Rifle scopes and the .22 Hornet once didn’t go together. Invented back in 1930, the .22 Hornet was a popular centerfire varmint cartridge in the years before and just after WWII. Later eclipsed by the .222 and .223 Remington cartridges, the .22 Hornet has fallen out of favor, but still has a following due to […]

Nikon is a massive company that is bound to be mentioned anytime you talk optics. They own the optic’s realms in more ways than one. This includes the typical sporting optics like binoculars, spotting scopes, and rifle scopes. Outside of that, they build cameras, microscopes, and dozens of other different types of optics. In their […]

Getting a lightweight rifle scope is pretty important since firearms are prone to be heavy. After all, they are masses of metal and wood, or dense polymers, and sometimes burdened even more by the weight of their ammunition. A common place for that weight savings is in the optic. The search for the right lightweight […]

Vortex and Nikon both occupy the same space in the optic’s realm. They both make rifle scopes for every budget and every category of shooter. From high-end long-range precision work to affordable. Choosing one over the other can be difficult, so we are hoping to make that a little easier today. We’ll be dissecting Nikon […]

Leupold and Vortex are household names in the optics world. They both produce a massive amount of different optics. This includes binoculars, riflescopes, red dots, and more. Both companies are well-reputed and well-known for their awesome products. Today, we are taking a peek at the battle between their flagship rifle optics: Leupold VX-1 vs Vortex […]

So why get a 56mm scope? Well, rifle scopes with 56mm objective lenses provide a very large, bright sight picture, and they’re tended to be built for long-range precision shooting. To that end, there are all manner of 56mm scopes on the market, ranging from cheap air gun scopes masquerading as suitable for firearms, to […]

The .44 magnum caliber hardly needs any introduction. Made famous in the Dirty Harry movies, it has captured the public’s imagination and pocketbook for decades. All manner of firearms are chambered for it, ranging from traditional single action revolvers to semi-auto carbines. This leaves one important question, and it isn’t “do you feel lucky?” Rather, […]

Looking for the right 200 yard scope? That is something of a subjective choice, but there are factors that separate the junk for the gems. While it is true that modern manufacturing methods in China have allowed for a plethora of unbranded optics to flood the market, and it is true that generally those scopes […]

So why get an ACOG for SCAR 17’s? Well, I’m a little biased when it comes to rifle optics. If you ever ask me, “should I get an ACOG or a . . . ”, I will immediately say ACOG. I used an ACOG for five years as a Marine, and in combat. It’s the […]

The 50mm scope market has grown as people have begun to discover the relationship of exit pupil to magnification. The larger the objective lenses, the higher exit pupil you’ll have, which gives you a clearer field of view. Like all other riflescopes, however, 50mm scopes should still have a solid level of lens coatings to […]

The 7.62x54r is a very powerful round that was designed well over a hundred years ago. It has remained a consistent part of American ammunition because of its performance and the affordability of both ammunition and firearms in the caliber. As any full powered rifle round, it can benefit greatly from an optic. It’s got […]

The .223 caliber cartridge is probably the most popular centerfire rifle cartridge in the United States. It’s used extensively for a wide variety of applications and this includes hunting varmints. The .223 is a powerful and stable round that has more effective range than rimfire rounds when it comes to hunting varmint. Varmint are often […]

The Marlin 1895 is an intense rifle. It has a long history in the United States and is still a viable option for hunting and wilderness defense. The Marlin rifles are not long range guns and are designed for intermediate ranges. In other words, they won’t benefit from high-powered optics. However, within those 300 yards, […]

The Marlin 795 is regarded by many (myself included) to be a superior out of the box to the more expensive Ruger 10/22. With a high-quality trigger, and a rather nice barrel, not only do you save over other popular rimfires, you get a better gun to start with. That means, instead of running around […]

As a Marine I get a lot of questions of ACOG versus this, ACOG versus that, what do I think about AACOG versus scopes? Acog vs (Insert any model here). Since this question shows up so often, let’s look at three of the best-selling moderate range, AR-15 style scopes versus the Trijicon ACOG. There are […]

The US Navy created Mk12 upper receiver has spawned a number of imitators from authentic to look-alikes. The history and creation of the Mk 12 is so complex as to defy ready summarization in an article of this type, but you can find a reasonably complete accounting on Wikipedia. Rather, we are far more interested […]

The Nikon BDC BDC or Bullet Drop Compensator reticle has become increasingly popular as BDC reticles of all types have entered the marketplace. Designed to allow you to dial in your scope once, and then place shots at further known distances without adjusting your elevation, BDC scopes have strengths and limitations which we will discuss […]