I'm curious about the more recent scope offerings with 34 mm. and 36 mm. main tubes. For the kind of shooting I do, I have no need for a scope weighing 2 lbs. and can't imagine putting one on any of my rifles, but I've wondered just what is gained with these larger scopes. Do you get greater adjustment range from them? Better optical performance in some way? I know that greater tube diameter doesn't result in greater light transmission, and I doubt that a clearer image results. So what are the advantages of these huge scopes?
Advantages or 34 mm. and 36 mm. Scopes
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coyoteshooter
CGN Regular
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
im told that bigger is always better
yeah, the only limiting factor for the amount of light let in the scope is the objective lens diameter
the exit pupil only depends on the objective lens and the magnification
can't see how a larger tube lets in more light than the lens allows
in your link the only "30mm is better opinion" is this:
but that link on the swarovski website has long been removed after people complained and someone probably asked the engineers
old link: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/hunting/blog/RS_tube_size_matters_but_not_much
the exit pupil only depends on the objective lens and the magnification
can't see how a larger tube lets in more light than the lens allows
in your link the only "30mm is better opinion" is this:
but that link on the swarovski website has long been removed after people complained and someone probably asked the engineers
old link: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/hunting/blog/RS_tube_size_matters_but_not_much
As much I know, the 34 and 36 mm tubes
- eye box is bigger;
- more clarity and less color shift in mixed light conditions;
- the depth of focus is shallower, in my case with a SFP scope I can focus the distance more precise between 10 to 50 or 10 to 100 meters. You can speculate what for you can use that.
- can't say for FFP scopes if any in larger tubes, but many of those have a multiple reticle.
- eye box is bigger;
- more clarity and less color shift in mixed light conditions;
- the depth of focus is shallower, in my case with a SFP scope I can focus the distance more precise between 10 to 50 or 10 to 100 meters. You can speculate what for you can use that.
- can't say for FFP scopes if any in larger tubes, but many of those have a multiple reticle.
Backcountryal
CGN Regular
- Location
- New Zealand
Light transmission is pretty much governed by the size of the objective lense and the power of the scope. The magic number is 7, 7mm. Take the objective lense size and divide it by the power of the scope you are using - ie, 42mm objective lense and scope on 6X is 42 divided by 6 = 7, the magic number. The human eye can only handle 7mm, and as we get older that decreases a bit. The old 8x56 Kahles was a great low light scope, 56 divided by 8 = 7. Cant get any better than that. The Burris 6x42 is an excellent low light scope for exactly the same reason.
Usually when you get a scope with a 34 or 36mm main tube you get a correspondingly bigger objective lense, 50mm is common and some are now 60mm. With these bigger objective lenses you can wind your scope up more than the smaller scopes and still get great light gathering abilities. 60 divided by 7 is about 8.5 from my reckoning, so that means if your scope is at 8.5X it is taking in as much light as is usable by the human eye.
The other plus with a 34 or 36mm tube is the amount of adjustment you have for those really long shots, more than a 30mm scope and certainly way more than a 25mm scope. Often not needed way out to around 1000 with your standard cartridges but comes in to its own beyond that. Canted rails and rings help as well.
Usually when you get a scope with a 34 or 36mm main tube you get a correspondingly bigger objective lense, 50mm is common and some are now 60mm. With these bigger objective lenses you can wind your scope up more than the smaller scopes and still get great light gathering abilities. 60 divided by 7 is about 8.5 from my reckoning, so that means if your scope is at 8.5X it is taking in as much light as is usable by the human eye.
The other plus with a 34 or 36mm tube is the amount of adjustment you have for those really long shots, more than a 30mm scope and certainly way more than a 25mm scope. Often not needed way out to around 1000 with your standard cartridges but comes in to its own beyond that. Canted rails and rings help as well.
Most has been covered already. But one other benefit of having more elevation travel is having a broader range of adjustment near optical center where image quality is best.
The optical quality of every scope I have drops noticeably near the adjustment limits, which can mean something if you're shooting your 22lr 300y or your creed past 1200y.
If you're a hunter or don't shoot/hunt long range there's little reason to get a heavy 34+mm tactical scope. If you shoot long range you're likely not playing with a 6lb rifle, and an extra 8oz of scope weight is more than worth it for the extra elevation travel and more robust internals of a dedicated target scope.
The optical quality of every scope I have drops noticeably near the adjustment limits, which can mean something if you're shooting your 22lr 300y or your creed past 1200y.
If you're a hunter or don't shoot/hunt long range there's little reason to get a heavy 34+mm tactical scope. If you shoot long range you're likely not playing with a 6lb rifle, and an extra 8oz of scope weight is more than worth it for the extra elevation travel and more robust internals of a dedicated target scope.
