3-9 vs 4-16. which to get

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gumbellion

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I am going to be buying a new scope this week and have it down to 3
Nikon MonarchIII 2.5-10x40
Nikon Monarch 4-16x40
Leupold VX 2 3-9x40

I can get a killer deal on the nikon monarch 4-16 which puts it into the same price range as the monarch 3 and VX 2

What I want to kow is will I really notice a difference with the maginification turned down all the way? It will be used for deer and moose from say 50 to 200 yards for potential ranges. I have used 3-9 before but have not looked through a 4-16
I looked through a pile of scopes a couple weeks ago and found for my eyes the nikons were all the clearest, and looked through a vx 2 at the same time as a monarch 3

So if I wont notice a difference in magnification I will be going with the monarch 4-16
Thanks
 
gumbellion said:
I am going to be buying a new scope this week and have it down to 3
Nikon MonarchIII 2.5-10x40
Nikon Monarch 4-16x40
Leupold VX 2 3-9x40

I can get a killer deal on the nikon monarch 4-16 which puts it into the same price range as the monarch 3 and VX 2

What I want to kow is will I really notice a difference with the maginification turned down all the way? It will be used for deer and moose from say 50 to 200 yards for potential ranges. I have used 3-9 before but have not looked through a 4-16
I looked through a pile of scopes a couple weeks ago and found for my eyes the nikons were all the clearest, and looked through a vx 2 at the same time as a monarch 3

So if I wont notice a difference in magnification I will be going with the monarch 4-16
Thanks
Click to expand...

If that is the case i would go with the 4-16 and see how you like it, hard to go wrong with the better glass for the same price. If you don't care for it, i'm sure there are all kinds of people who would trade you if you wanted, or you could likely sell it and get your money back.
 
anything over 10x will have parallax adjustment, in the form of an adjustable objective or side focus. 2.5-10 and 3-9 will not have this and IMHO this alone makes for a better hunting scope.

2.5-10 is what I use and like. shoulder it and see what your looking at without worrying about focus.
 
If that 4-16 is an AO scope, I would suggest to stay away from it.
AO and hunting should be in the same sentence.
Unless you are long range shooting and have the time.
 
Scopes without AO have a set parallax...you can do the same with an AO scope. I leave mine set at about 150 yards and if something long range presents itself, then you likely have time to adjust it.
 
If you can get a killer deal on the 4-16 AO then do it.

I agree with sheephunter on the AO; if you don't like to use it then set it for whatever range your rifle is set up for and forget about it. It's an option only. Scopes without an AO just have the parallax set at a fixed distance at the factory and are locked in for that distance. You can do the same thing on your rifle by just leaving it alone.
 
You should go on each manufacturers website and get the info regarding the field of view at minimum and maximum power for each scope. This way you can compare what you will actually be able to see in terms of a linear distance from each optic. That should help your decision. At the closer ranges, you would likely find the low 2.5 power more helpful, then the 16 power is at 200 yards. If you're shooting a moose at 200 yards, the 10x zoom will be plenty to allow you to make an accurate shot, more than enough. Don't take this as me bashing the 4-16 power scope, as it is a very broad zoom range that has many good applications. Just be honest with yourself in what you actually need to accomplish with the rifle.
 
I ended up ordering the 4-16 scope. The main reason as was said above was that it is a higher quality/price range for the cost of the lower ones. The scope is regularly well over and I got it for 320.61 after tax and shipping. So even if I dont like it I could easily sell it for what I paid including taxes and shipping, and go buy the monarch 3 for 450.
 
All the best with the new scope. I've convinced myself that I'm going to prefer a 4-16 range for another rifle I hope to hunt with that is on order. I currently have a 3-9x Zeiss conquest which is a fantastic scope but on the range I find 9x too low for my liking. It is probably more than enough in the field but the reality is that any rifle I own will get shot on the range FAR more than the field.
 
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