Today we're talking to ILya Koshkin, a prolific blogger and internet personality in the world of rifle optics. I've personally been following him for years and learning from his advice. We've recently struck up a bit of a friendship and I thought it was a great opportunity to bring him on to the show and have him share some of his wisdom.

I don't know about you, but choosing optics for rifles is one of those things that kind of excites me but also causes a lot of dread. There are a lot of options out there from a variety of manufacturers, and they've all got a lot of slick marketing materials designed to confuse you even more.

In this episode, ILya breaks down the most important elements to consider when shopping, some common misconceptions, and some of his own pet peeves.
Related Links

* Optics Thoughts (ILya's Blog)
* ILya's YouTube Channel
*  Instagram / Facebook
* SWFA Optics
* Interview with John Simpson (Episode 2)
* Tangent Theta Optics

Episode Summary
We covered a lot of technical ground during this episode, so it's actually fairly difficult to narrow it down to the most important takeaways. But there were a few things that I think stood out as key messages to get across.
Scope Tube Diameter
There's a common perception out there that a larger diameter scope tube means that more light passes through the optic. I know I've heard it, and probably thought it, and you've likely seen it as well. Right out of the gate, ILya wants to crush that myth. 

Tube diameter has no effect on how bright the optic appears to your eye. What it does do is offer more room for adjustment with windage and elevation. It also increases weight. 

The biggest impact on the brightness and fidelity of a scope actually comes from the diameter of the objective lens. Everything else flows after that.
Beware Marketing Hype 
ILya pointed out that marketing departments love to talk about specifications like "95% light transmission." In reality, this means nothing. The most important part is actually how the image appears to the human eye, and those numbers have precious little to do with that. 

Manufacturers also love to include a lot of whiz-bang features. ILya cautions, though, that it's pretty common for a lot of companies to put these features in there while still not having a solid grasp of the basic components. Depending on where the optic is made, there might be variations in the manufacturing components and methods from batch to batch. 

If your budget is limited, it's best to focus on the basics. ILya specifically mentions SWFA as a company who does this well. They don't have illumination, zero stops, or other "fancy" components on their budget series optics. But their scopes do the basics really well.
Diminishing Returns
It's not a popular topic to discuss, but it's still true. There are price points with nearly everything firearms related where the return on investment starts becoming less an...