Rifle Scopes Sunshade vs No Sunshade
- Thread starter pineoak
- Start date
Yeah, not to mention the best place not to lose something is having it mounted where it belongs.
That's what she said. Sorry, I couldn't take it anymore.
exactly, Ihave my sunshade on my hunting rifles, not for the sun, But when it rains...... and during hunting season it’s ether raining or blowing snow.
I like them, for all the reasons listed.
The volume occupied by the sunshade happens to be a 2 inches length of space @ the diameter of the scope objective, directly in front of the objective lens.
I rarely shoot while some match prop, barricade or other item is occupying that space anyway. It's harder to see the target.
The volume occupied by the sunshade happens to be a 2 inches length of space @ the diameter of the scope objective, directly in front of the objective lens.
I rarely shoot while some match prop, barricade or other item is occupying that space anyway. It's harder to see the target.
To be fair, not all sunshades are only 2” in length. I have a couple brands that are a bunch longer than that.
I machine mine shorter
Do you find the longer shade helps with barrel induced mirage?
Not that I could say. My biggest problem with mirage usually comes from the suppressor, which is why I use a suppressor heat cover. The longer shades are just those that come that way from the scope manufacturer.
I was surprised that i would need one but happy that i had it when I did need it . better to have and not need than need and not have I guess you could wrap paper or a target around the scope and get about the same effect that's a free or near free option that could work in a pinch . A split paper towel role could work with some fiddling with in a pinch as well
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So what you do as a last minute shade is, you grab a box of ammo, and slide it into your scope.
I leave the sun shades on my scopes full time. If a barricade is too small to push the scope through with the shade, it’s too small to push it through without. The shade protects the objective from rain as well as sun.
I’ve got a new 6.5 hunting rifle I run sunshade on all my scopes but I have a Nikon buckmasters2 3-9-40 they don’t make a shade for I have a 2.5-10-50 Nikon monarch3 but I need to send it to Nikon for them to check it out confirm all is good I put it on already but wen tightened the scope down it pushed it to far to the left to get my adjustment back I took it off replaced the 2 piece mounts that came on it put a warne one piece on it but haven’t tried it I was going to send to Nikon make sure it’s not the scope what u think I shout do I do have a shade on that monarch3
guess its up to the person using it or not I use mine full time guessing its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it . I can always take it off in unneeded you can always fold an extra target or paper around the objective lens and do about the same thing just much cheaper than the real thing .
I run a shade all the time. It protects the lens and helps control light flair. Some optics need it more then others.
This thread started in 2017 and the last post was 4 years later, so I thought it'd be ok to resurrect it again. I'm looking to buy my first 'high-end' (for me) scope, a NightForce NF Benchrest 8-32x56mm. From what I've been reading, a large objective lens gathers 
allows more light to reach your eye, resulting in greater detail and color resolution.
While I understand a sunshade is useful as a lens protector and when the sun is low near your line of sight, but otherwise wouldn't it cut down on the amount of light the objective lens can gather, reducing its advantage?
allows more light to reach your eye, resulting in greater detail and color resolution.While I understand a sunshade is useful as a lens protector and when the sun is low near your line of sight, but otherwise wouldn't it cut down on the amount of light the objective lens can gather, reducing its advantage?
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Well, after further reading (and finding that it's a 'beat to death subject'), it seems while a larger objective lens can transmit more light, it's only at the highest magnifications.
If anyone has the time and I've still got it wrong, including any of my other assumptions, I'd like to hear the truth. And has anyone owned a NightForce NF Benchrest 8-32x56 scope or heard anything positive or negative about them? Thanks for any info!
Most of my precision rifle scopes have sunshades and Aadland caps or Tenebraex caps (no I don't use the ARDs). Besides the benefits in the few situations that you would need a sunshade, they do help protect the objective threads, and I have shot mateches in the rain where they kept my objective lens clean.
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