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42mm vs 50mm

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txhunter2 View Drop Down
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    Posted: August/26/2010 at 16:25
I have always used 40mm scopes during my hunting.  I am thinking of going with a 42 or 50mm scope on one of my guns.  The 42 mm is $30 cheaper.  I am sure the 50 is a little heavier.  I will be adding a 4 inch sunshade to the scope as well.  Is the low light benefit of the 50 mm outweigh the 30 dollar difference.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Poodleshooter1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 16:34
Will your current rings fit the 50mm's larger objective bell?
Is it a lightweight rifle (30/30, Rem Model 7,Win Featherweight,etc)?

If neither of the above apply, I'd get the 50mm for only $30 more. It buys you the same light with 1-2x more magnification.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Magnumdood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 16:47

Optimally, you want a 7mm exit pupil from your scope, because, as a rule, most people’s pupils can only dilate to 7mm.  With that said, the older we get, the less elastic the muscles that control the pupil become and the dilation begins to drop.  It’s not unusual to have pupils that can only dilate to 5mm starting around the age of 40.  To determine the exit pupil of your scope, you divide the objective size by the power the scope is set on.  This will give you your exit pupil.  So, that larger objectives allow more light to pass through to your eye than a smaller objective set on the same power.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonoMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 16:47
Yeah, if that's the only difference why not?

BTW, even low rings might not matter depending on the shape of your stock. I have two rifles with lows and still ended up retrofitting the stocks with adjustable cheek pieces to get a good cheek weld.
Reaction time is a factor...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote txhunter2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 16:47
Well I will probably put it on a 280 Remington 700.
 
I dont think it would fit an AR 15 as well would it?   It might be too much for an AR. 
 
It is a 2-10 tr2 nitrex.  $169 rebate
I was going to buy and compare it to a 2-7 vortex viper ($169).  Both  great prices so I thought about buying both and doing a comparison.  I will probably give the one I prefer less to my dad.  He is running an old simmons and never cares about hunting equipment.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Magnumdood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 16:56

Optimally, you want a 7mm exit pupil from your scope, because, as a rule, most people’s pupils can only dilate to 7mm.  With that said, the older we get, the less elastic the muscles that control the pupil become and the dilation begins to drop.  It’s not unusual to have pupils that can only dilate to 5mm starting around the age of 40.  To determine the exit pupil of your scope, you divide the objective size by the power the scope is set on.  This will give you your exit pupil.  So, a larger objective allows more light to pass through to your eye than a smaller objective set on the same power.  Thus, with a larger objective, you can increase the power and maintain the same exit pupil that a smaller objective would have at a lower power.  This, in effect, brings you “closer” to the animal, allowing you to see more detail.

Now, having said all that, not all scopes are created equal.  An alpha-level scope is going to have much better resolution, contrast and color rendition than a Wally-World blister pack scope.  So, an expensive scope that has a 40mm objective will let you see more than a cheap scope that has a 56mm objective.  The 56mm scope may be letting in a lot of light, but all you see is a well-lit blob, whereas the more expensive model shows you your target by resolving the image to a much greater degree.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Roy Finn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 17:09
Unless you are from the Eremicus gene pool, your eyes probably won't (or need to) dilate out to 7mm during legal hunting hours regardless of your age unless you are partaking in some form of night hunting. Most big game is hunted according to the half hour rule in most states so IMO a scope that offers 5-6mm expit pupil will work perfectly.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Magnumdood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 17:33
Originally posted by Roy Finn Roy Finn wrote:

Unless you are from the Eremicus gene pool, your eyes probably won't (or need to) dilate out to 7mm during legal hunting hours regardless of your age unless you are partaking in some form of night hunting. Most big game is hunted according to the half hour rule in most states so IMO a scope that offers 5-6mm expit pupil will work perfectly.
That gene pool is in dire need of CHLORINE.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Roy Finn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 17:36
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gunshow75 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 18:14
Originally posted by Roy Finn Roy Finn wrote:

Unless you are from the Eremicus gene pool, your eyes probably won't (or need to) dilate out to 7mm during legal hunting hours regardless of your age unless you are partaking in some form of night hunting. Most big game is hunted according to the half hour rule in most states so IMO a scope that offers 5-6mm expit pupil will work perfectly.
 

For daylight observations, a large exit pupil allows you to easily examine a large part of the image as if you were looking through a window, which is impossible with a small exit pupil. A large exit pupil lowers the tolerance for eye placement.  For most hunting, parallax isn't a problem.

 
For me, a large exit pupil is "more comfortable."  Having said that, I find that 40 to 42 mm objectives give me enough exit pupil for the magnification ranges I use. 


Tom



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VYD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 20:00
Originally posted by txhunter2 txhunter2 wrote:

I have always used 40mm scopes during my hunting.  I am thinking of going with a 42 or 50mm scope on one of my guns.  The 42 mm is $30 cheaper.  I am sure the 50 is a little heavier.  I will be adding a 4 inch sunshade to the scope as well.  Is the low light benefit of the 50 mm outweigh the 30 dollar difference.
 
Some 40mm scopes transmit more light than 50mm+ scopes. Leupold 40mm vs. Hawke 50mm, Nikon 40mm vs. Bushnell 50mm, etc. What scopes are you talking about anyway? That will sure clear some confusion. Are you talking about the same brand?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 21:25
Originally posted by Magnumdood Magnumdood wrote:

Originally posted by Roy Finn Roy Finn wrote:

Unless you are from the Eremicus gene pool, your eyes probably won't (or need to) dilate out to 7mm during legal hunting hours regardless of your age unless you are partaking in some form of night hunting. Most big game is hunted according to the half hour rule in most states so IMO a scope that offers 5-6mm expit pupil will work perfectly.
That gene pool is in dire need of CHLORINE.

something stronger than that, how about benzene??
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Magnumdood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 21:56
Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

Originally posted by Magnumdood Magnumdood wrote:

Originally posted by Roy Finn Roy Finn wrote:

Unless you are from the Eremicus gene pool...
That gene pool is in dire need of CHLORINE.

something stronger than that, how about benzene??
 
Let's drain it, then NAPALM the dried out remains.  Fire is the only sure way...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Roy Finn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 22:01
Originally posted by Gunshow75 Gunshow75 wrote:

 

 A large exit pupil lowers the tolerance for eye placement. 

 
I think what you meant to say is that it increases eye placement tolerance. It does for me anyway.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pyro6999 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 22:07
Originally posted by Magnumdood Magnumdood wrote:

Originally posted by pyro6999 pyro6999 wrote:

Originally posted by Magnumdood Magnumdood wrote:

Originally posted by Roy Finn Roy Finn wrote:

Unless you are from the Eremicus gene pool...
That gene pool is in dire need of CHLORINE.

something stronger than that, how about benzene??
 
Let's drain it, then NAPALM the dried out remains.  Fire is the only sure way...

yeah yeah fire is cool!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Magnumdood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/26/2010 at 22:18
Originally posted by Roy Finn Roy Finn wrote:

Originally posted by Gunshow75 Gunshow75 wrote:

 

 A large exit pupil lowers the tolerance for eye placement. 

 
I think what you meant to say is that it increases eye placement tolerance. It does for me anyway.
 
NO...NO...Not the....eye box!!
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