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Rifle Scopes Sunshade vs No Sunshade

pineoak

pineoak

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Feb 15, 2017
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Cary, North Carolina
I've messed with using with and without. Can't tell the difference in terms of looking through the scopes.

I understand what they're for (I was a professional photographer for years), but on a riflescope they're just there to protect my front lens 99% of the time.

The weight is negligible.

Any thoughts on the matter?
 
diverdon said:
My thoughts are that they are seldom needed, but when you need one you really need it. To the point that at certian angles of the sun you might not be able to take a shot without the shade.
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For years I always had the sunshade on my scopes and never really thought about it. This past week I put a new scope on my AR and went to the range late Saturday afternoon. As the sun began to get lower in the sky is realized I hadn't bothered to put the sunshade on. The view thru the scope was pretty much complately washed out in white light. While its rare that I actually need the sunshade I will make sure they are installed on all my scopes going forward. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!
 
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Like you said. The fact that they can help protect the glass from incidents is enough for me to use them. First time shooting with a group in a field prone, I was laying next to a .300RUM with a brake. I remember the concussion more but I'd think there was dirt flying around. And at my home range you shoot directly west, so those late day sessions it's definitely helpful. I put them on when mounting the scope and leave it there.
 
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The only time Ive noticed a need is when shooting west as the sun goes down. As a side- I also just so happened to point my steel range pretty much directly west and guess when I do most my shooting... bright thinking on my part literally.

I also noticed it seems to vary by the quality of glass used. My swaro I can stare right at the sun and not notice too much of the picture washing out, on a low end minox its virtually unusable without a shade. My leupold could make use of one but its not so bad that its rendered unusable. Though Ive only ever used it from 10' up in the deer blind looking angled downwards at deer with it so maybe that plays a part.

I can see the possibility of protecting the front objective but for most practical purposes I dont see that really being a tangible benefit to me.
 
The range where I shoot steel is oriented south, so I use mine constantly. Its especially helpful late-fall, winter, early-spring. Mid year seasons its not as critical but still helps. Any time Im facing the sun or if its within 1/4 of the FOV I notice some significant flare if Im not using the shade. This is with a G1 PST though, so the glass in this particular scope may not be the best at handling sun flare within the FOV.
 
Like you pineoak I was a professional photographer for years and always used my hood, but when I first started photography back in the early 90's they hadn't yet been able to control flare and ghosting very well and while all optical designs still exhibit this behavior, I must admit that today's optics are greatly improved over the optics of yesteryear. I don't know if it's advances in glass, multicoating or optical design (or a combination of everything) but if you get good glass (whether it be a rifle scope, spotting scope or camera lens, etc.) then you will probably notice the the high end stuff from today handles situations with bright light sources much better than in the past. With that said, I doubt anyone will ever be able to manufacture an optical design that completely eliminates this phenomenon and while a better scope from today may handle it better where most might be able to use the scope even with sunlight hitting the front objective, the IQ still won't be as good as when something like a shade is blocking that light from directly hitting the surface of the front objective. I agree with what 03psd said "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!" and for the most part use the shades that came with my scopes. But this thread has got me to thinking, how would my AMG and ZP5 handle these situations...
 
My range faces E-W so when the sun is getting mid low to low and I'm facing West I notice the light problem is between my eyeball and the scope - I need to drop my hat bill to shade the distance (eyeball to scope) or I see nothing but a reflection. Sunshade does not make any difference. I'm using an ATACR 5-25 F1. Just my .02...
 
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I don't understand their purpose.

I know that sometimes they are the difference between being able to take a shot and seeing nothing but white. Otherwise, I don't know when I should or shouldn't be using one.
 
Twinsen said:
I don't understand their purpose.

I know that sometimes they are the difference between being able to take a shot and seeing nothing but white. Otherwise, I don't know when I should or shouldn't be using one.
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They are a ball cap for your scope, plain and simple. Put it on, leave it on, and enjoy.

My range is oriented from south to west. Without a shade, midday to late afternoon shooting wood be a bust. I shoot when I have the time, I don't get to pick the time of day or condition.
 
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flyright said:
My range faces E-W so when the sun is getting mid low to low and I'm facing West I notice the light problem is between my eyeball and the scope - I need to drop my hat bill to shade the distance (eyeball to scope) or I see nothing but a reflection. Sunshade does not make any difference. I'm using an ATACR 5-25 F1. Just my .02...
Click to expand...

In that circumstance, I put a towel over my head and the back half of the scope. It certainly kills peripheral awareness of your area, but allows a well placed shot.
 
I don't like ballcaps for shooting. They don't protect my ears from the sun, and often get pushed off my head by the scope. I had been using a boonie cap, but mine are all starchy and the wave of the brim always fights me and gets in the way. So for shooting scoped rifles, I grabbed a cheapo shemagh. Prevents sunburn on the neck and can be draped over the head onto the scope. Similar to a towel, but now people can make fun of me for trying to look like special forces or something. The top of my ears and back of my neck doesn't peel off after a day of shooting, so mock away!

tnichols said:
They are a ball cap for your scope, plain and simple. Put it on, leave it on, and enjoy.

My range is oriented from south to west. Without a shade, midday to late afternoon shooting wood be a bust. I shoot when I have the time, I don't get to pick the time of day or condition.
Click to expand...

Thanks. So I knew all there was to know. My newest spot faces west.
 
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If your ball cap is getting pushed off your head by the scope then your mount is too low - just joking - it's all about getting your own system/comfort zone. Ball cap, cowboy hat, towel, whatever it takes to get comfy on the crosshairs is what I think works. My ball cap may be riding up high like a gangsta - I don't care if it shades the lens so I can have a good sight picture.
 
I only use sunshades while shooting in the rain. They've never had any other positives as I've shot from/into all lighting conditions.
 
They can boost contrast by keeping off-axis light from entering the scope. This is why amateur astronomers use a similar kind of shield around their schmidt cassegrain telescopes. You may also consider masking off the outside of the sunshade and then spray painting the interior flat black to cut down reflections even more.

In some situations with the sun angles I will get flare into the scope that a shade would stop entirely if it was being used.

Sunshades also prevent rain and dust from getting on the objective. I've shot in bad rain and the front lens remained dry and made shooting a lot nicer than without the sunshade.

I would use a sunshade if a scope comes with one personally. They add almost no weight but do have benefits if you are Ok with the length.
 
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I have learned to keep mine on always. Works great for sun, rain and dirt in general.
 
As a current professional photographer, I run lens hoods all the time on everything on my cameras - namely for the reason named above: protection of my front elements. The sunshade on a scope seems to serve the same purpose... plus, it looks damn sexy... ha ha.
 
03psd said:
For years I always had the sunshade on my scopes and never really thought about it. This past week I put a new scope on my AR and went to the range late Saturday afternoon. As the sun began to get lower in the sky is realized I hadn't bothered to put the sunshade on. The view thru the scope was pretty much complately washed out in white light. While its rare that I actually need the sunshade I will make sure they are installed on all my scopes going forward. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!
Click to expand...

Yep, Ive always had them off and then on without much thought. Took mine off last fall when rifle season came around. Missed a buck because he came out right as the sun went down and I couldn't get a sight picture. Extremely frustrating. Never again.
 
From a tactical perspective, wouldn't the sunshade also limit, if not eliminate, revealing reflections off of the objective lense?
 
I leave mine on more for glass protection than anything. Also helps keep the rain off your glass as I found out this weekend.
 
I don't see why you wouldn't run one 100% of the time. It does help protect your lens and of course, it acts as a shade to prevent glare from the sun to wash out your image.

The below image is one example of what can happen. That is a Minox ZP5 and my image went to shit with the sun hitting it at that particular angle. Why Minox did not make a damn shade for these is beyond my mind.
Needless to say, I have already found one from a different manufacture and it fits.

IMG_20191114_173239_707.jpg
 
They’re just fluff til you need one.
Two of my favorite spots have you looking almost directly in the sun’s direction early in the morning and they’re quite useful then.
 
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stello1001 said:
I don't see why you wouldn't run one 100% of the time. It does help protect your lens and of course, it acts as a shade to prevent glare from the sun to wash out your image.

The below image is one example of what can happen. That is a Minox ZP5 and my image went to shit with the sun hitting it at that particular angle. Why Minox did not make a damn shade for these is beyond my mind.
Needless to say, I have already found one from a different manufacture and it fits.

View attachment 7324069
Click to expand...

What brand fits the Minox? I have two and one of my deer stands faces west.
 
I use a sunshade most of the time if available and often caps too, for the same reasons mentioned above. The only thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is possible issues when shooting PRS style matches with tight barricades. In some cases, having caps on and even a sunshade can interfere with rifle placement on/in the barricade. It has to be considered and addressed before starting a stage.
 
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Started shooting precision rifles 3 years ago and every scope I ever had has a sunshade. So, I have never had The Experience ...I never saw any advantage to not having one or removing it so they stay on.

VooDoo
 
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On a handful of shooting trips a sunshade has performed its intended purpose. I keep them on as an added measure of protection. They dramatically decrease the angles that debris can hit the glass.
 
I never use one and only ever have issues when shooting directly towards the sun as it's rising or setting.
I find they look silly on most rifles, most scopes I've owned didn't come with one and I very rarely need one so I don't bother with them.

I did shoot a match recently that was very very wet and it may well have helped a little with the rain, but as it was I cleared the two stages that I would've needed it so it wasn't a problem.
 
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Why not just run a Tenebraex ARD instead of longer sunshades?
 
I just put on both (ard and sunshade ) and my scope is yuge, I came to this thread for answers how long is too long?

Edit the weight if either seems negligible on a 20lb rifle.
 
E-Tool said:
I just put on both (ard and sunshade ) and my scope is yuge, I came to this thread for answers how long is too long?

Edit the weight if either seems negligible on a 20lb rifle.
Click to expand...
It’s only too long if it interferes with what you are doing.
 
I for one love the look of having he Hubble space telescope mounted on top of my .22, so sun shade it is! :p
 
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lash said:
I use a sunshade most of the time if available and often caps too, for the same reasons mentioned above. The only thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is possible issues when shooting PRS style matches with tight barricades. In some cases, having caps on and even a sunshade can interfere with rifle placement on/in the barricade. It has to be considered and addressed before starting a stage.
Click to expand...

^^ this is why i just keep one in my pack if needed...its been in the way more than a couple times over the years
 
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