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Frequently asked questions
The questions we get most often, about the brand, about choosing optics, and about how this site works and pays for itself.
Independent guide: we are not the Redfield manufacturer and cannot process orders, registrations or warranty claims. Shopping links go to Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.
About this site
Who we are and how we work
Is this the official Redfield website?
No. redfieldusa.com is an independent, reader-supported guide. We have no corporate connection to the Redfield trademark owner, to Academy Sports + Outdoors, or to Leupold & Stevens, Inc. We write about optics and link to retailers. We do not manufacture, distribute, service or warrant anything.
Can you handle my warranty claim or register my product?
No, and we would not ask you for those details. Our warranty and support page sets out which company handles which era of Redfield product and what to have ready when you contact them.
How do you make money?
Two ways. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, so if you buy after clicking one of our shopping links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We also carry third-party display advertising. Neither arrangement gives anyone editorial input — see the full disclosure.
Do you test the optics you write about?
Our guides explain optical principles, specifications and buying method rather than presenting hands-on tests of individual units. Where we describe how something behaves in the field, we are describing how that class of optic behaves. If we ever publish a hands-on review, we will say plainly how the sample was obtained.
The brand
Redfield questions
Are Redfield scopes still being made?
The brand is still in use. Leupold & Stevens sold the Redfield brand rights to Academy Sports + Outdoors in April 2021, and Academy sells Redfield-branded optics as an exclusive house brand. The Leupold-era models built in Oregon between 2009 and 2021 — Revolution, Rebel, Battlezone and the rest — are discontinued and only appear on the used market.
Are older Redfield scopes worth buying?
They can be, with eyes open. Denver-era Widefields and Accu-Range scopes were excellent in their day and many still work. But they are decades old, have almost certainly never been resealed, and no factory supports them. Inspect for internal haze, grit in the adjustments and ring dents, and budget for a service from an independent repair shop.
Where were Redfield scopes made?
It depends entirely on the era. The original company manufactured in Denver, Colorado until 1998. The Leupold-era relaunch from 2009 was built in Beaverton, Oregon. Current Academy-era production arrangements are a matter for Academy — check the individual product listing.
What was the Widefield?
A Redfield design with a flattened, roughly rectangular sight picture instead of the usual circle, giving a wider field of view. It was distinctive enough that people recognised it across a gun shop, and it is the model most closely associated with the brand's peak.
What is a "Redfield-style" mount?
Redfield's two-piece mount design — a rotating dovetail front ring and a windage-adjustable rear — was copied so widely that the pattern is still named after the company by other manufacturers today, long after the original company closed. It is arguably Redfield's most lasting contribution to the industry.
Choosing and using optics
Practical questions
What magnification do I need?
Less than the catalogue suggests. For nearly all North American big game hunting, 3–9× is sufficient and most shots are taken between 4× and 6×. Buy for the longest distance you have genuinely practised at from field positions, not the longest your cartridge can theoretically reach.
Is a bigger objective lens better in low light?
Only up to a point. Your eye can use an exit pupil of roughly 5–7 mm when fully dark-adapted, and less with age. Exit pupil is objective diameter divided by magnification, so a 3–9×40 already delivers 4.4 mm at full power. Going to 50 mm gains about a millimetre while forcing taller rings, a worse cheek weld and more weight. Coatings and glass quality do more.
My scope will not hold zero. What do I check first?
The mount, in this order: base screws torqued to spec and thread-locked, correct base pattern for the receiver, ring caps torqued evenly, no ring dents on the tube, and the recoil lug actually engaging a slot. Then run a box test to confirm the turrets track. Most "bad scope" reports resolve here. Our mounting walkthrough covers all of it.
What is the difference between MOA and MIL?
Two ways of measuring angle. One MOA is about 1.047 inches at 100 yards; one milliradian is 3.6 inches at 100 yards, or 10 cm at 100 metres. Neither is better. What matters is that your reticle and your turrets use the same unit, so that a correction you see is a correction you can dial.
Does my red dot look blurry because it is faulty?
Usually not. A dot that appears smeared, starburst-shaped or doubled is typically astigmatism in your own eye distorting the LED point source. Test it with your glasses on or through a pinhole in a card — if it cleans up, the sight is fine, and an etched-reticle prism sight will suit you far better than a red dot.
Why does my rangefinder read a building at 900 yards but not a deer at 400?
Because reflectivity, not distance, is the limit. Flat painted surfaces return most of the laser pulse; hair and hide scatter it. That is why manufacturers publish separate reflective, tree and deer ranges — and why the deer figure is the one to buy on.
Can I mount a scope without drilling my receiver?
Sometimes. Non-gunsmithing mounts clamp to existing receiver features on certain rifles, and most rimfires have integral dovetail grooves. Otherwise the receiver must be drilled and tapped by a gunsmith — getting the holes square to the bore is not a home workshop job.
Still stuck?
If your question is not here, send it over. We read everything and use the recurring questions to decide what to write next.