S & B Hungarian 8x56 , Swaro 8x56 or Zeiss Duralyt 3-12x50 Illuminated

Primer

Well-Known Member
If you had to pick one which would it be and why and which reticle ?

Was out shooting today and had the chance to look through a Swaro 8x56 and wow it was so clear and bright compared with the no name 3-12 x 52 scope that came on my rifle, so might look at upgrading the glass and thinking of looking at the above.
Sportsman has the S & B Hungarian 8x56 on offer at the moment at £499 but with a 7a reticle and also the Zeiss Duralyt 3-12x50 Illuminated at £835 (would hope to find cheaper though).
 
I would choose the 2 x fixed befour the duralyt

Id consider the 2x fixed much better quality than a duralyt they are good scopes but there's better out there for the money


personally if it was my money Id buy a S/H variable swaro or s+b as you have a more versatile scope you can wind it down for woodland / foxing at night or up for target / zeroing etc

just my 2p worth
 
I've got the new Zeiss Conquest DL ASV 3-12x56 and compared to my previous scopes (Hawke, Burris and Leupold M8) it is a vast improvement. Much much better than all three in low light and slightly better than the Leupold in bright sunlight. Personally I cant justify the almost £200 extra for illumination especially with the reticule on the Zeiss as when it's too dark to see the reticule its way too dark for me to take a shot anyway, possibly a benefit if shooting lots of deer at the last minute of legal light. Also I like the variable zoom, I usually leave it on 8x when I leave the house but will adjust it throughout a stalk depending on where I am as I go from thick woods to open fields and although I often shoot at 8x or lower I have often gone up to 12x to confirm details on what I am shooting.
 
Myself and some mates directly compared the Swarovski and Schmidt 8x56 scopes at last light. Not a single one of us could detect any a actual difference in low light performance.

i think Schmidt currently offer the best value as I paid £250 for mine second hand whereas Swarovski or zeiss would cost more to get into. If you buy well second hand the scope will always be worth about what you paid for it. You don't get better value than that.

Based on your budget if you bought a decent second hand Schmidt you'd still have the cash for a day at red stags.that's a nobrainer - either sit at home and admire a scope with features you'll never use or get out on the hill with an ideal scope for the job and stalk some deer.
 
+1 for the Schmidt - I have one with the A7 reticule - @100yds a Roe will sit chest to backside in between the larger horizontal reticule bars, so it's a free range finder too...

i have swarovski too - you can wonder where the difference is (particular weather at particular time of day brings it out more) however the Schmidt at £499 is a no brainer and a sound investment - imho
 
bin the duralyt idea there just not worth the money the swaro would be my choice out of the ones youve picked but i would actually go for a ziess 8x56 only because out of all of the big 3 i prefer ziess
 
Thanks for the info, I've been offered a 2nd hand Swaro 8x56 for £450, so now it's a case of which is the best deal, new S & B with shop guarantee for £499 or 2nd hand Swaro ?
 
Thanks for the info, I've been offered a 2nd hand Swaro 8x56 for £450, so now it's a case of which is the best deal, new S & B with shop guarantee for £499 or 2nd hand Swaro ?

Wait for a second hand Schmidt and save another hundred quid minimum. Call macleods in Tain in the morning and ask them to get you a decent one and that will be you set up for life.
 
If you are planning to visit the Brithish shooting show in the middle of February then you could wait and see if there are any bargains going.

I really rate the Zeiss Duralyt and have two in 3-12x50 IR ( they come with a 10 year warranty from new)... If you fancy one, You should be able to pick them up at a decent discount now that they have been superseded by the conquest. I like the versatility of variable magnification and that red centre dot comes into its own at first or last light.

As for the previous comments of posters dismissing the Duralyt out of hand....have they ever used one over an extended period of time I wonder? If so I am surprised. I compared my Duralyt at last light to my friends top of the line Zeiss Victory scope and to my eyes there was little if any difference in image quality.
I managed to pick up mine at a decent price new and not the daft prices that some retailers were asking.

Personally I would go for the versatility of a variable power scope but I can see how the simplicity of a fixed power would appeal.... I think everyone's eyes vary and image quality can definitely be affected by your own eye sight.
I would try and get a look through a few scopes side by side if possible before buying.
 
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