Have you ever watched a movie and noticed that the Hollywood armorers made a mistake by putting an optic on a firearm—backwards? If so, you’re not the only one with a good eye for details. In the video below, Top Shot Dustin [YouTube channel] addresses that question by trying it out for himself.
Admittedly, optics on guns can be a little confusing and a lot frustrating. Not only do you need to know which magnification level is best suited for what task, but you also need to choose from an array of reticles, brands, and styles. Then there’s the entire issue of becoming proficient at zeroing without burning through several boxes of ammunition. And if you’re like me, you’ve run across scopes that were mounted incorrectly on the gun—which begs the question, can you even run a scope if it’s backward?
Does it really matter which direction your optic is mounted?
Yes, it does. Basically, an optic is made to perform in one direction for a clear field of view and accurate shooting. You’ll know if it’s backward because everything will look like it’s down a tunnel with a black ring around it. Also, the controls for adjusting magnification and clarity are going to be found at the eye end, not the muzzle end of the scope.
Can you use a scope backward?
That’s what Dustin wants to find out, so he does some detective work.
The first thing he discovers is that adjusting the magnification helps the field of view problem somewhat, but it doesn’t fix it. He also has to deal with some parallax. He is able to hit a steel target from 50 yards, although the shots aren’t centered. As he moves farther out, it gets a lot worse.
Watch the video below to see how it all works out:
A commenter with the handle TSG offers some insight into why Hollywood does what they do:
Just to add a bit, I’ve been on set where the armorer sets up things correctly, but the director insists it gets changed for the “visual” and so it “looks good for the camera”. Have you seen “Sniper: Special Ops”? I stopped about 20 mins into it. It’s not exclusive to firearms either, it can be with a lot of things. Arrogant director not relying on the experts on his team. But to your point, sometimes those “experts” are well, not. As a side note; make note of the Director, DP, and Editor and you will avoid a potential bad movie going forward. Or perhaps it will be good material to make a video about.
What movies and TV shows do you know have some odd gun moments, such as backward optics? Tell us in the comments below.
