WHATS THE SECRET.

[Hickory]

OK, whats the secret to using a scope.
I am now almost 74 years old so I don't see as good as I once did. Everyone says get a scope. I have borrowed my cousins gun with a scope, I can't hit the broad side of a barn. I am tall and long waisted so I have long arms. Can't get my cheek down to the stock, my eye is to far away from the scope, etc, etc. Don't want to invest in a good scope and find it useless. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hickory

 

[Hop]

Bring the gun up higher in your shoulder pocket.
The stock might need a higher comb to allow you to get a better cheek weld.
The scope rings might be way too high. Mount it as low as you can get.
Learn how to "turkey neck" your head onto the comb.
Once you get your head comfortable on the stock, you'll probably learn that the scope isn't sitting in the right place. You're probably way too forward into the eye box. The tip of your nose should be near your trigger hand wrist.

What I hate about most firearms manufacturers is where they drill and tap their receivers for a scope. 99% of them are way too far back. I'm battling this right now on a Browning t-bolt. I ordered an EGW rail to sit atop mine just so I could grind off the rear 3 rail slots and move my scope forward.

 

[Onebad06vtx]

Go to a used gun shop and look at rifles with scopes.
Find one that works for you and note how its set up.
Your cousins gun may be set up wrong.
You may need a higher or lower comb on the stock.
Your eye needs to be about three inches from the scope.
When you have a gun the lines up right,it just be comes natural using it.
Yes a scope will help with your tired eyes.
Also there are adjustments on the scope to set to your vision.
Your cousins is set up for him,not you.
What are you wanting to do with the gun? Hunt or just shoot?
If you look thru a scope and the cross hairs are blurry,there is a adjustment for that also.
Have any questions or need any help. just pm me.
Good luck!

 

[mmpsteve]

Some scopes are more sensitive to eye position than others, almost to the point of unusable. Would help to know what scope you were looking through.

 

[halfmileharry]

Been through this as well.
You've got a couple of years on me but not much.
Eye relief is critical as you get older. So is comb height and a proper fit of face to rifle. Everyone's features are different and you'll have to figure out what fits you.

On the eye relief just back off the adjustment until the scope clears up so you can see it.
You've got "old eyes" syndrome but it's correctable.
IF you get to Indy I'll let you play with some different adjustments and scopes until you figure it out.

 

[Tactically Fat]

I'm not nearly as seasoned... But I have a great deal of trouble with scopes, too. Then, to add to it, I wear glasses. Getting a comfortable cheek weld in a position that I can see through a scope often means that I'm looking over my glasses and not through them. So I have to count on the diopter of the scope to compensate for where my eyeglasses Rx should be... That's fun.

 

[Hohn]

One thing that really helps is having a large "exit pupil" which is the size of the imaginary shaft of light coming out of the scope that you want to line up with you eye.

If you choose a combination of low magnification and large objective lens, you get a larger exit pupil. For example, get an SWFA 6x42 scope will give you a (42/6)=7mm exit pupil. That large an exit pupil is MUCH easier to line up with and use. Once you get above 4mm or so, the scope won't seem any brighter (your own pupils are usually under 4mm in daylight, so larger than than won't seem brighter). However, having "excess" exit pupil gives you room to move around within the scope and still see full brightness.

As a bonus, a fixed scope has fewer lens elements and therefore better lighter transmission/brightness with the same glass.

 

[schmart]

As others have alluded to... the secret is having your eye in the correct position relative to the objective (eyepiece) of the scope. This means up/down, right/left, AND forward/backwards. Some scopes require that this position be pretty close to exact to see at all, others can be much more forgiving. As Hohn indicates a larger exit pupil makes things easier. The trick is finding the correct combination of stock, and scope mounting to make it so that your eye is automatically in the correct position when you shoulder the rifle. As everybody's preferences are different, it can be tough to just pick up a random rifle and have it work correctly.

--Rick

 

[Paul30]

First, there is a difference in a shotgun scope and a rifle scope, I don't know which you are trying to mount a scope on. In Indiana many use shotguns to hunt and scope them. A shotgun scope has the eye relief set back a couple extra inches so you don't break your nose due to the added recoil. Don't use a rifle scope on a shotgun if you don't want to bleed, I have 2 family members that will not admit it, but they did it, and were bleeding.

A rifle scope has about a 3 inch eye relief, but you also have to be lined up with it. I have narrow cheek bones and can get lower on a stock than some with chubbier cheeks. The closer you can mount a scope to the barrel, the more distance it will be closer to the zero. I mounted a scope to a AR15 many years ago and had friends who could not see through it because they could not get low enough to see through it. I got higher mounts because I may want someone else to shoot my rifle some days and they need to see. When I mount a scope I do it with my eyes closed to eliminate chicken necking. I will close my eyes, aim the rifle at a target, open them, and expect the target to be in focus without moving my head forward to back. I slide the scope in the rings until I can get this to happen, then snug them down. Good optics will make you shoot better, as an older man told me years ago, you can only shoot as good as you can see.

 

[LarryC]

OK, whats the secret to using a scope.
I am now almost 74 years old so I don't see as good as I once did. Everyone says get a scope. I have borrowed my cousins gun with a scope, I can't hit the broad side of a barn. I am tall and long waisted so I have long arms. Can't get my cheek down to the stock, my eye is to far away from the scope, etc, etc. Don't want to invest in a good scope and find it useless. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hickory

I'm 77, 6' 2" and have installed scopes on several of my rifles used for targeting (don't hunt any more). The advice above contains many good points.

However there are a few more. First, almost ALL current selling scopes are better than the most expensive ones sold 20 years ago, even those under $50! Be sure you are trying out a reasonable new scope.

Second depending on your usage obtain a scope with the correct magnification, too high a power is actually detrimental as you get less light.

Third contact Allan of A&A optics (A&A Optics, Inc. – 765-580-0986 – alan@aaoptics.com) and ask him for help with one of your rifles, he sells Vortex scopes (I have a few and love them), he is very knowledgeable and I'm sure willing to help find both the proper scope and mount for your use.

By the way I had cataract removable surgery this spring and the difference is amazing!

 

[roscott]

Different scope setups will have a different eye relief, eye box, scope height, exit pupil, etc.

Others said it well above, but essentially don’t let one poorly fitting rifle/scope sour you on all of them. My right eye is not so great, so I struggle with iron sights, and scopes are a huge help. You just have to find the right fit and setup.