Frequently Asked Questions

After all these years of not offering lenses to fit other manufacturer’s scopes, why do it now?
When we first started making scopes, there were only a few companies doing so and they all had their favorite lens manufacturer they advertised as being the best. As more companies started making scopes they were smart enough to size their housings to fit our lenses so their customers could use our lenses if they chose to.  Over the years all of the scope companies tried to associate themselves with Zeiss and there lenses.  This became more complicated for us when Zeiss started marketing their technology for their AR coatings for plastic lenses. Any Eye Glass lab could buy this technology and advertise it was using Zeiss AR coatings. This allowed our competition to buy this service for their lenses and use the Zeiss logo to advertise they had Zeiss AR coatings. Now that hunting sights are being made to accommodate installing lenses and we have the authentic Zeiss lenses we decided to start offering them to whoever could use them.

What is the difference between the CS-1 and CS-II scope? 
The CS-1 aperture, has been drilled to allow for the installation of fine threads for cross hairs. The CS-II has not. The CS-1 has holes to allow installing pins or fibers from ten different positions around the aperture. CS-II has been drilled for four pin positions at the four compass points. 

What is the difference between the Meniscus lens and the PLANO-Convex lens? 
The Meniscus lens is an eye glass lens with both a concave and convex curvature. This allows the lens to be ground with the same prescription where ever you look through it. In an archery, scope this means there is no center to edge distortion of the image you are looking at. The disadvantage of the Meniscus lens in an archery scope is the possible reflection visible under certain circumstances. The classic scope reduces this reflection drastically with our hooded lens retainer. We have discontinued the sale of the Meniscus lens due to lack of interest on the part of the archers. The Plano-Convex lens is flat on one side and convex on the other. At high magnifications center to edge distortion is prominent. At 4X and less it is barely noticeable in our lenses. The flat surface can also give a reflection but it is only visible if it is aimed directly at your eye. Therefore this lens is least likely to have surface reflection you can see. 95% of the lenses we sell are Plano-convex glass. 

What is the difference between plastic and glass lenses? 
Plastic lenses are lighter than glass lenses and are less breakable. They are not as optically desirable as glass nor do they respond to AR coatings as well as glass. They are more prone to scratching than glass lenses. Some shooters feel our glass lenses have a crystal like sparkle to the image they see where plastic does not. We sell so few plastic lenses that in 2000 we are dropping them from our standard product list. It should be mentioned that there are two kinds of glass used in lenses today. The finest material is crown glass, which is what our lenses are made of. The other is "float" or window glass. No optician would ever have a prescription lens made from float glass. Yet our competitors would have you believe that lenses made from it are superior. 

Why don’t you offer an Aspheric lens? 
We had shooters evaluate Aspheric lens compared to Meniscus and Plano-Convex. They did not like them. First, they are only available in plastic because they are molded to get their shape. We tried aspheric lenses which were made from CR-39 optical plastic, the industries best optical plastic, and shooters still preferred the plano-convex glass lens. The aspheric lenses, offered by other scope companies, are made of polycarbonate plastic. The only good thing about that material is its toughness. Its commonly used for safety glasses and bullet proof windows. It is an extremely poor optical material, scratching easily and yellowing with age. The aspheric design is concave on one side which makes it susceptible to back reflection. Because the aspheric lenses are molded instead of ground into shape, they are very inexpensive to make.

What setup is most popular with the pros? 
100% of the pro men shooting our scope are using the plano-convex glass lens. If they are using fiber optics, most of them are also using the fiber guard. 60% are using the magnum size, 40% are using the large size. The determining factor is the size of the peep and how well the scope diameter matches the peep. Most 3-D shooters limit magnification to 4X with 3X and 2X being very popular also. The higher the magnification, the more movement is magnified and the more you want to rush the shot. The clarity of the Zeiss glass lenses improves the visibility of the target so much better than other lenses that shooters are satisfied with lower magnifications with these lenses. 

Why does your scope only come in black? 
The quality of what is seen through the lens is a function of how well the sight controls stray light rays. It is imperative that light not be allowed to enter the lens from an angle or from the edges. These stray light rays cause a scattering of the light spectrum which ruins clarity. Quality microscopes and binoculars are made with all of the internal components blackened so that no stray light rays can be reflected off of them and interfere with the light that is important to see. Shooters have bought our lenses to put in clear housings and not been happy with the result. 

Why have your scope prices been reduced so much in the last 5 years? 
Our cost of manufacturing improves as the volume produced increases. Since our sales have steadily increased we are experiencing lower manufacturing costs. These lower costs have allowed us to lower our price to the consumer. The most recent cost reduction going into affect January 1st, 2003 and is reflected in our suggested retail prices page of our web site. 

Does your Scope have a Warranty? 
Yes, our Scope components carry a lifetime guarantee. This guarantee applies to everything except the fibers and fiber installation hardware and our lenses. 

Do you have a Warranty for your Lenses? 
If yes, what is it? Our Lenses are guaranteed to have the correct diopter and that the optical center is in the mechanical center of the lens. No other warranty is made for the lenses. 

Why do you think a Scope makes a good Hunting Sight? 
The most common hunting mistake made when using a fixed pin sight, occurs when the hunter fails to center the end of the pin in the peep sight when aiming to take a shot. This is especially true from tree stand positions. It requires a conscious effort to center the pin in the peep. When using a scope to hunt with the scope housing centers naturally and effortlessly in the peep. Thus eliminating errors in aiming during the excitement of preparing to take the shot. 

Would you recommend using a Lens in your Scope to hunt with? 
No, Because Pope and Young does not recognize for the record book, animals harvested with a magnified sight. If, however, you are not interested in record book entries and are near sighted, you can have a lens in your scope which will correct your distance vision without having to wear glasses. Some hunters would find this very desirable. We will gladly have a lens gound to your prescription at no extra cost.