RUGGED optics for rough bush use

wannabe

wannabe

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I've hunted for 40 plus years and currently I run a quad on ROUGH trails...winching and rolling happen...also nasty branches have flipped my brushguns out of the rack and into whatever tree or rock is closest. I broke a crosshair in a fixed power leupold once but that was a bit of a one off. The weather often -20 or worse and sometimes rains for days...Remington 870 wooden fore stocks can swell and tie up your gun as I found out...somethimes my rifles swim (ok sink) when I flip a canoe and get dragged out by the attached safety rope....anyway my point...as I get older my eyes are not as fast with iron sights as I like. I have a hard time trusting even good tough low powered conventional scopes....for the most part my guns are used for 50 yards and under, bear protection BFB and an 870 or marlin GBL have been used...I currently use "ghost ring" sights. I am looking for opinions on red dots/prism scopes/visible laser??? I really don't know...I have used aimpoints and eo-techs on ranges but wonder about mud and snow and cold and smashing around...I have found alkaline batteries crap out so I'm thinking lithiums would be best...would love it if I could get a sight that would take a standard aaa or aa if needed...

Asking you guys what your opinions are considering my circumstances...oh yeah I'm not rich...my quad is a 1991 honda lol
 
Sounds like you need a job with a scope manufacturer torture testing scopes. Sounds like you need a low powered fixed power scope. The old Weaver K series scopes in 2 1/2 or 3 x with the heavy duplex would stand up to a lot of punishment. Maybe even better if you can find one is an old B&L 2 1/2 x with the cross hair etched on one of the lenses.
 
Something like the LPA or Vangconp front and rear for the 870 and a set of XS sights with the protective dog ears on the front and rear for the Marlin. And maybe a well padded rifle scabbard by the sounds of it?
 
My bsa 2.5x20 bounced down a gravel road at 55mph. The mossberg it was on got mangled badly but the scope is still fine and in use on my double rifle that goes thru hell on the front of my quad

Otherwise id suggest nightforce but theyre expensive. But way better glass than a bsa
 
Any one still make a steel tube scope ???
I know the weaver K4 steel, that was on my culling rifle, took sum serious abuse, and has a couple massive dings, from a fall over a bluff, still going strong 30 plus years. glass quality has greatly improved last 30 years.
The old sako peep sights, mounted on the rear dove tail, were very robust. must still be dove tail mounted peep sights around.
 
OP, I think you are describing a military standard type scope - most civilian hunting type folk will not likely stress a piece of equipment like that!! Military guys jump out of airplanes, land in water, swim to shore, crawl through swamps, freeze at night and bake in the day and still usually manage to pull off a cold bore shot. Perhaps that is why a NightForce scope weighs half again or double what a competitor "hunting" scope weighs. Wanting it to be inexpensive and wanting to drag behind a canoe are probably opposites. I have, and use a number of Weavers, but the really tough, old school K 2.5 and K3 in 60 series are not waterproof - although you can unscrew the eyepiece and drain the water out, I guess... I also have couple older Leupolds - M8-3x / M8-4x / and M8-6x. Waterproof (but never dragged behind a canoe), never fogged in Saskatchewan hunting, virtually never lose zero on sighted in ( but I do not twirl knobs for shooting - just hold off for elevation and/or windage). My Dad got bucked out of a raft on a river float - 3 or four nights on the river between Grande Cache and Grande Prairie - he had a 1970's tasco 1.75-5x on his rifle - it still works fine today, but was underwater in the river for better part of half an hour, and then not babied for next 3 or 4 days.
 
EoTech, aimpoint and Trijicon are the toughest out there. EoTech and Aimpoint for standard AAA batteries. Aimpoint Micro for CR2032. Aimpoints go for years on a battery. If you want to forgo batteries all together get magnification AND great glass get a Trijicon Acog. Or zero magnification and an RmR. If you can kill ANY of these, I’d be impressed
 
Aimpoint Micro series. They will stand up to pretty much any punishment you care to put them through. No magnification, but if you are shooting 150 meters and in it shouldn't matter.
 
chuck nelson said:
Leupold M8
Click to expand...

YUUUUPPPP!
either that or open irons or an old lyman receiver sight like Super Cub suggested.
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Shooting under 50 yards , iron sights rule!:dancingbanana:
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the best optical setup using the stuff I currently have would be removing my xs peep and putting my Leupold 2.5 on a rail and putting the marlin factory rear back on....OR leaving the peep on I guess...lol...kinda back to square one...thanks for the input...still wondering if the red dot idea would be faster and almost as strong as irons...
 
In all honesty I've never broken a Bushnell Elite series scope....Burris, Leupold, Swarovski, Sightron and Zeiss have all had to be sent in for repairs of one type or another...your mileage may vary! :)
 
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