Rifle Scopes Why are 1x-4x and 1x-6x scopes so expensive?

[XxMerlinxX]

My understanding of expensive glass is that the higher the magnification level, the harder it is to produce glass high enough in quality to create a bright and distortion free image due to lens thickness. If that's the case, what is it about the new 1x-4x or 1x-6x scopes that makes them so expensive?

 

[00bullitt]

They are very tolerance driven as the erector has to move in such small increments compared to higher mag scopes. It is a very tough balancing act to get everything to jive in a true 1x system.

 

[Toast]

They are very tolerance driven as the erector has to move in such small increments compared to higher mag scopes. It is a very tough balancing act to get everything to jive in a true 1x system.

I hear ya, but that should be easy, like a micrometer turns in very tiny increments and they are relatively inexpensive. Great question OP. I would think there would have to be more to it.

 

[HD1911]

They are very tolerance driven as the erector has to move in such small increments compared to higher mag scopes. It is a very tough balancing act to get everything to jive in a true 1x system.

Any plans for NF to do a 1-6 or a 1-8 or similiar?

 

[427Cobra]

Things cost what they cost because will pay

 

[pawprint2]

They are very tolerance driven as the erector has to move in such small increments compared to higher mag scopes. It is a very tough balancing act to get everything to jive in a true 1x system.

Let me get this straight, the erector must more less on low power scopes than on high power scopes? On a scope that is let's say 5-25 power, is the erector moving less when you turn the power to 5 than when you turn the power to 25? Could you explain this a little bit more in detail, some of us are interested in how this works.

 

[Toast]

Let me get this straight, the erector must more less on low power scopes than on high power scopes? On a scope that is let's say 5-25 power, is the erector moving less when you turn the power to 5 than when you turn the power to 25? Could you explain this a little bit more in detail, some of us are interested in how this works.

+1

 

[sib1948]

Things cost what they cost because will pay

The price of most items reflects what the market will bear. When people stop buying the price will drop.

 

[parkervbar88]

yep basically its the new big thing.

 

[DT1]

Not all low power variables are expensive. If they're well made with high quality glass, they are expensive just like scopes with more magnification. When you add a daytime visible dot, they are more expensive still.

These days, customers want 1x on the low end and as much magnification as possible on the high end (6-8x). They want good glass, tough construction, and a daytime visible dot. They want all that in a compact size. That's why they are expensive.

 

[Pinecone]

A 6-24x xscope is a 4x power change.

A 1-6x is a 6x power change.

Change in power costs money.

True 1x is harder to do. So a true 1x scope will cost more.

And GOOD 1-whatever x will have good glass, so will cost appropriately. You can get cheap 1-4x scopes. And like any other optic, you get what you pay for.

 

[pawprint2]

I understand the 4x change vs the 6 power change, and the ever popular 3 power change, but I'm still wondering why the erector must move less IN low power scopes than high power scopes, as stated earlier by 00bullit. Does the erector have numerous sets of gears, so if you are on a high power and make a change it moves a lot, but when you go back to a lower power (on a variable power scope) it "auto corrects" by jumping to a different gear and making a much smaller correction? Are these systems similar to a Constant Variable transmission?

 

[00bullitt]

It is not so much about the magnification range as it is the focal length. True 1x variables have very short focal lengths as can a higher magnification scope. The shorter the focal length, the less movement is required to move the erector for adjustment. The amount of travel that our 1-4 requires to make a .25moa adjustment is .00045". Tolerances need to be precise throughout the system for any sort of accuracy or reliability. A 5-25 may only need to move .0025". A big difference.