Description
Last update on February 5, 2023 // Source: Amazon API
Rifle Scope Product Details
Sun Optics USA Tactical Prismatic Reticle/Lite Sighting Device (6 x 50-Inch)
Sun Optics 1X T-Dot Reticle, Tactical Sight, Red/Green IR CD11-TS1X
Rifle Scope Product Features
Made By: Sun Optics
Model Number: CD11TS1X
About the Sun Optics USA Manufacturer
Sun Optics USA is a premium manufacturer for long gun scopes, optics, mounts, and other add-ons used for guns like rifles and long guns. They design and supply their scopes and related products by making the most of materials which are long lasting and durable. This includes the Sun Optics USA Tactical Prismatic Reticle/Lite Sighting Device (6 x 50-Inch) by Sun Optics USA. For more shooting products, visit their site.
What You Need to Know About Rifle Optics
Rifle scopes permit you to exactly align a rifle at various targets by aligning your eye with the target over a range. They accomplish this through zoom using a series of lenses inside the scope. The scope’s positioning can be adapted to take into account different environmental elements like wind and elevation increases or decreases to make up for bullet drop.
The scope’s function is to understand precisely where the bullet will land based upon the sight picture you are seeing using the optic as you align the scope’s crosshair or reticle with the intended target. The majority of modern-day rifle scopes and optics have around 11 parts which are arranged inside and on the exterior of the scope body. These parts consist of the rifle scope’s body, lenses, modification dials or turrets, objective focus rings, and other components. Learn about the eleven parts of rifle glass.
The Styles of Rifle Scopes
Rifle scopes can be either “first focal plane” or “second focal plane” type of scopes. Opting for the best type of rifle glass 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 magnifying lens. This induces the reticle to increase in size based on the amount of magnification being used. The outcome is that the reticle measurements are the same at the amplified range as they are at the non amplified range. One tick on a mil-dot reticle at 100 yards without “zoom” is still the exact same tick at one hundred yards with 5x “zoom”. These types of scopes are beneficial for:
- Quick acquisition, far away types of shooting
- Shooting circumstances where estimations are low
- Experienced shooters who understand their aim point “hold over” and “lead” ratios for their long guns
- 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 to the rear of the zoom lens. In the FFP example with the SFP scope, the 5x “zoom” one hundred yard tick would be 1/5th of the non “zoom” tick.
- Long distance styles of shooting where shooters have additional time to make ballistic computations
- Shooting where most shots take place within shorter ranges and distances
- Shooters who desire a clearer optic sight picture without room used up by the larger sized FFP reticle
Optic Magnification
The level of scope zoom you need is based on the form of shooting you intend to do. Almost every kind of rifle glass delivers some degree of zoom. The volume of zoom a scope provides is established by the dimension, thickness, and curvatures of the lenses within the rifle scope. The zoom of the scope is the “power” of the scope. This signifies what the shooter is aiming at through the scope is amplified times the power aspect of what can normally be seen by human eyes.
Single Power Lens Optics
A single power rifle optic or scope will have a magnification 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 type of optic can not change since it is a set power scope.
About Variable Power Lens Rifle Optics
Variable power rifle scopes can be tweaked between magnified settings. The power modification is handled by using the power ring part of the scope near the back of the scope by the eye bell.
Rifle Scope Power and Ranges
Here are some suggested scope powers and the distances where they could be effectively used. Highly magnified rifle scope glass will not be as beneficial as lower magnification glass due to the fact that too much zoom can be a negative aspect depending on your shooting distance. The same applies to longer ranges where the shooter needs to have adequate power to see where to properly aim the rifle at the target.
Lens Covering for Rifle Glass
All modern-day rifle scope and optic lenses are covered in special coatings. There are different types and qualities of glass coverings. Lens coating is an important aspect of a rifle’s setup when contemplating high-end rifle optics and targeting equipment. The glass lenses are one of the most essential pieces of the scope because they are what your eye looks through while sighting a rifle in on the point of impact. The finish on the lenses safeguards the lens exterior as well as helps with anti glare from refracted daylight and color presence.
Details on Glass Lens Coatings – HD Versus ED
Some glass companies additionally use “HD” or high-def lense finishes which make the most of various procedures, components, chemicals, and polarizations to extract separate colors and viewable definition through the lens. This high-def covering is often used with higher density glass which drops light’s potential to refract through the lens glass. Some scope manufacturers use “HD” to describe “ED” suggesting extra-low dispersion glass. ED deals with how certain colors are presented on the chromatic spectrum and the chromatic aberration or deviance which is similarly called color distortion or fringing. Chromatic aberration is often obvious around objects with well defined outlines as light hits the object from specific angles.
Rifle Glass Lens Single Finishing Versus Multi-Coating
Various optic lenses can also have different finishings used to them. All lenses generally have at least some type of treatment or covering applied to them prior to being used in a rifle scope or optic.
This lens treatment can offer protection to the lens from scratches while reducing glare and other less useful things experienced in the shooting environment while sighting in with the scope. The quality of a single covered lens depends on the scope manufacturer and how much you paid for it.
Some scope manufacturers also make it a point to specify if their optic lenses are layered or “multi” coated. This indicates the lens has had several treatments applied to the surfaces of the glass. If a lens receives several treatments, it can show that a producer is taking several steps to fight various environmental elements like an anti-glare finishing, a scratch resistant anti-abrasion coating, followed by a hydrophilic coating. This also does not always mean the multi-coated lens will perform better than a single layered lens. Being “much better” is dependent on the manufacturer’s lens treatment technology and the quality of glass used in constructing the rifle glass.
Hydrophobic Lens Covering
Water on an optic’s lens doesn’t support maintaining a clear sight picture through an optic whatsoever. Many top of the line and high-end optic producers will coat their lenses with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic finish. The Steiner Optics Nano-Protection is a good example of this type of treatment. It treats the surface of the Steiner scope lens so the H2O molecules can not bind to it or develop surface tension. The outcome is that the water beads sheet off of the scope to keep a clear, water free sight picture.
Alternatives for Mounting Rifle Scopes on Long Guns
Mounting solutions for scopes come in a couple of options. 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 normally come in quick release variations which use toss levers which enable rifle operators to quickly install and dismount the glass.
Hex Key Glass Rings
Basic, clamp-on design mounting optic rings use hex head screws to fix to the flattop design Picatinny scope mounting rails on the tops of rifles. These types of scope mounts use two detached rings to support the optic, and are usually constructed from 7075 T6 billet aluminum or similar materials which are manufactured for far away accuracy shooting. This kind of scope mount is excellent for rifle systems which require a resilient, rock solid mount which will not shift no matter just how much the scope is moved or jarring the rifle takes. These are the style of mounts you want for a devoted scope system on a long distance scouting or interdiction long gun which will rarely need to be changed or adjusted. Blue 242 Loctite threadlocker can also be used on the scope mount’s screws to stop the hex screw threads from backing out after they are installed safely in place. An example of these mounting rings are the 30mm type made by the Vortex Optics company. The set usually costs around $200 USD
Quick-Release Cantilever Glass Rings
These kinds of quick-release rifle scope mounts can be used to rapidly attach and remove a scope from a rifle. If they all use a similar design mount, a number of scopes can often be switched in the field. The quick detach mount style is CNC crafted from anodized 6061 T6 aluminum and the mounting levers fasten firmly to a flat top type Picatinny rail. This permits the scope to be sighted in while on the rifle, removed from the rifle, and remounted while retaining precision. These kinds of mounts are useful and convenient for shooting platforms which are transferred between vehicles a lot, to remove the scope glass from the rifle for protection, or for scopes which are employed in between several rifles. An example of this mount style is the 30mm mount from Vortex Optics. It normally costs around $250 USD
Rifle Glass Tube Sealing and Gas Purging
Wetness inside your rifle scope can destroy a day of shooting and your pricey optic by causing fogging and producing residue inside of the scope tube. Many scopes avoid moisture from getting in the scope tube with a system of sealing O-rings which are water resistant.
Gas Purged Rifle Optic Tubes
Another part of preventing the buildup of wetness inside of the rifle optic’s tube is filling the tube with a gas like nitrogen. Since this area is already occupied by the gas, the optic is less affected by temperature shifts and pressure differences from the external environment which might potentially enable water vapor to seep in around the seals to fill the void which would otherwise exist. These are good qualities of a good rifle scope to look for.