Scopes and Sights for Hunting Rifles - A Collection of Articles on Hunting Scopes, Mounts, Spotting Scopes and the How and Why of Hunting

By Read Books Ltd.

This book contains classic material dating back to the 1900s and before. The content has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: May 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781473390867

Book preview

Scope

Hunting Scopes and Mounts.

TELESCOPE sights are not for the man who carelessly throws his rifle around, or uses it as a club to finish wounded game; but for the chap who takes at least reasonable care of his equipment, and spends the time and study necessary to find out what it is all about; they are the finest of all hunting sights for most conditions. No man can shoot any better than he can see; and day in and day out, any man can do better shooting in the game fields with a properly designed and mounted hunting scope, than he can with any type of iron sights whatever. For the old hunter, whose eyesight is getting dim, a good telescope sight will enable him to shoot effectively as long as he is able to hold and aim a rifle. A good telescope sight shows the hunter instantly what he is going to shoot at, and greatly removes the chance of his shooting a fellow sportsman or shooting an animal that he does not want. I have been with one hunting party that shot elk, thinking they were mule deer and against the law in that section, and the resulting fine cost those laddies more than enough to buy each one the finest sort of modern, scope sighted rifle. Game can be clearly seen, and the bullet placed with precision, with a scope sight long after it is too dark to see iron sights at all. It is only by the use of the ’scope sight that the full possibilities of the modern long range rifle are realized. With such high velocity, super accurate rifles as we now have available, the scope sight greatly increases the effective killing range over any type of iron sights. Even in the timber for fast running shooting I have found that a proper, wide field, low power hunting scope, mounted down low on top of the receiver as it should be, is superior to iron sights. It can even be used for aerial trick shooting and is better than any type of iron sights for this purpose. The object shot at, comes into the center of the field and you can see above, below and to each side of it, thereby enabling you to judge drop, or lead necessary for running shots, with greater accuracy and precision than with any type of iron sights.

Quite often, when hunting, you will see deer, elk or other game in the timber clearly with the naked eye, but when you attempt to see them through your iron sights they will be indiscernable and hard to locate. On the other hand, anything you see with the naked eye stands out clearly like a sore thumb when you throw up your scope sighted rifle for a shot, no guessing, and you know where and what the game is instantly. The scope sight permits holding over game at long range with greater precision than is possible with any combination of iron sights. It is also a great help in judging distance, by noting the size of your game with relation to the reticule. At such long ranges, where almost any type of iron front sight completely covers the animal, the scope permits of carefully picking the vital area and placing the shot therein, something utterly impossible except by chance with iron sights. When focused correctly for the individual eyesight, the reticule of the scope stands out black and perfectly plain against any kind or color of game, and is so clearly seen that it becomes easy to call the shot; while with iron sights they often blur and fuzz up in poor lights, making it hard to tell exactly what part of the animal is being held on.

Details of construction and method of mounting the telescope with the Redfield mounts.

The Griffin & Howe low, Q. D., micrometer mount with double levers, fitted to a Model 30S Remington, converted to fire the .300 H. & H. Magnum cartridge. Insert shows a rear view of Model 54 Winchester with bolt handle and safety altered to clear scope when mounted with a Hensoldt 4 power glass.

Telescopes are of little if any value to the novice who is not first of all a rifleman, except to show him what he is shooting at. Until he learns to hold a rifle fairly steady and to be able to hold well standing, or prone, or sitting with the sling, and learns the use of the sling, he will not be able to get the full benefits out of the rifle. Scope sights will not make a good shot of a poor one, neither will they help the excitable chap hit, whose rifle is describing circles all around the game and seldom on it. If he is a rifleman or is trying honestly to become one, the scope will, in time, make a better holder out of him, as it magnifies his tremor to the same extent as its magnification or power. In time, he will find he is holding much closer and steadier with its use than he would have been had he continued with iron sights alone, as they cover up too much and do not show up every little error of holding as does the scope sight.

The man with poor eyes, as well as the older man with farsighted eyes, can focus the scope to suit his individual eyesight and see to shoot as well as ever. Never buy a hunting scope without a means of focusing for the individual eyesight and for the removal of parallax. Parallax is nothing more than the scope being out of focus. It can be told instantly, by setting the scope on a solid rest and centering the cross hairs or reticule on a target or small mark, then by moving the eye up, down and sideways as far as the exit pupil of the scope will permit, see if the scope pointer or cross hair stands still on the mark; if it moves up and down, or sideways, as the eye is moved, then the scope has parallax and will shoot off just as much as the reticule moves, if the eye is not placed in the same exact position with relation to the scope at each shot. To correct this, first focus the scope for the individual eye, against a sheet, white building or better still against a white cloud, until the reticule stands out sharp and black, then lock it. This is usually accomplished by turning the ocular or eye lens and is locked by a knurled ring screwing into close contact with the eye piece. Next turn the objective, or front lens of the scope, in or out until, when the scope is again sighted through and the eye moved back, forth and up and down, of course without touching the scope, the reticule stands perfectly still on the