Riflescopes & Accessories

Learn About Weapon Scopes and Sights

Weapon scopes and sights provide shooters with an easier way to bring targets into sharp focus. They give you an extra edge when hitting targets, especially if you’re in motion. This makes a scope an important accessory for competitive shooters and hunters.

Types of Rifle Scopes

With so many types of rifle sights available, you need to know which one is right for your needs.

1. Reflex sights

Also called reflector sights, reflex sights use an aiming point marking to bring the target into sharp focus. The aiming point is usually superimposed on your field of view with a reflecting glass, helping you focus on the target.

2. Laser sights

Laser sights emit lasers that bounce off the targets, helping you to know where you’re aiming. These laser aiming devices are powerful enough to appear over long distances, making them a good choice for long-range shooters.

3. Telescopic sights

There are two types of telescopic sights: fixed scopes and adjustable scopes. Fixed scopes offer little adjustability, but they provide you with a simple, easy-to-use optic for occasional shooting. Adjustable scopes offer different powers of magnification, allowing you to focus on close-, mid- and long-range targets with simple adjustments. They’re ideal for avid shooters.

4. Holographic sights

Holographic sights use advanced photography to superimpose a reticle onto your field of view. Unlike reflex sights, holographic sights don’t have reflective coatings. This means that the path of light doesn't distort or curve.

Types of Bow Sights

Bow sights are gadgets mounted on the bow riser to help archers and bow hunters aim better. They give a better view of the arrow’s direction. There are two main types of bow sights: fixed pin and adjustable pin sights. Adjustable pin sights allow you to set a movable pin for the correct shooting distance before you draw your arrow. Fixed pin sights have multiple fixed pins for predetermined distances.

Choosing the Right Weapon Scope and Sights

It’s important to ensure that your scope matches your weapon, application, and rifle scope mounting type. A rifle scope’s power is expressed in a series of numbers, such as 4x32 or 3.5-10x50. These numbers represent their magnification and objective diameter. For instance, a 4x32 scope means that the magnification of an object is up to four times in a 32mm field of view. Also, choose the right size rifle scope mounting rings for your scopes. Most of them have ring diameters of 30mm and 1 inch, but you can also shop for accessory-specific rings.

Whether you’re a hunter or a competitive sports shooter, having the right scope on your weapon will take your shooting accuracy a notch higher. Check out B&H Photo and Video’s wide variety of rifle scope accessories and sights to find something that’ll work for you.