Large 56mm Scopes

Heym SR20

Well-Known Member
I popped in the viewing of the Holts auction yesterday. It does give you the opportunity to look at and handle a large number of different guns and rifles. One thing that really struck was number of really fine elegant rifles totally ruined with large zoom scopes on. You shoulder them and they just want to capsize. Yes big powerful scopes have their place, but not on a 6lb kipplauf or a fine Rigby 275.
 
Scope size really does change the handling, especially on a light rifle. The 56mm Zeiss scopes showed up on K98 sniper rifles at the end of the war, and the 8x56 caught on for moonlighting wild boar, so things seemed to go in that direction. A 4x32 or 6x36 duplex with a 10 MOA wide fine portion of the reticle will enable you to shoot accurately to 400 yards. A small variable, like a 1.75-5x32 or 2-7x35mm, is very fast at low power and both eyes open, yet capable of dropping a fox at 500 yards. Some small scopes, like the 3-9x36 Swarovski Habicht, are quite sharp and bright in low light.
 
Totally agree - and I am a fan of large objectives. I have a .308 slot to fill with a light, short woodland stalker. It will have open-sights and possible a quick-detach scope. If it does, though, it will be a low-mag and small objective. I wouldn't sully such a rifle with a telescope!

I have the 3-9x36 Habicht on a 22lr and really like it, but I couldn't see me shooting fox size quarry comfortably at 500 yards with 5 or 7 mag.

regards


Ian
 
Just to be clear, I am an advocate of getting close, for several reasons, one being the sport of things. If you are in a situation where you might expect to have to make a 400 yard shot in a bad situation, like on a sheep hunt or Africa, then you would be carrying a higher powered scope and a higher powered rifle. But with the coyote problem we have, I will (and have ) shot them at 400 yards and more. I have a different set of ethics for these vermin, but so far have never needed more than one shot.

These older scopes were simple 2.5x, 4x and 6x, and they had rather fine reticles. Hunters used them like super iron sights. Just look at all the sniper scopes of WWII: mostly 2.5x Lyman to 6x Zeiss Marburg. Even well into the 1980s, the 4x ranging scope and 6x42 still ruled.

I am a big lover of iron sights, open and receiver sights, and of unencumbering the rifle from large scopes; ten of my .308s wear them, and eight of those have nothing but irons. Next step for the 7x64 I am building is a top front sight.
 
Last edited:
I agree, I have a .270 with a 6x42 on it, and me .22 has the same, more tgan enough power, I have an 8x56 for my lamping rifle for foxes tho.
 
Hmmm... I've always used 8x56 scopes on every one of my rifles. This includes my K95 which from the outset was set up with an 8x56. It's never failed and is and always has been a dream to carry, handle and shoot. I wouldn't change it at all. ATB
 
I popped in the viewing of the Holts auction yesterday. It does give you the opportunity to look at and handle a large number of different guns and rifles. One thing that really struck was number of really fine elegant rifles totally ruined with large zoom scopes on. You shoulder them and they just want to capsize. Yes big powerful scopes have their place, but not on a 6lb kipplauf or a fine Rigby 275.

Even on my Mauser M03, not the lightest of rifles the big S&B makes it top heavy. Great scope for sitting out at night for boar but would not be my choice for stalking.
 
Interesting post I have been deliberating this. I have a Zeiss 3-12x50 on my Tikka and plan to treat myself to a Leica ERi and was wondering if I would really notice much difference if I went down to a 42mm objective vs 50mm. Most of my stalking is sub 150 yds but I do plan to take the rifle to Africa in 2016 for a week on plains game. The difference in price is also quite large $500 approx.
 
i have 6x42 on my 30-06 and it does all my stalking requirements from woodland close up stalking to Africa plains game . Only last Sunday I took a Muntjac that was on the move at about 30 yrds.
Tusker
 
I currently use a 6x42 on my R8 Blaser in 7x64, however I have a second scope in 8x56 zeroed as well.
If I am walking and climbing in rough country I always take the 6x42, however if I am sitting and waiting at dawn or dusk the 8x56 is used.
The 8x56 is a brilliant scope for low light conditions.
 
Problem is often compounded by people using extremely high mounts. I've inherited two rifles that had mounts which were so high they still left a cm or so clearance even when carrying an 8x56.

Not only does that make the rifle very cumbersome and top heavy, but forces you to cock your head up off the cheek piece.

Bigger is not better...
 
Objective out of choice would be a variable or 6 x42 on my two main stalking rifles, lighter and mount lower. Sadly I need a large objective to give me every first and last minute of light available due to the deer becoming only crepuscular to the point of being completely nocturnal in some areas, mainly down to the vast majority of keepers and fox shooters lamping the deer illegally around us. Unlike some of our younger/newer members to stalking I remember when stalking could be done during the day! Hopefully some of you can still do this.

One scope I do like is, yes I know it's sacrilege but my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, a Leopold 2-7x32 on my .30/30. Both eyes open on x2 and very quick.

Magnification, well here's a funny thing, when practicing or testing ammo I can should better groups on x7 than say x10 or x12! Maybe because of less movement making me feel more stable, never quite worked that one out? Having said that my scopes are always set on x7 maximum for hunting and in woods wound down to the minimum.
 
I popped in the viewing of the Holts auction yesterday. It does give you the opportunity to look at and handle a large number of different guns and rifles. One thing that really struck was number of really fine elegant rifles totally ruined with large zoom scopes on. You shoulder them and they just want to capsize. Yes big powerful scopes have their place, but not on a 6lb kipplauf or a fine Rigby 275.

With you all the way.

A scoped rifle should look right:

45cc430e-1726-41df-8a0a-a17780aba28c_zps6998db2a.jpg


K
 
The 56mm Zeiss scopes showed up on K98 sniper rifles at the end of the war....

Really? Never saw one, not in Germany or in any of the reference books like those from the German publisher "MotorBuchVerlag" or in Senich's english text.

SS
 
Problem is often compounded by people using extremely high mounts. I've inherited two rifles that had mounts which were so high they still left a cm or so clearance even when carrying an 8x56..

when they are that high they make very fine carrying handles...just like the M16!


71482892.jpg
 
Really? Never saw one, not in Germany or in any of the reference books like those from the German publisher "MotorBuchVerlag" or in Senich's english text.

SS
I have one, a 6x56 Zeiss, mounted on the rifle in claw mounts. I used to own an intact K98 kit with ZF 39 at 4.2X. I own a deceased friend's M1D Garand with the original Lyman 2.5x and a 1903A4 Springfield with its 2.5 Lyman, and later 1903A4 which wore a 6x Redfield in the 1960s. A friend owns an L42A1 with 4x Pecar. My HK-91 has a Hensoldt 4x with compensating turret to 600m, and I still have the Kahles 6x42 which was on my Steyr SSG. I wish I had the mount and scope for my No.4MkII.

My point is that the 10x scopes did not come into vogue until the Mil Dot reticles for ranging, and that at hunting ranges, 6x with a fine enough crosshair will do the job for deer as well as anything. Once you get above 7 or 8x, it is hard to find a scope that is small.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top