Description
Rifle Scope Product Details
NightForce COMPETITION 15-55x52mm Rifle Scope for Target Shooting, Black, 30 mm, .125 MOA – CTR-3
NightForce Competition 15-55x52mm Riflescope, 30mm, .125 MOA, CTR-3 Reticle, Black, C512
Rifle Scope Product Features
52MM OBJECTIVE LENS for excellent light transmission and a large field of view
SECOND FOCAL PLANE RETICLE stays the same size no matter the magnification
SIDE PARALLAX for easy adjustments
COMPETITION/TARGET TURRETS
WATERPROOF AND FOGPROOF
About the NightForce Manufacturer
NightForce is a premium maker for long gun scopes, optics, mounts, and other components used for firearms like rifles and long guns. They create and build their products working with materials which are long lasting and durable. This includes the NightForce COMPETITION 15-55x52mm Rifle Scope for Target Shooting, Black, 30 mm, .125 MOA – CTR-3 by NightForce. For additional shooting goods, visit their site.
All About Rifle Glass
Rifle scopes allow you to exactly aim a rifle at various targets by aligning your eye with the target over a range. They do this through magnifying the target by making use of a set of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s alignment can be adjusted to account for different environmental factors like wind speed and elevation increases to make up for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to help shooters understand precisely where the bullet will hit based upon the sight picture you are seeing with the scope as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended target. The majority of contemporary rifle scopes have about 11 parts which are arranged within and outside of the optic. These optic pieces consist of the rifle scope’s body, lenses, windage turrets or dials, objective focus rings, and other elements. See all eleven parts of optics.
About Rifle Optic Styles
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of optics. Finding the optimal type of rifle optic is based around what type of shooting you plan on doing.
About First Focal Plane Scopes
Focal plane scopes (FFP) feature the reticle in front of the magnification lens. These types of scopes are useful for:
- Quick acquisition, long distance kinds of shooting
- Shooting scenarios where estimations are low
- Experienced shooters who have an idea for their target “hold over” plus “lead” ratios for their firearm
- Shooters who don’t mind the reticle is bigger and uses up more visual sight area than a SFP reticle
Second Focal Plane Glass
Second focal plane optics (SFP) feature the reticle behind the magnification lens. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” one hundred yard tick measurement would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick measurement.
- Far away kinds of shooting where shooters have additional time to make ballistic estimations
- Shooting where most shots occur within much shorter distances and ranges
- Shooters who like a clearer optic picture without space taken up by the larger sized FFP reticle
Ins and Outs of Scope Zoom
The quantity of scope zoom you need on your scope depends upon the kind of shooting you like to do. Pretty much every kind of rifle optic provides some degree of magnification. The amount of magnification a scope gives is identified by the diameter, density, and curves of the lens glass inside of the rifle optic. The zoom of the scope is the “power” of the scope. This signifies what the shooter is aiming at through the scope is magnified times the power aspect of what can usually be seen by human eyes.
Fixed Power Lens Scope Info
A single power rifle scope 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 optic can not adjust since it is a set power scope.
Info on Adjustable Power Lens Glass
Variable power rifle scopes have adjustable power. It will list the magnification level in a format like 2-10×32. These numbers indicate the magnification of the scope can be adjusted between 2x and 10x power. This additionally incorporates the powers in-between 2 and 10. The power adaptation is accomplished utilizing the power ring component of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
Scope Power Level and Ranges
Here are some suggested scope powers and the ranges where they can be efficiently used. High power glass will not be as efficient as lower magnification optics considering too much zoom can be a bad thing. The same concept goes for extended distances where the shooter needs sufficient power to see precisely where to best aim the rifle.
Details on Lens Coatings
All modern-day rifle scope lenses are coated. There are different types and qualities of lens coverings. Lens finishing is an essential aspect of a rifle when considering luxury rifle optics and targeting units. The lenses are among the most critical parts of the glass given that they are what your eye looks through while sighting a rifle in on the point of impact. The finishing on the lenses shields the lens exterior and also improves anti glare from excess natural light and color perception.
Info on Rifle Scope Lens Coatings – HD Versus ED
Some glass producers will also use “HD” or high-def lens coatings which employ different processes, components, polarizations, and chemical applications to draw out numerous colors and viewable definition through lenses. This HD finish is frequently used with increased density glass which brings down light’s potential to refract by means of the lens glass. Some scope manufacturers use “HD” to refer to “ED” implying extra-low dispersion glass. ED deals with how colors are represented on the chroma spectrum and the chromatic aberration or deviance which is similarly called color distortion or fringing. Chromatic aberration may be obvious over things with defined shapes as light hits the item from various angles.
Info on Single Coating Versus Multi-Coating
Different scope lenses can also have different finishings applied to them. All lenses typically have at least some kind of treatment or finish applied to them before they are used in a rifle scope or optic. Since the lens isn’t simply a raw piece of glass, they require performance enhancing coatings. It is part of the carefully tuned optic. It requires a coating to be applied to it so that the lens will be optimally functional in many types of environments, degrees of sunlight (full VS shade), and other shooting conditions.
Single covered lenses have a treatment applied to them which is generally a protective and improving multi-purpose treatment. This lens treatment can shield the lens from scratches while minimizing glare and other less beneficial things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the optic. The quality of a single covered lens depends upon the scope producer and the amount you paid for it. Both the make and cost are indicators of the lens quality.
Some scope producers also make it a point to define if their optic lenses are coated or “multi” covered. Being “much better” depends on the maker’s lens treatment technology and the quality of materials used in constructing the rifle scope.
Hydrophobic Coating for Rifle Optics
Water on a lens doesn’t help with preserving a clear sight picture through a scope at all. Many top of the line and military grade optic companies will coat their lenses with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic finish.
Rifle Optic Mounting Alternatives
Installing solutions for scopes can be found in a few choices. There are the standard scope rings which are individually installed to the scope and one-piece mounts which cradle the scope. These different types of mounts also usually are made in quick release versions which use throw levers which enable rifle operators to rapidly mount and dismount the optics.
Scope Mounts 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 made from 7075 T6 billet aluminum which are designed for long range precision shooting. This type of scope install is great for rifles which require a long lasting, rock solid mounting solution which will not move no matter how much the scope is moved or abused.
Quick-Release Cantilever Optic Ring Mounts
These types of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to rapidly connect and detach a scope from a rifle. If they all use a comparable style mount, several scopes can often be swapped out. The quick detach mount style is CNC crafted from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers connect 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 while keeping precision. These types of mounts come in convenient for rifles which are moved around a lot, to take off the optic from the rifle for protection, or for sight systems which are utilized between numerous rifles. An example of this mount style is the 30mm mount designed by Vortex Optics. It usually costs around $250 USD
Glass Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Wetness inside your rifle scope can mess up a day on the range and your expensive optic by causing fogging and making residue within the scope tube. A lot of scopes protect against wetness from going into the scope tube with a series of sealing O-rings which are waterproof. Generally, these water resistant optics can be immersed beneath 20 or 30 feet of water before the water pressure can push moisture past the O-rings. This should be more than enough humidity prevention for standard use rifles for hunting and sporting purposes, unless you anticipate taking your rifle on boats and are concerned about the optic still working if it goes over the side and you can still recover the rifle.
Rifle Optic Gas Purging
Another component of avoiding the accumulation of moisture within the rifle optic tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Since this area is currently occupied by the gas, the glass is less influenced by temperature level changes and pressure variations from the outdoor environment which might possibly enable water vapor to seep in around the seals to fill the vacuum which would otherwise be there. These are good qualities of a good rifle scope to seek out.
