The Changed Hunting Scope Scene

THE majority of the newer high-range variables are designed for long range target shooting, but are favoured by a new breed of shooters who, lacking the skill or patience to find and successfully stalk game on a level playing field, want to brag about how they knocked off some unsuspecting critter at 1000 yards. However, there are still some serious hunters who value aesthetics, the way a rifle handles, and to whom the size of a scope is an important factor.

There is a tendency among those buying their first scope to think that magnification is the greatest virtue of the scope sight and that the more magnification they can buy for the money, the better off they are. Alas, magnification is only one of the virtues of a scope, and has a number of drawbacks - less light, more weight and bulk, narrower field, and critical eye relief. "Critical eye relief" means that the eye must be in exactly