Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Let's clear something the eff up!

I admire Triggernosis's resolve in trying to educate folks. I also know, it's very much an endeavor akin to tilting at windmills. Many people here are ignorant of optics and are much more focused (pardon the pun) on hunting. They view optics (again, pardon the pun) as a necessary evil they use in pursuit of game. Not everyone is as interested in riflescopes and how they work, as am I. I totally get that; different folks, different strokes.

However, that said, this is a forum that is supposed to be dedicated to "hunting optics". This is a somewhat specialized field in riflescopes and one aspect of hunting optics that is quite important, it seems to me, is the ability to detect, identify and aim at the prey in less than perfect conditions. Another aspect is the weight and heft of a riflescope that you mount on a rifle and then may carry around or otherwise have at hand for long periods of time.

In photography, you refer to a lens by its focal length and its maximum aperture size. If the lens is a zoom lens, you refer to it by the zoom range and its maximum aperture size. If I say I have a 50mm lens, that doesn't say very much, except that it is somewhat short in size. You don't know if it's useful in low light, or just as a walk-around lens that it will need a flash if you use it at night. Now, if I say it's a 50mm f/1.8, you immediately know that's a fast lens, great for low light. It's also going to be bigger than a 50mm f/2.8. But the point is that by using the proper name for the lens, you convey all the important information about it.

It's the same with a riflescope, especially when trying to compare riflescopes while considering a purchase, or when discussing a specific event or situation. So, when I see someone refer to a riflescope as a 4X12, that means it's a toy scope, bought in a plastic blister pack at the checkout counter of the local Wal-Mart. If it's not what the writer is referring to, it means the writer is an ignorant SOB who should be shunned, tarred and feathered. But since I'm a nice guy, I will suggest we skip the tar, especially with oil prices being what they are.

Of course, when I see someone write it as a 4X12X40, I immediately know the writer is a confused individual from whom you may wish to stay away if he/she is holding a rifle, as indications are he/she doesn't seem to know which way to point the rifle.

Of course, any opinions on optics these individuals may proffer are to be ignored out of hand.

Carry on.

"an ignorant SOB who should be shunned, tarred and feathered"

Damn - y'all thought that I, as the OP, was harsh. 😄

Get 'em, FTR!

You think that's too much? I could just stop at mocking. Maybe we need a new emoji for that.

One good feature of "ignorance" is that it's easily curable. However, I'll bet you there will be people here who take great pride in their ignorance and will insist, even go of their prose, to use the wrong riflescope nomenclature, because that's their God-given right to be wrong.

I get that.

Now let's watch and see.

No sir, that wasn't too much for me. But you're really going to hurt some folks feelings, man. Bless their hearts.

Bless their hearts, indeed. The nicest, gentlest, most cutting insult ever offered.

I love it.

I am going to give it a 5/10. Needs much more invective brought to bear against those who do't get it right. Needed more pointed cussing throughout.

Only a suth'na understands the insult that "bless your heart" represents. 😄

Reading all of this makes me feel like an educated man - a polyglot even. I speak “southern”, generally understand “northern”, “western” is easy. Any conglomeration of scope designation I can figure out after a few seconds. It truly is simply a “water heater”, not a “hot” one. That is like saying “Saraha desert” which in arabic is “desert desert”. But for the life of me I cannot understand 98% of “Big Stick”’s rambling posts - hint. And I am no worse off, just ignore it anyway.

Yeah, but Big Stick is always "laffin".

Well, the .25 should by hyphenated like a .22-.250 because it is a necked-down wildcat off the .30'06. If it were named technically, you may call it a .25-.30'06, but its .25-'06 because that's what the manufacturer named it. I guess its all up to whatever the maker names it. But props for you on correctly identifying the .270 Winchester .280 Rem as being derivatives of the '03 and not the '06 like many do.