Cut-Away View Reveals Complex Interior of Modern Riflescope

Based on its external appearance, a modern riflescope may seem simple. It’s just a tube with two or three knobs on the outside right? Well, looks can be deceiving. Modern variable focal-length optics are complex systems with lots of internal parts. Modern scopes, even ‘budget’ optics, use multiple lens elements to allow variable magnification levels and parallax adjustment.

A few seasons back, we had a chance to look inside a riflescope thanks to a product display from ATK, now called Vista Outdoor, parent of Alliant Powder, CCI, Federal, RCBS, Speer, Weaver Optics. The Weaver engineers sliced open a Weaver Super Slam scope so you can see the internal lens elements plus the elevation and windage controls. We thought readers would like to see the “inner workings” of a typical modern rifle scope, so we snapped some pictures. The sectioned Super Slam scope was mounted inside a Plexiglas case, making it a bit hard to get super-sharp images, but you can still see the multiple lenses and the complex windage and elevation controls.

Check out the details of the focusing and magnification rings near the ocular (eyeball) end of the scope. There is very fine machining and threading to make everything work properly. The ocular lens is the piece of glass that faces the shooter while he aims.