Just Say No

I've been running around saying No to so many things out there. Exceptions do come everywhere. One among the exceptions are Riflescopes. The wrong scope can turn a beautiful firearm into an awkward clunker; the right one can enhance the performance of a fine gun.

Oddly, one of the least discussed issues when considering scope sights for a Rifle scope is balance. We talk about magnification, field of view, eye relief, aperture, exit pupil, tube diameter, lens coatings, parallax, reticles, brightness, resolution -- all those technical, optical engineering points -- but rarely do we look at the big picture -- balance.

"Proportioning" the scope to the rifle is important so that the rifle maintains as much of its inherently fine handling qualities as possible without compromising its intended purpose or sacrificing needed optical performance.

For example, have you ever bought a new Rifle scope topped with nothing more than a set of simple open sights, thrown it up to your shoulder, and marveled at its fine balance and dynamics? Then, having mounted a scope on that same rifle, have you felt a bit dismayed with the additional weight and sluggish handling that resulted? Your new pride and joy simply lost its balance -- its liveliness. The fit between scope and rifle didn't work out, but it can.