| Once you have a good deer hunting rifle, one of the | | | | last number referring to the objective lens diameter of |
| first key accessories you will need is a scope. It is | | | | 40 millimeters. |
| probably the next most important thing to choose from | | | | The second factor in scopes is the reticle. These are |
| after selecting the right deer hunting rifle so it is very | | | | typically crosshairs on a scope and determine where |
| important to get the best scope that your budget | | | | the bullet should land on target. They can be etched on |
| allows. Scopes have a similar give and take as deer | | | | the glass of the scope or be a set of wires in front of |
| hunting rifles do. Depending on the situation, your scope | | | | the lens. If you are hunting primarily in forests, choose a |
| may be best for short range shooting, long range | | | | thicker reticle so it won't get lost in the clutter of the |
| shooting, or general observation. | | | | background. Thinner reticles are ideal for snowy |
| There are three top features that should be | | | | environments where the black lines will stand out and |
| considered in choosing your scope: magnification, reticle | | | | give you better site of the target. |
| and light transmission. Magnification refers to how | | | | Light transmission is the third top factor in choosing a |
| close you can make the target actually look. There are | | | | deer hunting rifle scope. This primarily offsets the |
| two types of scopes, fixed and variable scopes. Fixed | | | | effects of weather on shooting. In low light conditions, |
| scopes have one magnification and are the least | | | | such as sundown or stormy weather, light transmission |
| flexible in their use. Variable magnification allows | | | | will affect how much of the reticle can be seen and |
| shooting in a wider variety of conditions and ranges. | | | | how accurate aiming is. Most scopes have light |
| Most scopes are rated something like this 3x9. This | | | | transmission of 90% or above and should work quite |
| means that the scope can change its magnification | | | | well in most situations. The top scopes can have light |
| from 3x the actual size to 9x times the actual size. | | | | transmissions as high as 98%. |
| You might also see the designation 3x9x40 with the | | | | |