THE CASE FOR FIXED-POWER SCOPES IT GOES LIKE THIS: THEY’RE LIGHTER, SIMPLER, STRONGER AND CHEAPER—WITH LESS “VARIABLES” TO GO WRONG. ome shooters wonder why fixed-magnification riflescopes exist in the 21st century, when variables are superior in every way. Yet several companies make and sell quite a few fixed-power scopes because they still possess certain advantages. One is mechanical simplicity. Modern riflescopes have an erector tube inside the main tube, containing one or more lenses. It’s called an erector tube because its lenses “erect” the image from the objective. Otherwise the image would appear upside-down, making aiming difficult, though not impossible. When we turn a scope’s adjustment knobs we’re moving the erector tube, changing point of impact. In a fixed-power scope those are the erector tube’s only two functions, and the erector lens is firmly attached to the inside of the tube. In a variable scope the erector lenses also slide back and forth inside the length of the tube, changing magnification. This is accomplished by yet another tube on the outside of the primary erector tube, with angled slots to cam the erector lenses back and forth. This extra camming tube not only introduces more moving parts to possibly screw up, it takes up more room inside the scope. For most of the 20th century scopes shrank, both in size and weight. The brass and steel of older tubes and eyepieces were mostly replaced by aluminum and plastics, S JOHN BARSNESS A fixed approach to long-range rifles: On top is a .26 Nosler Patriot with a 10x40 Leupold Mark 4 scope, below it is a Remington 700 in 7mm SAUM with an SWFA SS 10x42. and higher-quality lenses shortened overall length. Most shooters liked these changes, especially shooters who carried rifles over steep terrain. But once variables became the rule rather than the exception, lightweight internal parts proved to be a disadvantage. No matter how often scope companies claimed their lightweight variables were “shock-proof” or “recoil-resistant,” they malfunctioned more often than fixed scopes. They had to. Despite “aircraft-grade” aluminum and spaceage plastics, there’s no way to make a variable’s complex erector-tube assembly both as lightweight and as tough as the simple erector tube of a fixed-power scope. This is exactly why many snipers using the first Redfield variables in Vietnam left their scopes on the same magnification, essentially turning them into “fixed-power variables.” Consequently, some scope companies started beefing up variables in the right places, especially companies making scopes for military use. This naturally resulted in larger, heavier scopes, but when your mission and life depend on a scope’s reliability, a little extra weight doesn’t matter. Many hunters still prefer lighterweight scopes, especially hunters who climb mountains or move quietly through the woods, rather than sit in a stand. However, with the present trend toward “long-range” hunting (however you define it), more hunters are using heavier variables designed for military use. This is partly because the elevation and windage adjustments are often more precise and reliable, though the adjustments in all hunting scopes tend to be better these days. Meanwhile, a few makers of heavier scopes are also starting to make semi-lightweight scopes aimed at the hunting market, such as the Nightforce Compacts. Even with beefed-up scopes, however, fixed scopes still have their advantages. Most long-range scopes also have multi-point reticles along with easily adjustable turrets. (This might be considered the belt-and-suspenders approach to long-range shooting, but there it is.) Most variables sold today have second focal-plane (SFP) reticles placed behind the erector/magnification tube. SFP reticles change in size relative to the target with magnification changes. As a result, some “tactical” scopes now feature first focal-plane (FFP) reticles placed in front of the erector/magnification tube, so the reticle doesn’t change size relative to the 20 WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • FEBRUARY 2015
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