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saltydog235
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/07/2013 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 172 |
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Posted: December/19/2018 at 18:50 |
A little background. I hunt in the pine forests, Carolina bays and swamps of coastal SC. Most of my shots on biger swamp donkeys and hogs are either very early in the AM or the last bits of light in the evenings. I own quite a few scopes from old Weaver K4's, Leupolds, NF, Trijicons, Conquests, ER5's and S&B Stratos'. I love the 56mm Stratos for low light but it's on a "pretty" Sako Finnbear I don't hunt much with in the muck we have now, my other is a 1.5-8X42 on my Bavarian Carbine and again I seldom hunt with it in the muck. I do hunt a lot with a Sako 85 Finnlight in .300WM which has a Trijicon 4-16X50 MOA reticle in it. The Trijicon does allow me to sit later than anyone else on the club seemingly but though I can see the animal, I've noticed that the detail I could see in my S&B is lacking. This has become my go to rifle and a favorite to shoot because lets face it, who doesn't like to see everything bang flop. I really like the Trijicon but think this one will be better served on another rifle. Anyway, I'm planning to liquidate a NF or two and maybe few rifles I seldom shoot and invest in a top notch optic for this rifle. I'm not looking for tactical though maybe exposed turrets though. I've come up with 4 that I'm very interested in and would love feedback or other options to consider S&B Polar T96 4-16X56 FFP L7 BDC Leica Magnus 2.4-16X56 iL4A BDC Ziess Victory V8 2.8-20X56 #60 ASV/BDC Swarovski Z8i 2.3-18X56 4A-I or 4W-I Which, given all equal parameters and conditions of last light, humid and hot and shadows in the timber is my best option?
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Urimaginaryfrnd
MODERATOR Resident Redneck Joined: June/20/2005 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 14964 |
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That's some serious optics to pick from, none of which is a mistake:
I think I like the reticle in the SB best, but would rather have lower than 4x. so Swarovski probably. I tend to be drawn to this one: Trijicon 2.5-10x56 AccuPoint 30mm Rifle Scope Matte, Red Triangle PostI have also come very close to buying this one and really liked the glass. IOR 6x42 Tactical 30mm Rifle Scope Matte, MP-8 Standard, 1/4 MOA, Knobs w/ Caps6x42 is a 7mm exit eye pupil so bright as it gets. the reticle can be used for both distance finding of a known size object and hold over for known distance and is way lighter and more portable than the rest of the herd. covered caps so the brush wont set the adjustments for you. Video actually gathers light better than conventional scopes so you could always add a video camera for those late hog hunts. |
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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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Scrumbag
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: October/22/2013 Location: London, UK Status: Offline Points: 4205 |
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I'm currently very tempted by the Leica you mentioned.
A popular option in Europe with a lot of hunters who do woodland hunting and sitting up for boar is the 2.5-10x56 Or, if really serious about low light, 8x56.... Scrummy
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Was sure I had a point when I started this post...
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Rancid Coolaid
MODERATOR Joined: January/19/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 9318 |
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Of your list, I have limited experience with all but the last - the Swaro - and I love that scope. The illumination is great, the glass is fantastic, the turrets are okay, but everything else makes up for it. And their flip-up covers are awesome. The illumination is just a center dot, which, in very low light, is all I want anyway. Everyone on your list makes a good scope, so prioritize what is the one feature you can get with one that the others don't offer. For me, it comes down to glass - since these aren't turret spinners - and the only scope I have with better glass than these swaros is at least a pound heavier and at least $1000 more. Were it me, I'd get the swaro.
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JGRaider
Optics Master Joined: February/06/2008 Status: Offline Points: 1540 |
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Meopta R2, ill reticle.
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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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These are all excellent scopes and the choice between them is really a lot about personal preference.
Leica Magnus agrees with my eyes the best of these, but I would be happy with any of them. For my eyes it would be ranked in the following order: Magnus, Z8, Polar, V8, but these are VERY close overall. Meostar R2 is not quite as nice as these, but not far off at all. Definitely a better bang for the money. ILya
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saltydog235
Optics Apprentice Joined: January/07/2013 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 172 |
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How much of a difference is there between them. S&B is claiming the Polar to be the “brightest” scope made. I really like my Stratos optics but didn’t pay near this kind of coin for them. 96%LT and 12mm exit pupil they say.
Of the premium optics they are the only ones I’ve ever owned. Is the Z8 any better glass wise than the Z6i? I hunt, usually no longer than 300yds and from stationary stands, weight isn’t a primary concern, descerning what I’m shooting at is. Looks like I need to get behind all of these options before buying. |
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Urimaginaryfrnd
MODERATOR Resident Redneck Joined: June/20/2005 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 14964 |
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The only thing that concerns me about the S&B is the 4x at the low end, other than that I really like it. As far as having a 12 mm exit eye pupil that's great if your a German Sheppard but most people's eyes only dilate to about 6-7mm. Might be a good question for your optometrist. The thing I notice is how bright video is in low light and I have for several years observed the existence of military optics that are video based. I also remember how my expensive Hasselblad lenses turned to very little value when digital cameras took the business.
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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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