Hollywood vs Reality: How Scopes Are Misused on Screen (and How to Do It Right)
We've all seen movies with famous characters or notorious social media posts and wondered, "How did that make it onto the screen?" Well, well, today, let's dive into some common inaccuracies commonly seen in movies and social media and some movies that finally get it right. We'll look at how they were presented and look to correct this with some high-quality products from Optics Warehouse.
The Rookie
This scene from The Rookie shows the character using a magnifier behind an ACOG scope, which features a 4x magnification. This would not work in reality, as the focus of the magnified optic would not focus through the magnifier behind the unit.
How to fix the scene
If you wanted to fix this scene, you would either use a standard prism sight or use a red or holographic sight with a magnifier. You are able to use a magnifier on a red dot or holographic sight, as there is no parallax or eye relief on these, and there is no magnification, so the magnifier can focus through the unit.
A good example of this is from Vortex by using either their Spitfire Prism scopes or using a Vortex AMG Razor holographic sight with a Vortex VX3M flip-to-side magnifier. These setups are very popular on competition rifles and airsoft here in the UK on AR platform rifles.
Spitfire Prism
Holographic sight
Magnifier
US NAVY
I am sure that a few years ago, most people in the firearms community saw this post and cringed at their phones.
What it shows is an LPVO (low power variable optic) mounted backwards, from what I assume is the incorrect belief that the objective of the scope should be the largest part of the scope. This is a common misconception and an issue I see commonly when showing customers their first LPVO scope. These scopes tend to feature an objective which is either equal to or smaller than the tube size, which means that the objective will appear as smaller than the eyepiece, leading to confusion. Correct fitment of these scopes involves identifying the eyepiece and mounting the scope with the eyepiece towards the shooter. The easiest way to find this fitment is to look through the scope; if the image is "zoomed out", it is the wrong way around. The image should always be magnified.
Best units available for these scopes of scopes are the Vortex Razor 1-10x24, Delta Stryker 1-10x28 and the Arken EP8.
Vortex Razor
Delta Stryker
Arken Optics EP8
When movies get it right!!!
I would remiss if talking about movies that get scopes and optics correct, if I did not talk about JOHN WICK.
LPVO
Holographic Sight
Sniper Rifle (long-range scope)
Best uses for the above style of optics
The LPVO would be perfect using a Vortex Razor 1-10x24, Delta Stryker 1-10x24 or Arken EP8 1-8x28. They offer a variable magnification which allows you to use a scope on 1x magnification (no magnification) and zoom in to 8x or 10x magnification, offering versatility in a compact package for all shooting types from airsoft, 22LR competition and rodent and pest shooting.
The holographic and red dot sights would be perfect for short-range range wide field of view shooting. While offering no magnification, red dots offer an illuminated display which is easy and immediate to spot, while not suffering from any parallax error that traditional scopes encounter. These units are perfect for short-range hunting, airsoft and target shooting as they are quick and simple to use. Best units available in this category are the Vortex Razor AMG, Vortex Crossfire red dot, Holosun AEMS & Holosun ARO.
Long-range scopes offer high amounts of magnification and reticles with subtensions designed to allow for accurate holdovers at long distances. These types of scopes are ideal for hunting, target shooting and airsoft (if you're a good shot). Best scopes for this would be the Schmidt and Bender PMII, Vortex Razor 6-36x56, Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56 and the Delta Stryker 3.5-21x44.
Final thoughts
With all the movies out there with rifles in them, there are bound to be a few mishaps with scopes, and the sheer amount of "influencers" and posts that are put out will result in a few oops moments. But I hope that this blog has cleared up a few funny things you might have seen and given you some idea of what each scope is designed to do. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the staff at Optics Warehouse.