Scopes for muzzleloaders
02-21-2002, 10:05 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Strasburg VA USA
Posts: 45
Scopes for muzzleloaders
I recieved a knight Bighorn inline for xmas. What would be a good scope and mounts to put on this particular weapon. I have herd that you can not use a typical rifle scope on a black powder rifle is this true? They say the percussion from the Muzzle loader would eventually damage the scope. I would like some feed back on this subject. Thanks.
02-21-2002, 11:39 AM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wabash, IN
Posts: 826
RE: Scopes for muzzleloaders
You've heard good info Ricky. You need to use a scope specfically made for either a muzzleloader or a shotgun. A regular rifle scope won't stand up to black powder abuse for very long. I'm using a Bushnell Sportview shotgun scope (1.4 X 4.5) on my Knight USAK and it has held zero for close to 200 shots so far.
There are a lot of options for mounts. Knight sells several mounts specifically for their guns - I use their see-thru mount so I have the option of using either the open sights or the scope, depending on the conditions. I recently put a set of Burris Signature rings on my .308 and I like those alot - they would be a good choice if not using the Knight units.
"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!
There are a lot of options for mounts. Knight sells several mounts specifically for their guns - I use their see-thru mount so I have the option of using either the open sights or the scope, depending on the conditions. I recently put a set of Burris Signature rings on my .308 and I like those alot - they would be a good choice if not using the Knight units.
"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!
02-21-2002, 04:04 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,918
RE: Scopes for muzzleloaders
Hey Mark whiz,I can't speak for all makes of scopes.I bought a Leupold VarXII. Before mounting it on my Ruger Inline I contacted Leupold. I asked if there would be any damage to the scope if it was used on a muzzleloader. The reply was it will not hurt the scope in anyway. I know a air rifle will ruin one.According to Leupold the recoil from a BP gun will not harm it.I know my friends who have mounted scopes on their ML's. They have all used regular rifle scopes and hasn't had any problems.Leupold also said the same as 1950Kid said. The only difference is the parralax.Ricky..... Knight has scope mounts for their rifles.Check shooters supply catalogs and save money buying them. Ruger Redhawk
02-21-2002, 08:25 PM
#6
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wabash, IN
Posts: 826
RE: Scopes for muzzleloaders
Ruger,
I've heard as many people say it's OK to use a regular scope as I have heard say not to - so I have to figure it is pretty much a crap shoot. I would tend to believe that the finer regular scopes (Leupold) will probably standup better than others under the strain.
Personally, I'm a little too frugal (CHEAP) to take a risk like that, which is why I recommend going with the ML or Shotgun-type scopes. Besides, I couldn't see putting a $300 scope on a $150 gun that I was experimenting with in the 1st place. So I chose a lower-middle grade scope that has, and still is, serving me well. In fact, once I got it sighted where I wanted it, I have never had to change it at all. When I've tried different bullets, I have learned how to adjust the powder load to compensate and leave the scope alone - pretty nifty.
"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!
Edited by - Mark whiz on 02/21/2002 21:28:55
I've heard as many people say it's OK to use a regular scope as I have heard say not to - so I have to figure it is pretty much a crap shoot. I would tend to believe that the finer regular scopes (Leupold) will probably standup better than others under the strain.
Personally, I'm a little too frugal (CHEAP) to take a risk like that, which is why I recommend going with the ML or Shotgun-type scopes. Besides, I couldn't see putting a $300 scope on a $150 gun that I was experimenting with in the 1st place. So I chose a lower-middle grade scope that has, and still is, serving me well. In fact, once I got it sighted where I wanted it, I have never had to change it at all. When I've tried different bullets, I have learned how to adjust the powder load to compensate and leave the scope alone - pretty nifty.
"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!
Edited by - Mark whiz on 02/21/2002 21:28:55
02-21-2002, 08:46 PM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wabash, IN
Posts: 826
RE: Scopes for muzzleloaders
Ricky,
This may not help much, but here are a couple of explanations I found on parallax, one simple and one not so simple:
What is parallax ?
Parallax is a condition that exists when either the reticle or the image is not focused precisely together . This can create the effect of the crosshair appearing to move when you move your head side to side or up and down.
Parallax Explained:
Whenever rifle scopes are discussed, a topic that frequently arises is parallax. There seems to be a great amount of misunderstanding and confusion concerning this subject. Parallax can be defined appropriately to rifle scopes as; the apparent movement of objects within the field of view in relation to the reticle.In a telescopic sight, parallax occurs when the “primary image” of the object is formed either in front of, or behind the reticle. If the eye is moved from the optical axis of the scope, this also creates parallax. If the primary image is formed on the same focal plane as the reticle, or if the eye is positioned in the optical axis of the scope, then there is no parallax, regardless of the position of the primary image.High magnification scopes, or scopes for long range shooting, where even slight sighting errors would be serious, should be equipped with a parallax adjustment. This adjustment of the objective part of the optical system would ensure that the target can be brought in the exact focal plane of the reticle at any distance. Tactical style scopes are not usually supplied with parallax adjustment because the exact range of the target can never be anticipated. Scopes of lower magnification are not usually supplied with parallax adjustment either, because at lower powers the amount of parallax is so small as to have no importance for practical, fast target acquisition.THERE ARE TWO FACTORS WHICH CAUSE AND DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF PARALLAX IN A RIFLESCOPE:They are; 1. The distance of the target to the objective-- The objective lens forms a primary image of the subject being viewed and subsequent components invert the image, and there is no parallax. The actual position at which the image is formed is dependent on the distance the target is from the objective. Closer targets are formed farther away from the objective and farther targets are formed closer to the objective. Since the reticle is in a fixed position within the scope housing, the image is not always formed in the same plane as the reticle and, hence parallax. 2.The distance the eye can move from the optical axis of the scope---, is determined by exit pupil size. There is no parallax, at any distance, as long as the eye is lined up exactly with the optical axis of the scope. An exit pupil small enough to do this would be impractical. is important to know that in every scope, there is some parallax. It is also important to know that in every scope, there is some one shooting distance in which there is no parallax. In most rifle scopes this one point of no parallax is usually placed at a suitable mid-range point in the scopes’ focal range.In lower quality scopes, there are other sources of parallax. If the reticle is not precisely placed the correct distance from the objective, the distance of no parallax will be exaggerated. Reticles that are not securely mounted and allowed to move even a few thousandths of an inch, will always have changing amounts of parallax. Parallax is also caused by optical deficiencies in the objective, either by design or manufacture. If spherical or astigmatic aberrations have not been corrected, images will form a considerable distance from the reticle. If you see a scope in which the apparent movement of the reticle compared with the image viewed is different from when you move your eye up and down than when you mover your eye side to side, it is because of a bad objective. No adjustment of the scope will eliminate these faults or optical deficiencies.You can check the parallax of any scope by sighting an object at normal shooting distance (not indoors), by moving your eye side to side (or up and down), as far as you can, keeping the sighted object within the field of view. The apparent movement of the reticle in relation the target is parallax.
This last one should make things as clear as mud. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!
This may not help much, but here are a couple of explanations I found on parallax, one simple and one not so simple:
What is parallax ?
Parallax is a condition that exists when either the reticle or the image is not focused precisely together . This can create the effect of the crosshair appearing to move when you move your head side to side or up and down.
Parallax Explained:
Whenever rifle scopes are discussed, a topic that frequently arises is parallax. There seems to be a great amount of misunderstanding and confusion concerning this subject. Parallax can be defined appropriately to rifle scopes as; the apparent movement of objects within the field of view in relation to the reticle.In a telescopic sight, parallax occurs when the “primary image” of the object is formed either in front of, or behind the reticle. If the eye is moved from the optical axis of the scope, this also creates parallax. If the primary image is formed on the same focal plane as the reticle, or if the eye is positioned in the optical axis of the scope, then there is no parallax, regardless of the position of the primary image.High magnification scopes, or scopes for long range shooting, where even slight sighting errors would be serious, should be equipped with a parallax adjustment. This adjustment of the objective part of the optical system would ensure that the target can be brought in the exact focal plane of the reticle at any distance. Tactical style scopes are not usually supplied with parallax adjustment because the exact range of the target can never be anticipated. Scopes of lower magnification are not usually supplied with parallax adjustment either, because at lower powers the amount of parallax is so small as to have no importance for practical, fast target acquisition.THERE ARE TWO FACTORS WHICH CAUSE AND DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF PARALLAX IN A RIFLESCOPE:They are; 1. The distance of the target to the objective-- The objective lens forms a primary image of the subject being viewed and subsequent components invert the image, and there is no parallax. The actual position at which the image is formed is dependent on the distance the target is from the objective. Closer targets are formed farther away from the objective and farther targets are formed closer to the objective. Since the reticle is in a fixed position within the scope housing, the image is not always formed in the same plane as the reticle and, hence parallax. 2.The distance the eye can move from the optical axis of the scope---, is determined by exit pupil size. There is no parallax, at any distance, as long as the eye is lined up exactly with the optical axis of the scope. An exit pupil small enough to do this would be impractical. is important to know that in every scope, there is some parallax. It is also important to know that in every scope, there is some one shooting distance in which there is no parallax. In most rifle scopes this one point of no parallax is usually placed at a suitable mid-range point in the scopes’ focal range.In lower quality scopes, there are other sources of parallax. If the reticle is not precisely placed the correct distance from the objective, the distance of no parallax will be exaggerated. Reticles that are not securely mounted and allowed to move even a few thousandths of an inch, will always have changing amounts of parallax. Parallax is also caused by optical deficiencies in the objective, either by design or manufacture. If spherical or astigmatic aberrations have not been corrected, images will form a considerable distance from the reticle. If you see a scope in which the apparent movement of the reticle compared with the image viewed is different from when you move your eye up and down than when you mover your eye side to side, it is because of a bad objective. No adjustment of the scope will eliminate these faults or optical deficiencies.You can check the parallax of any scope by sighting an object at normal shooting distance (not indoors), by moving your eye side to side (or up and down), as far as you can, keeping the sighted object within the field of view. The apparent movement of the reticle in relation the target is parallax.
This last one should make things as clear as mud. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Trust God..........but keep your powder dry!
02-22-2002, 12:01 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Virginia / West Virginia
Posts: 4,906
RE: Scopes for muzzleloaders
Hey Rick
I have the knight rings on mine and a tasco 3-9. I've shot it quite a bit and never had a problem. It's up to you. My thinking is, there are alot of rifles that have a similar type kick or alot harder than my m/l and they don't need a special scope. But I guess like others said, there could easily be 2 schools of thought. Either way, you know it will shoot good!
I have the knight rings on mine and a tasco 3-9. I've shot it quite a bit and never had a problem. It's up to you. My thinking is, there are alot of rifles that have a similar type kick or alot harder than my m/l and they don't need a special scope. But I guess like others said, there could easily be 2 schools of thought. Either way, you know it will shoot good!