Am I the only one who does not understand why so many people refer to a scope as a “3 by 9” scope as opposed to 3 to 9 by (fill in diameter)? It really is not that difficult to understand.
I might get a lot of grief for asking but I have to ask.

No, not the only one.

I never thought about it before, but I believe that as a casual reference it’s just shorthand for what most people consider to be the most important feature of a sight: its magnification range.

Even if someone understands the significance of the objective lens size (and many—perhaps most—don’t), I can see how they would consider it to be of less importance. I suspect that for 90% or more of the situations in which scope sights are used the size of the objective lens makes no discernable difference for the vast majority of users. I have several relatively high-magnification scopes with objectives ranging from 40 to 56mm that I use regularly and I can’t say that that factor is something I ever notice in use.

If, of course, it’s something being offered for sale or we’re making a specific recommendation, then all the specifications are important.

Added:
I reread the original post and perhaps I misunderstood at least part of the complaint.

If it’s the “by” rather than being “3 to 9,” then you’re correct, but it’s just one of countless examples we could cite that shooters and gun owners get wrong through carelessness or ignorance. I sometimes get motivated to express my own rant, but usually just realize that I’m not going to change ingrained practices.
My original comment focused on the failure to specify the objective lens size.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigfreund,

For many rifles, for many uses, a quality 2 by 10 is hard to beat.

Sigfreund it is the ‘by’ as opposed to the ‘to’. In the end it is a small matter. It’s one of personal annoyance’s I wondered if I shared with anyone. Happy holidays everyone, be safe!

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
It’s one of personal annoyance’s

Akin to possessive versus plural.

A 2" X 4" is a "two by four"- that's my reasoning.

A 2-4 is a "two TO four".

3x9-40
I'm guilty of it too- I'll say it's a "three by nine".


But I WONT say "clip" unless I'm playing with a Garand! So I got that going for me, which is nice!

You got me fritz.

Sure, saying 3 to 9 more accurately reflects that it is a range. But it is written with an "x," which we are all used to reading as "by" and since it doesn't cause any confusion, I don't really care even one little bit.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Am I the only one who does not understand why so many people refer to a scope as a “3 by 9” scope as opposed to 3 to 9 by (fill in diameter)? It really is not that difficult to understand.

I reckon you don't speak redneck slang.

I bought a scope once that was marked 25 or 6 to 4. Never could get that one sighted in.

If you say 3 by 9 by 40, I’d bet there’s zero people who don’t understand the meaning, and that’s really the purpose of language.

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
I bought a scope once that was marked 25 or 6 to 4. Never could get that one sighted in.

You should have tried to do some more.

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
I bought a scope once that was marked 25 or 6 to 4. Never could get that one sighted in.

You can only sight that one in if you're in Chicago.

Sitting cross legged on the floor might help.

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
A 2" X 4" is a "two by four"- that's my reasoning.

A 2-4 is a "two TO four".

3x9-40
I'm guilty of it too- I'll say it's a "three by nine".

But I WONT say "clip" unless I'm playing with a Garand! So I got that going for me, which is nice!

This. I'm thinking it is a notation problem.

Say one mentions a 3-9 scope? I think we know what they mean.

I have a gun buddy that always mentions a ‘clip’ when it’s really a ‘magazine’. I know what he means.

I try to use the correct ‘your’ or ‘you’re’, but possibly have fallen short at times. I think effect & affect can be tricky too.

The good thing is, if those are your worries, life is good.

3 by 9 implies it has a range of magnification, 3x, 4x, 5x... up to 9x.

3 to 9 implies it's either 3 power or 9 power. Scopes like that are uncommon and they don't generally jump that far, like some from IOR Valdada for example, they do exist.



Of course I could just be blowing smoke and talking out my ass.
You can come up with a reason for anything if you try hard enough and present it like you know what you're talking about.

"By" means "times". So 3 by 9 (written 3x9) would mean 3 times 9, implying a 27x magnification, which of course makes no sense.

"3 to 9" is ok, but I usually say "3 through 9 by 40" (assuming a 3-9x40 as an example) to eliminate any ambiguity.

I always say it as 3 to 9 or 6 to 18 or whatever it is.