Telescopic Sight (Scope): Small telescope mounted on your firearm. The scope gathers light, brightening the image and magnifying the target, and does away with aligning rear and front sights. The aiming device inside the scope is called the “reticle.” To aim, you simply look through the scope and line up the crosshairs, post, or dot with your target. Handgun scopes are designed to withstand the recoil that occurs when using powerful centerfire cartridges.