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What does a grand buy you?

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maine(r) View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote maine(r) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: What does a grand buy you?
    Posted: May/09/2008 at 22:35
So last year I decided to step it up in optics after an encounter with a big buck ( est. 250 LBS 180 Class) in very low light. I have a camtrakker photo from 2007 that confirms this! 
 
I first purchased a Swarovski PH 2.5-10x42 with a Plex but thought the plex reticle was too light for extreme low light so I sold it and purchased a Schmidt and Bender Klassic 1.5-6x42 with a special order #1 reticle. It took 1 year to get it. Sad   But SB gave me a "loaner" until my scope was complete.  It was the same scope I ordered only with the Ill reticle Smile  I also ordered a Conquest 3-9x40 with a turkey plex  which is a #4 with circle center as a stand in. Excellent (from SWFA of course)  I have observed the differences between these two scopes for the past two weeks.
 
Here are my observations ina very summarized foramt:
 
 Mid-day -  What a waste of $ for the SB, the Conquest is every bit as good for a hunting rifle scope.  In no way, are you disadvantaged as a hunter. Contrast is the advantage here for the SB.  
 
15 minutes prior to sunset-  Still a waste of a grand
 
15 minutes after sunset-  Advantage SB but not by much.
 
30 minutes after sunset-  Conquest is a piece of crap Whacko.... SB is a much better ... and worth a grand to me... at this time of the day
 
45 minutes after sunset-   Not even close .. the SB simply pierces through some very dark timber easily. I could take a shot even though I would go to jail for doing it as 1/2 hr after  sunset is the end of legal shooting in Maine.
 
Other observations:
 
1)  All the $300+ scopes I have owned will get you to sunset -15 min with the abilty to take a shot in most circumstances.  The extra grand gets you all the time your allowed and then some.
 
2) Looking out into into a field or food plot is not a true test of a scope's low light capability ... every scope I have in all price ranges will do ok with this test well after sunset.  Look into dark timber or "black growth" as they call it here in Maine, that will tell you a lot about the scope's capability.
 
3) Reticle choice is as important or more important than glass choice.. within reason.
 
4) Resolution/contrast as an optical quality is under appeciated vs "brightness" and SB is very, very good in this department.
 
5) SB  w/e adjustments, power adjustemnts and build quality just "feel" better and at this price level that "feel" means a lot.
 
 
  
 
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mercenary1947 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mercenary1947 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/09/2008 at 23:19
                                                               Get%20Your%20Popcorn%20Ready
One Shot One Kill .... *S.O.F * Head Shots Only
               SWFAM
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bricat View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bricat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/09/2008 at 23:27
Quite informative, I like it.
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Countryscape View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Countryscape Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 00:15
A grand could also buy you the same quality optics with turret adjustments while hunting  in the field. The results of this feature might be the difference between the memory of a 400 class bull standling broadside at 500 yards or looking at him everyday in your game room. And you'd better have excellent memory because those images don't happen everyday:)
 
By the way bricat, just love your dancing girlfriend, ! lol
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bugsNbows Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 05:33
Very interesting indeed.
If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
               Anomymous
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Ed Connelly View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 11:30
Buy a couple of Weavers off of e-bay for approximately $75 each.....they will get you to 15 minutes past dusk in the timber.....use the grand to buy TWO deer rifles or ONE Sako rifle. Bandito   ( you damn gringos!!!)    Roll%20on%20Floor%20LaughingLaugh
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Big Squeeze Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 11:44
Originally posted by Ed Connelly Ed Connelly wrote:

Buy a couple of Weavers off of e-bay for approximately $75 each.....they will get you to 15 minutes past dusk in the timber.....use the grand to buy TWO deer rifles or ONE Sako rifle. Bandito   ( you damn gringos!!!)    Roll%20on%20Floor%20LaughingLaugh
..............................Or just maybe you can use a grand (OR LESS) to buy an `ol white horse???   Horse%20Poop.................................Roll%20on%20Floor%20Laughing
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Ed Connelly View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 12:12
And a big shovel!!!   Laugh
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 12:17

i wouldnt own one of them hayburners!

 

ed would though Stick%20Horse

They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 12:55
I saw lots of wild ones out in Sweetwater County, pyro!! You can go get you one if you pay all the fees and can get one into a horse trailer (!!) without getting someone killed!!  Shocked 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 13:20
i know them's the last of a dying breed down there on the desert
They call me "Boots"
375H&H Mag: Yeah, it kills stuff "extra dead"

343 we will never forget

God Bless Chris Ledoux
"good ride cowboy"
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www.technika.nu View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote www.technika.nu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/10/2008 at 15:36
Better to have few rifles with good optics than a lots of rifles with poor scopes.................
 
Technika
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tahqua View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2008 at 11:04
Very good report, Maine. I think what you have said and Technika states are good words. I happen to have several Kahles scopes and have compared them in low light with dozens of other scopes. In low light the high end scopes pay dividends on the price tag.
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SAKO75 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SAKO75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2008 at 11:56
a grand buys you a VX-7, which i happen to like thus far....Wink
glass is great
but some refuse to spend 1000 for a leupold and thats fine too
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tahqua View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2008 at 12:08
I have only looked at the VX-7 in a store. In that setting the glass did stand out from a VX-III. Next to a Kahles C in Dick and Jim's, it was too hard to tell. I think they might be worth looking at and I look forward to more member reports here.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Countryscape Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2008 at 14:33
Maine (R),
 
When you made the comparison between the two optics, were both power settings the same on 3x or did you use the 1.5x setting of the S&B? Would have thought the conquest would have still worked, even if it didn't compare with the S&B?
In Oregon, the legal shooting hours are also the same as Maine and that 1/2 hour before and after is really critical (especially when hunting our almost nocturnal blacktails). I myself rarely wear a watch to begin with and like alot of people, shooting usually ends when the game can't be clearly seen...
 
If a hunter is trying to pattern an individual animal or a certain trophy caliber of game, anything you can do equipment wise to increase your favor is imperative. The problem in choosing  scopes is  finding  one that can do everything, not just that last few minutes of lighting. If your optic tops out at 6x, it might not be enough for those longer shots and if your reticle is designed for the low light conditions, it could be too too course for long range shooting?
 
If a hunter never ventures from his typical hunting ground from season to season, its much more easier to find the optic that works the best in that area. Out west where I live, the terrain is steep, brushy, mostly wet and most of my shooting borders the legal bounderies. I can travel over the cascade mountain range and in less than 2 hour be hunting the wide open plains and desert country where you can see and shoot forever. And almost every year I choose a different state and  specie to hunt, making my choices more dificult.  And  like Technika pointed out, better to have fewer rifles of good quailty that shoot well than lots of rifles with poor optics.
 
The debate will always continue because not everyone is looking for the same requirements  but  there is no debating when it comes to the advantage of high end optics...  Especially when you need all the edge yo can get:)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2008 at 15:20
All this just makes me feel foolish. S&B is outstanding in low light, early and late. I really don't have anything else that will touch it. Nikon is very good, but not S&B. But I just sold my S&B for what may be the stupid end of the equation, upgrading rifle barrel to a Krieger for a 30-06 I am building. I neglected a rule...if you can't see it, doesn't matter how good the rifle is. I regretted the sale from the moment I made it, even more after reading this. Soon I'll have a VERY good 30-06, but won't be able to maximize its potential. At least until I can save up for another superior glass. Since my youngest is about to start private school, that will be a while.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SAKO75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2008 at 17:04
i have owned a few S&B's, both zenith and Klassik. While certainly they are fine pieces of handcrafted optics, when I compared them in lowlight and flare testing to a vx-III and a conquest, I couldnt justify the price difference. I have a partner who could have made a shot on a deer well after legal hours with a vx-III 1.75-6x32 with a premier #4 reticle. I do think the VX-III glass is superior to the vari-x III glass. Now I know the flames will start but seriously, if you cannot hunt during legal hours and kill game with a leupold or conquest, etc than I would have to see it to believe it. I have owned 3-4 S&B's, multiple Leupolds, and multiple conquests, Swaro PH, Diavari and I personally cannot justify spending 1500 on a scope (binos are  another matter). My last purchase was about the max @ $1150 and that was a lowly VX-7 to try it out and I do like it for the money, mainly because the XT reticle is superior to the z-plex and leupold duplex. MAny PH's and guides seem to "get by" without S&B scopes. Do not get me wrong, S&b certain are one of the "best" money can buy but I have determined I can kill game jus tas good with "almost" the best.....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May/11/2008 at 17:34
You bet.  Hunting is ONE thing......reading the yellow pages after dark at 200 yards is something else.  What we need is just a scope that doesn't fly apart on us!!!  Smile
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