When you buy your first rifle, be it a .22 or a 30-06, you will probably want to put a scope on it.

A scope, or telescopic sight, magnifies and theoretically center's a rifle's bore on a target. This makes it easier to hit a target than with a rifle that has only iron sights mounted on the barrel. Gun-makers assume that owners will mount scopes on their rifles, so very few manufacturers put iron sights on rifles anymore. The Remington Model 700 BDL still comes with iron sights, as does the Ruger Hawkeye African and the Ruger Gunsight Scout.

All lever-action rifles still come with iron sights, as do many .22-cal. rimfire rifles. However, it is much easier to see and to hit a squirrel high in an oak tree with a scope than without, so most squirrel hunters put scopes on their .22s, as well.

Entering a sporting goods store, you will encounter a dazzling selection of scopes. Glenn Clark of Vilonia is a field representative for H&G Marketing, which handles Leupold & Stevens, a premier scope brand. For beginners and novices, Clark recommends simplicity. Beginners need a scope that has a simple duplex reticle, without gradations for windage and elevation. Naturally, you also want a scope that presents a clear image.

"Look at the edges especially," Clark said. "Edge clarity is important because some companies cheat by only coating the middle."

The coatings and the quality of the glass determine clarity and brightness in low light. The brighter and clearer the scope, the more it costs.

The importance of brightness has limits, though. In Arkansas, there is a legal shooting time that changes every day during deer season. You cannot legally shoot past that time no matter how bright your scope is. If a $100 scope is sufficiently bright to clearly see a deer at 100 yards 30 minutes after legal sunset or 30 minutes before legal sunrise in Faulkner County, you do not need the additional brightness that a $1,000 scope will provide. It's kind of like owning a new Shelby GT500. It has 760 horsepower, but the speed limit is still only 75 mph.

Most scopes are built on 1-inch diameter tubes, but many are built on 30mm tubes. Most scopes also have 40mm objective lenses, but 50mm objectives are also popular. Some are even wider. Tube width and bell width do not influence brightness, Clark said.

"A 30mm tube gives you a bigger eye box within the ocular lens where your eye can retain full field of view," Clark said. "There's a three-dimensional area where the eye retains a full picture. A 30mm tube makes that area larger. Combining that with a bigger bell makes it even larger."

In other words, if you have a Bushnell Banner 3-9x40 scope, your eye must be in a certain position to attain full field of view. That position is more flexible in a Leupold VXR with a 30mm tube and a 50mm bell.

The combination of tube and bell width also influence field of view at low magnification. The combination is negligible at high magnification.

"With a 1-inch tube, scopes with a 40 and 50mm bell on high power have the exact same field of view, and light transmission is no different," Clark said. "In a 30mm tube on high power, the 50 gives a slightly wider field of view, like three feet at 100 yards. Turning it down to low power changes everything. Then, the 50 has a wider field of view."

Different scopes also have different types of adjustment mechanisms. Almost all modern scopes have click adjustments, which are more precise than the old spring-tension adjustments of yesteryear.

Some have externally adjustable turrets. These scopes are designed for long-range target shooting, varmint hunting and prairie dog hunting. Hunters in the Arkansas woods never need to change their rifles' points of impact, which is done by adjusting the windage and elevation of a scope's reticle. Most Arkansas deer hunters sight their rifles to hit dead-on to an inch high at 100 yards, and they don't think about it again.

Hunting and shooting magazines annually test the year's new scopes. Writers deep freeze scopes overnight and then dunk them in boiling water to see if they fog up. They strike them with mallets and otherwise abuse them to see how well they hold zero, and if the abuse damages the components.

A hunter who still hunts, sits against a tree or hunts from a stand will never mistreat a scope that badly. The most you might do is bang it against a box stand rail or jostle it violently in an ATV rack. That won't affect most scopes.

On the other hand, a scope is an investment, and durability is important over time. Clark recommends buying the best scope you can afford.

"Durability ensures the longevity of your investment," Clark said.

What kind of scope should you buy? I recommend a scope that comes with a lifetime warranty, like Leupold. The cheapest Bushnell comes with a one-year, no-questions-asked exchange guarantee, followed by a lifetime factory warranty.

Some of my rifles wear late-model Leupolds. Some have Nikons. Some have Simmons Aetecs, and others have mid-range Bushnells. They all work great.

My two favorite rifles are a Ruger Model 77 Mk. II in 6.5x55 and a Remington 700 BDL in 7mm-08. For 12 years the Ruger has worn an old Leupold VariX-II 3-9x40 with spring-tension turrets. I've killed 13 deer with that combo and adjust the crosshairs only when changing ammo. Zero never wanders.

The Remington has worn an $89 Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40 for 18 years. I have killed six deer with it, but I shoot it often. I use one specific handload and have never touched the adjustments. Zero has never shifted. It has never fogged, and it has always been plenty clear and bright 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset.

Of course, a Shelby GT500 has a lot more elan and panache than a compact commuter car, even though they serve the same function in pretty much the same fashion. If you can afford what you want over what you merely need, then go for it. A high-quality scope bolsters your confidence, but it also enhances your pride of ownership.

Ninth installment in the Beginner’s Hunting Series

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