A magnified riflescope does two jobs at once: it enlarges the target image and overlays an aiming reference called the reticle. Choosing one comes down to a handful of terms \u2014 magnification, focal plane, reticle, eye relief and parallax \u2014 and matching them to the distances you actually shoot. This guide explains each in plain language.<\/p>\n
Every scope is described by its magnification and the diameter of its front, or objective, lens. A fixed-power<\/strong> scope has a single magnification, written as the power followed by the objective size \u2014 for example 2.5×34 means 2.5x magnification with a 34 mm objective. A variable-power<\/strong> scope covers a range, such as 3-9×40: 3x at the low end, 9x at the high end, and a 40 mm objective. When you read “1-6×24” off a box, it helps to translate it out loud \u2014 1x to 6x magnification, 24 mm objective \u2014 so that magnification and objective size never get confused.<\/p>\n Manufacturers sometimes add short descriptors such as LER (long eye relief), AO (adjustable objective) or IR (illuminated reticle). Fixed-power scopes are mechanically simpler, with fewer moving lenses; variable-power scopes trade some of that simplicity for the flexibility to adapt from close to distant targets, which is why most modern rifles wear a variable. You can see the range we carry in our riflescopes<\/a> category.<\/p>\n Knowing the parts makes it easier to describe a scope and to understand common complaints:<\/p>\n An LPVO is a variable scope whose range begins at, or very near, 1x. That bottom of the range is the defining feature: a true 1x<\/strong> lets you shoot with both eyes open at close distance, almost like a red dot, preserving the wide field of view and situational awareness that close-range work depends on. If the minimum setting is noticeably above or below 1x, both-eyes-open shooting becomes harder.<\/p>\n Most LPVOs offer an illuminated reticle. A daylight-bright centre point lets the optic behave much like a red dot at 1x, while higher power adds precision a red dot cannot. Because the reticle is etched into the glass, you keep a usable aiming reference even if the illumination battery dies \u2014 the illumination enhances the reticle rather than being the only one. LPVOs are commonly built in 1-4x, 1-6x, 1-8x and 1-10x; in practice 1-6x and 1-8x are popular for balancing close-range speed against mid-range precision.<\/p>\n The focal plane describes where the reticle sits relative to the magnifying lenses, and it changes how holdover marks behave.<\/p>\n Dialling the turrets works at any magnification on either design. The focal plane only affects reticle holdovers.<\/p>\n The reticle is the aiming pattern, and matching it to the task matters as much as the optic:<\/p>\n Eye relief<\/strong> is the distance your eye needs to be from the ocular lens to see the full field of view without scope shadow \u2014 roughly 3.5\u20134 inches at minimum magnification, decreasing to around 2.5\u20133 inches at maximum. Correct eye relief keeps the scope off your brow under recoil. The eye box<\/strong> is the usable space behind the optic in which your eye can sit and still see a full, shadow-free picture; a larger eye box is more forgiving of head position and so quicker to get behind. As magnification rises, both eye relief and the eye box generally shrink, so head position must become more precise \u2014 one reason a forgiving 1x is valued on an LPVO.<\/p>\n Parallax<\/strong> is the apparent shift of the reticle against the target when your eye moves off the optical axis. It is generally not an issue inside about 150 yards but grows with distance and magnification. To check for it, steady the rifle on a rest and move your head slightly while watching the reticle; if the reticle “swims” across the target, adjust the side focus until the movement disappears.<\/p>\n A red dot paired with a flip-to-side magnifier is the main alternative to an LPVO for shooters who want close-range speed with some magnification. The magnifier, commonly fixed at 3x or 4x, mounts behind the red dot and flips into the line of sight for distance and out of the way for close work, restoring a true-1x red dot with a quick movement. An LPVO instead offers continuous, variable magnification and finer aiming at distance. Neither is universally better: a red dot with a magnifier favours fast close work with occasional reach, while an LPVO favours shooters who want continuous magnification flexibility. The right pick depends on your primary distances.<\/p>\n Magnification is a trade-off: more power aids precision at distance but narrows the field of view, shrinks the eye box, and slows close-range acquisition. Reasonable starting points include:<\/p>\n These are starting points, not rules \u2014 the right choice depends on the firearm, cartridge, environment and the shooter’s experience. It is always worth handling the optic on a rifle and checking that you can get a fast, clear sight picture first.<\/p>\n Once you have chosen an optic, it attaches to the rifle with a set of scope mounts<\/a>, so it is worth considering both together. You are welcome to browse our full range of riflescopes<\/a>, including brands such as Tangent Theta<\/a>, or to visit us in Varna and get behind an optic before you decide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A magnified riflescope does two jobs at once: it enlarges the target image and overlays an aiming reference called the reticle. Choosing one comes down to a handful of terms \u2014 magnification, focal plane, reticle, eye relief and parallax \u2014 and matching them to the distances you actually shoot. This guide explains each in plain […]\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17738],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-779060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guides"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=779060"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":779513,"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779060\/revisions\/779513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=779060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=779060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nbg.eu\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=779060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The main parts<\/h2>\n
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Low-power variable optics (LPVOs)<\/h2>\n
First focal plane vs. second focal plane<\/h2>\n
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Common reticle types<\/h2>\n
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Eye relief, eye box and parallax<\/h2>\n
The red-dot-plus-magnifier alternative<\/h2>\n
Matching magnification to the job<\/h2>\n
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Where to start<\/h2>\n