Need suggestions for new scope for deer hunting

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djosselyn311

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Lawrencetown, NS
I am in need of a better quality optic for my TC dimension in 30-06, I have a cheap 3-9x40 Tasco World Class on it right now and it’s served its purpose for a few years, until the other night.

I was out deer hunting in my ground blind in the evening, it was a dark rainy night. I dried off my lens after I got in my blind and made a doe in heat call. As I was scanning the tree line with my cheap Bushnell 10x binoculars I seen a decent buck walk out 60 yards from me, nose to the ground. I thought “ perfect!” So I dropped my binoculars and took my rifle off my lap and got ready to shoot. It was around 10 minutes left of legal hunting time but I couldn’t see s**t, there was no way I could make an ethical clean shot so I let him walk. I would like to decrease the chance of that happening ever again by purchasing some glass that lets a little more light in.

I have always been a huge fan of Nikon, for the money the quality is unmatched in my opinion but since they are getting out of the rifle scope business I thought I should try something different.

I would like something with at least a 50mm lens, 25 or 30mm tube, I would usually hunt with it set on 4-6x. I don’t need a ton of magnification but I would nice clear glass for dawn/dusk hunting, maybe even an illuminated reticle. I also would like to find something reasonably priced, it is a hunting rifle so it will see some minor abuse.

I was looking at a Vortex crossfire at Cabela’s that I was impressed with, I have also found a Sightron SIH 3.5-10.5x50 that I’m interested in looking at.

Any other suggestions you guys may have for me?
 
I had a Leupold VXR 3-9x40 that was awesome in low light.

Keep in mind, a 50mm objective on its own doesn't offer any gains below 7x or so.

One of the things I don't like about Sightron is their reticles are really thin - trust me, it's no better when you can see your quarry through the scope but cannot find the crosshairs!
 
Hand Skills said:
I had a Leupold VXR 3-9x40 that was awesome in low light.

Keep in mind, a 50mm objective on its own doesn't offer any gains below 7x or so.

One of the things I don't like about Sightron is their reticles are really thin - trust me, it's no better when you can see your quarry through the scope but cannot find the crosshairs!
Click to expand...

That’s interesting, I always thought a larger objective lens would let more light in, I guess it’s more about quality of glass/coatings.

I haven’t handled many Sightron scopes, I was looking at a 8-32x56 and I did find that reticle quite thin. I thought it was because it was more of a target scope rather than a hunting scope.
 
djosselyn311 said:
That’s interesting, I always thought a larger objective lens would let more light in, I guess it’s more about quality of glass/coatings.

I haven’t handled many Sightron scopes, I was looking at a 8-32x56 and I did find that reticle quite thin. I thought it was because it was more of a target scope rather than a hunting scope.
Click to expand...

you are correct in your thinking,
 
Have you looked at the Trijicon scopes?
For low light (inside of 200 yards) the 1-4 is excellent. The Leupolds with illuminated dot are also great, but 4x (4-14) can be a bit much if you're hunting in the bush.
 
Zeiss Victory will not let you down in low light. If you can find a used one, they are reasonably affordable. A plex reticle with the little illuminated centre dot is ideal for even the dimmest light.
 
I hunted with a Leupold VX-3i 2.5-8x36 most of the season and never had an issue with first and last light. I also have a 4.5-14x50 on a different rifle and it's also very bright. For your use, maybe consider a 3.5-10x50. I've had a 3.5-10x40 in the past and never felt the need for the 50, but it couldn't hurt with first and last light.
 
I am going to save you a few dollars and suggest a Bushnell Banner Dusk to Dawn - 3-9x40. Believe me it's all you will ever need - have two Banner's a 4-12x40 and 3-9x40 actually prefer the lower power optic. It works for me - your mileage may vary.
 
I have Nikon Monarch 3's, Leupold VX3i's and Zeiss HD5's. Optics quality is nearly equal. The Zeiss does have the edge in light retention when it gets gloomy and light fades, plus a 1:5 zoom magnification ratio.
Don't fall for the "bigger the objective the better the light transmission" sales gimmick. Your eye can only "let in" so much light, so you may be spending extra money when you don't need to. There was a thread about this last year I believe.
 
djosselyn311 said:
That’s interesting, I always thought a larger objective lens would let more light in, I guess it’s more about quality of glass/coatings.

I haven’t handled many Sightron scopes, I was looking at a 8-32x56 and I did find that reticle quite thin. I thought it was because it was more of a target scope rather than a hunting scope.
Click to expand...

The bigger objective lens gives you a bigger exit pupil, but the human eye only works up to about 7mm, anything bigger is wasted, and a 50mm objective has an exit pupil of 7mm at about 7x, so any magnification lower than that WILL let more light through the scope, but it's not light your eye can make use of.

Exit pupil is easily calculated by dividing objective lens with magnification - a 40mm objective on 3x will have a 13.3mm exit pupil, and at 9x its a 4.4mm exit pupil. Around 5.7x magnification is when you start losing light on a 40mm objective.
 
Suther said:
The bigger objective lens gives you a bigger exit pupil, but the human eye only works up to about 7mm, anything bigger is wasted, and a 50mm objective has an exit pupil of 7mm at about 7x, so any magnification lower than that WILL let more light through the scope, but it's not light your eye can make use of.

Exit pupil is easily calculated by dividing objective lens with magnification - a 40mm objective on 3x will have a 13.3mm exit pupil, and at 9x its a 4.4mm exit pupil. Around 5.7x magnification is when you start losing light on a 40mm objective.
Click to expand...

Good info, I had no idea. Thanks!
 
I upgraded this year to a VX3i 3.5-10x40. I noticed a different in low light to me it's the catz azz, lighter and more compact than the bushnell I had. On sale this week for $529 at Cabela's, I think I got mine a bit cheaper $499.
 
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