If I mount two 4x scopes on a rifle, does it quadruple the magnification of the first scope?
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If you were able to line the lenses up correctly you might be able to do this. Just slapping 2 scopes together is probably not going to give a clear view of anything. But that is how many high magnification systems work, multiple lenses.
You can indeed do this. It does take some effort to line up the scopes to each other. This is easier when you move your head to get the eye into the right position then with a scope mount. And in addition to magnifying the view you also magnify the defects in the scopes so expect the image to look more fuzzy. Adding to this the lens only collect so much light so when you magnify the view it also gets darker. With a single scope this is usually within what your eyes can adjust to but with two scopes one after the other the image is significantly darker. So you are not going to get a high quality 16x scope by combining two 4x scopes. But if all you have is two 4x scopes and you are not able to get a good view then this is a technique that is being used. I have not heard of it being used with rifle scopes as the rifle does not shoot more accurately even with a bigger scope, but I have done it several times when trying to get a better view of something in the distance.
Mathematically, it does.
Then it’s the worse way to get a proper 16x lens, but that’s not what you asked.
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