Crossbow Scopes

General features of Crossbow Scope

These riflescopes are designed for crossbow use.

The crossbow scope is compact and light, with a 1-inch (25.4mm) tube and an objective lens diameter of 32–36 mm.

Magnification on Crossbow optics and scope

The magnification on Crossbow Scope is either

fixed or
variable.

If it is variable, the maximum magnification usually does not surpass 8x.

Parallax and field of view on the Crossbow Scopes

The parallax on the crossbow scope is fixed, mostly at around 30 m of distance. The eye-relief is suited for crossbow use (around 70 mm). The Minimal Field of view on crossbow scope is around 8-10m/100m, and the maximal field of view is 28-32m/100m.

A crossbow with a mounted Crossbow scope (source: sightmark.com)

The reticle on the hunting crossbow scope

The reticle on the crossbow scope consists of dots or lines for the arrow drop (sometimes a combination of both is used).

It is important to know that an arrow is subjected to a huge drop compared to a bullet, even at close distances.

Most commonly, a great portion of the reticle on crossbow scopes is illuminated.

Mounting on a scope

When mounting optics on the crossbows, it is important to know that the mounting platform (Picatinny rail) is located above the flight groove of the crossbows.

A crossbow scope is attached to the rail with two Picatinny rings. Most crossbow users shoot with the help of scope as it significantly improves the accuracy.