoom” is still the exact same tick at one hundred yards by using 5x “zoom”. These kinds of scopes are beneficial for:
- Quick acquisition, far away types of shooting
- Shooting circumstances where calculations are minimal
- Experienced shooters who know their target “hold over” plus “lead” equations for their firearms
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is enlarged and requires more visual sight room than a SFP reticle
Second Focal Plane Glass
Second focal plane scopes (SFP) include the reticle to the rear of the magnification lens. This triggers the reticle to stay at the same scale relative to the quantity of zoom being used. The result is that the reticle dimensions shift based on the zoom applied to shoot over lengthier ranges considering that the reticle markings present various increments which differ with the zoom level. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” one hundred yard tick reticle measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick. These particular kinds of optics are beneficial for:
- Far away styles of shooting where shooters have extra time to make ballistic computations
- Shooting where most of the shots occur within shorter spaces and ranges
- Shooters who select a clearer optic picture with less space used up by the larger sized FFP reticle
Zoom for Rifle Optics
The quantity of scope magnification you need on your optic depends on the type of shooting you intend to do. Practically every type of rifle optic supplies some degree of zoom. The amount of magnification a scope gives is identified by the dimension, density, and curvatures of the lenses inside of the rifle optic. The magnification level of the scope is the “power” of the glass. This implies what the shooter is checking out through the scope is amplified times the power element of what can generally be seen by human eyes.
Fixed Power Lens Rifle Optics
A single power rifle scope or optic will have a zoom number designator like 4×32. This implies the magnification 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.
Info About Adjustable Power Lens Scopes
Variable power rifle scopes use enhanced power. The power modification is achieved by using the power ring part of the scope near the rear of the scope by the eye bell.
The Power Level and Range Correlation of Rifle Scopes
Here are some suggested scope power levels and the distances where they can be effectively used. High power glass will not be as beneficial as lower powered glass given that too much magnification can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The exact same concept relates to extended ranges where the shooter needs to have increased power to see precisely where to best aim the rifle.
Details on Scope Lens Finishes
All modern-day rifle optic and scope lenses are covered. Lens coating is a crucial aspect of a shooting platform when looking at high end rifle optics and scope equipment.
HD Versus ED Lenses
Some scope brands also use “HD” or high-definition lens coatings which use different procedures, components, polarizations, and chemicals to draw out different colors and viewable definition through the lens. Some scope manufacturers use “HD” to refer to “ED” indicating extra-low dispersion glass.
Glass Lens Single Covering Versus Multi-Coating
Different optic lenses can likewise have various coverings applied to them. All lenses generally have at least some type of treatment or finishing applied to them prior to being used in a rifle scope or optic.
Single coated lenses have a treatment applied to them which is generally a protective and boosting multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can preserve the lens from scratches while minimizing glare and other less useful things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single layered lens depends upon the scope producer and how much you spent for it. Both are indicators of the lens quality.
Some scope producers also make it a point to define if their optic lenses are covered or “multi” covered. This implies the lens has numerous treatments applied to the surfaces of the glass. If a lens gets multiple treatments, it can prove that a company is taking multiple actions to fight different natural elements like an anti-glare finish, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion covering, followed by a hydrophilic finish. This also doesn’t necessarily mean the multi-coated lens will perform better than a single coated lens. Being “much better” depends on the maker’s lens treatment technology and the quality of components used in developing the rifle scope.
Optic Lens Anti-water Coating
Water on a lens doesn’t assist with preserving a clear sight picture through a scope at all. Many top of the line and military grade optic makers will coat their lenses with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic anti-water finish.
Choices for Installing Scopes on Firearms
Mounting options for scopes are available in a few choices. There are the basic scope rings which are separately mounted to the optic and one-piece scope mounts which cradle the scope. These various kinds of mounts also usually can be found in quick release variations which use manual levers which permit rifle shooters to quickly install and remove the scope.
Hex Key Scope Rings
Standard, clamp style mounting optic rings use hex head screws to fix to the flattop style Picatinny scope mount rails on rifles. These forms of scope mounts use a pair of detached rings to support the scope, and are made from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which are created for far away accuracy shooting. This kind of scope mount is very good for rifles which are in need of a resilient, hard use mount which will not move regardless of just how much the scope is moved about or jarring the rifle takes. These are the style of mounts you want for a specialized optics setup on a long distance hunting or interdiction rifle which will hardly ever need to be changed or recalibrated. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can additionally be used on the mount screws to stop the hex screw threads from backing out after they are mounted securely in place. An example of these mounting rings are the 30mm style made by the Vortex Optics company. The set usually costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Scope 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. A wide range of scopes can also be swapped out if they all use a similar style mount. The quick detach mount style is CNC machined from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers connect tightly to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This permits the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, taken off of the rifle, and remounted while maintaining precision. These kinds of mounts come in handy for rifles which are hauled around a lot, to take off the optic from the rifle for protection, or for sight systems which are chosen for use in between multiple rifles. An example of this mount style is the 30mm mount from Vortex Optics. It usually costs around $250 USD
Rifle Glass Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Moisture inside your rifle scope can ruin a day of shooting and your costly optic by causing fogging and creating residue inside of the scope tube. The majority of scopes prevent wetness from going into the scope tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are water resistant.
Gas Purged Rifle Optic Tubes
Another component of avoiding the buildup of moisture inside of the rifle scope’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Considering that this space is already taken up by the gas, the glass is less influenced by temperature alterations and pressure variations from the external environment which may possibly allow water vapor to leak in around the seals to fill the void which would otherwise exist. These are good qualities of a decent rifle scope to look for.
