optic clarity??

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Brianma65

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Is the clarity of the glass more important to you than higher magnification? Would you rather a excellent 12 power mag or a mediocre 20 power mag?
 
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That's what I thought. I just got a a LRHS 3-12 and I find it way better than the other optics I had .
Which included the the 5-20 SHV. I had this zoomed in on a Hawks head at 460 yards and it was crystal clear.
 
I have to say clarity is the most important thing in a scope, since i use S&B scopes i have gained 15 minutes of hunting at dusk and dawn...

This extra time available for hunting, account for 50% of my kills in the last 5 years, this is major... JP.
 
I don't have enough experience to say myself with a comparison. The lowest quality scope I've used for LR is a Bushnell ERS/XRS, but all those I trust and respect say clarity 110%.

The 2 mile challenge that Mitch win with his new .375 Lethal was with a 25x S&B PMII.

GGG
 
Brianma65 said:
That's what I thought. I just got a a LRHS 3-12 and I find it way better than the other optics I had .
Which included the the 5-20 SHV. I had this zoomed in on a Hawks head at 460 yards and it was crystal clear.
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I have that same scope on my 300 wsm....fantastic optic, prefer it to my old Swarovski Z5.
 
I've bought scopes, that was supposedly very clear, according to members and venders on here. Veracity, Sightron Stac, bushnell elite 6500 to name a few. They didn't seem all that clear to me, but I didn't know the diff anyway. Well I just got the Busshnell LRHS 3-12 and what a difference, it's like night and day. I'm convinced you can't get a really clear and crisp , high powered optic unless you fork out $1500 +. I just wonder why guys say a scope is clear, if it's not. Or is it just me and my tired old eyes? Like for example, I see a lot of posts how the Strike Eagle is clear and a few that say it's not. Almost makes me want to buy one. But for $450 I can't see it being to clear. I think someone would be better off spending $450 on a 1-4 power. Both the 1-6 and 1-4 being equal in price , then the 1-4 should have better clarity, making it easier to see your target. So clarity should trump mag. Sorry for the big rant, just that I could have saved a ton of money if I had learned this a couple of years ago.:)
 
I know all eyesight are different, myself, the first time i hunted at dusk with my S&B 3X12X50 L7, i understood that some high end scope are gathering clarity almost equal to your eyesight...

Cant go back elswere after this constatation was made...

Even the rifle doest seem that important...

The clarity of the scope is the ultimate secret in successfull hunting... JP.
 
clarity for me.

I;m a novice in terms of optics/precision shooting, so i just see what the experts online do/use.

On the optics talk forum, one of their guys uses a eye chart as one of his clarity tests for optics, so i did it to.

Put up an eye chart a 200 at silverdale and compared my vx3 to my S3 to my falcon. S3 was crystal clear and could read the majority of the eyechart, down to the 7th line, vx3 could read down to the 6th line, and the falcon wasnt even close in terms of clarity.
A fuzzy image at 20X is useless magnification imo.
 
I would say it depends on the application...solid reliable performance is more important to me than the last bit of clarity, both in the same package is where the high end Euro optics normally stand out.
 
Depends.

If it's a tactical style of scope, i'll take solid mechanics/reliable tracking/durability over some extra clarity. "You can't hit what you can't see".. true, but you also can't hit something if your scope doesn't track or hold zero. Even the lower-end decent tactical scopes have good enough glass for most situations.
 
LeftFootOfDoom said:
clarity for me.

I;m a novice in terms of optics/precision shooting, so i just see what the experts online do/use.

On the optics talk forum, one of their guys uses a eye chart as one of his clarity tests for optics, so i did it to.

Put up an eye chart a 200 at silverdale and compared my vx3 to my S3 to my falcon. S3 was crystal clear and could read the majority of the eyechart, down to the 7th line, vx3 could read down to the 6th line, and the falcon wasnt even close in terms of clarity.
A fuzzy image at 20X is useless magnification imo.
Click to expand...

This is the great way to compare clarity and resolution of scopes...... and if you are with someone that can read lines you can't, time to go see your optometrist. Unfortunately, one of the big problems with reading other shooters comparison is you have no idea what they actually can see. My eyes are corrected to a schnick better then 20/20.

I use a chimney at 1035yds. It is quite surprising at how many well regarded products don't really let you resolve the grout lines and brick edges at this distance - you just see a multi colour rectangle. The good ones let you see the texture on the bricks and the really good ones, let you see the texture in the grout lines when the light is good. To really separate the good from great, try to resolve an electrical outlet at that distance.... and yes, you can see the slots with the right glass.

Yes, mirage is going to obscure all optics so view when mirage is light to nil. And then compare when there is mirage... some optics see mirage better then others. Some dont like this... some demand this.

Reading license plates at over 500yds is another very easy test. I prefer to test at LR. I feel that the brain can fill in a bunch of detail on known objects at near distances... but I have no idea what that license plate should read in a far away parking lot. So this is a super easy test to do when shopping for optics.... just look several blocks away at parked cars... a tripod or rest is paramount. Car emblems and those "stick" family decals work great too.

Fine detail like straw grass or water splashing off rocks at over 2000yds is about as clear as my eyes are likely to ever be able to see. When you find glass that lets you see this without fuss, you know you are looking at some superb glass.

With the crappy dollar, costs of good optics have surged. If you truly want top tier clear, I don't see much under $2500 with $3500 to 6000 being where things are mighty fine. To my eyes, Tangent Theta and S&B top this list with the new gen NF Comp, Sightron SVSS, Vortex Razor GenII (if QC is where it should be), March not far behind. Are any of these "cheap", nope...

When you can see the curl of a shot paster at 1000yds (think 1/2" round sticker) at 40X, you have nice glass.

There are levels of acceptable clarity for shooting ie resolve target, be able to aim where you want and engage. Some brands offer this at reasonable pricing but the vast majority of consumer priced stuff is going to dissappoint when the mag increases.

There are a number of other cost cutting steps like edge distortion, low light effectiveness, control of flare, etc.

If all you want is the clarity to resolve a reasonable sized target at distance, there are some very good options... If you want to SEE at LR, bring money.

So decide if you are aiming or glassing when you look through your scope... invest accordingly.

YMMV

Jerry
 
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I've used two scopes with nice glass, both cost $1500. A SHV 5-20 and a LRHS 3-12. I think the glass is a bit better in the LRHS. I think because of the lower power in the LRHS, this would allow for better glass .
So for load development, at 1,2 and 3 hundred yards , which would be better suited? The lower magnification with excellent glass or the higher mag with good glass?
 
If you already have the scopes, why not just compare them and see which your eyes prefer? Maybe one has a reticle more suited to what you want to do? Seeing clearly is great but if the reticle obscures your target, that may not be ideal....

I prefer high mag with great glass... For me the entry into this is the Sightron SIII. From there, the sky is the limit.

All my load development is done with 24X as a min to 40X as a max... I like mag for paper punching

With the pricing you are suggesting, you can get high mag WITH great glass. But a honking big high mag scope may not be ideal for uses off the range... so?????

YMMV.

Jerry
 
wheels said:
Depends.

If it's a tactical style of scope, i'll take solid mechanics/reliable tracking/durability over some extra clarity. "You can't hit what you can't see".. true, but you also can't hit something if your scope doesn't track or hold zero. Even the lower-end decent tactical scopes have good enough glass for most situations.
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I agree.
 
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