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canine
Optics GrassHopper Joined: December/31/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 38 |
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Posted: January/01/2007 at 02:48 |
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Hi Guys, I am in the market for a good low light scope. At this point in my research I have found the Leupold VX-III 4.5-14X50 with the illuminated german #4 dot reticle and the Meopta Meostar R1 with the same type of Illuminated dot reticle. Is anyone familiar with these scopes / reticles. I will mainly be utilizing them for hunting, but I will also be doing some long range target shooting. (7mm Rem Mag) Am I on the right track or do you guys have any other sugestions? Thanks, Brad |
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canine
Optics GrassHopper Joined: December/31/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 38 |
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By the way, i believe both of these scopes range somewhere around 850ish. that is the price range that I would like to stay In. Thanks again
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fwinn
Optics GrassHopper Joined: December/30/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 79 |
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it's kinda hard to have your cake and eat it too. if you are hunting low light, then the starting 4.5 power is really a little steep, but you still want the long range going up to 14. i have a vx3 3.5-10x50 illuminated duplex and really like it. i think you will really like it as well and it's a toss up on which power to go with. i have no experience with the meopta and can't form an opinion on it.
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rootmanslim
Optics Professional Joined: June/04/2006 Location: Pinedale, WY Status: Offline Points: 557 |
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I guess i need to know what is low light. To a guy in Alaska in the Alders it's one thing, to me in NW WY it's far different.
It also makes a huge difference if you are sniper hunting vs jump shooting. I have seen lots of elk missed by guys trying to sneak thru the black timber with a monte carlo monster and a 6-18x50 scope in conditions where a 12 ga semi auto with a 1X scope and brenekke slugs would have been far superior. As Fynn said:, if big game is too far away to be shot with a 3X scope, it's too far away to be shot." |
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canine
Optics GrassHopper Joined: December/31/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 38 |
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Most of my hunting is on stand in big farm fields for whitetails in the mid-atlantic region. By low light I mean up to 1/2 hour after sunset on a cloudy day. I can't agree with the 3X scope or thier to far comment. I like to get up close and personal with my optics, hence the higher power. Plus, Like I said, I also want to be able to do some long range target stuff for fun. I am going to have a custom Bullet Drop compensator made for the scope so I do not want a ballistic reticle and I really liked the illuminated dot with the heavy posts. Just not sure which one has the best optics.
P.S. I also looked at the IOR Valdada 4-14. Don't know anything about this company. |
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silver
Optics Master Joined: November/04/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2291 |
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I think that some more realistic goals are in order.
1) If you want low light performace, then you have to accept the fact that your eye will be the limiting factor. This means that 7x or 8x is the max on night time usage. Your eye pupil will only expand so much, as you age, things do not get any better. That means you take the max that your eye pupil can open (7mm) and then divide your objective lens for the working magnification. Most low light scopes are 50mm or 56mm max objective lens divide those numbers by 7 and you get 7x and 8x respectively.
The Europeans and many American varmit hunters have hunted by the light of the moon for years. They do not use the illuminated reticle. It is nice, but not needed. When hunting under these conditions you have additional moral, ethical, and legal responceablity; namely target identification and back stop identification. You need a very clear scope not one with a lot of magification.
2) The Leupold from its own cataloge has a 92 percent light transmission rate. The European stuff is 94 to 96 percent light transmission. That number is the through rate for light. Or the Leupold does not allow 2 to 4 percent as much light to your eye. |
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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane." Jimmie Buffet
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silver
Optics Master Joined: November/04/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2291 |
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Let me continue here.
3) Custom Bullet drop compensator? How much do you think that is going to cost? What do you think the lead time will be? Vendor? Why re-invent the wheel? Why not just put that money into the scope in the first place?
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"If we weren't all crazy we, We would go insane." Jimmie Buffet
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rootmanslim
Optics Professional Joined: June/04/2006 Location: Pinedale, WY Status: Offline Points: 557 |
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So you are not hunting you are sniping. Fynn was a hunter (mostly Africa) whereas sitting in a blind waiting for a deer to come to feed is sniping. Nothing wrong with it but don't confuse stalking to within 50 yards of a smart buck with potting him at 400 yards with some monster magnum and a high powered scope. To shoot within any responsible distance you don't need a bullet drop compensator, just a good rangefinder and a table of drop taped to your stock. In my youth I shot a lot of "chucks" out to 400 yards with a 25-06 and a 6-24 B&L.It wasn't rocket science, if they were close, hold on the chest, if farther hold on the eye, if a long way hold a bit above them. Deer are a lot bigger and a center chest hold will kill as far as need be IF you follow the old O'Connor rule of sighting in 3" high @ 100 yards.
Don't let technology spoil the hunting experience and before you decide Fynn's 3X rule was wrong, try a good 3X scope on a deer sized paper target at 300 yards, it might surprise you.Good hunting! |
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Urimaginaryfrnd
MODERATOR Resident Redneck Joined: June/20/2005 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 14964 |
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POOF - instant scope with bullet drop compensator = M3 cams should be available if not included for .223 .308 30-06 and 300 WM custom shop can make other cams just provide them your balistic data. For a brighter view use the variable and dial it down to about 6x as it gets dark. |
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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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www.technika.nu
Optics Journeyman Joined: August/02/2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 611 |
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I would NOT go for a leuopld for low light hunting, NEVER.
I would go for a good german scope (or at least germanspeking). Zeiss Diavari-Z 3-12x56 can be had for less money than you just said secondhanded and there is wonderfull bulletdropcompensators to them originally.
Personally I prefer the reticle no11 but the no:1 or in worst case no4 do the job as well. However there is no question about that you will be able to take much more lightwise difficult shots with a Zeiss with unilluminated no11 reticle than with a leupold with illuminated reticle.
If you want new, i suppose that the 6,5-20X Zeiss concuest could be something for you?
But most important of all, when buying on a budget you can't expect to get everything and I would therefor like to recomend you to drop the illuminated reticle.
Regards Technika
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Dolphin
Optics Master Joined: October/05/2006 Location: North Carolina Status: Offline Points: 1795 |
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