Optics

I’ll bet most of us tend to give only passing thought to reticle selection, but there’s a reason that there are somewhere over 96.2 billion reticle designs floating around out there. They’re designed for specific purposes.

You have to account for two variables in long range shooting – distance and lateral movement from the wind and other factors.

Choosing the right type of sights and optics can be a bit of a mystery. We’re going to take a look at iron sights, red dots, and scopes and break down their strengths and weaknesses. If you’re making a decision about sighting systems, start with this buying guide.

For a limited time only Burris is giving away FastFire 3 red dot reflex sights with the purchase of one of their fixed 3x or 5x riflescopes. This combination gives shooters the ability to make precise shots at long ranges and switch over to an unmagnified sight for fast, close-up shooting.

Meopta has a new line of red dots that are so low that they’ll co-witness with factory sights. And that’s just the start. Check out what’s new fro our coverage of SHOT Show 2016.

Nightforce has some great new option for 2016. One is a fixed power 42×44, and the other is a new line of first focal plane scopes designed for those who want the versatility Nightforce is known for, but who may not be able to afford some of the pricier options. Check out our SHOT Show coverage.

Zeiss makes some incredible optics. This year, they’re launching the V8 series. These feature an intuitive auto-on/auto-off feature that adds a red dot to their crystal clear glass, customizable turrets, and everything you need to get in the field (except the gun and ammo).

The long-running debate over which optic platform is better, Aimpoint or EOTech, may have come to a head.

Nikon has taken a different approach to solving the challenge of quickly finding the right scope adjustments for a given cartridge and rifle combination. Rather than forcing the shooter to use an “average” ammo load and hoping performance from their specific rifle matches the ballistic drop reticle, they’ll customize a scope for you, your rifle, and the exact type of ammunition you like to shoot. Read our review.