illuminated Optical Gun Scope

[snookyboy]

Newbe alert...Can someone please point me in the right direction?
I'm looking for information on the use of an illuminated Optical Gun Scope.
The one I got came with no explanation at all. Thanks. John.

[DrThunder88]

I'm not sure I'm familiar with the term, is it a scope with an illuminated reticle? In that case it's simply a regular telescopic sight that has the ability to "light up" its crosshairs to make them more visible when the target is dark. Most of the examples I've seen are battery powered, but there are some (higher dollar scopes, usually) that use light pipes or tritium to light things up. Oftentimes, the light level can be controlled via some sort of rotating switch or push buttons.

What kind of scope is it? I'm interested to learn more if it's not what I'm thinking of.

[snookyboy]

I Probably didn't make myself too clear. I understand the reticle will light up. What I'm not too
sure about are the hash marks under the cross hairs. What is the distance between each mark?
It's my first decent scope, but received no literature with it. It's a 3-9x40. Thanks, John.

[olddav]

What brand, aka who makes it?

[snookyboy]

I can't find a brand on it. Probably generic.

[emtrescue6]

If you can not find a brand on it I suspect it is one of the many cheaply made Chinese scopes out there....I hope you didn't pay more than about $20 for it, as I suspect heartbreak is soon headed your way....

[olddav]

The hash marks are for aim points at different ranges, what range they are there is no way to know.
I guess you could view the differences in elevation between hash marks at 100, 200 and 300 yards and make some assumptions as to where to aim the scope when shooting beyond your zeroed range. Not sure if this is correct but it may be worth trying.

[DrThunder88]

Sorry for the misunderstanding! I suspect olddav is right about the hash marks. Most of the reticles I've seen that have that kind of marking are meant to have the crosshairs zeroed at 100. The first mark will approximate the drop at 200 yards, the next is 300, and et cetera for standard calibers. Some manufacturers will suggest magnums have the crosshairs zeroed at 200 yards, so the first hash mark will be 300 yards.

[snookyboy]

That helps, guys. Thanks for the info. John.

[yobuck]

They would be spaced a certain amount of mils or mints apart. A minit is about 1" at 100 yds. At 500 yds it would be about 5" and so on.
zero the gun at 100 yds then see how high it would be by using the next dot down and so on. By playing around with it you will be able to
find which dot will put you on at other distances like 200yds or further. Make notes with a pc of masking tape on the stock.