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Puškohled Valiant

How to Choose the Right Riflescope and Red Dot Sight

Jan Kaleta

How to aim quickly and accurately? Red dot sights and riflescopes are the two basic types of optical aiming devices. First, ask yourself a question – what will you be putting the scope on. Pistol or rifle? Do you want to shoot short or long range? What is the size of the target? If you're clear on these questions, we can move on to choosing a scope.

1. Red Dot Sight

Both eyes are used when aiming with a red dot sight. The shooter gets a better view of his surroundings and aiming is much easier and faster than with a scope because it offers fast target acquisition. Operation of the red dot is simple and fast. These sights utilize a battery that transmits a red light dot to the lens.

Red dot sight is more suited for larger targets at shorter distances. It is most often referred to in the context of a tactical sight. This is because it generally does not zoom and is mainly designed for pistols and carbines such as the Sig Sauer MPX.

ENCLOSED Red Dot Sight

Enclosed red dot sight looks like a riflescope, but is much shorter. It is suitable for the aforementioned Sig Sauer MPX tactical carbines due to the smaller field of view. The rifle cheekpiece will make aiming through the eyepiece of the sight faster and easier.

OPEN Red dot Sight

The reticle is transmitted to the open glass lens. An open red dot sight is an excellent choice for pistols. Due to the large field of view, you do not have to keep the sight at an exact distance and level from your eye.

2. Rifle Scopes

The choice of a riflescope is often underestimated. Many shooters who invest in guns then get unsuitable optics. On our website you will find riflescopes with different designations such as Valiant Lynx 4-16x50 SF SIR Mil-Dot. We will explain what the individual numbers and letters mean.

MAGNIFICATION ("ZOOM")

The Valiant 3-9x40 AOIR version indicates a 3-9x zoom. The riflescope therefore gives you a maximum of nine times magnification. This parameter is important when making your choice. If you want to shoot at long distances, a riflescope with a higher magnification such as the Valiant 5-20x50 is better.

The next subgroup is the Valiant 6x40. Its name refers to a fixed 6x magnification. This is a fixed power scope that cannot be adjusted in any other way. This type is liked by shooters and hunters who often shoot at same distances.

PARALLAX CORRECTION

Parallax is simply used to sharpen the image on targets at different magnification settings and distances. Another advantage is that after focusing the parallax, you will know how far away the target is.

This feature is often referred to as SF (Side Focus) and AO (Adjustable Objective). The SF model refers to side parallax. It is located on the side turret of the riflescope. In the AO model, the parallax is found on the front of the riflescope. The third group consists of riflescopes without parallax.

TUBE AND LENS DIAMETER

Riflescopes are available in two basic tubes with a diameter of 25,4 mm (1") and 30 mm. The former can usually be found in the more affordable models. This is not a disadvantage, some shooters require the lower weight and lower magnification. The second type is used extensively in the pricier scopes. Their main advantage is the better light transmission. However, they also have a higher weight.

The lens of rifle scopes - the last number in the name - indicates the diameter of the objective lens. In the case of the Valiant 4-16x50 riflescopes, it is 50 mm in diameter. The size of the lens affects the luminosity of the riflescope. If the number is higher, more light is refracted on the lens, which will provide a sharper image. When using the riflescope in the evening, the lens size will also give you a clearer image for longer.

DIOPTer CORRECTION

This parameter is used by shooters with eye defects. It will allow you to adjust the dioptric range. This eliminates the need to wear dioptric glasses when shooting.

RETICLES

Reticles can be divided into two basic types:

Wire reticles

Wire reticles are more commonly used in cheaper models.

Etched reticles

A crosshair is etched directly into the glass of the lens. It can be usualy found on more expensive models. A lot of scope nowadays also feature illuminated reticles. It gives you the option to use the scope in low light conditions. The illumination helps if the target blends in with the cross. The colour is usually red or green, with the possibility of adjusting the brightness.

VALIANT RIFLESCOPES

Manufacturers customize the reticles to suit their own needs. Let’s take Valiant as an example. The company offers two reticle types, which were created to meet the requirements of shooters. The first model is called FBR. Its advantage lies in the extended estimation dots at the bottom of the crosshair. This gives you more options long range shooting.

The second type is called HFT. As the name suggests, it is a reticle especially designed for the Hunter Field Target (HFT) shooting competitions. Participants shoot at various distant targets where and they do not know the exact distance. This system can be transferred to normal home shooting, where we also usually shoot targets and do not know how far they are.

ASK YOURSELF A FEW QUESTIONS BEFORE BUYING A SCOPE

1. At what distance will you use the riflescope?

If it is 10–15 m, you don't need an unnecessarily large magnification (zoom), a scope with fixed 4x magnification will do.

If you are shooting at various distances up to about 30 m, we recommend using a 3-9x40 riflescope. It provides sufficient magnification.

If you use the gun at maximum distance, we recommend one of the most used magnification ranges – the 4-16x50.

2. What targets will you be shooting at?

The same rules apply here as with the first question. Shooting at smaller targets requires higher magnification.

3. What brands are good quality?

Nikko Stirling is among the more popular brands. They generally make affordable rifle scopes, while also offering a high-end line of scopes made in Japan.

The Valiant company has introduced a number of riflescopes in recent years that outperform the competition, especially in the quality/price ratio. The quality of the etched reticles and tubes reaches the level of brands such as Hawke, Vortex or Optisan. Valiant has built its lines to be suitable for all guns, no matter their caliber or power. The manufacturer's price and line ranges are plentiful. Thus, you can easily find a suitable optic for yourself.

Our product range also includes the world's major manufacturers such as Walther, Arken, Element and others.

Výběr optiky ilustrační foto

3. scope MOUNTs

First, find out what kind of mounting rail or groove your gun has. For airguns, this is usually the 11 mm Dovetail. The second step is to determine the mount height. We always recommend keeping the mount height as low as possible. This means that the lens should be as close to the body of the gun as possible. Mount height is given in millimetres and is measured from the bottom part of the mount ring to the body of the gun.

ONE-PIECE MOUNTS

They are recognisable at a first look. It is a one solid block that is more durable and is generally intended for high recoil rifles.

TWO-PIECE MOUNTS

Due to its low weight and variability, the two-piece mount is the more common type. It is more recommended for PCP and CO2 guns as they produce almost no recoil, unlike the spring powered airguns. A popular manufacturer is Venox. The company offers a large selection of two-piece mounts.

Some manufacturers supply the mounts along with the scopes, so we recommend checking the contents of the package first.

 

If you need any advice on scope selection or anything else, we will be more than happy to help. Call us (+420 773 379 767) or in visit our store in Hlučín, Czech Republic, where you can try out the riflescopes and red dots in person.

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Autor článku: Jan Kaleta

Honza Kaleta - Managing Director, wholesale, occasional blog author

After finishing my career as a competitive shooter in 2011 (shooting a moving target at 10 m and smallbore shooting at 50 m), Mark and I founded zbrane-vzduchovky.cz. And I am still working on the project today. At the same time, I am glad that Balistas has been successful, where I am a co-owner and wholesale manager. I handle orders, suppliers, technical questions and repairs. Outside of work I spend time with my family, I like to play sports or read about transport aviation, which has my admiration.

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