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Best scope for night use? |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Posted: March/08/2010 at 00:27 |
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Hi all, this is my first post on this forum but ive lurked for a while and gotten some great info. I hunt hogs in South Texas at night using only the full, or almost full moon for light. For the last couple of years ive been using a Zeiss Conquest 3-9 X40mm on a Steyr Pro Hunter in 7mm-08. The reticle in the zeiss has thick crosshairs everywhere except at the exact center and worked...ok. My eyes are getting older and Im struggling to see the black crosshairs on a black hog, especially if he isnt in the middle of the sendero and has brush behind him. Anyway Im looking for something different. The scopes ive looked through are the Meopta Meostar 3-12 X56 rd and the Trijicon 2.5-10 X 56. Id like to keep the price under 1000. Are there any others i should check out or are these as good as it gets in this price range? Weight is a factor but I dont hand carry my rifle that much anyway. I use an atv and carry the rifle over my shoulder in a safari sling. (these are great btw). The meopta appears to be a bit brighter but the Trijicon is nice too and no batteries is a plus. My concern is that the illuminated reticles on either of them may make it difficult to see whats behing the crosshairs. Now for a stupid question: eventually glasses are in my future. Does looking through a rifle scope do the same thing that glasses do or can you see better with both on? All your input is appreciated.
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bugsNbows
Optics God bowsNbugs Joined: March/10/2008 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 11201 |
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Welcome tejas. There are some Texas hog hunters on here that I'm sure will jump in shortly. Ted, oh Ted, where are you? LOL It's a bit off my radar to comment.
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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
Anomymous |
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55spartan
Optics Apprentice Joined: March/07/2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 54 |
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I like anything Trij.
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Randall45
Optics Apprentice Joined: June/25/2009 Status: Offline Points: 284 |
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I have had plenty of good hunts with the Weaver Classic Extreme 2-10x56.I would also consider the Trijicon no batteries.The glass on both are very good in low light.
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ccoker
Optics Master Joined: February/13/2008 Location: Austin, TX Status: Offline Points: 2041 |
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Trijicon 2.5-10x56 is you want max low light potential
if you use some illumination, the 3-9x40 works fine the bigger one is ever so slightly brighter Edited by ccoker - March/08/2010 at 10:08 |
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Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
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Tejas, where do you hunt?
I took a 500 pound Russian bore in Refugio a few months ago and will be back in 2 weeks for gobblers and more hogs. My son's 308 has a 3-9 Trijicon and it is a very nice setup for hogs, bright and clear. The illuminated reticles can be dialed back to not wash out the target. I too have taken shots on black hogs with black reticles and black backdrops, it ain't my favorite. I'd recommend a 3-9 Trijicon (crosshairs with dot or triangle) or a 1-4 trijicon (any reticle.) To step up to an illuminated scope is usually a decent jump in scope price - and you need good illumination, not just illumination As for glasses, scopes have adjustments that will help with near sighted or far sighted; however if you have astigmatism or something like that, the scope cannot correct for it. |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Thanx for all the replies. Trijicon its gonna be then. Think ill opt for the 2.5-10 X56 with the amber triangle. Rancid Coolaid, We hunt a ranch about 30 miles east of Laredo near a hole in the wall called Aguilares. Havent seen any 500 lbers yet but we got a nice 300 lber in Feb. and four nice boars in Feb and March of 2008. Were also over run with Javelinas. Never seen a turkey on the whole place though. Good Luck and thanx.
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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I agree. The Trijicon Accupoints are hard to beat for the price for moonlight hog hunting. To get a better low light scope than the Accupoints, you'd have to spend twice the money of the Accupoints. To me, illuminated reticles, while not a must, are a definite advantage that no conventional reticle can match, no matter how thick/bold. A good lit reticle has intensity adjustments allowing for very dim settings in low light so the reticle doesn't flare out the target. Too much illumination is worse than no illumination, so a good lit reticle scope should not only be adjustable for very dim settings, but also illuminate only the "business" portion of the reticle (the very center dot, "+", or a small circle dot, etc). If too much of the reticle is lit, it has the same effect as too much reticle brightness. You just want to see your point of aim contrasted against the darkness, with no more intensity than necessary.
Make sure whatever scope you choose has a reasonably large objective lens diameter for the magnification you anticipate using. For example 42mm for up to 7X, 50mm for up to 8X, 56mm for up to 10X, etc. You want at least a 5-6mm exit pupil for optimal light transmission to your eye. I seldom ever use more than 6X when hunting hogs at night, because it's usually a fairly close range affair. High end scopes generally outperform mid range scopes in low light due to better lens coatings and optical design. Any scope with good low light performance and a reasonably visible reticle will work, but again, you can't beat a lit reticle. Under $1K price tag, the Accupoint series is as good as it gets. |
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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I havent tried an illuminated reticle yet but i dont see how it couldnt benefit me. I took only one shot at over 100 yds this year and it was at close to 200. I didnt even think to turn the scopes magnification up. I usually have it set on around 5x and leave it there pretty much all year. It didnt matter to the hog anyway, he was on an almost white sandy sendero and stood out like a sore thumb. On the other hand i missed a bigger one at less than fifty yards. The moon had just risen (vs being directly overhead) I could see him off and on through my binoculars when he moved and finally found him in my scope. Finding the crosshairs was guesswork. Wish now id have waited until the light got better. Im wondering if a Trijicon 1-4 would work for me just as well as the 2.5-10 X 56? There isnt much different in price (30 mm tube) but there is in size and weight. That isnt a huge factor since I dont get off the atv much, but if a smaller scope can do the same job...I dont know. With both of those two models set at 4x is the 56mm going to be brighter? |
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RifleDude
MODERATOR EVIL OPPRESSOR Joined: October/13/2006 Location: Texas Status: Offline Points: 16337 |
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At 4X, you won't notice a huge difference, but the 56mm scope will still have better low light performance.
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Ted
Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle. |
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Urimaginaryfrnd
MODERATOR Resident Redneck Joined: June/20/2005 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 14964 |
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"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do". Bobby Paul Doherty Texas Ranger |
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koshkin
MODERATOR Dark Lord of Optics Joined: June/15/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13182 |
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Trijicon Accupoint 2.5-10x56 is probably one of the better options out there.
If you are comfortable with a fixed power scope, Meopta Meostar 7x56 is a very good and very underrated choice: Generally speaking, a perfect configuration for you (since you do not seem to care about high magnification too much) is a 1.5-6x42 of some sort. Unfortunately, the really good scopes so configured are pretty expensive. There are a couple on sample list that are, while over your price limit, very well priced for what you get: If you are OK without illumination, there are a couple of Swaros there that could work well for you: ILya
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Aroos789
Optics GrassHopper Joined: March/14/2010 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 4 |
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Anyone looking for a high quality scope for night hunting should check out the Meopta Meostar 3-12 x 56RD. This scope is very well made and works well in extreme low light. I've read about and experienced reticle flare. It is a real problem. A friend of mine who also hunts Coyotes at night has a top American scope and has complained about this issue. The Meopta has no reticle flare even in near total darkness. Please note that this scope has the 4C reticle on the first focal plane. It takes getting used to. I am writing this to help others looking for a scope for night use. Meopta is coming out with a new model by June with the reticle on the second focal plane. Check hard on the Internet as there is one site with a better price than most. |
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Coyote Hunter
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HILLSIDER 69
Optics GrassHopper Joined: March/10/2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Is the 4c available with illumination or is it just the RD version?
I am looking for a good first FP scope at least 50mm dia and illuminated and with some form of ballistic marks in the reticule as the meopta 4b and 4c are. Any ideas?? |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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Thanx for all the input. I did look through a Meopta Meostar 3-12X56. The glass and clarity were pretty impressive and the illuminated dot seemed very good as well. It turns off in between each illumination setting wich is a big plus. After weighing all the pros and cons i think Ill go with the Trijicon though. Ive heard nothing but good things about their customer service. No batteries and turning a switch off and on is icing on the cake. Trijicon being American made is a factor as well.
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HILLSIDER 69
Optics GrassHopper Joined: March/10/2007 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 6 |
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Sorry I meant 4b as the 4c is just a dot. |
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tejas
Optics Journeyman Joined: March/08/2010 Location: Lone Star State Status: Offline Points: 575 |
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What id really like to have is a fixed 4 power scope with really good glass and illuminated reticle that you can just barely see under night conditions. If they make one like that for less than a grand I havent found it. Pretty sure im going to go with the trijicon 1-4X24 in the 30mm tube.
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huntingscopes
Optics GrassHopper Joined: October/15/2009 Location: Georgia Status: Offline Points: 5 |
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Boy....... Trijicon has unanimous vote. Learned something here.
we'll need to take a close look at this scope!! |
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Aroos789
Optics GrassHopper Joined: March/14/2010 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 4 |
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The Meostar 3-12 x 56 is available with an illuminated 4c reticle and a non-illuminated. Check out their website- meoptasportoptics. Meopta makes componants for Zeiss and many other scope manufacturers.
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Coyote Hunter
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Aroos789
Optics GrassHopper Joined: March/14/2010 Location: Maine Status: Offline Points: 4 |
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I'm not pushing Meopta, but they have a 7 x 56 with an illuminated reticle. I haven't viewed a Zeiss or Swarovski illuminated, but Meopta works very well and is very dim at the lowest setting. A friend of mine has a Leupold illuminated mil dot and says that it is too bright to use at night.
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Coyote Hunter
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