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Long eye relief: Monarch vs SII |
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red state
Optics GrassHopper Joined: September/03/2009 Status: Offline Points: 9 |
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Posted: May/04/2010 at 00:38 |
Hi All,
I need a scope that has long eye relief and I am looking for something in the 3-9x40 range (slightly bigger or smaller is fine). I also want it to have some kind of mildot or ballistic reticle.
The eye relief requirement makes me think that the Nikon Monarchs or the Sightron SIIs are my only options. Are there any other scopes that are known for their generous eye relief?
What are your thoughts on these scopes? Both seem like really good quality, but which one has better glass? Is the Big Sky worth the extra money? Is durability/reliability a concern with either one?
Oh, and by the way, this is going on a general purpose .308. Some hunting, lots of targets, some rapid fire.
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sakomato
Optics Master Joined: February/28/2008 Location: Houston Status: Offline Points: 1166 |
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Hey red state
You should also consider the Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 which has a constant eye relief of 4". Both the Nikon and the Sightron have variable eye relief, the Sightron more so than the Nikon, but not too much variance like the Leupolds. IOW, if you were shooting on 9 power the Sightron II 3x9x40 would have an eye relief of 3.6" and it is only 4" when on 3 power. If you are like me I do most of my shooting at the highest power.
The Zeiss is worth the extra cash although any of these would be good buys.
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Guns only have 2 enemies, rust and politicians
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red state
Optics GrassHopper Joined: September/03/2009 Status: Offline Points: 9 |
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Thanks for the response.
The Ziess sounds like an amazing scope, but I want some type of ballistic reticle and I think that getting that feature on a Ziess will cost at least an extra $100.
I have used mildots and BDC and HunterHoldover and I like all of them better than the basic plex reticles that are out there.
I am trying to keep the budget under $400 - any other scopes that I need to consider?
Does anyone have thoughts on how the Monarch and SIIBS match up?
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supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
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Just a quick question. Do you understand that most BDCs are on second focal plane scopes and realize the limitations of a BDC in a SFP scope? Most people think they sound great but don't realize as soon as you change the magnification those hold overs no longer work like they did when they were set up at the range on a certain magnification.
Edited by supertool73 - May/04/2010 at 17:04 |
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red state
Optics GrassHopper Joined: September/03/2009 Status: Offline Points: 9 |
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Yup, I am with you.
I only use the BDCs when at highest magnification.
For example, my 30.06 has an SII with the Hunter Holdover reticle. I have it set so that the standard crosshair is sighted in at 200 yards. This puts me about 2.5" high at 100 yards and about 2" low at 250. So I can shoot minute-of-deer out to 200+ without paying any attention to magnification or drop marks on the reticle.
The hashmarks of the HHR roughly correspond to 300 and 400 yards, but I still have to do more testing with my hunting load to get it finalized at those ranges. And obviously, I will be cranking up to max magnification when I make a 300+ yard shot.
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supertool73
Optics God Superstool Joined: January/03/2008 Status: Offline Points: 11814 |
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Good deal, I just didn't want you to buy one and then take it out and miss a nice buck or something on account of that.
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Lifetime warranty and excellent customer service don't mean a thing when your gun fails during a zombie attack.
"A Liberal is a person who will give away everything they don't own." |
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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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A couple of quick comments:
Sightron S2 has varying eyerelief. Sightron S2 Big Sky has constant eye relief that is also quite long. Overall, I think S2 Big Sky is worth the price premium over the regular S2. ILya
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Chris Farris II
TEAM SWFA - Admin MODERATOR Joined: August/13/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3196 |
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One day your life will flash before your eyes; Make sure it's worth watching.
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red state
Optics GrassHopper Joined: September/03/2009 Status: Offline Points: 9 |
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So now the only question remaining is:
Is the 3-9x42 SIIBigSky at $433 worth the extra money over the 2.5-10x42 Monarch for $400.?
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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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To me, yes. Generally, if you are really looking for longer eye relief, I would look at Leupold FX3 6x42 and Bushnell Elite 6500 1.25-8x32. ILya
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