Anyone ever make a scope?

[Ryan in SD]

I'm learning a lot about optics and scopes. Man, now I see why some are so pricey. There's so much to it.

If anyone has any knowledge about scopes and how they are made/lenses used/processes or anything I'd like to hear it.

[SuperSet]

Go to the Costa Mesa gun show and talk to Ed Verdugo about the GRSC scope. I'm sure he'll be happy to tell you all about his journey.

[Merovign]

I could see making a homemade scope in an old-timey long tube style for Cowboy shooting or something, but trying to duplicate a $1500 Nightforce scope would cost you a mint.

As Han Solo said, "making precision optics ain't like dusting crops, boy!"

I mean, you' need a clean room to start, air filtration, some kind of chamber for neutral gases to assemble it in, you'd need to machine an airtight tube and make controls that were also airtight, and then there's actually cutting and polishing glass to extremely precise tolerances...

Much cheaper to buy.

[Ryan in SD]

Yeah, well. Yeah...

[ColetheGun]

im sure the russians in ww2 didnt have any clean rooms and they made scopes, i believe in you lol

[Ryan in SD]

Well I do have a posp that Im going to have to find a lense for. Made me about scopes and optics. Unfortunately its real hard finding someone that has the right size in stock that is willing to do a onesy.

[NorCalDustin]

There are a lot of engineering and physics related aspects... Unless your an experienced optical engineer, dont expect to produce anything amazing... and prepare to spend a lot of time learning about optics...

[50BMGBOB]

On the other hand, it might be fun to learn a little about optics. Not to replace the scope on my match gun but to make a workable one for a beater even if you could buy a better one for less, sometimes being able to say I built it is cool.

[johnthomas]

http://www.riflescopedeals.com/Rifle-Scope-Anatomy

http://www.vintageprojects.com/telescope/telescope-design-3.pdf

It looks like a fun project, good luck.

[RomeoTwoOne]

The closest you can get to making a scope practically is making a red dot sight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03j7lLSN82s

There are a ton of videos on youtube of kiddos making red dot scopes out of LEDs and Cardboard. May seem silly, but they work practically the same as real red dots and if you can make one out of better materials, such as milling them out of aluminum or glue stacks of Lexan Plexiglass for the body, use set screws to move the LED module to zero, and use a cut down scope ring as a mount, and depending on your craftsmanship it should be a usable red dot.

I plan to make one myself, but I am stuck at the part where I have to design the rheostat/ brightness control of the LED. I am a machinist, not an electrical engineer, and with my job, family, etc, just don't really have the time to work on this project just now.

That said, if you want a functional scope, and especially if you don't have a machine shop/ lots of expensive materials and tools to begin with, it is much easier and practical to buy a Chinese made scope from anywhere scopes are sold. All and all, I probably spent ~$50+ on materials such as LEDs, rheostats, resistors, battery holders, and so on for my project, and with that money, I could of just bought a cheap red dot from walmart if they had what I wanted.

[rimfire78]

It's not as powerful as I'd hoped, but I saved eighty bucks!

[TURBOELKY]

It's not as powerful as I'd hoped, but I saved eighty bucks!

That looks pretty good! Did you do that with Scott arse paper or Charmin?

[Ryan in SD]

It's not as powerful as I'd hoped, but I saved eighty bucks!

It would cost more to make one than to just buy one, I'd be doing it for the technical exercise it would be.