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 The Pitchfork’s survival projects, Survival Rifle Scopes

Pitchfork © 2010
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Freely quote with attribution

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Do not foresee a moment, a battling; foresee two years and more, a
warring.  Pitchfork

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Introduction

Pitchfork’s intention herewith is to help others begin to sort out whassup with rifle scopes in a manner that will help folks get from here to there.  This is not primer on rifle scopes; this is a way to sort stuff for personal security in worse times than these. 

You want a primer on rifle scopes?  There are plenty of ‘em on the Web, including http://www.opticsplanet.net/how-to-choose-riflescope.html.

Rifle scopes are survival security accessories to Pitchfork.  Vision generally weakens with distance and age.  If your enemy can be reliably dispatched at distance greater than your enemy’s capacity to dispatch you, that’d be a major contribution two-fer to your continued life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.  You +1; Enemy -1.

Elsewhere here under, Pitchfork discusses ranges of a few rounds and suggests complementary arms.  All calibers of rifles therefrom can be advantaged by rifle scopes.

Key circumstances

According to Pitchfork, the put-upon patriot spends his time staying home, venturing afield to protect and extend secure perimeters. And that time might consume an uninterrupted couple of years or more.  Did he mention that you’re not a trained sniper?  You’re not a trained sniper according to Pitchfork, not if you’ve already read this far.

Pitchfork’s reasonable thoughts about rifle scopes for personal security therefrom include -

• All-weather performance, especially to changes in humidity and temperature

• All-time performance, notably to changes in lighting conditions

• Physically durable relative to various forces of concussion – munitions and movement

• Operationally simple – preferably all mechanical, i.e., no batteries, standalone, i.e., not needy of separate gear integral to operation, and easiest process to git-r-dun, i.e., minimal adjustment for trusty target acquisition and reacquisition

Considerations and compromises

You won’t get all you want from a rifle scope, if you want everything.  Some things can matter more than others, in Pitchfork’s opinion –

• Price – From less than $100 up to thousands

• Complexity of use – From really quick to acquire and fire on a target up to what Pitchfork reckons is more time than you’ll have to figure it out for yourself, before your enemy figures it out for himself.

What do you need if you can get it?

For rapid acquisition, i.e., to see what you’re looking for –

• Largest objective lens (the one at the front end of the scope) that you can get that won’t get in the way either of the firearm – e.g., physically conflicts with a bolt – or you, if you’re obliged to hold your head too high for your own good practice and

• To the extent you can manage it, the most expeditious procedure to fire reliably on target

• Variable power magnification – starting low in the single-digits for close in to you and ending high in the single digits or not more than low-low in the double digits; your target can range and will not commonly be limited let alone singularly fixed

For visual correction –

• Parallax adjustment

• Windage adjustment

• Elevation adjustment

• Bullet drop, or trajectory, compensation

• Range-finding

• ‘One-shot zero’

For visual facility –

• Fully multicoated lens

• Vaporproof

• Fogproof

• Sun shield

• Scope lens covers, preferably hinged

Cutting to the chase

Pitchfork’s not done looking around.  He does have a provisional favorite, and the provision is that what’s been written negatively about the particular rifle scope and its representatives isn’t warranted. 

In Pitchfork’s experience, there are more d’bags in the gun biz inclusive per capita than in any other biz he’s encountered – more notably on the sellers' side.  So, you gotta figure out who’s zooming who.  Pitchfork’s workin’ on it.  See for yourselves.

The scope maker: Shepherd Enterprises, Inc., http://www.shepherdscopes.com/company.asp

Shepherd rifle scopes fill more of Pitchfork’s litany of survival security user profile and need than any other, as Pitchfork totes the board, particularly in speed [read: simplicity] of process between visual and physical acquisition of target.  The Shepherds' integral range-finding is immensely attractive to Pitchfork in his self-styled survival frame of mind - no batteries, no separate range-finder, 'one-shot zero', no calculator/calculation/range card/divination of mill dots and no what-all else.  Favor: economics; physics; mathematics; rote and reckoning; anxiety; frustration; survival pragmatics.  Disfavor:  target.

There's a long list of other rifle scope makers and scanning laser range finders for hunting rifle scopes and tactical rifle scopes, variously including but not limited to Leupold, Lieca, Bushnell, Bosch, and BSA, etc.

Shepherd rifle scopes have their share of disciples and detractors, the latter seemingly circling around a few specifics important to Pitchfork, e.g., short eye of relief ('bites' the user); cluttered/confusing reticle (Pitchfork's eyesight's not what it used to be), nondurability (breaks), and makers' reps' bad attitudes ('arrogant' is the word that comes to Pitchfork's memory) among 'em.  Satisfied owners appear more numerous and some detractions are (usually admittedly) hearsay; however, from what Pitchfork's come across, such marketplace negativity is unusual in his opinion for most any sort of firearm accessory.

There does appear a trend to Pitchfork in the detractors' numbers falling away over the years.  Of quizzically positive note, Pitchfork's found that very few Shepherds are in the otherwise used, or secondary, rifle scope marketplaces.  Unfortunately, Pitchfork's briefest initial encounter was not salutary.